When I picked up a pair of Apple’s wireless AirPods a few weeks ago, I thought the included charging case was a clever touch.
But the case wound up being so useful that it spoiled me for Apple’s other wireless earbuds, the BeatsX. After two weeks of testing a pair of BeatsX headphones, I’ve found they also fall short of the AirPods in one make-or-break area: battery life.
And there are other drawbacks, too, The AirPods case, with its satisfying clasp, is an instant Apple design classic, whereas the included BeatsX silicone case doesn’t always completely protect your headphones — sometimes parts of the cable end up sticking out. And it gathers lint. Just look at it.
Image Credit: Jordan Novet/VentureBeat
To be fair, when compared with AirPods, BeatsX provide quicker access to Apple’s Siri virtual assistant via the physical volume and pause buttons. And — let’s be real — you’ll probably look less goofy with them perched on the sides of your head.
And BeatsX come with a few aesthetic niceties that you won’t find on AirPods: magnetic buds and a neck band that’s just bendy enough to fit in the case but always bounces back to its default position.
Apple being Apple, the company put an exceptional amount of consideration into BeatsX packaging. That might sound a bit surface-level. Maybe…