CES 2020 Features A Dozen Of Solid Alternatives For Apple's AirPods Pro

No matter what brand it is, Panasonic, Audio-Technica, Klipsch, or 1More, it seems like every headphone brands showing up at CES 2020 have their own pair of truly wireless earbuds to introduce.

The best part is, most of them feature active noise canceling feature, a new standard for premium earbuds, only a few months after Apple launched the feature on the AirPods Pro.

CES 2020 features half dozen of headphones with this function, from the ATH-ANC300TW of Audio-Technica to IQbuds2 Max of Nuheara. These names will slip out of people’s memory right away but they come in different price brackets, from $120 to $649.

Apple definitely has a role in this. While it may not the trendsetter when it comes to active noise canceling since the first earbuds with this technology were released way back in 2017 by Sony under the name WF-1000X. However, the effect of the usual cycle of rumors around the AirPods Pro and the big launch is hard to deny.

By the way, if you are looking for a pair of Bluetooth headphones, see here and decide:

Bluetooth Headphone Price In India: The Best And The Cheapest

This trend mirrors what happened to the fuss about true wireless earbuds in 2016. Apple is far from being the first company to materialize the idea. In 2015, Earin launched the first-ever wireless headphone, a year before Apple picks up the trend with its AirPods. Apple is not usually the first in anything but when it takes the leap, other companies have no other choice but to notice.

Qualcomm cannot be left out in this trend. It is known for making smartphone processors and wireless chips for headphones, a solid foundation for any company that wants to remove the wire from the equation.

Qualcomm has on its portfolio lots of wireless chips for earbuds, headphones as well as ultra-low-power chips for these particular products. Many of its offers released in recent years support noise cancelation.

These companies might use similar hardware on their products but differences exist among the true wireless earbuds on display at CES 2020. The manufacturers are the one who decides how good the sounds are by choosing the driver.

It is no denying that AirPods Pro is currently the dominant force in this specific category but the alternatives are no sacred. Some of the other earbuds offer better sound quality for audiophiles, some have a different appearance, others can be charged via USB-C. AirPods are facing steep competition and with the situation at CES 2020, the AirPods Pro will soon are.

The True Wireless ANC of 1More was released a year after the company decided to venture to the market. If you do not use the noise-canceling feature, you will have six hours after one single charge while if you do, the using time is five hours. The charging case offers an extra 16 hours more. Users can either top up the cell by Qi wireless charging or USB-C. They have Bluetooth 5 as well as AptX and come at the price of $199.9. The expected shipping date is the 28^th of January.

ATH-ANC300TW of Audio-Technica have basically similar features, except for the wireless charging function. With noise cancelation in use, users may expect 4.5 hours out of the earbuds and the case will provide 13.5 hours more. The earbuds are scheduled to be launched in May at the price of $249.

The RZ-S500W of Panasonic offers fewer functions but does not stray far from the list. What you have with them is Bluetooth 5 and USB-C, while there is no sign of AptX. With one single charge, users will get 5 hours of listening and 15 hours with the charging case. The IPX4 means that the earbuds are splash-proof. They will be launched in June with a price tag of $180.

The EAH-AZ70W is also a Panasonic’s product but it is launched under the name Technics, a sub-brand of Panasonic. They have a higher price of $249 but you will have 6 hours out of one charge and a case that boosts the total using time to 18 hours. The IPX4 also ensures decent water-resistant ability. They will be out in June.

Klipsch brought several of its devices to CES 2020 but only two of them have the active noise canceling feature, the T5, and the T10. The latter will come at the price of $649 while the former is more affordable, at $299. According to Klipsch, the T10 is the world’s lightest and smallest earbuds but its battery life is not as long as that of the T5. With the latter, you get 8 hours while the former only offers six. Users will have head gesture and voice control for both of them.

IQbuds2 Max is a product of Nuheara and according to the company, it has EarID, a technology that analyzes your hearing and adjusts the experience accordingly. This sounds like something new but it is not. Nuheara attempted something similar a few years ago but this is the first time the feature is on a pair of wireless earbuds. The company said that users have 20 hours with the earbuds but it did not say whether that much time includes what you have from the charging case. The IQbuds2 Max will be launched in March and priced at $399.

TWS NB from Edifier comes at a quite reasonable price of $119 and will be on the market next month. You will have Bluetooth 5, noise cancelation, 5 hours of listening with ANC on and 11 hours with it off. The case will provide 10 to 22 hours more, depending on whether you use noise cancellation.

AU-Stream Hybrid of Ausounds offers you 24 hours of listening time with noise cancellation not in use; if it is, what you have is just 14.5 hours. They are scheduled to be launched in February and the price has not yet been disclosed.