TWS Earphones Buying Guide: How to find the best pair of TWS earphones for you
TWS earphones are the new rage these days due to its sleek design and convenience from the wireless chords. As a result, many brands are producing and selling their version of TWS earphones, leaving the market saturated with a variety of these products.
As a first-time buyer, finding a pair of TWS earphones to perfectly suit your needs may seem intimidating due to the countless number of options available.
Not to worry, as this guide provides the points you should establish prior to starting your journey towards purchasing a TWS earphone.
1. Purpose of Earphones
Firstly, it is important to determine the purpose of purchasing the earphones; is it for casual use, or to wear when engaging in sports?
The definition of casual is “daily usage in a normal setting”, for example, working in an office. Sports use refers to anything that requires physical activity like running or jumping.
Casual Use
Sound Quality (ANC & In-Ear Tip)
If for casual use, sound quality may be more important to fully enjoy using the earphones.
Most often, sound quality in earphones addresses the bass quality that the earphones can capture, and whether the earphones have active noise cancellation (ANC).
ANC often has a surround sound effect, which blocks out all the external noise from the surrounding, improving the music or sound quality.
This ANC feature is usually present in earphones with an in-ear tip as it covers the ear canal. This allows the earphone’s output to be the only one heard. Nevertheless, sound quality is up to personal preference.
Audio Latency
Casual use also includes watching videos or movies. Something to consider when engaging in this activity is the sound delay between the video and the earphones, also known as audio latency.
This delay causes the audio of the video to start slightly later in the earphones compared to the video. A good audio latency is 23ms, but the lower the better.
Keep in mind that with the nature of games and its software, a sound delay is inevitable hence if the purpose is for gaming, it is advisable to seek out a proper pair of gaming headphones.
Sports Use
IP Rating
If for sports use, the IP rating is something to look at as it indicates the level of water resistance an earphone has.
The common IP ratings are IP65, IP66, and IP67. IP67 has the highest level of water resistance, allowing for full immersion of water up to 1 metre. IP65 and IP66 can handle trickles of water and not sustain damage.
You may read more about how to interpret the IP ratings here: https://my.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=ideas-and-advice/ip-ratings
Design of Earphones (Wing Tips & Open Ear Tips)
Wing ear tips help hook on to the outside of the ear 
Open ear tips do not fully block or cover your ears
As movement is large due to the physical activity when using the earphones, the earphone must be able to stay put in your ears without falling out.
Some brands design their earphones with a wing tip to latch on to the grooves in the ear. Some have designs which wraps around the ear to provide more security during vigorous activities.
Earphones with open ear tips allow some outside noise to mix with the earphones’ sound. This feature is advisable to look for if the activity is done in a public area. Preferably in a situation where the user needs to be cautious of their surroundings.
2. Brand
The brand of the TWS earphone can easily determine whether the price of the earphones is going to be high or moderate.
Sony and JBL are brands that are more reputable for their earphones. Hence, prices from these brands are expected to be high.
More lowkey brands such as Edifier can offer a similar quality of product and at a lower price compared to the more popular brands.
Hence, choosing a preferred price range and brand works hand in hand during the process of purchasing a TWS earphone.
3. Battery Life
The battery life between each TWS earphone is different. A general pattern observed is that brands are constantly upgrading their technology.
Hence, with every new release the battery life improves. This also comes at the cost of the price as the latest models are usually more expensive.
Thus, determining how often you would use the earphones helps gauge the appropriate length of battery life you need in the earphones. The average lifespan of the battery is 6-8 hours with constant use.
The earphones come with a charging case and the it will continue charging in the case whenever it is put in. The charging case has its own battery life, hence the charging will continue until the case runs out of battery.
4. Compatibility
Generally, all TWS earphones can pair well with any Bluetooth enabled products. The thing to compare is the ease at pairing these devices with the earphones.
Some may require you to pair every time you use it whereas some automatically connects when the Bluetooth is enabled.
Just to be safe, it is advisable to check if the particular model of TWS earphone you are eyeing pairs well with the devices you have.
Android products are more flexible when it comes pairing with a TWS earphone, but it is also not impossible to pair Airpods with the Android product.
5. Price
Before you start looking for potential TWS candidates, it is important to set a price range that you are comfortable with.
The search is narrowed down as the filter function in online stores can be used to adjust your preferable price range.
It is common to think that the more expensive the product, the better quality it is. This is true in most cases, but with an adequate amount of research done on TWS earphones, it is possible to find a pair of earphones that provides a similar quality at a fraction of the price.
Summary
In summary, determine if the TWS earphones are to be used casually or for sports, then decide on a price range and the preferred brand.
Following this, consider the battery life and the compatibility of the product and you are all set to start your purchasing journey.
This guide is a brief representation on what to look out for when buying a pair of TWS earphones. It is still important and highly recommended to do your own research regarding the product that you want to purchase.
Recommendations
Here are 3 recommended TWS earphones, price ranging from low to high, to kickstart your journey.
Low price (entry-level)
Remax TWS-16 (RM55)
The Remax TWS-16 has the basic features of a TWS earphone and adequate sound quality. It offers everything that is common in other TWS earphones.
Sports use is not recommended due to the ear tips’ lack of fit. It would be more suited for casual use as it does not have any special or defining features.
Remax is a relatively reputable company from China hence despite its lack of specialty, it is a trusted product. Overall, a good value for money.
Mid-range
Philips UpBeat SHB2505 (RM239)
This TWS earphone is made for sports use as it has wing tips in its design.
It does not have an open ear tip but there is a feature to use both earphones separately. Thus, during the sport activity, you can remove one side of the earphone and the audio will still continue playing.
A casual use is also suitable as it has a close fit allowing for a degree of ANC.
PRO TWS
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 (RM798)
Sennheiser is known for its phenomenal sound quality and sound output, hence the high price reflects that. This is the most expensive TWS on this list.
Casual use is recommended due to the sound quality that it offers, and its ANC feature.
It has an IPX4 rating which means it is water resistant and can be used for light sports activity. The fit is not designed for sports use hence for more active sports, it is not recommended to use this pair of TWS earphones.
