Airpods v Airpods

[cobra kid]

I'm looking at bluetooth headphones but can't really justify over £100 for Apple ones. There are copy ones (generic for all bluetooth devices) in one of those IT equipment brochures that come through the post. These look identical but are £25 a pair. They seem to have all the same features but the question is;

What do you lose by spending around £75 less?

[Brainpox]

Seamless integration with all your iOS/macOS devices.

If you don’t have loads of Apple products tied to your iCloud account you won’t lose that much.

[romeodelta]

Some of the cheapest ones can be crap. Don’t pair, drop out, poor sound, poor build quality etc.

Worth searching for something branded at the budget end, Lenovo, Sony, JBL etc. with good reviews.

You’ll probably still have to replace them more often than the Apple ones, so YMMV.

[zedx19]

I recently purchased some Jabra Elite 75T ones, which I've been impressed by, currently 70 quid direct from Jabra. Main plus for me is being able to have them connected to my phone for calls/music and laptop for Teams at the same time. I don't need to disconnect from one device before I can use it on the other.

There's a specific comparison review below which concludes that Airpods are better but if you don't want to spend that, the Jabra's are good.

https://www.soundguys.com/jabra-elite-75t-vs-apple...

[x5tuu]

I have the original AirPods (release day) and they were totally unusable have 2yrs (granted heavy) use. One of the pods holds a charge for 4-5mins and the other 12-15mins tops.

I also have a pair of Beats Powerbeats Pro - what are excellent and much better than the AirPods (and similarly priced but I got mine on a special from Very)

Additionally I also have a set of Bose NC700's which are equally excellent but a very different prospect.

Cheap wireless headphones IME tend to be very flaky and you will end up making several purchases for the same/similar longevity.

[robsa]

Can I suggest you at least look at Beats Flex headphones? They do have a flex around your neck, but they have Apples W1 chip if you have an iPhone, the sound is very good, the battery life is pretty good too - about 9 hours and about 10 minute charge gives you 2 hours play time. I have had four pairs, and abused them heavily and absolutely love them.

Amazon are currently selling them under £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beats-Flex-Wireless-Earph...

[anonymous-user]

I wouldn’t bother with an Apple copy.
Other Chinese made ones like Anker are a fraction of the price & as good or better imho. Without trying to be something the’re not!

[Alorotom]

robsa said:

Can I suggest you at least look at Beats Flex headphones? They do have a flex around your neck, but they have Apples W1 chip if you have an iPhone, the sound is very good, the battery life is pretty good too - about 9 hours and about 10 minute charge gives you 2 hours play time. I have had four pairs, and abused them heavily and absolutely love them.

Amazon are currently selling them under £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beats-Flex-Wireless-Earph...

That’s an excellent price

[595Heaven]

Alorotom said:

robsa said:

Can I suggest you at least look at Beats Flex headphones? They do have a flex around your neck, but they have Apples W1 chip if you have an iPhone, the sound is very good, the battery life is pretty good too - about 9 hours and about 10 minute charge gives you 2 hours play time. I have had four pairs, and abused them heavily and absolutely love them.

Amazon are currently selling them under £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beats-Flex-Wireless-Earph...

That’s an excellent price

But a very long lead time…

[robsa]

595Heaven said:

Alorotom said:

robsa said:

Can I suggest you at least look at Beats Flex headphones? They do have a flex around your neck, but they have Apples W1 chip if you have an iPhone, the sound is very good, the battery life is pretty good too - about 9 hours and about 10 minute charge gives you 2 hours play time. I have had four pairs, and abused them heavily and absolutely love them.

Amazon are currently selling them under £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beats-Flex-Wireless-Earph...

That’s an excellent price

But a very long lead time…

Well spotted! John Lewis have them in stock except in Black for £49.99