Wireless headphones: which ones to choose in 2021?
February 17th, 2021 - 6pm
For some time now, you have been able to choose wireless headphones or earphones to listen to your favourite music in complete freedom. There are many models that are compatible with your smartphone. We've compared Apple's AirPods, Samsung's Galaxy Buds, and Xiaomi's Mi True Wireless 2 to help you out.
Listening to music, answering calls, using your voice assistant - these are all things we now enjoy doing without worrying about the wires in our headphones. But it's not always easy to know which wireless headphones to choose. Our comparison can help.
Apple: AirPods and AirPods Pro
Since their first release in December 2016, Apple's wireless headphones have been everywhere. The AirPods have the characteristic to fit in your ears without falling out, even during a sports session. Thanks to Bluetooth, there are no more wires, and the headphones charge thanks to a small, lightweight case that provides up to 1 day of battery life.
On the Apple side, the AirPods will easily connect to any device in your home (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV). They connect to all devices configured on the same iCloud account, without the need to restart them. It is therefore possible to listen to your favourite music on your Mac and switch to a call via your IPhone. The headphones follow your desires and switch from one Apple device to another.
The AirPods Pro offer ambient noise reduction in addition to the above features.
You may be interested to know that the AirPods and AirPods Pro also work with Android, which is common to other Bluetooth headphones, but this combination does not allow access to updates to your AirPods, nor to the specific features of Apple devices (noise reduction, spatial stereo and Siri voice assistant).
Where to get AirPods or AirPods Pro?
Visit your nearest Orange shop where you can get AirPods 2 for €6 per month and AirPods Pro for €10 per month with an unlimited mobile plan.
Samsung and its Galaxy Buds
For Samsung Lovers, the choice seems rather obvious. The Galaxy Buds, without hesitation. They were developed in collaboration with the AKG brand. The result is that they sound really good in your ears, both when listening to music and when making phone calls.
The Galaxy Buds also include a small charging case that is compatible with wireless chargers for Galaxy smartphones. No need to bother with another charger.
As with Apple, it's easy to switch between devices within the Galaxy range without having to re-pair.
The Galaxy Buds Live offer better battery life and sound quality.
Where can I get Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Buds Live?
Visit your nearest Orange shop where you can get the Galaxy Buds for €5 per month, the Galaxy Buds Live for €6 per month and the Galaxy Buds Pro for €8 per month with an unlimited mobile plan.
Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 from Xiaomi
They look similar to the AirPods, but they are the Mi True Wireless and their price is ultra competitive. Compatible with all smartphones, they are obviously best used with Xiaomi devices. They pair automatically, have very good sound quality and are easy to control via touch. The Mi True Wireless have a battery life of up to 4 hours in use (and up to 14 hours in the case). They recharge very quickly, taking only 1 hour.
Where to get the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2?
Visit your nearest Orange shop to get the Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 for €4 a month with an unlimited mobile plan.
So which earphones should I choose?
The AirPods, Galaxy Buds and Mi True Wireless are Bluetooth earphones.
This means they can be used with any smartphone.
The main difference is the price, as all three models offer very similar audio quality.
The Galaxy Buds and Apple AirPods stand out when used with the same brand of devices. It's easy to switch from your Mac to your iPhone in a single gesture with your AirPods, the same goes for the Galaxy Buds on the Samsung side. Voice assistants can also be called upon by both Apple and Samsung headphones, so you have access to Bixby with the Galaxy Buds and Siri with the AirPods.