AirPods Pro First Impressions: Surprisingly Good

Since the debut of the original AirPods a few years ago, fans have been wondering what the pioneers of truly wireless earbuds would bring to the table with the Airpod’s next iteration. After briefly testing out the AirPods Pro however, all I have to say is: a lot.

Picture From Mobile Syrup

For your discretion, I must make it clear that the following impressions were based on a short in-store demo given at the Apple Store in my local area. I haven’t bought, or received the device, making my first impressions genuine and unbiased. With that said: For as much as I hate to admit it, Apple has just created what are in my opinion the best premium truly wireless earbuds.

Feature wise, the AirPods Pro finally add one much needed feature: noise cancellation. Being an owner of the previous generation AirPods for a while, my biggest complaint was simply just how much outside noise was able to penetrate my music listening experience. With the new technology it packs, the AirPods Pro allow for what is a much quieter and personal listening experience.

Unfortunately this comes with one big caveat. Whilst I was sure that the predecessors would stick in most people’s ears, as it used Apple’s tried and true headphone design, the new silicone tip feels oddly un-Apple like, and leaves me worried that the same universal magic is lost in transition.

As for sound itself, the AirPods Pro sound clearly better than its predecessors. For comparison sake, I would rank it as well as the Samsung Galaxy Buds, except that I felt that the AirPods Pro had a bit clearer base that is so typical with modern Apple and Beats audio products.

Picture From CNET

One concern of mine that was gladly solved upon first impressions was the charging case itself. In videos and marketing materials, the case can often look oversized, which made me rather worried that the AirPods Pro would not fit a regular person’s pocked. Upon inspection however, I came to a quick relief upon realising that the case is roughly the same size as that of its predecessor, simply trading length for height. 

A concern that sadly wasn’t answered during my testings though, were with the earbuds themselves: they’re just so tiny. Don’t get me wrong, I love this new, minimalistic design, as it not only looks better in the ear, but can more easily blend in to most outfits. This however, does not make me less worried that the individual buds will be incredibly easy to lose, and - knowing Apple - very expensive to replace.

Before concluding my first impressions, I’d like to bring some emphasis to one specific word in my original statement: premium. For those of us who can afford to spend between $150 and $300 for audio, I’d truly recommend the AirPods Pro for their great audio quality, and slew of sleek features it provides. For those of us who need every penny justified however, it becomes simply impossible to ignore offerings such as the Awei T10Cs. 

Awei T10C Review: Awesomely Cheap, Undeniably Great

With so many bad examples of cheap truly-wireless earbuds throughout the past year, we are not afraid to admit that upon receiving the Awei T10Cs, we had low standards in mind. After putting them through strenuous use however, we are happy to report that for less than $30, we may have just found the best truly wireless earbuds around.

Initial Impression

Upon initial unboxing, nothing about the Awei T10Cs felt truly special. From its plastic build to the overused AirPods-esque design, these headphones don’t bring anything new to the table. To redeem itself however, you quickly notice upon unboxing that with this product, features come before looks.

With features such as having Qi wireless charging to multiple interchangeable earbud tips, the Awei T10Cs bring more to the table than any other competitor at its price - setting forth a prime example of a moment when one should really not judge a book by its cover.

Experience

Cheap construction aside, the Awei T10Cs are extremely comfortable, allowing for more than an hour and a half of usage before we felt any sort of discomfort. Furthermore, the sleek battery case - which rapidly recharges the earbuds once its 2.5-3 hours of playtime are done - meant that the entire package was as minimal as it should be, making usage outdoors painless.

The controls make this truly wireless earbud a solid contestant. Being able to control your tracks, pause them and adjust the volume without ever having to take your phone is truly what these products are meant for, and at just $30, the Awei T10Cs get this just right.

Sound is entirely subjective, but in our experience, the Awei T10Cs sound best when put against modern pop songs. Not only is the bass really good here, but the lack of detail makes it pretty challenging to enjoy older sounds that require a lot of detail at a certain pitch.

Unfortunately, if there is one area where the T10Cs simply collapse it would have to be its microphone. To conserve costs, Awei used a very cheap non-multidirectional microphone, making taking calls and recording video outdoors a really hard task.

Conclusion

With rather flimsy designs and unimpressive features, It is often hard to recommend truly-wireless earbuds under the $30 price-point. The Awei T10Cs however, while not necessarily spectacular, achieve a certain level of quality where we can be certain that the average media consumer will be more than satisfied.