AirPods Pro are dying - Alternatives?

[Mont Blanc]

My 3 year old AirPods Pro are in the process of dying.

Annoyingly, the transparency and noise cancelling modes failed on them a few months ago (just crackles constantly if you turn it on)

And now one earbud has started running out of battery life well before the other one.

Someone mentioned to me that other brands like Bose, Sony and others have caught up with regards to transparency modes and ease of connectivity/device switching.

Not sure I want to spend £230 on a new pair of AirPods Pro as they as essentially a disposable product with a limited life the same as any wireless earbuds, so if there is anything else that’s decent for less money, it would be welcome.

I pretty much only use my AirPods with my iPhone, so not even sure if seamless device switching is even needed in my case.

All I really care about is:

1) They sound good - I’m fussy about good sound quality.

2) They pair with my iPhone automatically each time I take them out of their case. No fiddling with pairing.

3) They have decent transparency and noise cancelling modes.

What say the good people of PH?

[Rough101]

Sony WF700N sound better, fit better, but have a flimsier feeling case, noise cancelling is decent, but unlike AirPods they don’t have the find functions.

They are only £80 though.

[Mont Blanc]

Rough101 said:

Sony WF700N sound better, fit better, but have a flimsier feeling case, noise cancelling is decent, but unlike AirPods they don’t have the find functions.

They are only £80 though.

Thanks

£80 sounds like a bargain to be honest. I did read very good things about the WF1000 XM5. I think they are probably a better sound than AirPods, but nearly £190. Still £40 less than AirPods though.

As long as I get decent sound and decent noise cancelling, then I would be happy.

[Lovey1]

Mont Blanc said:

Rough101 said:

Sony WF700N sound better, fit better, but have a flimsier feeling case, noise cancelling is decent, but unlike AirPods they don’t have the find functions.

They are only £80 though.

Thanks

£80 sounds like a bargain to be honest. I did read very good things about the WF1000 XM5. I think they are probably a better sound than AirPods, but nearly £190. Still £40 less than AirPods though.

As long as I get decent sound and decent noise cancelling, then I would be happy.

I had the Sony WF1000-XM4's. Sound was good (but no better than Airpod pro IMO) and fit uncomfortable. However the worst thing was that they failed after 14 months with a short battery life. This is a common issue with both WM4's and 3's. Don't know about the XM5. Sony extended the warranty but unfortunately you had to have proof of purchase and because they didn't make tis common knowledge I disposed of after a year. Do your research on in ear Sony's. My old WH1000 XM3's (over ear) are still fantastic though.