Earbuds always fascinated me, how they become handy when I want to go hands free with absolutely no wire. Until now I have seen mainly two types of earbuds. First, those which have cord that connects them with each other. These are known by the name “Wireless Earbuds”. Second, those which don’t have cords are called “True Wireless Earbuds”.

I also have no doubts in my mind that with the advancement of technology in such a fast pace, the days are not far away when almost anything will be with less wires or no wires. All the devices I put together come under the category of both wireless earbuds as well as true wireless earbuds.

I think each of these devices still needs in-depth separate review. I don’t know when, but I am sure I will come with thorough review of each in my coming articles. But, for now let’s have a look at what you should consider before buying yourself or your loved ones a pair wireless earbuds.

The Sound Quality of Earbuds

This is the first and one of the most important features you must look at before you make a final decision to buy for yourself. Sound quality is the top feature every user puts on top of the list while going ahead with buying decision. But, many makers seem to overlook sound quality when designing and manufacturing earbuds.

There are few factors why wired headphones seem to be better outperformers. These are producer’s over focus on designing compact, comfortable, waterproof, dustproof and compatible headsets while putting the sound on the backburner. It’s not the case that wired headphones come with better technology in comparison to their sisters.

The most important thing among many that makes sound quality is the codec the device supports. It’s also important to understand what codecs are how they influence the sound quality. So, codecs are a devices or computer programs, in our case these are computer programs, also known by the name algorithms.

These programs or algorithms compress sound data to enable faster transmission. Codecs also decompress the data at the receiving end. There are quite a few of them that perform very well. To my mind the most popular codecs are AAC, Standard Bluetooth, aptX.

The AAC and aptX are absolute besties in producing excellent sound qualities. In fact, they are popular to produce HD sound. The base aptX codec produces good HD sound while altX LL are capable of providing even better sound.

On the other hand, the Standard Bluetooth codec falls in the class of common stereo Bluetooth headphones. They are good to produce decent audio quality while they don’t need great processing power.

The big feature of the Standard Bluetooth codec that goes against it is frequent inconsistencies it has. This, I think can be compromise with audio quality. Similarly, the most important factor that works against the aptX codec and its other variants is that it doesn’t support all devices. Therefore, before buying a pair of wireless for yourself, check twice if your smartphone supports the codec that comes with the earphones.

Battery Life/Playtime of Earbuds

Do you want a pair of earbuds that you cannot play your favorite track for long without charging it? Of course you do not, right! So, battery life or the playtime is important feature that matters to a great extent while deciding to buy. I am sure you also agree with me.

As far as I am concerned, even if the earphones have great features and they are extremely good too, the battery doesn’t last long it doesn’t serve the purpose completely. I am saying this because as soon as the battery dies, every other thing also dies.

There are 3 important things to keep in mind with respect to the battery life. The first thing I consider is the number of hours I can play music with a single charge. Also I will see how long the earbuds can stay if I do not play anything, that is called standby time. Next is the charging time taken to fully charge the earphones. This means how long they take to charge the battery. For example, say 1 hour, 2 hours or more.

In my personal experience most earphones have playtime of over 4 hours on earbuds alone. And if you include the carry case this may go up to 120 hours. I believe 4 hours of playtime is enough to listen your favored music for a full day. However, the playtime may also get affected depending on frequency of the calls you make. This means if you frequently make calls, battery life your earphones will be significantly reduced.

Fortunately, in such a time charging case comes handy which ultimately increases the battery life. This becomes even more important when you are travel.

So, now you might be wondering what is the point I am trying to make. It makes sense to say that if you see interesting and like a pair of earbuds and want go with it, make sure you also have checked the battery life or for that matter playtime.

Whether they are Comfortable and Stable

More often than not this is one thing that I tend to overlook. I am saying this because I am too lazy to go gym or for a jogging. But if you are fond of listening music for long duration. I strongly suggest you must check they are comfortable enough and you can wear them in your ear with no irritation or pain in your ear canal. Similarly, if you are a fitness enthusiast, it is important to consider they naturally fit in your ear and don’t fall off when you hit the gym or you are jogging in the park.

So, how should you decide whether they are comfortable and stable or not? Luckily, there are two types of major design. First, there are earbuds that fit into the line of the ear naturally. Others are those which consist of wings that hold into the pinna of the ear and stay securely in your ear. These are considered to be most secure and for gym goers and runners.

Whether They Are User Friendly

There are different types of wireless earphones that function differently depending on the software integration. Many of them are easy to use. They start their work once you pair them with your device. There are other which come with App integration. They are designed to accelerate their functionalities.

That being said, all Apps in your earphones don’t work in a similar fashion. Some of these are very intuitive and easy to operate while for others you need to spend a lot of time to learn and use them fully. Sometime this makes me feel why the manufacturers and for that matter designers spend so much time developing such a complicated software. I also feel they should have focused more on making better sound quality instead.

In any case if you intend to buy a pair of headsets, make sure they are easy to use. And they have right kind of software.

Whether They Are Truly Wireless

This actually reflects the form of earbuds which is a very important deciding factor. On one hand there are truly wireless earphones. On the other, you have another set of earbuds that have a little bit of wiring with them. I also need to differentiate here that they have their own pros and cons. For example, true wireless earbuds are futuristic and are perfect for you if you want to go completely wire free. At the same time, you also have to spend more on them and may easily lose them because of their size. However, wireless earbuds meaning which are not completely wireless may tangle easily though you don’t lose them easily and also you will spend less.

So, it’s always better to go with the ones that perfectly work for you.

Whether they Suit Your Lifestyle

Each one of you have your own life style and want a pair of earbuds that perfectly fit with it. The point I am trying to make here is some of you may be fitness freak, others may travel a lot and still others may love to turn around swimming pool or beaches.

So, if you love hitting the gym and exercise a lot your earbuds must be designed and built to suit that. If you travel a lot and use your earphones for calls and music as well, your device must have noise cancellation and great audio quality. Still if you want to protect your earbuds from sweat and water, choose the one which has sweat, water and dust resistant feature, more importantly it should have higher IPX technology.

Therefore, it is very important to understand that your lifestyle influences a lot while choosing the best wireless earbuds for yourself. So, make sure which one perfectly fits your lifestyle if you are buying now.

Final Thought

I hope you enjoyed reading my article on the best wireless earbuds. Also hope you find some of these in my collection useful and that meet the best of your expectation. I am sure, by now you are at a better position to choose the right kind of earbuds that best fit your need. If you already have a pair enjoy it with your all time favorite track. If you are still to get one, consider to buy the best one. Keep on shopping buddies!