The number of shopping days left until Christmas is ticking down. Fortunately, one of the most popular gift choices is also relatively easy to come by, in stores and online. However, there’s a choice to be made. Apple’s AirPods wireless earbuds are insanely popular. But they don’t play nice with Android smartphones. And even for iPhone owners, I would pick another pair of wireless earbuds with the same $159 price: Jaybird’s Tarah Pro.
Here’s why you should consider gifting the Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless earbuds instead of the Apple AirPods.
Battery Life
There are bunch of reasons why I would recommend the Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless sport earbuds over Apple’s AirPods, but the single biggest advantage the Jaybird buds have is battery life. Apple touts 24 hours of listening time with the AirPods, but that’s counting the capacity of the charge case. The longest the AirPods will go without needing to be removed and charged in that case is five hours. The Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless earbuds are rated at 14 hours of playtime on one charge. In my testing, they actually beat that, hitting almost 15 hours.
Durability
The Tarah Pro earbuds are IPX7 sweatproof and waterproof. I’ve completely submerged them in water with no ill effect. Apple makes no claims about AirPods water resistance. They should be okay with sweat, but anything beyond that is likely pushing it.
Fit and Comfort
AirPods are reasonably comfortable, but there’s no customization of fit, and keeping them in place can be difficult during any physical activity. Jaybird’s Tarah Pro earbuds come with three sizes of Eargels — flexible, soft silicone ear tips and ear fins, combined. They are extremely comfortable even during long listening sessions, and fit securely so they won’t pop out with motion.
Compatibility
AirPods work great with an iPhone. Jaybird’s Tarah Pro earbuds work perfectly with iPhones, Android smartphones or anything else with Bluetooth connectivity. They also support Siri voice control, so iPhone owners won’t be giving up that functionality.
The Jaybird App
Jaybird’s mobile app (for iOS and Android) makes the Tarah Pro earbuds sound even better. It features a series of EQ settings, as well as the option to completely customize the audio.
They Won’t Lose One
Losing one of the Apple AirPods is always a risk. The JayBird Tarah Pro wireless earbuds use Bluetooth for a wireless connection to the music source, but there is still a thin cable connecting the two earbuds. This braided cloth cable has a cinch so it stays out of the way, but it has several advantages. It offers a location for an inline remote (which makes music control easier than tapping a bud) and there’s room for that high capacity battery. The cable also means it’s pretty much impossible to lose a single earbud, and much less likely that the Tarah Pros will be misplaced.
Both wireless earbud options offer high quality audio, although I prefer the Jaybirds. I find them more energetic, with a stronger bass presence (the superior seal of the Eargels helps there). And as mentioned, the audio can be customized to a greater degree with Jaybirds.
Appearance
Some people don’t like the look of a cable, while the appearance of the AirPods is polarizing — not everyone is a fan of the protruding stems. So call it a draw there. However the Tarah Pros are available in three different color options, while the AirPods come in white only.
So if you are looking to buy a new pair of premium wireless earbuds for someone on your holiday shopping list, rather than dropping $159 on Apple AirPods I would spend that money on a set of Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless sport earbuds instead.
