In the menu bar
Connect your AirPods, then click Control Center in the menu bar and choose Bluetooth. Your AirPods are listed with how much charge they have.
To have Bluetooth right in the menu bar, open System Settings › Control Center and set Bluetooth to Show in Menu Bar.
With the Batteries widget
Click the date and time in the menu bar to open Notification Center, choose Edit Widgets, and add Batteries. While your AirPods are connected they show there, beside your Mac’s own battery. On macOS Sonoma and later, the widget can sit on the desktop too.
In System Settings
While they’re connected, your AirPods have their own place in the sidebar of System Settings. Choose them to see their battery at the top, with their settings under it.
In the notch, the moment they connect
With Tilora, connect your AirPods and the notch shows them for a few seconds, with a ring for their battery. Its Batteries card keeps your Mac, your AirPods and your mouse in one place, a click on the notch away.
Questions
Is Tilora free?
It’s free for 7 days with everything in it. Then $9.99, once, for three Macs.