From the recently released earphones, I have tried the Bragi Headphone, the Airpods, and the BeatsX (all close to the earliest release date). I have since returned the Airpods, and settled on using the BeatsX when out and about, and the Bragis for exercise.
- The BeatsX are great everyday earphones that you can use when you need to block out noise, e.g. on an airplane or in a noisy office environment. Very comfortable, good battery life, quick recharge, reasonable sound quality. I simply hang them around my neck under the shirt when I leave the house and barely notice them until I need them.
- The Bragis are great for exercise, since they are completely cable-free while still having noise isolation (which is a must for me, since I usually spend at least 30 minutes on the noisy rowing machine). They also sit very securely in my ears. Not so great for everyday carrying though, since the case is a little too fat to comfortably fit into pants pockets.
- I did like aspects of the Airpods a lot, particularly how light they feel, how you can easily take calls by just putting one earbud in your ear, and the small and practical charging case. The open design is good for making phone calls. But the lack of noise isolation (and no good way to adjust the volume) made them less than ideal for the scenarios where I use earphones the most. But I'm thinking about getting another pair for phone calls and listening to audiobooks around the house.
Still waiting for the ideal earphones that do everything well.
