The Apple EarPods are simple but decent earbuds for casual listening. They're well-built, comfortable but not the most versatile headphones as their open fit lets in a lot of noise. They're also a bit too unstable to run with (unlike the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless). But, on the upside, they're very easy-to-use, fit in almost any pockets and have a decent if slightly bass-lacking sound.
Our Verdict
Decent for neutral and casual listening. They're comfortable and moderately well balanced in the mid-to-high frequency ranges, reproducing instruments and vocals with an above-average fidelity. That and the open fit give the impression of a wider soundstage that's good if you're listening in a quiet environment. However, they lack quite a bit of bass for those looking for slightly more punch in their audio.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
Subpar for commuting. They are open headphones that barely block any noise, so they won't be suitable for the loud environments involved in commuting. Their only redeeming quality is that they're very portable and passive (no active features or battery life) so you can have them in your pocket at all times.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
Average for sports. Although they're very portable headphones with an easy-to-use control scheme, they're a bit too unstable to be used for sports. They will quickly fall out of your ears during more intense exercises.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
Mediocre for office use. They're comfortable to wear for long listening sessions and don't leak much, so they won't distract any of your colleagues. Unfortunately, they're also open headphones, which won't prevent noise from seeping into your audio. You can only receive audio when connected to a PC too, which is a little disappointing if you also need to take virtual calls at work.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
Average for gaming. They have a wired connection, so they have negligible latency which is suitable for gaming. They also have a decent microphone and a comfortable design you can wear for hours. Unfortunately, they lack a good app to customize their sound profile and like most gaming headsets, their mic is not compatible with consoles.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
- Great portable design.
- Simple and easy-to-use controls.
- Poor isolation from ambient noise.
- Easily falls out of your ears.
- Bass and treble delivery varies significantly across users.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 19, 2021: We've retested 'Analog' PC compatibility.
- Updated Oct 14, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Apple Earpods are very comfortable earbuds with a decent build quality. They lack a bit of bass but should sound good enough for casual listening, and they're very portable. Unfortunately, they have no convenient active features, like wireless or noise canceling and their open one-size-fits-all design isn't as versatile as some of the other in-ear/earbuds. See our recommendations for the best earbuds, the best earbuds for bass and the best wireless earbuds for iPhone.
The Apple AirPods Pro are significantly better earphones than the Apple EarPods. The EarPods have an open-back earbud design that delivers very little bass and isolates hardly any noise. This can actually be a good thing if you like to listen to podcasts while running outdoors, but if you prefer a better-balanced sound for listening to music and need to block out external noise, the Pro are the way to go.
The KZ ZSN are better-mixed usage and critical listening in-ears than the Apple EarPods. The KZ are noticeably better built, including more premium materials and a nice braided, detachable cable. The KZ have poor treble, while the Apple have poor bass performance. However, most people will find the Apple slightly more comfortable due to their one-size-fits-all design and microphone, which is useful for calls.
The Apple EarPods are slightly better for mixed usage than the Google Pixel USB-C Earbuds. The Apple earbuds are more comfortable and provide more accurate, open audio reproduction. They're also compatible with a greater number of devices courtesy of their analog audio connector, whereas the Google earbuds can't connect to devices that lack a USB-C port, such as iPhones. However, the Google headphones have a more stable fit, slightly better audio leakage performance, and a marginally better in-line microphone.
The Apple AirPods (3rd generation) are better for most purposes than the Apple EarPods. The AirPods are truly wireless earbuds with better build quality, a more stable fit, and an IPX4 rating for water resistance. They also come with a more compact, sturdier case and have more extra features for Apple users, like virtual surround sound and head tracking. However, some may prefer the EarPods’ wired design. They have volume controls, unlike the AirPods, and their mic has a much better overall performance.
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