Earphones have become an essential part of our daily lives, whether for listening to music, watching movies, or gaming. But with so many options available in the market, it can be challenging to choose the right one. Should you go for wired or wireless earphones? Which features are essential, and which ones are just gimmicks? In this guide, we will discuss all of that and more.
First and foremost, you need to figure out which connection type you want – wired or wireless. With wired earphones, you get simple plug-and-play connectivity. Just plug the cable into your phone, and you get the sound in your earphones. With wireless earphones, the earphones connect via Bluetooth, and any Bluetooth-capable device can be connected to the earphones.
One would generally pick one or the other because of budget. Wired earphones are generally cheaper than wireless ones. They start from 400 to 500 rupees for a decent one, whereas wireless earphones start from 1200 rupees for a decent pair of neckband earphones.
Wireless earphones further have two categories – neckband and true wireless or TWS. Neckband earphones have two earpieces connected with a wire and a rubber neckband in the middle (although some would have been connected with a wire only). On the other hand, if you cut the wire and just leave the two earpieces, you get a true wireless earphone. You also get the charging case to store the earphones and charge them.
Another major difference you would notice between all these earphones is the ear tips. Some would have silicone ear tips, while some wouldn’t. If you like to enjoy deep bass and no outdoor noise, then you might want to go with the silicone ear tip design. If you want a bit of a loose fit and you don’t like the feeling of earphones going deep inside your ears, then you should go with the earbuds design. You will also find some earphones offering ear hooks for better grip, so if you want earphones for your gym and workout, try to get the one with the ear hooks.
Let’s talk about some of the pros and cons of each earphone type. Easy to use with any device, wired earphones are extremely easy to set up and use. As the sound is coming through the wire, there is no latency, making it perfect for gamers. With wireless earphones, you have no wires dangling around as you work out or perform other activities, and they are straightforward to carry. Wireless earphones also offer many features like active noise cancellation, touch controls, dual pairing, magnetic earbuds, and much more.
The only con you might face with wired earphones is durability. The wire near the 3.5 mm jack would break, or it could come out from the earpiece if you yank the wire accidentally. With wireless earphones, you get latency with the audio, even with expensive earphones, and you have to charge them every day or every other day. There is also a possibility that you might lose one of those true wireless earbuds, and you have to either use the single earbud or buy the whole package again.
According to me, wired earphones would be the best for people like heavy gamers, students, or those who don’t want to spend much on an earphone or someone who doesn’t want to take the headache of charging them every day. On the other hand, wireless earphones would be best for people who are looking to be a little bit cool, want those extra features, and are just casual gamers or maybe want to enjoy active noise cancellation.
I have some earphones on my go-to recommendation list. For wired earphones, I recommend JBL C200SI, Xiaomi Dual Driver, and Realme Buds 2. For the neckband, I have Oppo M32, Realme Buds Wireless 2, and the 2 Neo OnePlus Buds Z2. For the true wireless, I have the OnePlus Buds Set 2 and the Oppo Enco Buds.
In conclusion, we hope that this guide has cleared all your doubts and helped you decide better which earphones to buy. We have left links to all these good earphones down in the description so you can check them out. But if you are still confused, please let us know in the comments below.