True Wireless In-Ears were the hot sellers in 2018 and meanwhile all well-known headphone companies do offer this type of headphones. Although completely wireless headphones are on the market for quite a while now once again it needed Apple to really get some momentum in this product category.
And because many smartphone manufacturers killed the headphone jack in the last couple of years many users now want (and need) to listen to their favorite tracks without any cables on their headphones.
A comprehensive update to this third-generation provides the Creative Outlier Air V3 with an app for customising sound and operation. The adjustable attenuation and amplification of outside noise are also new, and this makes the price of these wireless in-ears seem very attractive.
Like the Fun Generation Rock Buds, the second version of their wireless in-ears also aims to offer good sound at a low price, with high-quality audio codecs available in aptX and the AAC format. Voice quality during phone calls has been improved, especially as the new Rock Buds II come equipped with touch controls, while the case supports wireless charging via Qi.
The new Jabra Elite 4 Active aim to offer a lot for a price of just under 120 euros: IP57 certification, active noise cancelling, transparency mode, good sound as well as an app connection. We'll find out how well they work in this test.
With the ComfoBuds 2, Chinese manufacturer 1more maintains its product profile. These Bluetooth earbuds, available in matt black or white, are aimed at users who are looking for affordable headphones for everyday use. It's not just about the highest sound quality, but also about the other tasks that such a device fulfils in everyday life with a smartphone: Phone calls or the use of voice assistants. This results in a well-rounded package at an attractive price.
With the OnePlus Buds Z2, the smartphone manufacturer offers a price-conscious alternative to the Buds Pro, which features both two-stage noise-cancelling for attenuation and ambient mode for amplifying outside noise. These cable-free in-ears are also characterized by good speech intelligibility during telephone calls and support a high-quality audio codec with the AAC format.
The SoundPEATS Air3 come in the typical AirPods design, offer contemporary technology such as Bluetooth 5.2 and aptX Adaptive Codec with a dynamic bitrate and a gaming mode with reduced latency. This comes at a reasonable price with decent sound as well as good remote functionality, which is, however, far too sensitive.
The Skullcandy Push Active sports headphones pump your fitness playlist steadily into your ears. Their neatly designed bracket system hooks securely and softly onto the ear. During sports, the headphones can be operated either via voice control ("Skull-iQ") or alternatively with "real" buttons on the headphones so that you can instantly access Spotify at any time. With the smart Skullcandy app, you also have easy access to many features such as the EQ. This allows you to stay in control at all times in the gym while jogging or on the ski slopes – let the work-out commence.
The House of Marley Champion support a high-quality audio codec in the form of the AAC format and convinced us with a successful, fun-oriented tuning, which makes the price of these cable-free in-ears seem attractive.
The 1more ColorBuds 2 are suitable for anyone who values style and is looking for affordable True Wireless in-ears with a balanced sound plus good ANC function (noise cancelling). In addition, the sound can be adjusted to suit your own taste via the app, thanks to SoundID. In contrast to its predecessor ColorBuds 1, version 2 has been thoroughly optimised in terms of function and features.
The wireless Shure Aonic Free in-ears feature versatile functionality and can be flexibly adapted to one's own needs via connection to an app. This applies to both the sound and the operation, as well as the amplification of external noise in ambient mode.