Away from my desk I've been using Bluetooth headphones exclusively for over a decade now, and it does happen just as much with non-Apple phones. It's just some configurations of phone antennas and device antennas are unhappy together when they're both on your body.
My anecdotal evidence is that AirPods have really solid Bluetooth reception with my iPhones.
To be perfectly honest, that doesn't sound like a bluetooth problem at all. That sounds like an Apple defect in their product.