I bought a couple of cheap earpods-style USB C earbuds, because I'm tired of paying Apple prices for them and Apple's USB C DAC doesn't seem to work well on Android for whatever reason. It might be Android's fault, but it still means I'm going to try something new. One of the ones I ordered is a 3-pack for $12 US, which is guaranteed to be bad, but extra four-dollar audio devices never hurt anyone I guess. And the other is closer to $10 US for a single pair, and has better reviews and better English, so I'm vaguely hopeful. I really just want something good enough for phone calls and TTS. I'll report back.
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The first pair of USB C earpods clones arrived. They're by a brand called Benewy and available on Canada and US amazon for around $15. Here are some first impressions and comparisons to Apple's EarPods:
The buds don't look exactly the same as earpods on the outward-facing part, and they stick out further, but the part that goes into your ear is pretty similar. They're also surprisingly similar in sound. The Benewy buds have a bit of that lower midrange peak you hear on cheap earbuds, but way less of it than I'd expect for $15. They lack the annoying upper-mid peak I've always noticed on EarPods, which makes them sound less harsh to me.
They also come with silicone(?) covers that are very easy to apply. Those make the buds a little larger and include a hook-shaped protrusion that helps stabalize them in your ears. This also has the added benefit of beefing up the low end a lot, thanks to the tighter seal.
The microphone isn't as bright as the earpods mic, but it seems less noisy and there is way less leakage from the headphones. I can turn up music all the way and it's still barely audible on a recording. Speech is very clear through it. I can post a sample comparing the two, if anyone is curious.
The remote is larger and rounder than the EarPod remote, and has three distinct buttons. All functionality works on the iPhone, including a double press and hold to fast forward, which is an obscure earpods gesture many people probably don't even know about.
Most importantly, they work just as well on Android, and they're loud! I've been using the Google Pixel wired earbuds until now, which are twice the price with half the quality and maybe a third of the volume. The loudest volume on the Pixel buds is just loud enough to listen to quiet voice messages, if I'm lucky; and the Apple USB C adapter has barely any volume on Android for some reason, even though I know it's capable of putting out some serious loudness.
EarPods are also $25 to $30 here, not $20, so paying $16 for something that sounds better than EarPods in some way and works on more devices seems like a pretty good deal, even though I wish the buds I've been using for 12 years would just work the way they're supposed to and I think it's Google's fault they don't. I heard rumours that Apple was going to discontinue EarPods at some point, and most 3.5mm wired earbuds suffer from serious leakage problems and other annoying nonsense, so it's good to have something that actually holds up well against the competition. I'm trying to find alternatives to as many Apple things as possible, and I don'thave the kind of money to try out all the other high-end Bluetooth earbuds out there, but I can at least find the wired equivalent.
Looking forward to experiencing the inevitable terribleness of $4 earpod clones tomorrow when those arrive. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I doubt it.
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@simon I'm gonna assume these buds have a USBC connector? I'm gonna bookmark your post so I can buy them if I lose or have a kitty chew my damn cord on my ear pods.
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@simon Do you have the model number? I wouldn't mind some knockoffs myself, as long as they are earpod style without ear tips.
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@simon I'd like a sample please. :)
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@simon I wish they made a 3.5mm version of this, I'd even go without the microphone, because I still actually use a Victor Reader device for some things and I prefer its 3.5 because it's bluetooth codec is ass. It lags like hell and when I play EDM through it I can hear the codec struggling.
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@simon Sad day. I have the Apple USB C headphone adapter. Would it be quiet on all Android devices then?
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@Blobsta Yep, it's very quiet on Android and perfectly fine on everything else. On Windows it shows up as an audio device whose volume can be cranked really high, so I don't know why Android is a problem. The USB C earpods are a bit louder, but still quiet compared to other operating systems. Ugreen has a decent headphone adapter, but there's extra microphone input noise and leakage. Basically everything sucks in some way.
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@simon Bummer. Ugreen usually has awesome accessories.
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@Blobsta It's honestly not much worse than the Apple one, so it's worth having one of those. But these buds are better.
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@simon Gotcha. I'm still seriously contemplating switching whenever this phone's paid off.
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