Apple’s AirPods are among the best-known wireless in-ear headphones on the market. However, the high price and the brand do not convince everyone. Here we show you AirPods alternatives.
In-ear headphones impress thanks to maximum freedom of movement. The new AirPods Pro from Apple are among the best-known true wireless in-ear headphones. These types of headphones sit directly in the ear and are completely wireless. However, Apple cannot convince everyone and so AirPods alternatives are very popular. Competitors such as Samsung, Sennheiser or Bose offer in-ear headphones of the same value, but cheaper alternatives are also possible. We introduce you to various AirPods alternatives from expensive to cheap.
AirPods Pro
The AirPods Pro are optimized for the Apple universe, but also work to a limited extent with Android devices and Windows PCs. The latest generation of Apple AirPods are the AirPods Pro — stern tested the in-ear headphones.
The practical noise canceling function of the AirPods Pro is particularly attractive. But the sound quality and wearing comfort were also convincing. The AirPods can be individually adapted to your ears with the help of interchangeable ear tips. Those looking for an authentic alternative should keep an eye out for these features.
Important purchase criteria
The alternatives of the competition
The competition from Sennheiser, Bose, Samsung and Co. also offer high-quality Bluetooth headphones. The Powerbeats Pro in particular are compatible with the Apple system and even support voice control through “Siri”.
JBL Reflect Flow
The true wireless headphones JBL Reflect Flow convince with a very good price-performance ratio. Although the headphones do not have a noise-cancelling function, the sound, fit and connectivity should be excellent. The battery life is also relatively long at almost ten hours. In addition, you could even submerge the headphones in water without fear of them breaking.
Jabra Elite 85t
The Danish manufacturer Jabra should only be known to headphone enthusiasts. Its products are at the top of their class, and the Elite 85t are no exception. The small plugs offer active noise cancellation and can be controlled via voice commands via Siri and the Google Assistant. The Elite 85t play music for a maximum of five hours at a time. The charging case provides you with power for up to 25 hours of listening pleasure. For different ear sizes, Jabra supplies three sizes of “silicone ear gels” so that the headphones can be held securely in all spoons. But don’t jump into the water with the Elite 85t. They are only sweat and weather resistant according to the IPX-4 standard.
Bose Sport Earbuds
Bose products are characterized by good sound. Like the Apple AirPods Pro, the Bose Sport Earbuds in-ear headphones offer practical StayHear Max ear inserts, giving you a choice of three different sizes. The earbuds also have touch sensor control, so operation via push buttons is intuitive. If you like doing sports and listening to music, you can get sweat and weather-resistant headphones with the Bose Sport Earbuds.
LG Tone Free FN4
The LG Tone Free FN4 are a slightly cheaper AirPods alternative. Unfortunately, they also lack some nice functions. The headphones do not filter out ambient noise, for example. LG does not include various attachments for the ears. Whether the plugs are comfortable or not depends on luck. The battery, on the other hand, is nice. It provides the listener with music for up to six hours. Unfortunately, the headphones have a big downside: the small plugs obey neither Siri nor Google Assistant. The convenient operation by voice command is no longer necessary.
Sennheiser momentum
The processing of the Sennheiser Momentum headphones is of high quality and Bluetooth 5.0 ensures smooth transmission. The sound convinces with balanced sound and solid bass. Like the Apple AirPods Pro, the Sennheiser Momentum comes with a handy transparency feature. This means that when you use the headphones, you can still hear all the surrounding noise without having to take the headphones off at every traffic light. Thanks to touchpad technology, the headphones, like the AirPods, can be operated very easily and intuitively.
Razer Hammerhead
Razer is best known to PC gamers. Among them, the manufacturer enjoys a good reputation for its gaming headsets, keyboards, and mice. Among other things, with its Hammerhead plugs, Razer penetrates from the niche into the mainstream lifestyle – and remains true to itself. The true wireless headphones dress in the typical Razer robe with a green logo on a black background. Unfortunately, the headphones do not have active noise cancellation. After all, Razer provides an app that you can use to create different sound profiles, for example for computer games or music enjoyment. Too bad: Whether the Razer Hammerhead is held firmly in the ear or is uncomfortable is a matter of chance. The manufacturer only includes one size gel pad with the headphones.
Track Air by Libratone
If you are looking for light and uncomplicated in-ear headphones, you will find them in the Libratone Track Air. Another plus is the practical noise canceling function, which is also available with the AirPods. The Track Air can also be easily operated with touch and the good isolation of the headphones ensures reliable noise cancellation. Transparency mode is also present on these headphones, so you can keep them in your ear when you need to focus on outside noise.
Sony WF-1000XM3
If you fully rely on Apple’s language assistant Siri, you should keep your hands off the Sony WF-1000XM3. As well as the headphones harmonize with the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, they do so poorly with Siri. For all those who are outside of the Apple universe, the headphones are a successful AirPod alternative. Sony ships the WF-1000XM3 with differently sized pads so the buttons sit securely in different ears. The active noise cancellation ensures that ambient noise does not disturb your listening pleasure for a maximum of 3.5 hours on a full charge. The charging case of the headphones supplies them with enough power for up to eight more hours.
Powerbeats Pro
Athletes who like to do intensive sports are well advised to use the Powerbeats Pro, because the in-ear headphones sit particularly firmly in the ear. The headphones are also sweat and weather resistant. Among the AirPods alternatives, the most similar to the competition from Apple are the Powerbeats Pro. They have the same H1 chip as the AirPods and even support the Apple voice assistant “Siri”. Android users, on the other hand, must note that Android functions are limited. Another plus point is the fast charging function. The headphones should be able to be used for one and a half hours after just five minutes of charging.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro convince with price and performance. The Chinese manufacturer provides the headphones with active noise cancellation at a comparatively low price. siri
Samsung Galaxy Buds
The Galaxy Buds come in a handy charging case and are therefore easy to transport and charge on the go. The touch operation is simple and can be individually adjusted via an app. You can adjust the fit of the in-ear headphones to your ears thanks to three different attachments. This should ensure a comfortable fit. If you have a Samsung smartphone of the new generation, you can even charge your headphones with it — simply connect the phone to the power supply via USB-C and place the Galaxy Buds in the carrying case on the smartphone. Both devices can charge simultaneously, making on-the-go charging easy and requiring only one connection.
Cheap alternatives
The product prices of the well-known competitors are similar to the price of Apple’s AirPods, which is why cheap alternatives are also popular.
AirPods-Alternative mit Touch
These cheap in-ear headphones look suspiciously similar to Apple’s AirPods. They even have convenient touch controls and a noise-cancelling microphone.
Waterproof AirPods alternative
You can also get waterproof in-ear headphones at a good price. The look is somewhat reminiscent of the Galaxy Buds from Samsung. You can also easily operate this model with touch.
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