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In my prior post about choosing wireless earbuds, I said that I prefer Apple’s offerings including Airpods and Beats due to the inclusion of the H1 chip. It’s what makes the pairing process and device switching to other apple devices so seamless. But what if you don’t have a Mac, iPhone, or iPad?

Should I just use Airpods or Beats?

If you’re using an Android phone and a Windows device, you won’t really get any benefits from using Airpods or Beats. You can of course, but it would be the same as using any other Bluetooth headset as far as functionality goes. In this case, you have some pretty cool options. As much as I’ve been an Apple fanboy, I do find their walled garden approach to be a bit annoying. So rejoice! Now you have the freedom to try some other cool products.

Here’s what I recommend:

Environmental and repairability champion with amazing sound at a cost

Sony WF-1000XM4: $279.99: Very good but expensive

Ah, Sony… you make great products with names that no one can remember (except for the PS5). I’m a nerd and I generally can only remember the W and that there are lots of numbers. If you can remember the model number on a single one of their cameras I’ll give you ten bucks, go! 

I do have to give Sony huge Kudos for focusing on an issue that consumers should care more about but don’t outside of my nerdy blogs; repairability. You can actually replace the battery on these! Most devices use glue, have parts soldered so that you can’t fix them, and are overall considered ecological disasters. Sony has made these, and their older and larger models (WF-1000XM3) easy to take apart and work on. I may never actually do this, but it would be possible to take them to someone, and that is really cool and worth thinking about.  Reviewers say that they sound great and Alexa fans approve. I would say that the look of them isn’t for everyone so do consider this and look at photos of models wearing them for reference:

These also are considered to have the best sound for purists. The included 360 Reality Audio emulates surround sound and makes it even better.

Last generation, still good, great value, but bulky

Sony WF-1000XM3: $113.99 Much better deal but dated

Since these are a few years old at this point, you can get them for a much more fair price than their successor. You still are getting a great sound, ANC, and good battery life. Most of these things are a little better with the WF-1000XM4s, but not so much better to justify the cost. The thing that sticks out about these older models is the larger form factor and appearance:

These are much larger, and will definitely stick out a bit more than their new younger sibling. It’s a matter of preference if you think they look bad, or if you care. Some people like to make statements and these definitely will.

Comfortable, sounds great, expensive, but some audio issues

Bose Quiet Comfort: $199.99 Good but with some issues

I think that these are quite good, but the design of them is starting to look a little long in the tooth much like the Sony WF-1000XM3s. They sound great and fit well and the noise canceling is also great. The form factor is a bit large, but still doesn’t have volume buttons. This also makes the case a bit larger than average. Some users report latency issues, and this issue makes watching videos not viable.  Hard to recommend when you could use the Sonys XM3s which are cheaper or even use the Beats Fit Pros.  

Best all around, great price and sound

EarFun Air Pro 2: $79.99 Cool Kickstarter company, well priced

This was a Kickstarter project started by a bunch of tech and audio guys in Hong Kong, which I think is really neat! They’ve also received a bunch of notable awards from tech and audio publications. The only downside seems to be that there are some rare quality issues, but the team seems very responsive with returns and support, and I think that a lot of these issues are getting ironed out with subsequent releases. I can somewhat attest to the issues since my partner had a pair of these, but she never really attempted to get a replacement, and I think some of these issues were related to multiple devices (AKA an issue that almost all non H1 Bluetooth headsets have).

Earfun is expanding its range and now has a lot of options. I tend to like projects like these where you can actually learn about the Team; they seem like they’re trying to bring some improvements and a great value proposition to the industry.

When I get my cheap / dupe roundup finished (update, it’s all done, one or more Earfuns will definitely be included there too.

The Airpod Pros of Samsung Galaxy Androids

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: $119.99 at Walmart

I think that these are a great choice if you have a Samsung Galaxy phone. Which ones? This is where things get a little murky, as they seemed to have taken a page out of Apple’s book but gone another level. Samsung website says:

“Compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 5.0 or later and with more than 1.5GB of RAM. Also compatible with iPhone7 or later models with iOS 10 or later.”

However, to use the new features such as 360 audio or auto-switching you need to be using a newer Samsung phone with their UI, version OneUI 3.1 or later. OneUI 3.1 came out last year and was on the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Tab S7. So any device since then should be fine, in fact, those devices are onto 4.1 already.

Overall these have great sound, fit, a small case, and work really well with Samsung phones. They also have some cool color options that the others don’t have!

Wrap-up

That covers some of the best options available for those who use Android. There are a few more that are also good such as Jabra, which if I see any standouts I will add here.

Overall I really like the Earfun headphones since the price is right and the audio quality is great. If you have a Samsung phone then their Galaxy Bud Pros are really easy to use and are definitely worth a look. If instead, you want uncompromising audio quality, then check out Sony’s WF-1000XM4 and WF-1000XM3s.

All of these are a bit expensive (except for the Earfuns), so keep an eye out for a true dupe / cheap earbud comparison coming soon if you want to save money!