Similar to the wireless earphones, these also do not require any cable or USB connection. The wireless earphones come in an efficient charging case that extends the battery life. So you can easily carry them in your pockets. It looks quite magical when you hear your calls or music from your phone without anything on your ears. The primary earbud is connected to the audio source and sends the signal to the secondary earbud.
True wireless earbuds work by pairing and connecting to the device via some radio transmissions or infrared signals via Bluetooth, and the connections have a minimal range. In products with Bluetooth and software, a tiny chip is inserted to create the connection between the devices. If there is a Bluetooth-enabled device such as a laptop, tablet or cell phone near the wireless earphones, you can connect and pair the wireless earphones with the device without missing a word of your music or podcast.
Benefits of True Wireless Earbuds
Easy Access
On a hike or trip, it feels very awkward to take out your wired earbuds in the corner of your backpack with lots of other stuff. Fortunately, you can take out your real wireless earbuds instantly without any inconvenience or mess.
Convenience
The word convenience encompasses a whole range of benefits. Wireless earphones have given us freedom from wires and made it convenient to listen to music differently as there are no barriers in between. With wireless earphones, you can do any task without any worries. In short, no cable makes more portability that you can take your music or an important call anywhere.
Quick Pairing
We all love the advantage of wireless earphones because you can use the wireless earphones in a busy meeting or in a crowded subway without any hassle like wired earphones. You don’t have to pop them up and connect them to your device. Just set up the connection, pair it with your device once, and you’re ready to use it whenever you are. Just take out your wireless earbuds and they are connected without any hurdle.
Things to Consider when Buying True Wireless Earbuds
Earbud Design
Most TWS earphones on the market are earphones with and without stems. The “stem” is the part of an earphone that hangs out of the ear. Both designs have their advantages, and most people choose one over the other depending on their personal preferences.
In most earphones with stems, the main microphone is located at the end of the stem. This allows you to talk on the phone better, as the microphone is closer to your mouth. Earbuds without stems are more compact and may offer more comfort when worn for hours.
Comfort
Whether it’s wired or wireless earbuds, comfort should always come first. Of course, audio quality and performance are very important, but TWS are something you will be using all day long along with your smartphone. Therefore, it is very important that you choose something that fits well in your ears.
Avoid bulky earbuds if you plan to use them throughout the day. Make sure the earplugs are the right size for your ears. If they are too big, they will hurt your ears, and if they are too small, they may fall out of your ears. Always look for earplugs with rubber tips for better comfort. You should also look for ear hooks if you plan to use them for sports activities.
Sound Quality
A codec determines how audio signals are transmitted over Bluetooth from the source to your wireless headphones. It encodes and decodes digital audio signals for faster and reliable wireless transmission. Most cheap wireless headphones only support the low-complexity subband (SBC) codec, which divides frequencies into multiple bands and encodes them separately. This process takes time for data transmission, which leads to a delay in audio transmission.
This delay is noticeable in games or movies where the audio seems to come after the video. A pair of high-quality TWS headphones supports codecs like aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC 900. These codecs are much more powerful than SBC codecs due to their lower latency and support for faster bit rates.
Noise Canceling
Sometimes you need to adjust your environment, whether you are a commuter or listening to an important phone call. If you prefer noise cancellation, you should know three types of noise cancellation modes. Active noise cancellation completely blocks out all ambient noise, while passive noise cancellation isolates you from sounds. Adaptive noise cancellation uses microphones and speakers to automatically adjust to your environment. Choose accordingly what type of listening you want.
Connectivity
You know that slight delay when using wireless headphones? It happens when your wireless device has high latency. So how do you find wireless headphones with good connectivity? Well, there are a few things you need to look out for.
The first thing is the Bluetooth version. Bluetooth 4.1 is now considered outdated. Make sure your wireless earbuds have Bluetooth version 5.0 or even better 5.1. Bluetooth 5.0 offers many advantages: a strong connection, lower latency, a long range (usually up to 10 meters) and, most importantly, lower battery consumption.
Battery Life
Battery life might be a problem for many users since no one wants to charge their devices often. Nowadays, most TWS come with a charging case. So you need to consider two types of battery life: the earphones themselves and the charger battery life.
You should aim for at least 3-4 hours of battery life for the earbuds. This is especially beneficial when working out at the gym or during long workouts. The charging case should be able to charge the earphones 4-5 times before you need to recharge the case. Both combinations will easily last 2-3 days depending on usage.
Charging Case
The charging cradle can be used to store the battery for later use. When the earphone battery is empty, simply place the earphones back into the charging cradle. The case has sufficient charging time before it needs to be recharged. If it has a Type-C fast charging function, it will hardly take 10-15 minutes to charge for 1 hour of use. Charging cases come in many shapes and sizes, but the more compact the design of a charging case, the easier it is to carry around.
Audio Codecs
Most of you may not be familiar with it, but audio codecs are also very important. Audio quality and connectivity depend heavily on them. SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC are the audio codecs we know.
The SBC codec is a widely used audio codec that is present in virtually every Bluetooth device. However, the sound quality is very mediocre and they also tend to cause audio delays when you watch a YouTube video or play a video game. We recommend you avoid TWS, which only comes with SBC codec.
Features and Gestures
Almost every product you see when buying a new pair of TWS headphones has a few standout features. However, it’s best to limit yourself to the features that are relevant to you. For example, if you don’t plan on using your headphones in the shower, you shouldn’t look for a product with the best water resistance, but one that offers the best sound at that price. Some important features to look for are the ability to control music playback and calls, trigger voice assistants, fast pairing, and a reliable connection.
If you buy a pair of TWS, it should have at least Bluetooth 5.0 and gestures. Speaking of which, touch-based gestures aren’t for everyone either. If you want to use your earbuds in bed, while exercising, or near water, touch-based gestures may not be triggered, or worse, they may be triggered without your intention. Earbuds with physical buttons that you can click to trigger offer more control, but may not be as water resistant.
Brands and Pricing
Probably the most important point is which brands you consider. Even though casual listeners don’t necessarily need to spend more money to buy an audiophile product, it’s still important to buy TWS headphones from a good brand that you trust. Brands that have a wide range of products and have been making audio products for years are likely to produce high-quality earphones that last longer, offer better sound, and more.
On the other hand, it’s also important that you spend the right money. If you buy a product that’s too cheap and then find that it doesn’t provide the sound quality you expect, you’ve not only wasted your time, but also your money. Try to find the right balance between a reputable brand and a cheap price. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for deals and sales.
Conclusion
The reason why True Wireless earbuds are the most popular audio products around is not only great sound, but also ease of use. After reading this buying guide, you can easily make a final decision. True wireless headphones refer to Bluetooth earbuds or IEMs that have no wires or cables between them or with an audio source (smartphones, MP3 players, tablets, etc.). Due to the absence of wires, the microphone, controls, and battery are built into the housing of the earbuds.
