Apple AirPods vs. BeatsX: How The Wireless Earbuds Differ And Which Ones You Should Buy

The BeatsX wireless earphones, made by Apple subsidiary Beats by Dr. Dre, were finally launched in the U.S. Friday. They will be available in black and white models and come with a built-in Apple W1 chip.

While both of Apple’s flagship earphones, the AirPods and the BeatsX, are designed to work primarily with iPhones, have a W1 Chip, a dedicated Siri button and connect via Bluetooth, there are some key differences between the two.

Design

While Apple has gone for a peculiar design for the AirPods that leaves them hanging from the customer’s earlobes and makes them susceptible to being lost, the BeatsX are designed like regular in-earphones. While both AirPods buds are different units in themselves, the BeatsX earphones are connected together with a wire, which the company calls a “flex-form” cable.

Unlike the AirPods, which need to be placed inside their case or the user risks losing them, the BeatsX earphones can simply rest around your neck like regular earphones when not in use. They can also attach to each to each other magnetically, which will lessen the likelihood of them getting lost since the user will be able to easily locate the whole body of the earphones.

Form Factor

Unlike the AirPods, which come with a pre-determined form factor for all ear sizes and once the user has purchased them, he/she needs to adjust to them, the BeatsX earphones have a customizability aspect — they come with changeable wingtips, so you can actually use wingtips according to your comfort.

Battery and Music Playback

The BeatsX earphones come with a fast fuel feature for quick charging. Beats claims that the earphones are capable of playing music for eight hours at one go and will provide users with two hours of playback when charged for five minutes.

The AirPods come with a six-hour battery life on a full charge. However, users have been regularly complaining about the AirPods’ battery issues — in some cases, the charging case actually sucked out charge from the earphones instead of charging them.

Price

The BeatsX earphones are $9 cheaper than Apple AirPods. While the AirPods retail for $159, the BeatsX earphones are available for $149.95

Verdict

When placed in comparison to the AirPods, the BeatsX earphones do seem like a better deal in terms of price, battery life and design, unless you want a different form factor than the tried and tested regular in-ear one.