Do you still call your earphones or earbuds? Since the release of Apple’s AirPods, people have started calling earphones air buds. Have you gotten yourself one yet?
What Are Air Buds
Air Buds are wireless Bluetooth earbuds that may offer waterproof features, active noise cancellation features, and a wide frequency range.
Air Buds or these wireless Bluetooth earbuds started their trend when Apple released their very own AirPods. Although Apple was not the first who came up with the idea of wireless BT earbuds with a charging case, many associated the popularity of wireless earbuds with Apple. Some argue that it’s Apple’s greatest innovation since the iPhone. People were impressed with the ease of connectivity that once paired, automatically connects upon wearing in your ears. Likewise, it automatically disconnects when removed.
Air Buds’ Common Features
Another impressive innovation was the charging case. The first of its kind was way back in 2015 when the Management was a former head of design from Harman Kardon and the COO used to work for Jabra. The first wireless earbuds - the Bragi Dash, were created by a hybrid of brains from headphones innovators. It retailed at $299 back in 2015.
Everyone liked the idea of having a charging case. The buds alone may contain a lot of battery life already but the charging case carries more. Some air buds’ charging cases could carry 20 to 32 hours of battery life. This means that when the battery of your air buds drains, just place it back in its charging case and it recovers without plugging it in a socket. Air Buds also offers the best fit.
Lastly, the sound quality and noise cancellation features of most air buds are impressive. This makes people want to take their air buds to the gym and get hyped up by a bass-forward sound, an exciting melody, or simply, a noise cancellation feature when talking to their colleagues.
How much are Air Buds
The cheapest air buds can cost from $25 to $50 while budget air buds are all under $100. The regular AirPods retail at $149. AirPods Pro along with other earbuds of the same features range from $250 to $300. Brands offering these prices offer good sound quality, waterproof features, ANC, transparent mode, equalizer, a snug fit, and a luxe-looking design.
The most popular air buds, AirPods, retail between $159 and $549. There are luxury air buds made of 18K gold called Happy Plugs at $14,500 and another made of diamonds from IDiamonds retailing at $6,400.
Which Are the Best Air Buds
Wireless earbuds have gotten more popular and different companies have offered many features one would definitely say yes to. But if you’re the user, which one is the most appropriate for you?
Apple Air Buds - Best for iOS Users
Apple, since its release, has dominated the market sales. From almost 50% to almost 30% now, they still take the lead. It’s no surprise because if you’re an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook user, it’s the best fit when it comes to ease of connectivity and Bluetooth.
They might not be the first to introduce wireless Bluetooth earbuds and the phenomenal charging case but they popularized them for sure. Apple, with its minimalistic design, has gotten good reviews too.
The updated AirPods now are the AirPods (2nd generation) where you get 3 hours of listening time with only 15 minutes of charging.
The AirPods retail at $159 for a wired charging case and $199 for a wireless charging case.
Apple Airbuds Pro for iOS audiophiles
The AirPods Pro is Apple’s premium version of the AirPods. It features ANC that is well-praised by its users. It also gives you the Transparency Mode to bring you back to what’s happening around you.
Another difference is its design. The AirPods Pro has 3 sizes (small, medium, and large) for a customizable fit. The tips come in soft silicone material conforming to ear shape. This also seals in-ear to make sure ANC is guaranteed to block all sounds from your surroundings. According to Apple, this lets users feel the music more than the air buds. They also provided an Ear Tip Fit Test that goes green and tells you that it’s a good seal.
It has spatial audio. The AirPods Pro offers a dynamic range, a powerful bass, and fine-tune audio that adjusts mid and low frequencies. Moreover, it has a mesh microphone that makes calls clear despite strong winds. Lastly, the AirPods Pro is water and sweat-resistant.
The AirPods Pro retails at $249.
Samsung Air Buds - Best Battery Health
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus are best paired with Samsung Galaxy Phones but this version offers voice assistants for Google and Siri. Retrospectively, the Galaxy Buds aren’t compatible with iOS devices but we guess that’s the plus in this version. iOS users simply need to download the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ app while Android users need to download the Galaxy Wearable app.
If you’re looking for the best air buds that will give you the best battery life, it’s this. The buds alone carry 11 hours of non-stop listening with another 11 hours with the charging case. It is also pretty impressive how a 3-minute charge could already give you about an hour of listening time.
The Galaxy Buds are like the regular AirPods without ANC but these air buds offer three sizes of wingtips for a perfect seal. Having a good seal delivers noise isolation that is okay for most users. It features ambient sound in three levels where you could hear the outside noise, hear some of it, or slim to none when it’s off. Its microphone, however, is susceptible to wind sound.
Its touch-sensitive control panels are well-praised, being easy to use and intuitive. It has a great in-app EQ that offers - normal, bass boost, soft, dynamic, clear, and treble boost.
The Galaxy Buds+ retails at $149.99.
Air Pro 3 - Best Budget Air Buds
The Air Pro 3 is the best budget air bud that sells for as low as $12.20 to $13.35 on AliExpress. Although, it retails at $32 on Vova. Nonetheless, for budget earphones, the Air Pro 3 could go side to side with Apple’s AirPods and the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus.
For a budget pair of air buds, its Bluetooth version is also 5.0 like the AirPods and the Galaxy Buds Plus. It is dustproof and waterproof with an IPX5 rating. Moreover, it offers quick pairing with its Fast-Pair technology similar to what Apple and Samsung offer.
It has touch control panels as well. You may play the next song or the previous one with its control panel. You may also play and pause your music with the panel. Furthermore, you may answer and reject calls with them, and activate the voice assistant. You may also use the Pro 3 individually which prolongs the battery health of the other bud.
Users say it has a good fit. You may customize the name of your Pro 3 for a more customized feel.
It has no ANC like the AirPods and its buds’ battery only carries about 4-5 hours. It also has a long charge time for its short battery health which is 1.5 hours.
The Best Air Buds for Every User
Whether you are an iOS or an Android user, all three of our listed air buds work perfectly fine. Of course, one is a perfect fit for one user. If you’re not a heavy user when it comes to continuous music listening, the Air Pro 3 is sufficient given its cheap price.
If you are the type who would wear it all day, for a workout, for running, for work calls, and for all-day listening, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus is perfect for you! This is because of the 11 hours of battery life and intuitive touch control panels.
Lastly, if you’re the type who would love to listen to your music without ambient, or answer your calls with no noise coming from your surroundings, the Apple AirPods Pro is perfect. It is also perfect if you want your colleague on the other line not to hear wind sounds. Take note that many, if not, all iOS users would agree that the AirPods (Pro or not) are easy to use for their devices.