Tech review: Earbuds and phones for those on your holiday list

By Jim Rossman, Tribune News Service (TNS)

Everyone seems to be listening to something. I’m not sure what they’re listening to, because they all seem to be wearing headphones. I suppose they’re all listening to their favorite podcast or just their playlists.

Here are a few gift suggestions for headphones that’ll make anything sound better. I’ve listed the retail pricing, but don’t be surprised if you find them on sale.

Soundcore AeroFit 2 adjustable open-ear wireless earbuds

We’ve all tried traditional earbuds. They can sound good if the fit is correct.

The SoundCore AreoFit 2 ($99.99, soundcore.com) don’t fit inside your ear canal. Instead, they sit on the outside of your ear. The battery sits behind your ear, much like a hearing aid. The speaker is attached by a sturdy, yet flexible cable. The only adjustment is on the speaker end – it clicks to adjust the angle of the speaker to sit directly over your ear canal.

The fact that they don’t insert into your ears means you can still hear the outside world, so you are not so isolated. These are great for jogging or biking.

The sound is really nice. The full range of sound comes in very clearly and the form factor is comfortable to wear, even for hours at a time. There are four microphones, so your voice sounds clear on phone calls.

They have an IP55 rating, so they can withstand water spashing, sweat or dust. They can also connect to more than one device, so you can keep them paired to your phone and laptop and switch easily between them.

The AeroFit 2 can play for 10 hours on a charge. They live in a battery case that can keep them charged for more than 40 hours. The charging case can power up via a USB-C port or a Qi wireless charger.

They are available in white, blue, green or black.

Soundcore C40i clip-on earbuds

The Soundcore C40i ($99.99, soundcore.com) is another fun option in a non-traditional form factor.

Instead of going inside or even over the top your ears, the C40i earbuds are u-shaped and they clip on the sides of your ears. They are unlike anything I’ve ever tried, and they sounded surprisingly good once you get them in the right spot.

They are a bit flexible, in that you can pull them apart slightly to get them in the right spot. Once you let go, they gently grip your earlobe.

I must admit I was a little self-conscious when I first started wearing the C40i earbuds, as they look a bit like earrings.

The fit is interesting. The end with the speaker sits in front of your ear canal and the end with the battery and action button goes behind your ear. You can adjust them on your ear until the sound becomes clear. It’ll be obvious to your ears when you have them adjusted correctly.

If your earlobes are thin, there are some rubber sleeves that can help with the fit. You want them to be snug, but not to the point where they are pinching your ears.

There is a customizable button on the back

of each earbud for call and music control.

They are on the small side, so the battery life is seven hours before needing to return to the case for a charge. The case can charge them twice more before it needs recharging. The case charges via USB-C cable, but it is too small for wireless chargers.

The earbuds have a 12mm x 17mm oval shaped driver and the sound quality is very good. Voice quality on phone calls also surprised me with its clarity.

They sync with the Soundcore phone app to let you assign the button commands and tweak the sound settings. They also can pair to two devices at once.

Baseus Bowie 30 Max noise-canceling headphones

Frequent flyers know all about noise canceling over-the-ear headphones.

These headphones usually have active noise canceling, which uses microphones to listen to the ambient noise and reduce it before it can get to your ears.

What I’m noticing is more and more people wearing these during workouts or just walking around.

The Baseus Bowie 30 Max noise canceling headphones ($79.99, baseus.com) are fairly generic looking headphones, but their performance is incredible for the price.

Baseus says the Bowie 30s can eliminate 96 percent of noise, but that actual noise cancellation will vary depending on the ambient noise level. I can tell you the noise canceling is impressive. There is also a transparency mode that lets in outside sounds so you can have a conversation with someone without taking them off.

You can pair them to the free Baseus phone app to unlock some additional features including spatial acoustics, bass enhancement and low-latency mode.

These connect to your phone or PC wirelessly via Bluetooth or wired with an included 3.5mm cable.

They last an impressive 65 hours on a charge without noise canceling or 50 hours with noise canceling enabled.

The ear cups and piece that fits over the top of your head are nicely padded and the entire headset folds up to take up less room in your bag.

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