The Apple AirPods fail to get a Consumer Reports recommendation

[Humza]

Bottom line: Consumer Reports pitched the popular Apple AirPods against the Samsung Galaxy Buds and concluded that despite the AirPods being one of the best-selling earphones of all time, thanks to their ease of use and features, the one important area where they seemingly lack is sound quality. As a result, they couldn't make it to Consumer Reports recommendations, something which the cheaper Galaxy Buds did with a much better overall score.

Considering that the Apple AirPods fit so well in the company's ecosystem, many consumers don't bother looking at alternatives. And while they're not aimed at audiophiles, everyone can appreciate good sound quality from earphones that sport such a sleek form factor.

According to Consumer Reports, in its True Wireless Earphones Face-Off that puts the Apple AirPods against Samsung's Galaxy Buds, the latter emerge as the "clear winner".

The Samsung Galaxy Buds don’t just sound better than the AirPods, they’re among the best-scoring Bluetooth headphones Consumer Reports has ever tested. They’re a little cheaper, too. The Galaxy Buds usually sell for around $130, compared with $160 for the AirPods ($200 with an upgraded charging case).

With tests spanning over weeks, Consumer Reports found that while the AirPods did a "decent job of reproducing music and movie dialog" and are a reasonable choice for casual use, their one weak spot is bass. "The AirPods deliver the physical thump you get from percussive low sounds like a kick drum, but the earphones lack depth," while the midrange blurs together different instruments making it difficult to pick out individual sounds.

In terms of sound quality, Consumer Reports say that their testers found the Airpods' audio nearly identical to the $30 wired earbuds that used to come for free with previous iPhones.

The cheaper Galaxy Buds on the other hand, while not perfect, have an "obvious depth" that the AirPods lack. Also, with better sound in the mids and highs, the difference between the two earphones is undeniable, even to those who aren't audio snobs.

The Galaxy Buds sound fantastic, well beyond what you hear with your average headphones. They come standard with modern features like USB-C and wireless charging compatibility, and you don’t need to blast the volume to hear over your surroundings. In general, they work better on iPhones than the AirPods do on Android devices.

Although the publication does acknowledge that AirPods "might be enough" for many people, a score of 56 couldn't earn the AirPods a recommendation from Consumer Reports, which went to the 86-scoring Samsung Galaxy Buds as they raised the bar for true wireless earphones.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/81642-apple-airpods-fail-get-consumer-reports-recommendation.html

 

[p51d007]

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

 

[Squid Surprise]

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

Yeah, they don’t care that the iPhone beats every other phone in benchmarks... but hey, it’s a nice bonus

 

[Kibaruk]

Yeah, they don’t care that the iPhone beats every other phone in benchmarks... but hey, it’s a nice bonus

They don't, truly. I haven't found a single person who said preferred an iPhone flagship versus an Android flagship because they are faster. Normal experience for people who jumped to iPhones is from a mid ranged phone.

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

Mmmm I would say they don't care about that either.
I don't have all the answers, but in my opinion I think the best thing iPhones and Apple has for itself, is that the things they make simply work. You don't have to fiddle around, you don't have to switch any settings, you don't have to look in forums showing convoluted instructions on how to achieve something.
They have had a clear drop in quality from their most recent products, a lot of fails, gates and whatnot, but they still work.
I'm an android user before you start saying I'm an Apple fanboy.

 

[Squid Surprise]

They don't, truly. I haven't found a single person who said preferred an iPhone flagship versus an Android flagship because they are faster. Normal experience for people who jumped to iPhones is from a mid ranged phone.
Mmmm I would say they don't care about that either.
I don't have all the answers, but in my opinion I think the best thing iPhones and Apple has for itself, is that the things they make simply work. You don't have to fiddle around, you don't have to switch any settings, you don't have to look in forums showing convoluted instructions on how to achieve something.
They have had a clear drop in quality from their most recent products, a lot of fails, gates and whatnot, but they still work.
I'm an android user before you start saying I'm an Apple fanboy.

Here’s one then... I prefer my iPhone because it runs faster If I’m going to pay top dollar for a smartphone, it should be the fastest.
And I also prefer it for a bunch of other reasons...

 

[Kibaruk]

Well according to benchmarks my SOs iPhone X should be faster and better than my Galaxy S9 all around. I love tech, wouldn't use iPhones even if they are "faster".

It's been the completely contrary experience on our end, up to the point where my SO is thinking in making the switch to Android.

Edit: Not even the pictures from "the best camera in a phone", keeps asking me to take them with my phone as they look better.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

If Apple products are so bad, I sure wish the COPYCATS would stop trying to clone Apple's looks and function.

Thank god that Apple has a tight control over their hardware and iOS. Oppo, Hua Wei and all those other imitators can try to copy the designs but they'll never be able to make their product like Apple.

 

[Fearghast]

That is actualy sad, not that Samsung headphones are not better, but they still sounds like a hot garbage.
Even something like QCY T1c or 1More Stylish TWS offer better sound, range, battery and signal stability.

Headphones buyers are usualy just an equialent of a child swayed by PR nonsense.

 

[Panda218]

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

Yeah, they don’t care that the iPhone beats every other phone in benchmarks... but hey, it’s a nice bonus

Phone benchmarks are laughable and useless in most all cases. If that's what you care about though go for it I'm here for features and customization which Apple lacks heavily compared to the competition.

 

[p51d007]

Yeah, they don’t care that the iPhone beats every other phone in benchmarks... but hey, it’s a nice bonus

Benchmarks are just for nerds that wanna say "my phone is faster than yours".
Unless you are a uber gamer, and need to squeeze every little bit of performance,
99% of most "average" phones are good enough for what most people use them for,
which would be phone, texting, browsing, photos, apps.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Benchmarks are just for nerds that wanna say "my phone is faster than yours".
Unless you are a uber gamer, and need to squeeze every little bit of performance,
99% of most "average" phones are good enough for what most people use them for,
which would be phone, texting, browsing, photos, apps.

Yes... but the iPhone happens to run faster than any other phone... and I was replying to the comments that people choose iPhones for no good reason... I think running fastest is actually a pretty decent reason... they also receive REAL support for far longer than other Android phones, their resale value is higher than any other phone... I could go on...

I know it's fun to mock the faceless majority for their choices... but sometimes, the reason more people choose something is simply because it's actually better

 

[Dosahka]

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

1st sentence: yes, probably they don't because it's just works, setup is far easier even for an elderly person than on android.
2nd sentence: some might do, also most iPhones and Samsung Galaxy series are considered as luxury phones (price, features, materials used to manufacture), for me it was essential to support my users who has android and/or iPhone.
Good luck to have 6-7 years of OS and security updates on your android phone, which even Google's Pixel lineup one only get 2 years rarely 3.
I don't know if you noticed but android settings menu is like when a kid open a cookie jar by dropping to the floor, not even convenient to use (specially Samsung's One UI, I had to google out how change notification to the normal ribbon style for 2-3 hours as an Expert IT person) because between 3-4 minor updates Samsung changed that setting, there were like 3-4 different option to do that...and no indication on the actual button to tap the left hand side would send you to a different section right side on the same option will give you customisation...without indication. Apple at least do it in minor changes, every time there is a software update they add/remove or move but still makes sense, unlike android where there are 2 different notification settings one under security, one under display...also search function in the settings is wacky, even if you search for the right option, nothing found...
You see how easy to blame android too? I get that customisation part, but some ppl just need a phone that works without questions and hiccups out of the box, as some mentioned Apple had rough years with HW and SW, but men when you see that iOS 12 perf on a 6 years old iPhone like a new...on the other hand Android phone only get some perf bump if you strip out something from the system and someone posts the ROM on XDA, but then your data is at risk (but this is another story)...not even every android phone fully supporting device encryption, just folders and/or partitions...
Have you ever been at any Genius bar (support desk where you can book in to have look at your device)? - I presume not
They inspect your Apple product for fee! and give you quotes (sometimes ridiculous). FREE hardware/software diagnostic while you wait or in 1-3 days, whereas for android phone manufacturers will take a small fee and sometimes weeks...
Fortunately I experienced both sides (and third with Windows phones) and I know the pros and cons (have to). Please stop looking at only the phones, look beyond them at the support and other areas the manufacturer provides.
Please do a research next time before calling out general iPhone users as iSheep or iZombie (these are just metaphors), turns out you might've been turned into a'droid. hehe

 

[ckm88]

People that buy Apple products, aren't interesting in how they work. They are only interested in having that little apple logo on their devices, and the one on the windshield of their vehicles LOL.
Symbolism, over substance. Overpay, under perform.

1st sentence: yes, probably they don't because it's just works, setup is far easier even for an elderly person than on android.
2nd sentence: some might do, also most iPhones and Samsung Galaxy series are considered as luxury phones (price, features, materials used to manufacture), for me it was essential to support my users who has android and/or iPhone.
Good luck to have 6-7 years of OS and security updates on your android phone, which even Google's Pixel lineup one only get 2 years rarely 3.
I don't know if you noticed but android settings menu is like when a kid open a cookie jar by dropping to the floor, not even convenient to use (specially Samsung's One UI, I had to google out how change notification to the normal ribbon style for 2-3 hours as an Expert IT person) because between 3-4 minor updates Samsung changed that setting, there were like 3-4 different option to do that...and no indication on the actual button to tap the left hand side would send you to a different section right side on the same option will give you customisation...without indication. Apple at least do it in minor changes, every time there is a software update they add/remove or move but still makes sense, unlike android where there are 2 different notification settings one under security, one under display...also search function in the settings is wacky, even if you search for the right option, nothing found...
You see how easy to blame android too? I get that customisation part, but some ppl just need a phone that works without questions and hiccups out of the box, as some mentioned Apple had rough years with HW and SW, but men when you see that iOS 12 perf on a 6 years old iPhone like a new...on the other hand Android phone only get some perf bump if you strip out something from the system and someone posts the ROM on XDA, but then your data is at risk (but this is another story)...not even every android phone fully supporting device encryption, just folders and/or partitions...
Have you ever been at any Genius bar (support desk where you can book in to have look at your device)? - I presume not
They inspect your Apple product for fee! and give you quotes (sometimes ridiculous). FREE hardware/software diagnostic while you wait or in 1-3 days, whereas for android phone manufacturers will take a small fee and sometimes weeks...
Fortunately I experienced both sides (and third with Windows phones) and I know the pros and cons (have to). Please stop looking at only the phones, look beyond them at the support and other areas the manufacturer provides.
Please do a research next time before calling out general iPhone users as iSheep or iZombie (these are just metaphors), turns out you might've been turned into a'droid. hehe

Very good points!

 

[Shadowboxer]

People who go around saying that people who buy iPhones are stupid and only care about the logo etc are the sheep if you ask me. They haven’t done any research and are just following the cool but false opinion of the herd.

iPhones are easily superior than the competition in most areas, in particular compute power, reliability and security. I’m a keen tech enthusiast and a telecoms professional, I probably know more about phones than most on these forums and I hugely prefer iPhones.

Must say I don’t like these headphones though, I can see why they sell well but personally I’d rather have something that has better than normal sound quality.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

People who go around saying that people who buy iPhones are stupid and only care about the logo etc are the sheep if you ask me. They haven’t done any research and are just following the cool but false opinion of the herd.

iPhones are easily superior than the competition in most areas, in particular compute power, reliability and security. I’m a keen tech enthusiast and a telecoms professional, I probably know more about phones than most on these forums and I hugely prefer iPhones.

Must say I don’t like these headphones though, I can see why they sell well but personally I’d rather have something that has better than normal sound quality.

IOS truly makes the difference. IOS is what makes "one of these things not like the other".

I betcha if you could take two Galaxy Note 10s and run an optimized version of iOS on one of them it would destroy the Android version in ease of use, update availability, long term support app continuity (across devices) and coherency. Same goes for the Oppo Find X and Hua wei Mate X.

Build Quality of Apple devices is untouchable. That's not even arguable.

I have a XS Max 512GB which I dropped $1577 for on launch day and It's been the best device I've ever had up till this point. Yes there are some disappointments but most of them come from the app developers. For example: I can't use Youtube in the background unless I pay them for Red. I'm not paying them!!!

Otherwise, the only upgrade I truly want is 1TB storage...and no I don't want any sd cards because they are not as fast as Apple's NAND Flash. I don't care about the 3 cameras. That's just a gimmick to show people you have a new iPhone.

Also keep in mind...Android phones are sold in the poorest countries on Earth. There are places where the homeless have Android phones and can accept charity payments only electronically (take a look at Sweden and Denmark). Oppo and Hua Wei can sell their stuff easily in the Philippines for example. Not an Apple store anywhere in sight. Not when my phone would have cost the average worker 1/5th his annual income.

The real shame is that Microsoft wasn't smart enough to focus on making their mobile OS Xbox or Office oriented because they could have stolen more of Apple's base. They just weren't trying. The same could be said about Sony with the "Playstation Phone". They just weren't trying.