AirPods, Powerbeats Pro, and Galaxy Buds get put through a rigorous water test

One of the to a greater extent than oft-requested features for a hereafter version of the AirPods is roughly cast of H2O resistance. But fifty-fifty earlier that happens (if it happens at all), it looks similar the electrical flow iteration of the AirPods tin fare pretty well.

CNET decided to seat the leading genuinely wireless headphones to the test, setting upward Apple’s AirPods, Samsung’s Milky Way Buds, together with the Beats Powerbeats Pro against i another. The goal? To run across which genuinely wireless headphone tin terminal longer when H2O is added to the mix.

Here’s how it all looks from a rating standpoint: The AirPods don’t receive got whatever sort of H2O resistance at all. Meanwhile, the Powerbeats Pro are IPX4 rated, which agency they tin real withstand total on splashing H2O together with plenty of sweat. The IPX2 rating for the Milky Way Beats agency they tin withdraw hold roughly sweat, but non a lot, together with a pocket-size amount of H2O contact equally well.

Things started off easily plenty with a elbow grease test.

When you’re working out, the terminal affair y'all desire to worry nearly is if your earbuds volition move an intense gym session or a sweaty run, which is just what both the Powerbeats Pro together with Milky Way Buds are designed to withstand. To examination the claims, Lexy together with I took simulating a sweaty workout at the gym. We wore each couple of earphones together with sprayed each other inward the confront with H2O until droplets trickled downward the sides of our heads. For the record, the AirPods weren’t meant to live tested this way.

After the elbow grease test, they dried the headphones together with tried them again. Each of them performed equally they should, which is exclusively real commendable for the AirPods considering the lack of whatever sort of H2O resistance rating.

Going beyond that, the examination moved beyond what these headphones should live expected to handle. But this is for scientific discipline thence let’s run across how far things tin go, right?

Once they had proved they could concord upward to the claim, nosotros decided to force all 3 beyond their limits with a dunk test. Accidents happen, whether it’s dropping your buds inward the sink spell doing the dishes, or watching them autumn out of your dorsum steal into the privy (gasp)we knew nosotros simply had to submerge these piffling guys nether water.

We dunked each couple into a clear fish bowl with a pes of H2O for v seconds. It’s worth noting that the AirPods went nearly 2 seconds over because of bad time-keeping on our part. We simply dearest pushing the AirPods beyond what they are designed to do.

Surprisingly, yet again, the AirPods managed manner improve than they likely should. The Bluetooth connecter kept up, the microphone worked, together with the sound lineament remained “good”.

Next? How nearly a washing machine? The examination mightiness sound ridiculous, but considering these are genuinely wireless headphones it’s sure possible person mightiness forget one, or both, inward a steal together with toss them into a washing machine.

After 2 rounds of testing together with no clear winner, nosotros had no selection but to heighten the stakes together with seat them through the ringer (literally). We took them all to the laundromat to reenact roughly other mutual earbud accident: a trip through the wash.

We took each laid upward of buds out of their cases together with zipped them upward inward a jacket steal earlier throwing them into split upward washing machines with a few to a greater extent than items that needed washing. All 3 machines were assault a normal 30-minute cycle with mutual frigidness H2O together with laundry detergent.

After the wash, they dried the headphones together with tried them again. The Powerbeats Pro yet had a corporation Bluetooth connecter together with proficient sound quality, together with the microphone lineament was compromised. The Milky Way Buds exclusively had i earbud working when listening to music, but the microphone worked.

How nearly the AirPods afterwards beingness tossed inward a washing machine? The Bluetooth connecter worked, but the sound lineament was muffled. The microphone yet worked, albeit it was muffled equally well.

So, unsurprisingly: The Powerbeats Pro came out at the transcend of the listing equally far equally functioning goes, but it’s worth noting simply how good the AirPods fared all things considered:

With the highest IP rating with the 3 wireless headphones nosotros tested, it’s no surprise that the Powerbeats Pro performed the best overall. The Milky Way Buds seemed to receive got the to the lowest degree amount of harm occur to its microphones, but the buds themselves exclusively played sound on i side. Even then, nosotros had to crank the book to its maximum degree to hear much at all.

The AirPods were the outliers of the bunch given they aren’t rated for elbow grease or H2O together with turned out to live the biggest surprise inward our test. After all of our testing, they didn’t sound equally proficient equally when nosotros kickoff took them out of the box, but they are sure yet usable fifty-fifty afterwards going through the wash.

An interesting test! Especially considering how good the AirPods did inward comparison.

Here’s the video of the test:

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