- Soundpeats launches Air6 HS
- The new earbuds have an open-fit design without AirPods 4 or Galaxy Buds tips
- Solid specs (including 13mm drivers) and a low price make them tempting
Most owners of the best headphones have (rightly) opted for models with ear cushions, which offer a more stable fit, noise cancellation, and sealed sound. But some prefer to ditch the tip.
Joining the AirPods 4 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 in the “you don’t want your headphones reaching half of your brain, do you?” camp is a new option from budget sound company SoundPeats, catchily called the Air6 HS.
The Soundpeats Air6 HS costs $39.99 (around £30, AU$60), so they’re also budget options, which is what the company is known for. But there are a few reasons why these new earbuds could outperform the upgraded AirPods 4 without ANC ($129 / £129 / AU$219) or the flagship Galaxy Buds 4 with ANC ($179 / £159 / AU$299) for buyers. They are now available and you can buy them on Amazon.
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Now, before you dismiss them as cheap and cheerful but unremarkable options, the brand has impressed us before. The company’s Soundpeats H3 were fantastic, affordable headphones, and I also liked the SoundPeats Cove Pro over-ear headphones I recently tested. What I’m saying is that this is a brand worth paying attention to.
Budget headphones with solid specs
Besides being cheaper, there are a few ways Soundpeats outperforms alternatives from Samsung and Apple.
Take the battery life: the Air6 HS lasts for 9 hours of listening, and the case bumps that up to 45 hours. Pass over Apple (5/30) and Samsung (6/30, although these headphones have noise cancellation, which the others don’t).
The Soundpeats’ driver is 13mm, meaning it should deliver louder audio than the Samsung’s 11mm. Apple doesn’t publish the size of its drivers, although it’s unlikely they’ll be 13mm or larger. Please note that higher volume does not mean better audio cuts.
The Air6 HS weighs 4g, which is 0.3g lighter than the AirPods and 0.6g lighter than the Galaxy Buds. It is true that this margin is not huge, but it is still a point in Soundpeats’ favor.
By offering Bluetooth 6.0, the new earbuds also surpass the Bluetooth 5.3 of the AirPods 4, although they fall slightly behind the Bluetooth 6.1 of the Galaxy Buds 4. This higher standard will likely result in a slightly more stable connection, useful for avoiding dropouts.
I’m being a bit facetious by calling these true AirPods rivals, if the price doesn’t give it away.
Soundpeats specializes in budget audio, so I don’t expect them to sound as good as the Apple versions or offer as many features (although they will work on Android).
But if you’re looking for headphones with a similar design and a longer battery but don’t cost you a lot of money, these might actually be better than the AirPods for you.
The best wireless headphones for every budget
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