Samsung IconX Headphones: Apple What?

20180323_103155

I’m sure you’ve seen people walking around wearing those signature white headphones that are made by a company I am known to detest. There is a new wireless flavor of those headphones, and everyone who has a pair LOVES to rant about how magical they are. Since they are made by Apple, I knew there had to be other products out there for a comparable price, and luckily, that happened to be Samsung.

Let me start off by saying that I am a bit of an audiophile. And when I say “a bit,” I mean that I refuse to own an audio device (including cell phone) that does not have built-in equalizer control, and have trashed an expensive pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones because of their mediocre sound clarity and bass reproduction.

In addition to my headphone fussiness is that fact that I am a runner. I need headphones that stay in my ears without requiring constant adjustments. In short, here are my criteria for headphones:

  1. Must fit comfortably, and not fall out in the course of walking/running/breathing
  2. Must have good bass and mid- and high-range clarity
  3. Must have a good deal of volume output (I shouldn’t have to crank volume up to max at any point)
  4. Must be noise cancelling

I should mention that I’ve owned headphones that ranged in price from $15 to $300, from brands like Klipsch, Skullcandy, Bose, B&O, and AKG – I have no qualms about trying different brands – if they’re good, they’re good; brand and price be damned. As far as wired vs wireless, I’ve never really cared before, that is, until a friend of mine went ON AND ON about his wireless AirPods.

I tried them on: didn’t stay in my ears. The same problem that Apple headphones (and many other manufacturers like them) have had since their first design is STILL present; they barely sit in your ears. I felt like they would fall out if I shook my head from side-to-side. So I did some quick research on AirPods vs Samsung IconX, and came up with the following table:

 

  Apple AirPods Samsung IconX
Automatic “Power on” and sync when opened from case Yes Yes
Carrying case charges headphones (2+ full charges) Yes (up to 19 hours extra charge, 15mins charge = 3 hrs playback) Yes (up to 12 hours extra charge, 10mins charge = 1hr playback)
Voice Control Yes Yes
Battery Life 5 hours 5 Hours/7 hours (standalone mode)
Noise Cancelling None Yes
Weather/Sweat Sealed No Yes
Ambient Sound mode None Yes
Works Without Phone (Stored Music) None Yes, 3.4GB

As far as specs go, I was convinced enough that the Samsung headphones had all of the Apple features, plus a couple that Apple didn’t. The fact that Apple maintains its “walled garden” approach to all of its products meant that while other manufacturers were embracing different developers/hardware/platforms, Apple’s xenophobic strategy meant that I wouldn’t be able to entertain AirPods even if they did suit my needs.

After watching tons of YouTube reviews, I decided to buy the Samsung headphones and make mental note of the return policy.

That return policy will not be needed.

These things are better than I thought, which says a little AND a lot; my expectations for headphones start low because I’m so picky, but these things actually made me HAPPY. Let me be clear: the sound quality isn’t perfect, but it is on-par with my Bang & Olufsen headphones, which is pretty remarkable. They are noise cancelling (a must on public transit), and have an “ambient” mode that turns on the microphones in the headphones to pipe outside audio in (which comes in handy when you have to determine whether a person is begging you for money or telling you to give them your wallet).

The bass is great, mids and highs great, AND I can easily run 6 miles without these things budging. I transferred music from my phone to the headphones themselves, so I can leave my phone at home, sync the headphones to my watch, and get my running stats/speed/pace/heartrate or take the random call.

Will I be bragging about my headphones to anyone anytime soon? Not any more than I have in this blog post. I believe purchase decisions speak for themselves without the need for excessive marketing or attention grabbing. It’s a lot like the saying “Money screams, wealth whispers” in the sense that I don’t need to brag about Samsung products to anyone who didn’t ask or posture a debate. I know the specs are industry leading, as do a lot of the people who purchase their products. The specs for each manufacturer’s products speak for themselves, no need for fanboy antics.