It’s a weird article but my thoughts here extend to bluetooth headphones in general. The context for this article is that I acquired a pair of Airpods 4 with A.N.C effectively for free.

In short, I think they’re cool things; I can see why people like them and they definitely can be more convenient compared to wired headphones; but once their time is up I am NOT re-purchasing them or any other kind of bluetooth headset like this.

Like: active noise cancellation and transparency mode

I really like A.N.C.; a lot more than I thought I would. But I can get most of the effect of A.N.C. with simple wired earphones with silicon tips. I’ve been in places where A.N.C. definitely wins over passive noise cancellation, but it’s not the world’s biggest difference.

What I actually like is transparency mode. It’s not perfect—e.g. I still don’t want to talk to people with my earphones in even with transparency on¹—but it comes in handy in public spaces where you still want situational awareness.

Like: convenience

I (still) think the convenience factor of wireless headphones is a bit overrated.

But, there are certain situations where they are most definitely more convenient. First, if I’m out and about, maybe doing some groceries, or have a bunch of stuff to hold, then it’s very nice to not have to fumble around untangling wired earphones (but this isn’t that big of a difference, because you still have to fumble with putting the earphones in²).

Second would be in places like the kitchen, where wireless earphones are, sure, more convenient but also probably a bit safer (because no cable!). But speaking of the cable, cables are annoying depending on the kind you have. I don’t think earphone cables are universally difficult to work with. My current pair of wired earphones have a horrible cable that tangles and bends in weird ways; but the one I had before this didn’t exhibit those problems.

That’s why I think the convenience is overrated, but I can see why someone would find them more convenient.

Like: no need for a headphone jack

The only reason this is a benefit is simply because my phone does not have a headphone jack. It also happens that my phone has horrible battery life and I need to charge it fairly often—mostly when I’m out and about. Basically, I can’t charge my phone and use wired headphones at the same time (a truly contemporary issue). Though wireless earphones is Apple’s intended solution for a problem they should not have created, it works! ☹️☹️

Dislike: battery life

Sure, the Airpods I have have pretty good battery life—I don’t have to think too hard about it. But the thing that annoys me is having another thing to have to charge. It luckily hasn’t happened much, but I have been caught off-guard a few times by forgetting to charge them—and lo and behold! If they have no battery life, you can’t use them! Wired earphones win in this department by 400%.

Dislike: compatibility with older devices

I can’t use my Airpods with, for example, my PS Vita. I know—the PS Vita is an antiquated product that doesn’t support newer bluetooth standards; that makes sense. But the matter of the fact is still that I can use wired earphones with that and I can’t use my pair of wireless earphones with it.

Dislike: bluetooth dependency

Wow! What a point! Bluetooth headphones don’t work without bluetooth! Who would have thought? But I have a few devices that don’t support bluetooth—for example, my beloved MP3 player (which I actually really dislike). This isn’t the biggest problem in the world—most reasonably modern devices happen to support a reasonably modern bluetooth standard—but it still exists.

Dislike: lifespan and consumerism

The lifespan of such products is the biggest dig I have against these. The only reason I have these Airpods in the first place is because I got them effectively for free. But these, and most wireless headsets, are fairly disposable and non-repairable products; mind you, expensive disposable products (which is true for most things nowadays—but my point still holds). Note that the intended solution for you after they die is to buy new ones. That just says everything about this whole product category.

These just aren’t worth buying in my opinion, especially because I don’t think their utility over wired headphones is anything worth writing home about.

Conclusion

My Airpods currently work and I’ll continue to use them³ until they die. But when they die—unless there are any ground-breaking advancements in the field of wireless earphone repairability—I’m not going to replace them with another pair of the same product.