Looking for Bluetooth headphones, there’s a lot of variety on offer. I wanted something out of the way so opted for in ear headphones.
Now, a quick amazon search will return so many different types of Bluetooth headphones. What’s the difference? Which one to choose?
There is a mix of name brands and no name brands with varying reviews and features. It’s easy to get paralysis by analysis. There is so much choice.
Just before i made my purchase the powerbeats3 were released. I was SO tempted. They had a price point of over £120 GBP.
For me, headphones don’t last long. Usually about six months before one ear stops playing sound. So I wasn’t sure if it was worth spending on the powerbests3.
After some careful research I settled with SoundPeats, specifically their Q12 model.
The Q12 had a lot going for it.
- 6hour battery life
- apt-X
- magnetic earbuds
- carry case
- 3 sets of earbuds and eartips
- inline controls and mic
- £15 GBP
And so on. You can look up the spec on Amazon.
The magnetic earbuds are great. You can just clip the eabuds together to form a necklace when you’re not listening to tunes.
The sound quality was on par with my wired Samsung headphones. That said, I seemed to have more sound in my right ear. I could feel the bass clearly on one side. It made me feel unbalanced and a little uneasy. One email to SoundPeats and they replied with an offer to refund me or send a new set of headphones. I’m requested the latter.
For a value pair of headphones the customer support was a great touch. Better than some of the bigger brands. (Samsung you could learn something here.
Let’s talk a about the biggest issue with bluetooth Headphones. Battery life.
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I use the Q12s about 2 hours each day for my commute. I find myself charging them every 4 or 5 days.
Battery life is great. I haven’t tested them continuously so i cant tell you total playback time.
The one annoying thing is that they don’t have a battery level indicator so it’s hard to tell how much juice you have left. A couple of times I’ve started my commute and heard the headphones interrupt my music to let me know the battery was low. This is really annoying. The constant interruption and the fact there’s no way to know how much battery life is left.
I don’t like to charge products too much, if they have enough power. So not knowing what’s left may cause you to charge these headphones daily to ensure you have enough power for the day ahead.
Charging takes around 2 hours.
Build quality of the headphones is good. Reviews of other headsets on Amazon said that they broke. Mine travel in my jacket pocket when not in use and don’t show any sign of weakness yet. The feel is plasticy and not premium, but I’m not complaining for the super low price point. The cable that joins the two earbuds is flat which means it rarely gets tangled and your headphones are always ready to go.
The brains of these headphones are in the earbuds so they’re a bit bigger and heavier than normal in ear headphones. That said, I’m using the supplied ear wing tips and they sit safely and securely in my ears, even when I’m running for a train or at the gym. You couldn’t sleep with these headphones on though. They do protrude out a little more than non Bluetooth units.
Recommendation
Overall, I would rate these a buy and say give them a try. They’re not perfect but great for the majority of use cases. Also you can buy so many of these for the price of the beats equivalents. Don’t forget that customer service was also really helpful which is often something I overlook when making my buying decision.
#soundpeats
#bluetooth
#bluetoothheadphones
#q12
#wireless
#beats
#powerbeats3wireless
#samsung