What types of products are “suitable”?
Do you know what the most consulted product is besides mobile phones? That’s right, it’s TWS headphones. There are many kinds of TWS products on the market, and consumers are often unsure about how to choose.
Although the TWS earphones currently on the market have different shapes, they can be roughly divided into four categories: semi-in-ear and in-ear according to the ear insertion method. According to the functional experience, they can be divided into noise reduction and non-noise reduction.
The choice between in-ear and semi-in-ear headphones is entirely based on personal preference. In reality, a considerable proportion of users are not used to the pressure that in-ear headphones bring to the ear canal. Especially some in-ear products with noise reduction capabilities. After turning on the noise reduction, there will be an obvious air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ear canal, and many people will be more concerned about this issue.
Some users are allergic to in-ear products due to material or other issues. If you happen to be one of these users, semi-in-ear products are definitely your best choice.
As for the choice between noise-canceling and non-noise-canceling, I suggest you choose TWS products with noise-canceling capabilities. Although the price is more expensive, noise-canceling is still a very practical function for most people, especially if you often travel or commute by public transportation. A noise-canceling headset can give you a relatively quiet experience, which is worth the money in my opinion. You will reduce a lot of annoyance caused by the loud noises of people around you, the loud sound of mobile phones, and other uncivilized behaviors.
Another benefit that cannot be ignored is that noise-canceling headphones are good for hearing protection. When using ordinary headphones in a noisy environment, many people will subconsciously increase the volume to cover up or block out the noise.
Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to high-decibel sounds in the ear can cause irreversible damage to the hearing of the ear. Noise-canceling headphones can block some background noise, allowing you to use the headphones at a more normal volume, which protects your hearing.
The differences are often in invisible places
Many people actually have a question: They are both TWS products, so what is the difference between products that cost tens of dollars and those that cost thousands of dollars?
Soon after the AirPods series was released, many “high-imitation” products appeared on the market. For example, the famous Huaqiangbei Mouda’s solution has been iterated for several years and can be completely indistinguishable from the real thing. Daily interactions, pop-ups, and automatic connections are no different from the originals. So, can you really spend one cent and get ten times the results?
In my opinion, the main experience differences of TWS products on the market are often in some places that are invisible to the eyes and even difficult to hear at first. For example, noise reduction, the noise reduction algorithm requires deep tuning of software and hardware, and it is also a place that tests the skills of manufacturers.
Big companies like Apple, Huawei, BOSE and PNA generally use customized components and algorithms in their flagship products, while small companies do not have the ability to do in-depth development and adjustment in this regard and can only buy some ready-made software and hardware solutions on the market. The difference in experience between the two is naturally imaginable.
Another example is stability and latency, which are crucial to the experience of TWS products, but are difficult to feel at the first time. I have used TWS products of some brands, which have no major problems in normal use. However, as long as I am in an environment such as an airport or a high-speed rail station, the earphones will experience obvious freezes and disconnections.
As for the latency issue, my feeling is that the performance of most first-tier manufacturers’ products is significantly better than that of some small manufacturers. In addition, the latency performance of using products of the same brand together is also slightly better than using products of different brands.
So if your requirements are not high and you use TWS products mainly to pair with mobile phones, then TWS products under your own mobile phone brand may be a more convenient choice.
Recommend some good things I have used
Based on my experience, I have selected several TWs products that are suitable for purchase. You can choose according to your needs.
AirPods 2nd generation and AirPods Pro
What else can I say about the AirPods series? As benchmark products, both AirPods and AirPods Pro have no faults in all aspects. If I have to pick a nit, the workmanship of AirPods Pro is a bit lame by Apple’s standards, and the treatment of some seams is not delicate enough. Other than that, the overall performance of the two products is really excellent.
The price of the second generation of AirPods is currently around 115 USD, and the price of AirPods Pro is around 200 USD. Compared with similar products, the price of the AirPods series has a certain threshold. But considering the high reputation of these two products, they are still worth recommending. For iPhone or Apple family bucket users, the AirPods series is the best choice.
Oh, and don’t forget that the AirPods series also has an AirPods Max. I think this product is more like an accessory and is not within the scope of discussion of TWS products.
This is Huawei’s latest active noise reduction headset. Its biggest feature is the semi-in-ear design. It can also provide quite good active noise reduction capabilities. It is also one of the few noise reduction headsets with semi-in-ear design on the market. Although its noise reduction ability is weaker than that of in-ear headphones, FreeBuds 4 wins in terms of wearing comfort, which can achieve an “almost imperceptible” experience.
In addition, this headset performs quite well in terms of sound quality and delay performance. When paired with Huawei’s own flagship mobile phone, it can support its own low-latency gaming technology, making it suitable for users who like to play games.