When Apple released its first-generation AirPods back in 2016, the tech world didn’t take it too well: they were ugly, the stems were too long, some people didn’t have the most secure fit because it is one-size-for-all, etc. People just weren’t ready for a product like it. Fast forward to 2020, we would see people having them on every day, everywhere. With the release of AirPods Pro, Apple addressed the concerns people had with its original AirPods. But is the AirPods Pro still the best true wireless earbuds?
Apple AirPods Pro
- Active Noise Cancellation
- customizable fit
- Wireless charging
- IPX4 Sweat and water-resistant
- Up to 4.5 hours of listening time with a single charge
- Up to 3.5 hours of talk time with a single charge
- More than 24 hours of listening time with charging case
- More than 18 hours of talk time with charging case
- 5 minutes in the case provides around 1 hour of listening time or around 1 hour of talk time
There is no denying that Apple has listened to their customers when they designed the AirPods Pro. It’s become industry standards in some way when it comes to wireless earbuds. However, all these changes come with a premium. It’s retail at $249. So is it worth it to spend $249 for a pair of wireless earbuds? Let’s do some comparisons.
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
- Ambient Awareness
- customizable fit
- Wireless charging
- IPX2 water resistance level
- 11-Hour playtime with earbud
- 22-Hour playtime with the case
- 7.5-Hour talk time with earbud
- 15-Hour talk time with Case
The IPX2 rating might be disappointing for those active people. However, the battery life is really a step-up compared to AirPods Pro as well as the original Galaxy Buds. What’s more? The Galaxy Buds+ is $100 cheaper than the AirPods Pro as It retails at $149! Well, some people may argue that Bixby is not user-friendly(to say the least) even compared to Siri, but is it a $100 difference? Let’s continue with the comparison with the newly released Google Pixel Buds.
Google Pixel Buds
- Passive Noise Cancellation
- Customizable fit
- Wireless charging
- IPX4 Sweat and water-resistant
- Up to 5 hours of listening time and up to 2.5 hours of talk time
- Up to 24 hours of listening time and up to 12 hours of talk time with case
- Google Assistant
The Google Pixel Buds are Google’s first attempt in the true wireless earbuds territory, although the lack of active noise cancellation is regrettable, the Google Assistant does help Google making its case in tight competition. Imagine you can summon Google Assistant for real-time translation, yes, this is how good Google Assistant has gotten. Did I forget to mention their case colors? Clearly White, Oh So Orange, Quite Mint, Almost Black. Google did it again! The Google Pixel Buds retail at $179.
Finally, we have another contestant that does everything well, if not better, in every department.
The Jabra Elite Active 75t.
- HearThrough(similar to Samsung’s Ambient Awareness)
- Customizable fit
- Optional Wireless Charging
- IP57(Can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray)
- Up to 7.5-hour music and talk time.
- Up to 28-hour music and talk time with case.
- 2-Year Warranty against dust and sweat
- Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant available
Finally, we have another contestant that does everything well, if not better, in every department. Starting at $199.99 for the non-wireless charging model and $229.99 for the wireless charging model, the Jabra Elite Active 75t truly is an all-rounder. So is the AirPods Pro still the best true wireless earbuds? What’s your pick?
