5 Killer Alternatives To Apple's AirPods
BÖHM S10 Wireless Earbuds - $79.99
The never-ending issue with earbuds is getting them to stay in while you’re on the treadmill or hitting the kettlebells. The Böhm S10 doesn’t just rely on a snug fit; they also have two stabilizers that look like fins to keep them in place. Plus they’re sweat proof, so they’re perfect for running or intense workouts. With a full charge, you can get up to nine hours of battery life, and the portable charging case will allow you to charge four times until the case itself needs to recharge. The earbuds have individual pairing capability, causing a slight delay when pairing them both to your phone since they also have to pair with each other but you can also use them to take calls and skip songs.
Skullcandy Grind Wireless – $89.99r
Skullcandy has a pretty great reputation for its quality despite its low prices. The Grind Wireless has gotten stellar reviews across the net, including coveted high marks from CNET, which gave them 4 out of 5 stars. They’re an on-ear pair with cushions made for long wear, since you’ll get 12 hours of battery life. With the built-in mic, you can answer calls or move to the next track.
Bragi The Headphone – $119 preorder/ $149 regular price
Headphones are big on cutting out surrounding noise, but sometimes it’s smart and necessary to be aware of your surroundings. The Headphone has a feature called audio transparency that you can switch on to let ambient noise flow in while you’re using them. Bragi promises strong stereo sound when audio transparency is off, though, and the Headphone comes with three different tips to help you get your perfect fit. You’ll get up to six hours of battery life, and they fully recharge in less than two hours too. Bragi really wanted to make sure the sound quality translated to phone conversations, too, so it uses advanced voice technology from Knowles, which specializes in maintaining audio performance in windy or noisy environments.
Rowkin Bit Charge – $129 for a limited time
These are being marketed as the smallest wireless earbuds one can buy at just 0.83 inches each, which mean they’ll be nearly invisible in your ears, but that makes them dangerous if you’re careless. They do come with a futuristic-looking portable charging case to keep them in to limit the chances of losing them when they’re not in your ears. You’ll only get up to two hours of battery life when in use, though, so if you’re looking for extended range, you’ll probably need to look elsewhere. The noise reduction and echo cancellation features help boost the sound quality to excellent levels and gym rats will love that they’re sweat-proof and water resistant.
Kanoa Earphones – $199 preorder/ $300 regular price
The Kanoa Earphones are pricier than the AirPods, even while they’re on preorder, but bear with us, they’re worth a chance if you’re up for spending the extra cash. To make sure they stay put, they come with different sizes of memory foam silicone ear buds for a custom-like fit. The earphones offer four hours of playtime and the case will give you four charges without needing recharging. The case itself is small enough to carry around in your pocket and even has a steel loop for use on a set of keys. On the audio side of things, Kanoa partnered with CSR, a company that promises CD-like sound over wireless, to get the best audio quality. With their pentagonal shape and bright blue color, the Kanoa Earphones will have you looking like an extra in a sci-fi flick, though. Fitness enthusiasts will like the phone app you can use for performance tracking too and like the Bragis, this pair also has audio transparency to let you filter in surrounding sound when you want.