Apple’s transition away from the old Lightning connector includes a USB-C version of EarPods, and these can now be purchased online for under $20.
The wired earbuds that come with iPhone are surprisingly good — audio quality is closer to AirPods than you might realize. And there are other advantages for Mac and iPad users, too.
USB-C EarPods are for iPhone, Mac and iPad
While AirPods have become nearly ubiquitous, there’s still a role for EarPods. Most obviously, they’re much cheaper, which makes them a good fit for someone who wants a pair of light headphones only occasionally. And the wired version aren’t the cheaply-made dreck you might think they are.
They’re going through a transition along with iPhone. Every previous iPhone came with a pair of EarPods with a Lightning connector. But the iPhone 15 series uses USB-C instead, so the new handset comes bundled with USB-C EarPods.
You don’t have to buy a new iPhone to get a pair of these, though. The Apple Store is now offering USB-C EarPods at $19. They’ll be in stores on September 18.
Buy it from: Apple
You might want to buy them separately because they can be used with more than iPhone. USB-C EarPods can be plugged into Macs and iPads, too.
Another option is the Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter. It converts your old Lightning EarPods into new USB-C ones.
AirPods aren’t always better than EarPods
Look around the next time you’re in a crowd and you’ll see person after person wearing AirPods. Joggers, cyclists, delivery men … AirPods all over the place.
But sometimes you’ll see someone using wired EarPods. Don’t assume these people are cheap or technologically ignorant. It’s possible they compared Apple’s wired and wireless in-ear headphones and prefer EarPods. Head-to-head comparisons find that AirPods aren’t automatically superior.
Testing shows that AirPods offer generally higher quality audio, but the differences aren’t as huge as you might think. And the microphone in EarPods is definitely better. Plus, volume controls can be easily accessed on the built-in cable.
And, unlike AirPods, there are never problems with the batteries running out. They’re ready to play music or podcasts in the office all day long. Much of the mobility benefits of AirPods go away when you’re sitting for hours.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
