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I wish the new AirPods had this feature found on other wireless earbuds

It's possible to use wireless earbuds with nearly any device, if you buy the right earbuds.
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Published onSeptember 10, 2024

A photo of the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's case transmitting audio.
Christian Thomas / SoundGuys

Apple just announced the new AirPods 4, and while they have the H2 chip for seamless connectivity with Apple devices, they don’t have all the Bluetooth features of modern flagship earbuds. Have you ever been on an airplane wishing you could connect your AirPods to the entertainment system in the back of the seat? Yeah, other earbuds can do that.

Introducing wireless earbuds with a built-in Bluetooth transmitter. With these earbuds, the charging case can transmit from any audio source with a 3.5mm aux or USB-C output. This means you can use your true wireless earbuds on an airplane, with a CD player, with an audio interface, or pretty much any other media playback device.

A photo of all the cables included with the JBL Tour Pro 3.
Christian Thomas / SoundGuys
Believe it or not, all three of these cables can get audio to your earbuds’ case.

We’ve reviewed a few wireless earbuds that have this transmitter functionality this year, including the JBL Tour Pro 3 and Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2. These aren’t the first wireless earbuds to have transmitter functionality, but these are some of the most refined iterations we’ve seen yet. In fact, we awarded both with an Editor’s Choice award, in no small part because of their exceptional versatility in connecting to a wide variety of devices. They also both deliver great sound quality, good noise canceling, and a plethora of features.

It’s true that the AirPods are unmatched in their seamless unification with Apple devices, but if you listen on a wide variety of devices, it’s worth checking out earbuds with transmitter functionality instead. Let us know what you think in the poll below.

Do you think a transmitter case is an important feature?

34 votes
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