Looking for Bluetooth in-ear phones with decent battery life

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Looking for Bluetooth in-ear phones with decent battery life

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eracode

Overarching undertones
3840 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

# 1628289 13-Sep-2016 02:54

I listen to radio and podcasts in bed a lot. To avoid disturbing Big Ears, I use one of these. One-ear-only suits me fine - don't need stereo and don't like something in the ear that's on the pillow. It's so light you don't know it's there and the gel in-ear loop means it just won't fall out. It says seven hours and, using just for listening (never phone calls or anything) I get well over seven hours. Charges back to full really quickly.

You can get them cheaper than this if hunt around Amazon or elsewhere.

surfercdhick

31 posts

Geek

# 1628316 13-Sep-2016 08:10

I got the Meizu ones from PB Tech, $60. Really happy with them. Generally i only use one ear in at night and both when i'm out with dog or running. Sound for podcasts is great. I know some of them have issues where they are too loud or don't go loud enough - these are perfect. The pairing process was the easiest thing i've ever had with bluetooth (i've always found bluetooth to be a complete PITA in the past). And battery life is pretty good. its hard to know how long they are on for overnight, not sure if they turn off when they lose the pairing (when the phone stops playing) but they seem to do a good couple of nights.

sidefx

3312 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

# 1628360 13-Sep-2016 09:25

Nice, good to know :) Yeah, I too am still extremely happy with the Meizu's. They fit great, sound good and so far last pretty well despite a decent bit of sweat and punishment.

I don't think they turn off when they lose pairing... at least I've tried a couple of times turning off my phone's bluetooth and the blue LED on them keeps flashing, and then a few minutes later I try holding down the middle button on them and they play the "turn off" sound. Maybe if I leave them for a bit longer they will turn off... don't know if it matters to much, I seem to recall according to their technical specs they have very good "standby" battery life - which I assume means on but not playing sound?

Nudibranch

61 posts

Master Geek

# 1628367 13-Sep-2016 09:46

I have been extremely happy with Jaybirds Bluebuds X earbuds. I can easily get through a day of commuting and talking on the phone. They have been reiable with few dropouts or problems and I can highly recommend them.

The X2's are out now making the Bluebuds cheaper but honestly If I was looking at them I'd go the X2's. I think they may have more battery life but can't be certain. But they do come with a set of both silicon and foam tips. Like you sound quality wasn't top on my list so firstly for me was comfort for extended periods of listening and these are mint.

Wasn't that interested in the Freedoms. I doubt you'd be dissapointed in the X2's.

All the best with choosing a great pair.

P.S the phone function works well too.

surfercdhick

31 posts

Geek

# 1679640 29-Nov-2016 18:14

Has anyone managed to source spare earbuds for these? I am the smallest size and the others are too big....and i've lost the bud off one ear. LOVE the headphones, great sound etc, but I can't find spares anywhere. PBTech where i bought them cld not find spares. I will be returning under CGA if i can't find some....don't want to though but they are unusable as is.

tried all the usual suspects - alibaba, eBay etc.

Loismustdye

606 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1692948 20-Dec-2016 18:01

Having recently got a pair of meizu's I'd be kern to see if anyone had a source for different/replacement tips as well.
I've found the existing tips don't fit me very well at all, they don't seal well and I can never figure out how to use the wing things properly.
Might be Ben bunging them on trade me and getting something with foam tips instead.

Disrespective

1846 posts

Uber Geek

# 1693121 21-Dec-2016 10:11

For what it matters I picked up a pair of Jaybird X3's online and have been using them for the last week or two.

They definitely aren't cheap, and possibly not worth the money but I don't have any other BT earbuds to compare against and these do most of what I want.

For me they're pretty good. The fit is great, and I don't use the 'wings' at all. I think if I wasn't using comply foam tips then i'd need the wings to help hold the buds more snugly as the rubber tips have never held well in my ears.

The sound is really decent. And with the phone app you can EQ the sound to appeal more to your preferences. I've had a play here, and there are hundreds of presets available, or you can make your own. Novel, but once set, there's little need to go back to the app. It also gives a notification on the phone of the earbuds battery level which is helpful to some degree although when you turn the earbuds on a nice lady tells me what the battery percentage is anyway.

The biggest gripe I have with them is that in the orientation I wear them the control unit is on the right side of my head and I keep my phone in my left pocket. There are times when I turn my head further away from the phone and the connection starts to drop. I've read this isn't an unknown issue, but didn't think it would actually happen all that often. You'd be surprised at how much you move your head around when walking... If I put my phone in my right pocket it doesn't have any trouble, nor if the phone is on the desk at work and I have to walk around a bit so I wonder if the antennas don't like each other very much in the particular orientation I have them in.

*shrug*

I'll keep using them as they sound perfectly good enough for my untuned ears, and the battery lasts a week or so with about an hour of use each day.

Loismustdye

606 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1693129 21-Dec-2016 10:27

Disrespective:

For what it matters I picked up a pair of Jaybird X3's online and have been using them for the last week or two.

They definitely aren't cheap, and possibly not worth the money but I don't have any other BT earbuds to compare against and these do most of what I want.

For me they're pretty good. The fit is great, and I don't use the 'wings' at all. I think if I wasn't using comply foam tips then i'd need the wings to help hold the buds more snugly as the rubber tips have never held well in my ears.

The sound is really decent. And with the phone app you can EQ the sound to appeal more to your preferences. I've had a play here, and there are hundreds of presets available, or you can make your own. Novel, but once set, there's little need to go back to the app. It also gives a notification on the phone of the earbuds battery level which is helpful to some degree although when you turn the earbuds on a nice lady tells me what the battery percentage is anyway.

The biggest gripe I have with them is that in the orientation I wear them the control unit is on the right side of my head and I keep my phone in my left pocket. There are times when I turn my head further away from the phone and the connection starts to drop. I've read this isn't an unknown issue, but didn't think it would actually happen all that often. You'd be surprised at how much you move your head around when walking... If I put my phone in my right pocket it doesn't have any trouble, nor if the phone is on the desk at work and I have to walk around a bit so I wonder if the antennas don't like each other very much in the particular orientation I have them in.

*shrug*

I'll keep using them as they sound perfectly good enough for my untuned ears, and the battery lasts a week or so with about an hour of use each day.

I've read good things online about the X3's, currently they are sold out at amazon, however the Jaybird freedoms are available at approx. $110 US delivered, which is far better than the local prices of close to $300.

I like that there is an app to change the EQ settings as I've found the presets on the iphone a little rubbish to be honest, this is made worse with the meizu's as they don't seal well in my ears, and therefore the highs are way way too "high" and sharp for me.

I like that the Jaybirds have removable wing tip things that can be used in combination with foam tips (which for me give a better seal in the ears and therefore improve the sound). This is an issue for me with the cheaper meizus in that there isn't any aftermarket foam tips or similar to improve the seal, the silicon/gel tips have integrated wings that cant be removed.

For anyone looking the "Jlab epic2" BT earbuds and the "JBL reflect mini BT" (I've ordered from amazon and they are currently sitting in customs) all review fairly well and you can easily get foam eartips from either complyfoam.com or aliexpress.

lagbort

177 posts

Master Geek

# 1693132 21-Dec-2016 10:31

Disrespective:

The biggest gripe I have with them is that in the orientation I wear them the control unit is on the right side of my head and I keep my phone in my left pocket. There are times when I turn my head further away from the phone and the connection starts to drop. I've read this isn't an unknown issue, but didn't think it would actually happen all that often. You'd be surprised at how much you move your head around when walking... If I put my phone in my right pocket it doesn't have any trouble, nor if the phone is on the desk at work and I have to walk around a bit so I wonder if the antennas don't like each other very much in the particular orientation I have them in.

*shrug*

I'll keep using them as they sound perfectly good enough for my untuned ears, and the battery lasts a week or so with about an hour of use each day.

I bought the Jaybird Freedoms and I have the same issue as you when I use them on my motorcycle, the control unit is on the right but my phone pocket is on the left.

I found under the options in the phone app there is a setting to flip the left and right channels allowing me to wear them the other way around without messing with the intended audio effect.

allio

607 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1693136 21-Dec-2016 10:39

surfercdhick:

Couldn't find mpow in NZ, only Amazon UK. didn't think of Ali express - i didn't think they sold "branded" products. Ah well....gives me another option when i break these ones!

Just a PSA - I wouldn't buy that model (it's a rebadged QY8) on Aliexpress. I did and got an absolute POS. It was falling apart out of the box and the audio quality was absolutely abysmal. Stopped working entirely after about 5 uses. Given the reviews for that model are pretty consistently good, I assume I got a fake.

The Meizu looks absolutely perfect, except for one thing...

The EP-51 comes in an attractive packaging containing the earphones, special tips, and a storage case. The tips are important to keep around, as they are specifically made to fit the EP-51 and not much else. The nozzles are absolutely huge, practically earbud sized, making tip swapping very difficult.

Bugger. Can't see replacements sold anywhere, either.

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