Headphone Reviews

True Wireless Earbuds: AirPods and Alternatives Conclusion

Conclusion
To sum things up, my top true wireless earphones feature consideration is a hear-through option so you don't constantly have to remove the buds—and potentially drop and lose them—to be aware of what's going on around you. The Nuheara IQBuds Boost not only delivers that feature, but its sound quality, battery life, and comfort place it at the top of the true wireless buds heap. Of course, at $499, you pay for all that wireless earbuds goodness.

If you're an iPhone owner, Apple's second-generation AirPods offer the best combination of sound and iPhone-specific functions at a great price—as long as you're comfortable with their all-in-one fit. I liked them enough to give them a Sound & Vision Top Pick, although the award in this case is specific to the iPhone universe. If the AirPod doesn't prove to be a good fit, figuratively or literally, the Jabra Elite Active 65t's combination of performance, standard and exercise-centric functionality, noise-isolating seal, comfort, and price, ranks it just below the Nuheara IQBuds Boost. And for bargain hunters, the Edifier TWS2 supplies surprisingly good sonics and fit at a great price, but a short battery life and lack of a hear-through option make it more appropriate for mass transit commuters.

COMMENTS
johnnydeagle's picture
Submitted by johnnydeagle on April 11, 2019 - 10:35am

I read another review of Airpod alternatives in a computer magazine, and B&O's earbuds came out on top. To bad you didn't include those in this review, instead of the ones that only managed 1 or 2 stars.

thehun's picture
Submitted by thehun on April 18, 2019 - 7:17am

as usual the microphones[outgoing phone calls] won't get much or any mention on reviews like these.I guess if people on the other end can't hear/understand you is not really of concern to the reviewers. Most of these TWS's have lousy performance in this regard,but since no one seems to include it in their "benchmarks" maybe the MFR's think it's not important to users. A shout out to rtings.com as they actually do test the mics in their reviews.

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