AirPods alternative: These 7 earbuds are at least as good

When the AirPods were introduced in 2016 together with the Apple Watch Series 2 and the iPhone 7, the excitement about the look of the headphones was limited. Compared to cotton swabs, among other things, you could not imagine the great success of the AirPods at the time. But in the meantime they have become extremely popular, partly because of their simple design. This raises the question of why it is so popular and whether there are better or cheaper alternatives. We have the answer!

The Apple Airpods can do that

If you look at the three AirPod variants that are currently available, you can quickly see the differences. It starts with the price, because while generation 2 and Generation 3 AirPods more or less just under the 200 euro mark, the AirPods Pro cost a whole 279 euros – and you should already be offered a lot for that.

All three variants have the following services in common:

With the 3rd Gen AirPods and the AirPods Pro you can also expect the following benefits:

The AirPods Pro in turn also offer:

In order for a product to be able to keep up with these circumstances, we looked for products that offer the following in particular: Elegant design, noise cancellation, water protection and the same price as the AirPods.

Top 7 Alternatives to AirPods

Sennheiser Momentum TrueWireless 2

The Earbuds from Sennheiser Although they don’t offer you the classic look of the AirPods, they do offer many other advantages that justify the original price of 299 euros. These include Customizable Touch Controls, so you can make settings by gently tapping the earbuds, as well as a built-in equalizer for optimal sound. Add to that Active Noise Cancellation and Transparent Hearing, which means you can isolate background noise as needed or still hear what’s happening around you, for example on the road, while listening to your favorite music. Another plus is the compatibility with iOS and Android systems.

Original price: 299 euros

Running time: up to 7 hours for the earbuds, 28 hours with the charging box

Weight:Individual handset 6g, charging case 58g, both handset and charging case 70g

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony headphones, among other brands, are known to deliver good sound quality. The WF-1000XM4 also offer you an automatic stop when you take out the headphones and adaptive noise control so that the sound adjusts according to whether you are moving, lingering, walking or being transported. With the 360 ​​Reality Audio you can expect a unique sound experience supported by noise cancellation. The ergonomic surface design ensures a stable hold and additionally balanced sound.

Original price: 279 euros

Running time: 8 hours, with charging case another 16 hours, 5 minutes charge for 60 minutes of music

Weight: Individual handset 7.3g

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

With the Quiet and Aware mode of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds you can decide for yourself whether you want to take in something of your surroundings or not. Soft silicone provides excellent noise cancellation, while the Active EQ boosts bass and treble, resulting in a rich sound. The StayHear ear tips are supplied in three sizes and distribute pressure evenly, so that comfort, stability, a secure fit and noise isolation are equally possible. The touch sensor offers you easy operation, and the headphones are sweat and weatherproof thanks to the specially developed acoustic mesh on the connections.

Original price: 279 euros

Running time: 6h

Charging time: earbuds 2h, case 3h, quick charge 15 min for 2h runtime

Weight: 8.5g per earbud

Jabra Elite 85t

The Jabra Elite 85t feature Advanced Active Noise Cancellation for full sound control with six built-in microphones. Thus every podcast, every audio book and every music session becomes a unique experience with full sound. The headphones work with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. The three supplied sizes of oval EarGels and pressure relief openings offer you a comfortable fit.

Original price: 229.99 euros

Running time: Individual listeners 5.5 hours, 25 hours with charging box with noise cancel, 31 hours without noise cancel

Weight: ear studs 7g each, charging case 45.1g

Air+ (2nd gen) by Libratone

A noise-isolating design makes the Air+ by Libratone out of. They’re sweat- and splash-proof, connect to your devices automatically, and are customizable to fit your ears with four different sizes of earbuds. As soon as you put the earbuds in your ears, they turn on automatically and also go into sleep mode when you take out the headphones.

Original price: 199 euros

Running time: 8h, with charging case 32h

Weight: 5.5 hours per earbud

JBL Tune 230NC TWS

The rich pure bass sound is just one of the features that the JBL Tune 230NC TWS bribe These include other advantages such as noise canceling, ambient awareness, i.e. the possibility of still being able to perceive the ambient noise despite your music, and TalkThru – a break for short conversations without having to pick up the handset. Additionally, the earbuds are sweat and water resistant and feature Voice Aware so you can control how much of your own voice you hear on voice calls.

Original price: 99 euros

Running time: 8h, up to 24h with noise canceling activated, 10 min quick charge for 2h playback

Weight: Both earbuds 10.2g, charging box 47.3g

Soundcore Liberty Air2

The cheapest product in our recommendations can definitely keep up with the performance of the more expensive products. The Soundcore Liberty Air2 are the earbuds that are most similar in design to the Apple AirPods. In addition to the look, the headphones offer noise suppression, with which you perceive 60% less background noise, HearID, which adapts the sound to your hearing and music preferences, and ergonomic EarTips, which promise optimal wearing comfort. Like any device, Soundcore earbuds connect to your devices automatically.

Original price: 89.99 euros

Running time: 7h, 28h with charging case, 10 min charging time for 2h music

Weight: well

Gala