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 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.
The Apple AirPods (1st generation) are better headphones than the Apple EarPods if you want a wireless design. The EarPods are wired, so they do not have the range and convenience of the wireless AirPods. On the upside, this also means they have no latency when watching movies. You also do not have a battery life to worry about since the EarPods are completely passive, unlike the AirPods. The AirPods, on the other hand, are a bit more stable for most listeners thanks to the absence of an audio cable. The AirPods are also a bit more practical for everyday casual use since they are truly wireless headphones with good battery life and a stable wireless connection.
The Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass are more versatile headphones than the Apple EarPods. They have a closed-back design that isolates more ambient noise and makes them more suitable for commuting. As their name suggests, the Sony have a very bass-heavy sound profile, while the Apple's open-design lack sub-bass, but don't lack detail in the treble range like the Sony do. Also, the Apple are more comfortable, if you can find a good fit. They have a decent in-line remote with volume control, which the Sony don’t have, disappointingly. The Apple have a decent microphone for calls, while the Sony are a more stable option for sports.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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