Are Wireless Earphones Better Than Wired Earphones? (Yes & No!)

Are wireless earphones better than wired earphones? This is a question I end up getting quite often. In this article, I’ll try to answer that question for you. If you are stuck with this question, then this article will help unlock different viewpoints and help you decide which one you should buy.

It seems like everyone who has ever owned a pair of earphones is talking about how they never want to go back to wired, and how wireless earphones are far superior. However, some people still like wired.

The one question that hits people’s minds is, which type of earphones will be better – wired or wireless? Some people haven’t converted yet but would like to know whether the new wireless earphones are truly worth the hype. And other people prefer wired for one reason or another.

Previously, people used to buy cheap earphones, but things changed, and tech nerds like you and us are now more concerned about purchasing the next best earphone, be it wired or wireless.

Wired or Wireless Earphones Which is Better?

Is a wireless earphone better than a wired one? There is no short answer to it, believe us.

It depends upon your use case so, to get a straight answer, you must define your objective. For what purpose are you buying an earphone.

Is it for gaming, listening to music and if music then, what kind? Do you need it for attending calls or entertainment purposes like watching series and movies?

Here’s an experience of the person who wrote this post.

I own both wired and wireless earphones. When it comes to Bluetooth earphones, I love truly wireless earbuds, particularly OnePlus Buds Z.

My main objective was to play the Battlegrounds Mobile India game, and it requires good earphones for accurate enemy foot prediction and communication with my friends. In short, your earphones must be of low latency to deliver the best gaming experience.

Guess what? I’ve bought OnePlus Buds Z, the wireless earphone which doesn’t fit the right need and after using them for around four to five months, I purchased another earphone, but this time, it’s Realme Buds 2 – a wired one.

Why? Because wireless earbuds (or neckbands) fail to offer the ultra-low latency which wired earphones can. The Realme Buds 2 fulfilled my requirement just right.

Difference Between Wired and Wireless Earphones

Applications

The first thing that matters is how you use your earphones.

Think it this way.

We will explain the problems first.

You are a gym freak using wired earphones, and wire is swinging from here to there as you do exercise. Also, you can’t put your smartphone freely anywhere while doing exercises. This is literally a very frustrating experience.

When it comes to wireless earphones, you are playing a battle royale game, and the in-game sound is not syncing perfectly. As a result, instead of relieving stress, you become angrier. Your gaming experience is ruined, forget the enjoyment.

Now switch the types of earphones in the above two situations with one and another. You find the solution, Right?

So first thing first, define your top reason to purchase an earphone. Below bullet points will help you prioritize your need:

• Gym goers, music and entertainment – Wireless earphones or earbuds
• Gamers, people always on the phone call – Wired earphones

Are wireless headphones better than wired for gaming? My answer would be NO at least in the case of budget headsets.

Portability

For indoor users, portability is not much of an issue since earphones will be safe anywhere in the house.

However, the situation is not the same when it comes to an outside environment.

Wired earphones get tangled, and wireless earphones either remain stuck on the neck, or you can put them into the case if you have buds-type Bluetooth earphones.

Solving tangled wired earphones is irritating sometimes, but they fit easily inside a pocket. On the other hand, you have to carry a case for wireless buds and neckband style earphones can not be bent too much. That said, the portability factor depends totally upon you.

Latency

Are wireless headphones good for gaming? It depends on the latency factor. Latency means a delay in a sound, and this factor is mainly for wireless earphones.

Wired earphones don’t have this fault since there is a proper physical connection between devices. However, wireless earphones include Bluetooth technology that allows pairing two devices simultaneously.

The better the Bluetooth technology, the greater the connection you will get. Bluetooth defines the range, meaning if devices are close, you will get almost null desynchronization in sound.

Latency is how fast sound can transfer in the range, the lower the latency, the better the performance. Particularly if you need one for gaming, it becomes the #1 priority.

So if you plan to buy wireless Bluetooth earphones, look for the term ms and the Bluetooth version must be 5.0 or above. Avoid buying earphones with BT v4.0 or less.

Device Compatibility

When Apple removed the audio jack from its iPhone 7, the other smartphone manufacturers adapted the concept immediately. iPhone is coming with a lighting port right from the beginning, but if we speak for Android devices, the situation is not similar to Apple.

Most Android devices come with a USB-C port these days, and there are hardly any earphones with a USB-C pin. To resolve this issue, manufacturers released USB-C to audio jack cable and the cheapest good quality converter which costs a few hundred rupees.

Wireless earphones are the clear winner here, and since there is no physical wired connection, you don’t have to worry about any class of port. Device compatibility is not a big issue, but if it’s a convenience you are after, considering this point is necessary.

Battery Life

Wired earphones are out of the question when it comes to battery life. They are plug-and-play gadgets. So as long as you have the battery in your smartphone, they will work.

About the wireless earphone, the buds-type Bluetooth earphones come with a case that can charge them three to four times. Meaning if you are getting 4 hours of backup on a single charge, you can use them for 12-14 hours in a row.

Neckband type Bluetooth wireless earphone requires a power source once they run out of juice. Powerbank is one easy solution to it, in case you travel a lot.

On the other hand, truly wireless earbuds last for about 3-4 hours per charge cycle, and the charging case can supply juice for about 100-150 hours (depending on the battery size of the power case, I’m talking about boAt 441 Pro).

Pricing

After filtering all the requirements, it comes down to price or maybe price should be the first factor, anyway, let’s see which one seems more affordable. The below calculation is on an assumption base so take it with a pinch of salt.

The first is wired earphones.

Suppose you have a smartphone with a USB-C port and you need an earphone for listening to music and playing games. Your budget is around Rs. 1,100.

Since there is no good earphone with a USB-C port, the first thing you need is a converter which costs around Rs.400, and Rs.700 will be the cost of the earphone you want.

Now let’s see the pricing of wireless earphones.

In wireless earphones, there are two types of wireless earphones, neckband and earbuds-type earphones.

Neckband-style wireless earphones are more affordable compared to buds-type. However, they are still expensive compared to wired earphones.

Wireless earphones (particularly neckbands) cost a minimum of Rs. 1000 if you need the bare-minimum features & quality. Truly wireless earbuds pricing starts from Rs. 1200, up to Rs. 5000.

Summary- Wireless vs Wired Earphones

Till now we have discussed the different factors that we should consider while purchasing any type of earphones. Let’s have a look at the advantages & disadvantages of wired & wireless earphones:

Wired Earphones

Wireless Earphones

Conclusion

So are wireless earphones better than wired earphones?

The answer is both of them have their application of use, so comparing them with each other makes no fair point. Like we said at the beginning of the article, define your objective, and one more thing to add is the budget.

The short answer: if you want the best audio performance possible, you should go wired. But if you’re looking for a more affordable option or one that’s more convenient to use, wireless earphones may be the way to go. Just be sure that you make an informed decision and read plenty of reviews before making a purchase.

Here’s a quick solution that helps you make your purchase decision faster.

Gamers and audiophiles should buy wired earphones, while athletes and wanderlust people should focus on wireless earphones.

Or,

You can buy both types to get rid of the problem????.

Thank you for reading this post till the end, kindly share your thoughts on this topic we would love to hear what you think.

Till then, Adios!