Another week, another AirPods competitor. Just two weeks ago after we covered AUKEY’s truly wireless Key Series earbuds, a new AirPods rival has emerged that fully commits to Apple’s stem-like design. Instead of going inside the ear canal like Anker’s Liberty Air and many others, Happy Plugs Air 1 simply rest just outside of it, closely mimicking Apple’s popular offering.
Happy Plugs Air cut AirPods pricing in half
While Happy Plugs certainly does not have the brand recognition of Apple, it’s newest truly wireless earbuds are the company’s third iteration of truly wireless earbuds. They deliver between 3-4 hours of battery life on a single charge with a total of 14 hours when using the included charging case.
A total of 14 different touch controls allow users to quickly perform tasks like play/pause, answer a phone call, use a voice assistant, and more. We’re uncertain how many functions AirPods can perform, but its seems like this could be a higher number.
“Design and performance is the heart of our ethos,” said Andreas Vural, founder of Happy Plugs. “It’s as important as the advanced technology we engineer into our products.”
Happy Plugs Air 1 are also sweat and splash resistant, allowing them to put up with “a raining commute or an intense run”. For those worried that these earbuds will not stay put, a pair of silicone sleeves are included to provide a “secure fit and perfect seal for enhanced audio experience”. With four color options including Gold, Pink Gold, Black, and White, most customers should be able to find a pair that works with their style.
Pricing and availability
The Happy Plugs Air 1 are available for pre-order starting today and are priced at $89. A specific release date has not been offered but all four color options are slated to ship by the end of July. Some of Happy Plugs’ other headphones are listed on Amazon already, leading us to believe that its newest offering will likely show up there in the near future.
9to5Toys’ Take
At $89, Happy Plugs Air 1 make Apple AirPods feel extremely overpriced. This especially rings true for those outside of Apple’s ecosystem as they cannot experience the software and hardware collaboration that make some of AirPods’ unique features possible.
This frees up Happy Plugs Air 1 to focus on other features like additional touch commands, colorways, and sweat/splash resistance. For those who don’t rely on Apple devices, Happy Plugs Air 1 seem to deliver a compelling case thanks to their killer price point and impressive feature set.
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