To kick off the 2018 with a bang, the yearly Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas always plays host to some really interesting gadgets. Sony usually makes it a point to stamp its mark with some great tech. They duly obliged by showcasing quite a few audio products, but we choose to focus on just this - the Sony WF-SP700N true wireless earphones.

Type - Truly Wireless Buds
Price - TBC

Sony WF-SP700N

Sony is starting to get into the groove with the launch of its 2nd generation pair of true wireless earphones.

What's Special?

1. In its category, they claim these are the first in the world to offer the noise-canceling and splash-proof (IPX4) functionality. Can't disagree with this. 

2. Google Assistant - Sony says they are planning to bring this compatibility to these buds and given the prevalence of AI-driven products, this certainly adds to its value when giving voice commands on the move.

3. Ambient Sound - This mode allows external sound in to blend with music playback. Definitely a useful feature should you want to jog safely with nearby traffic.

Other Specs
Battery life - 3 hours 
Weight - 7.6g each
Weight (Charging Case) - 45g
Accessories - 

• Charging case
• charging cable (micro-USB)
• 4 x Silcon earbuds
• 2 x Arc supporters

Significance
All the big players are now established in the truly wireless arena. What does the future hold? With Apple, Google, Amazon determined to fight it out in the voice assistant domain, manufacturers of true wireless earbuds will likely head toward implementing these in their products within the next year. 

Pricing and Availability
These buds will be available in Asia-Pacific from Q2 2018. Pricing is to be confirmed.
4 colors will be available - black, pink, yellow and white. 

If you liked what you read, do feel free to support us by buying from Amazon through this affiliate link. 

Update (8 May 2018)
The Sony WF-SP700N will be available in Singapore at Sony Stores from 24 May 2018 for SGD 299. When you purchase a unit, you will get a free Fitbit Flex 2, in the form of a redemption letter.

As 2017 comes to a close, it's important to look back at what defined the year in music hardware. Speakers and headphones have evolved considerably to a level where app support is practically the norm. True wireless earphones hit the mainstream. 

Beyond that, 2017 was all about digital assistant-powered devices such as smart speakers. It kickstarted in May at the Google I/O conference where they announced the expansion of the Google Assistant ecosystem and capabilities. Apple soon followed with the HomePod smart speaker announcement at their WWDC event in June. If not already clear, the next frontier for the big tech companies would be in artificial intelligence and digital assistants. The only question is which would emerge victorious or would there somehow be a convergence of digital/voice assistants in the future? We'll leave that question for another time while we check out the smart speakers that hit the markets this year and pave the way for 2018.


1. Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 99.99
What's the deal? - 
It ups the ante on the 1st gen with a new speaker, with Dolby processing, and new design. It fits very well in the living room as it doesn't look as industrial as its predecessor.

2. Amazon Echo Dot

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2016
Price - USD 49.99
What's the deal? - 
A very compact alternative to the Amazon Echo, with all the capability of Alexa at your disposal. It connects through a 3.5mm audio cable or Bluetooth. At half the price of the Amazon Echo, this is a great option to an entry-level smart speaker.

3. Apple HomePod

Voice Assistant - Siri
Launched - June 2017. To sell in Early 2018.
Price - USD 349
What's the deal? - 
Apple's first big speaker since the discontinued iPod Hi-Fi. To make the deal sweeter, make them look more compact, add Siri voice assistant and presto, you get the Apple HomePod. Would've sold like hotcakes if they'd come out by X'mas. Likely will sell like hotcakes once they are out in 2018, anyway.

4. Google Home Mini 


Voice Assistant - Google Assistant
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 49
What's the deal? - No prizes for guessing who its competitor is. The Google Home Mini is about the size of the Echo Dot, has a similar price tag and looks pretty darn good. Only drawback is the lack of a 3.5mm jack.

5. Harman Kardon Invoke

Voice Assistant - Microsoft Cortana
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199
What's the deal? - 
It looks very much like an Echo, or Bose SoundLink Revolve, but is the very first to feature Microsoft Cortana digital assistant. The speakers, unlike the Home or the Echo, are more powerful and hence sound that much better.

6. Sonos One

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199 / SGD 329
What's the deal? - 
If you've noticed, Oct 2017 was a popular month for smart speaker launches. Likely one of the best sounding smart speakers in the whole selection, the Sonos One differentiates itself from the Sonos Play:1 by the integration of Alexa. Like the other speakers in the Sonos ecosystem, they run only on the Wi-Fi network. 

B&O Play have announced their transition to truly wireless buds with its first offering in this product category that's gaining quite a bit of traction. It is called the B&O Beoplay E8.

Type - Truly Wireless Buds
Price - EUR 299 / SGD 429

The Lowdown
1. Truly Wireless
B&O Play may be a little late coming into the truly wireless arena but their implementation of playback controls is better thought out than most. Unlike others, tapping the left and right buds serve different functions. For example, a single tap on the left activates audio transparency while one tap on the right bud plays music. 

2. Splash and Dust Resistant
They can be used in wet or dusty weather conditions. Just make sure not to dunk 'em in water.

3. Transparency Mode
There are 4 levels of transparency to choose from to cater to how much real world sound you'd like to hear.

4. Battery Life 
The buds hold 4 hours of power, an average number when compared to Bragi The Headphone's 6 hours and the Samsung Gear IconX's 1.5 hours. The charging case offers 2 more full charges.

Price & Availability
Two colors (Black and Charcoal Sand) are expected to launch mid-October 2017 at EUR 299 / SGD 429.

Truly wireless buds made their entrance to the mainstream in 2016 to much fanfare thanks to offerings from big manufacturers (Apple, Samsung) and others that have established themselves in the niche (Bragi). It's an exciting space that has room for growth and Doppler Labs is a company that sees the potential in the hearables sector for bigger things than just the 'primitive' function of listening to music. 

We reviewed the Here Active Listening system, their first commercially available buds exactly a year back and now, Doppler Labs' has added music playback capability. After attending Here One's Singapore launch back in June, we bring you a full review! 

Read - 
Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds
Here Active Listening System review

Type - Truly Wireless Earphones 
Price - USD 299 / SGD 459

Pros (+): Remarkably vibrant sound quality; Pass-through listening; Highly customizable audio features; Great fit.
Cons (-): Pairing may take a while to work; Battery life.

In The Box
The Here One truly wireless buds come in 2 color combinations - Black and White. For purposes of this review, we obtained the latter. 

The box is undoubtedly sturdy, something that you'd associate with a company that rhymes with 'Zappel'. Popping open the top gives you the charging case with the buds enclosed. Taking off this layer gives access to the rest of the accessories that are neatly presented. 

On taking out the packaging contents, we get:

• Here One Wireless Smart Earbuds
• Charging Case
• 3 x Silicon Buds (S / M / L)
• 3 x Foam Buds (S / M / L)
• Charging Cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Quick Start Guide and Safety Information

Design
The Here One buds weigh a reasonable 12g (for both), comparable to other truly wireless buds like the Samsung Gear IconX (12g), though are slightly heavier than the Apple AirPods (8g). The overall aesthetic is almost the same as its predecessor with exception of more contact points to link with the Charging Case. The outer edge is a touch panel that allows finger taps to actuate certain functions while the inner portion has five contact points that link to the case for charging purposes.

Charging Case:
The case measures a lengthy 98 x 36 x 29mm and when the buds are stored, it doubles as a charger. On the practical side, there are four LEDs within that indicate the battery life of the buds at any time. There's absolutely no worry that the case will spill the buds out when stashed in a bag as the magnetic clasp that shuts the case is incredibly strong. 

Features

Playback / Voice Commands:
While there may be no physical buttons on the Here One, you perform taps to the buds to activate certain features. A single touch takes calls or stops music playback (if already started) and allows ambient sound to pass-through. Now, this feature, while not entirely new, is interestingly one that triggered Doppler Labs to file a lawsuit against Bose. Either way, it works as it should and it's mighty useful. As for a double tap, it activates Apple Siri or Google Now depending on your smartphone, so you can give voice commands. 

Layered Listening / App Support:
This feature was what made the Here Active Listening System interesting. Once you install the app (compatible with iOS 9.0+ / Android 5.0+), you can tune environmental sound to your preference and then fuse it with your music. 

To give some examples, there's db adjustment, live EQ mixes and noise filters. For potential usage, you can listen to music while fully able to hear / block your surroundings, ideal for bus commuters that require a measure of safety when crossing roads while wanting to isolate noise while on a bus. If you want to amplify speech, just select this filter option and this will give increased focus on chatter directly in front which we found to be mighty useful in situations such as standing at a bus stop.

Pairing:
Doppler Labs' pairing of buds with smartphones did not appear to be extensively tested. I had some intermittent issues when trying them out with the Sony Xperia XA (running on Android 6.0) where I had to reinstall the app twice as it was stuck in the 'Connecting to buds' screen for quite a while. Once it works, you just need to open the app and Bluetooth activates once the prompt is acknowledged. 

Tip - Should there be problems when pairing, there's a tiny hole on the underside that allows a full reset of the buds. 

Performance

Sound Quality:
The improvement to its experimental predecessor, the Here Active Listening System, is clearly the addition of music playback. Putting it on its paces, the Here One's sound quality is remarkably vibrant, especially when using the silicon tips. A sample of Kygo & Selena Gomez's It Ain't Me gives a really good balancing act of the treble (the snapping alongside Selena's vocals) and especially when the bass from Kygo's wizardry kicks in. For slower tracks like Craig Armstrong & Elizabeth Fraser's This Love, the instrumentation and vocals sound completely natural. It's not overly bright nor muffled like you'd hear from other buds. If you are wondering about sound drop offs inherent in some truly wireless buds, there was no such problem here. 

Noise Isolation / Fit:
You have a choice of silicon tips and foam tips that come in the box. If it's noise isolation, use the foam tips (which pretty much function like Comply tips). If you want a good fit, both the types of tips insert snugly into your ear, though if you choose to jog, foam may add that added assurance. 

Charging:
A full charge of the Here One through the provided micro-USB cable will give 2 hours playback that is subpar when considering buds like Bragi The Headphone (6 hours) and Apple AirPods (5 hours) though slightly higher than the feature-packed Samsung Gear IconX (1.5 hours).  

On the flipside, a quick charge of 15 minutes promises a very decent 1 hour (50% of the full charge). The buds themselves are rated at 60mAh and if the power isn't enough to last your commute, the case has a rating of 560mAh which potentially gives 3 additional full charges once you plonk the buds in to charge. They'll emit a (soothing) pulsating orange light from the front when charging takes place. 

Overall
The Here One buds are remarkable in many ways. As a music playback device, it performs unexpectedly well and the ear fit is excellent. The one thing that could be improved is the consistency of the app pairing with the buds, but the layered listening feature set offered by the app provides a highly customizable listening experience that is highly unique.

The Future
The Here One highlights the potential of the hearables market and how it can evolve to cater to folks who want the flexibility to tune out certain noises to focus on other sounds like voices. That's where you see that Doppler Labs is not just an audio hardware company but one where innovation is part of its mantra. Should Doppler Labs venture into audiology, which it very well could based on the Here One feature set, perhaps future product iterations may even extend to provide the elderly an alternative hearing device for those in need. 


Credit to Doppler Labs and Leader Radio Technologies for an evaluation unit.

Last week saw the Singapore launch of the Plantronics BackBeat 505, their latest pair of wireless on-ear headphones. 

Plantronics has been dabbling in headsets for around 50 years but has recently diversified into consumer audio and churning out over-ear, in-ear and on-ear headphones at a consistent rate. If you're familiar with their products, they have already released the BackBeat SENSE (SGD 279) in the on-ear category. The BackBeat 505, known as the BackBeat 500 Series in other countries, is a more affordable proposition at half the price.

We'll do a full review in the coming days but for now, here are some first impressions!

Type - Wireless On-Ears
Price - USD 79 / SGD 139


In The Box
The BackBeat 505 comes in three colors - Dark Grey, Grey and White. For our review, we received the Grey unit though personally, we'd reckon Lime is probably a more enticing name to go :)

The packaging is pretty compact and spartan, measuring just enough to squeeze an inner box containing the BackBeat 505 nicely packed within the carrying pouch. 

Spilling the packaging contents out, you get a handy range of:

• Plantronics BackBeat 505 headphones
• USB cable
• Audio cable (3.5mm to 3.5mm)
• Carrying pouch
• Quick start guide + safety information

Design
The Plantronics BackBeat 505 headphones has an attractive styling and price point that likely targets the youth demographic. The earcups swivel 90 degrees for compact storage while the headband is supported by a solid aluminum like material that you can slide to adjust to your head size. 

It is relatively lightweight, yet gives the impression of a sturdy build at 155 grams due to a handy combination of plastics and memory foam for the pads. For a comparison of other wireless on-ears, there's the Jabra Move Wireless (150g), the Bose OE SoundLink (153g) and the Beats Solo3 Wireless (215g). 

Carrying Pouch:
The drawstring pouch envelops the headphones when you take it out of the box. It feels rather flimsy though it should minimally protect from scratches.

Features

Pairing:
There's no app support or NFC but seriously, what do you expect for this price point? All you need is straightforward Bluetooth to link to your music device. The pairing process is a breeze - just flip the power switch on the right cup towards the Bluetooth logo and pairing initializes. Select 'PLT BB500 Series' from your source device and you're good to go. The headphone can pair to two devices so you can conveniently watch videos from your tablet and toggle to listen to music from your phone when needed. 

Controls:
The controls are parked on the left earcup. The Play/Pause and track change buttons are found on the outer cup while the volume controls are parked on the circumference. One good feature is a dedicated Call button on the bottom of the right earcup that doubles as a battery status check when listening to music. 

Wired Mode:
If you don't want to use headphones wirelessly or if you run out of power, there's a provided audio cable that links to your music device through a 3.5mm to 3.5mm connection. This is similar with others in its category like the Beats Solo3 Wireless and Bose OE SoundLink that give you the same cable out of the box. 

Performance + Overall
We will look at this once we run through some tests. What we can say so far is that getting this pair of wireless on-ears for SGD 139 is excellent value and is very comparable with the Jabra Move Wireless we tried previously.

Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics BackBeat 505 is available in Singapore in 3 colors - Dark Grey, Grey and White. It goes for SGD 139. You can also buy the BackBeat 505 from Amazon through this affiliate link. 

Credit to Plantronics for a review unit.

Doppler Labs launched the Here One truly wireless smart earbuds in Singapore today at a media launch at the We The People Kickstarter Store in Millenia Walk. 

It was a fitting location given its origins. We actually reviewed their first commercially available and Kickstarter-backed product back in Aug 2016. That was called the Here Active Listening System . It did not play music. Instead, they delivered an audio augmented reality experience. 

And today, Here One is their next generation product that still maintains the AR experience fusing it with listening to music. Let's check out what the Here One offers.

Type - Truly Wireless In-Ears
Price - USD 299 / SGD 459

What's The Big Deal?
The specs are quite comparable with its truly wireless peers. We're looking at buds of a 12g weight that can last for 2 hours playback. There's a charging case that offers 3 more rounds of charge for the buds. 

However, these are not a pair of run of the mill earphones. To do the Here One justice, we'll focus on what differentiates these buds from the rest.

1. Smart Noise Cancellation
Doppler Labs' buds incorporate what they term as Real-World Sound Control that allows the ability to dynamically increase / decrease specific sound types. For example, you can suppress the ambient sound of a plane's engine or if somehow you want to increase it, you sure can. This is controllable through their app. This is quite different from traditional active noise cancelation (ANC) where all ambient sounds are lowered.

2. Speech Enhancement
You can reduce background noise and amplify human speech. For example, you can enhance a nearby conversation.

3. Machine Learning
Interestingly, the machine learning engine behind the buds, called Smart Suggest, is able to use your location, past use and preferences to provide suggestions. If you're in a subway, the app will supposedly push a suggested sound profile for your approval. 

Sophia Velastegui, Chief Product Officer of Doppler Labs presenting the Here One features.

Who Is It For?
The most obvious usage is for folks who listen to music but at the same time can conveniently double the device as a hearing aid. 

Pricing And Availability
The Here One is priced at USD 299 / SGD 459. 

If you are in the US, they are currently available through their online store. 
If you are in Singapore, they are available from 5 May at selected retailers including truewireless.sg.  

Doppler Labs, LRT and We The People teams striking a pose.

The Apple AirPods need practically no introduction. These were the truly wireless earbuds that were introduced to much fanfare last September as loads of folks anticipated their entry into the Apple ecosystem. And since then, they finally hit the shops around Dec 2016 and there have been a load of reviews on these.

Now what makes it interesting is to see how these fare against the world! Ok, what we mean is how they compare with its truly wireless earbud peers. 

But first, let's review them. A trip to Holiday Villa Johor Bahru provided a good occasion to test the buds and a spot to take some shots! 

Read - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

Type - Truly Wireless Earphones 
Price - USD 159 / EUR 179 / SGD 238

Pros (+): Supremely comfortable fit; Simple to use; Great battery life.
Cons (-): Non-existent noise isolation

In The Box
The Apple AirPods unsurprisingly come in one color combination - white. That's classic iPod gloss white if you want specifics. 

In typical Apple style, the box is incredibly sturdy and sized at a compact 99 x 99 x 34 mm, ideal for two things - cutting on shipping costs and hardy enough to pass drop tests (not that we tried :). 

The unboxing is like what you'd expect from an Apple product - impeccably neat and premium. The top lid pops upward to reveal a booklet with the distinctive line - Designed by Apple in California. 

Lifting this away will showcase the AirPods charging case nicely wrapped in a protective sleeve.

Popping out the packaging contents, we get:

• Apple AirPods
• Charging Case
• Charging Cable (USB to Lightning)
• User Guides

Design
The Apple AirPods come adorned in signature iPod gloss white and both earbuds weigh 8g, marginally lighter than the Samsung Gear IconX (12g) and Bragi The Headphone (12.5g). What differentiates these from other truly wireless buds is its long cylindrical side that that the other manufacturers clearly do not have. One practical benefit is the earbud weight is more evenly distributed, as the battery takes up the bulk of the space within. And of course, it makes it easier for the buds to be removed / inserted.

If you are familar with the default buds (EarPods) that come with your iPhone, you'll find that the overall AirPods aesthetic is much the same. General differences include the subtraction of the cable (obviously), dual optical sensors and a chrome edge at the bottom complete with a microphone. We'll talk more on their purpose in the Features section.

Charging Case:
The case measures a petite 44 x 21 x 54mm and doubles up as a charger when the buds are stored within. It's nicely styled and its magnetic clasp allows it to shut reassuringly.

Features
While the Apple AirPods look seemingly basic, they are anything but. Once you poke your nose into what they have to offer, you'll realize that there's a myriad of features awaiting especially if you're an iOS user. 

Playback / Voice Commands:
While there are no physical buttons on the AirPods, you can actually double tap the exterior of either earbud to enable a function depending on phone you are using.

• Siri devices - This activates Siri so you can give voice commands to control playback (eg. turn up the volume) or useful information (give directions / weather check). When calls come in, you can pick them and if you find Siri annoying, you can go to the settings to render a double tap as a play / pause function. 
• Other devices - There's a singular function - double tapping the exterior of the buds will play / pause music playback. This is arguably more useful than sending voice commands in a packed train with others staring at you quizzically.

Automatic Ear Detection:
The AirPods can detect when they are slotted into your ears thanks to dual optical sensors on each bud. You can even test out their effectiveness by double tapping the side of the bud when covering the sensors with your fingers vs removing your fingers. Even if you cover just one of the two optical sensors, the AirPods take it that the earbuds are not inside your ear.  

• iOS - On your iPhone, music will pause when you take both buds out of your ears. They will pause and resume playback if a single bud is removed. If you want music to continue even if you remove the buds, you can disable this in the AirPods Settings.
• Android - The play resume / pause function doesn't work when using an Android like what I tested with the Sony Xperia XA. However, there's no way to accidentally double tap the earbud when they are not in your ears.

Chilling with the AirPods at the Holiday Villa infinity pool

Pairing:
If you're used to the manual way of Bluetooth pairing, the AirPods offers a refreshingly simpler method of connecting to your music device (at least if you're in the Apple ecosystem).

• iOS 10.2 / watchOS3 / MacOS Sierra Devices - Apple's W1 chip may sound like a fancy marketing name but pairing is where you begin to discover its usefulness. All you need to do is open the AirPods charging case next to your device and there will be a setup prompt on your screen. It's that easy.   
• Other Devices - If you have another product like an Android phone, you'll need to manually pair via Bluetooth. Turn on your phone Bluetooth, pop open the charging case, select 'AirPods' and you're good to go.

Tip - If you have difficulties in pairing, insert the AirPods back into the case and hold the circular Setup button on the back of the case until the LED starts to flash white. You can then restart the pairing process. 

Status Light Notifications:
The status light LED is only found inside the charging case between the two buds. The charge status reflects the AirPods if one / both are inserted else it will show the Case status. Here's an idea what they indicate. 

• Green - Fully charged
• Amber - Not fully charged / Charging in progress if USB cable connected
• Amber (blinking) - You may need to setup AirPods again
• White (blinking) - Pairing mode

Sound Notifications
There are no voice notifications though there will be tones to indicate when the AirPods are successfully connected to your music device or when the charge in the buds is low.

Microphones:
There are two microphones on each earbud. If you notice the bottom of the AirPods, there is a chrome edge and within it is one of the microphones. The second is a small circular hole located on the outside of the earbud.

Apple does inject some hype about two beam-forming microphones. What does 'beam-forming' mean? You can actually read more on this over here. For the AirPods, the purpose of the beam-forming microphones is to extract voice input from ambient noise so the AirPods user is able to speak loud and clear to the recipient of a phone call. 

App Support:

• iOS - It would not be accurate to say that the AirPods have no app support. In fact, the support is integrated with iOS 10. If you pop the AirPods charging case open, a prompt will initiate from your iPhone and settings can be configured accordingly. The good thing is the AirPods firmware can be updated. Most recent is from 3.3.1 to 3.5.1 on Feb 1, 2017. Any significant change? Can't really tell from our end though feel free to buzz if you find something. 
• Android - There's no dedicated app for Android though to be fair, Apple never did mention such compatibility on the packaging.

Performance

Sound Quality:
The Apple AirPods sound quality is quite decent, that is if you do your listening in a relatively quiet environment. I was feeling nostalgic so I decided to give a listen to Kitaro. If that name does not ring a bell, Kitaro is a Japanese artist that specializes in epic instrumental music (some call it 'new age'). He made an equally epic performance compiled in the Live In America (1991) album and with that, I tried his magnum opus, Matsuri. The treble comes out not quite sparkling but nonetheless clearer than many in-ears while bass from the drums came out reasonably well. I reckon these aren't sealed in-ears which likely contribute to the drop in the impact of the low frequencies. 

Calls:
Making a few calls, I did a sound check in several locations of incremental ambient noise level. One was in at the Holiday Villa JB infinity pool with a few folks splashing around (low ambient sound) and another was in the heart of KSL Mall (high ambient sound). In those locations, I checked how well the recipient could hear me and the result was positive - they could hear me loud n clear, despite the noisy crowds in the second instance. 

Noise Isolation:
Like the EarPods, noise isolation is non existent. Environmental sounds aren't filtered at all and basically, you can safely listen to music while jogging. The flipside is when you're commuting, all the ambient sound from the trains will hit you so you'll have to increase the volume quite a bit to appreciate the sound.

Fit:
This was probably the most comfortable pair of truly wireless buds tested. When slotted in and when the music paused, there were moments where I actually forgot there was something in my ears.

Charging:
To charge the AirPods, all you have to do is slot them in the Charging Case and they are magnetically latched within. If you're wondering how it works, there are two contact points deep inside the two holes of the case that link with the chrome edge of the AirPods to initiate charging.

A full charge of the AirPods through the Lightning cable will provide 5 hours playback / 2 hours talk time while a quick charge of 15 minutes will get you 3 hours / over 1 hour talk time. The charging case states 398mAh of power so we're going to make a guess that that's the total power within the case only. If you use the full capacity of the case in tandem with the AirPods, Apple claims you can get up to 24 hours playback / 11 hours talk time. 

Update (6 June 2017):
I decided to completely drain both the buds + case just to check the charge times. Here are the results based on charging through a MacBook Air USB port. As you can see, the charging speed of the buds is really fast. 
Charging Case (100%) - 1h 25min
AirPods (80%) - 15min 
AirPods (100%) - 22min

Putting all these figures in perspective and considering just the buds at full charge, the playback on the AirPods last above the average. They come up short against Bragi The Headphone (6 hours) but easily edge the feature-filled Samsung Gear IconX (1.5 hours) and Erato Apollo 7 (3 hours). 


Overall
The Apple AirPods are a great pair of truly wireless earbuds to own. They are really comfortable to wear and sound drop offs that some truly wireless in-ears unfortunately have are not experienced in these buds. Now noise isolation may be non-existent and options are limited for Android users but if you are a user of Apple products, the AirPods is certainly a convenient, reliable and stylish option for consideration.




Apple AirPods and Truly wireless earbuds compared

In a subsequent part, we will look at a comparison between some of the best truly wireless earbuds in the market. We will look at some of them within the same price range such as the Apple AirPods, Samsung Gear IconX and Bragi The Headphone. 

Stay tuned!

Where To Buy
The Apple AirPods are available from the Apple Online Store and take a 6 week turnaround to deliver.

Credit to Apple for an evaluation unit.