Final 12 months, I misplaced my outdated AirPods in my condo and relied on my old-school Lightning EarPods for months earlier than upgrading to an iPhone 16. Actually, apart from lacking wi-fi connectivity, I hadn’t observed a lot distinction. That’s why I nonetheless assume they’re funding in 2025, and why I’m contemplating choosing up the newer USB-C EarPods now that they’re on sale for $15.99 ($3 off) at Amazon and Walmart. That’s the perfect value we’ve seen and a sensible purchase in the event you’ve misplaced your entry-level pair or just miss the simplicity of wired earbuds.
Launched in 2023, the USB-C EarPods are designed to work with Apple’s newest iPhones, which have ditched the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. Except for that, although, they’re nearly equivalent to the Lightning EarPods that when got here bundled with the iPhone (they even embody inline controls for quantity and playback). They could lack just about the entire bells and whistles discovered on Apple’s newest AirPods, however many of us at The Verge still swear by their mic quality, which, surprisingly, outperforms a few pricier wi-fi choices — together with older AirPods fashions. They ship impressively clear sound, too, which is why a few of my colleagues nonetheless attain for them throughout calls.
For me, although, what I like most is how low-maintenance they’re. I by no means needed to fear about undesirable lag or battery life on lengthy commutes — I simply plugged them in and I used to be good to go. Better of all, they’re dirt-cheap to interchange whenever you lose them, which, given my observe document, I most actually will.