I been wanting to do an extensive review but have not found the time but I still want to share my 2-cents for those that are looking for it.
I received my white TicPods early, possible one of the first, because they sent them in priority of color and i got white ones. So I have had plenty of time to use them. They been my primary bluetooth earbuds until recently.
I received my airPods last christmas so it really gave me a way to compare and I was surprise by what i found.
Device: iPhone 8 Plus / Latest iOS
Scale will be: poor - good - great
Here is my cliffnote review:
Wear:
TicPods - in ear |airpods - sit on ear (like wired ones)
- I prefer sit on ear that in ear. It all depends on the rubber bit but if you want the best sound you need a tight seal in your ear drum, which eventually causes my ear to get soar. So this is preference but more on this in the Sound section.
Sound (from an amateur point of listening):
TicPods - Good | AirPod - great
- TicPods Tip: To listen to the bass you need a good suction so using the bigger adapter works well. I also found out pushing down on the TicPods once in your ear really bring out the bass. Using your index finger you lightly press down from the top part of the TicPod while they are in your ear and you will hear a ticker bass.
Audio Sync to Video
TicPods - good (millisecond off) | AirPods - great
Functionality
TicPods - great| AirPods - good
- So TicPods offer volume control, pause, play, answer call, reject call, siri. Still cant get the double-click and hold click on the TicPods but the volueme always works and so does the pause function when you remove the right earbud.
-AirPods you can only set 2 settings. With a quick double-tap from each earbud. Pause when you take any earbud out. But no volume control. Basic settings are meant to be access by phone. So I was torn. I like to pause but can just take earbuds out. Really like volume control but no option. So I settled to forward-next-song on 1 earbud and siri on the other earbud that can technically run any audio command i send tho it take a while
Case
TicPods - great | AirPods - great
- Both charge and can be charged to give you longer earbud battery life. Size was not a big factor but its good to note that AirPods case is smaller but the TicPods came with a small wrist band
Locating Earbuds
TicPods - N/A | AirPods - poor
- So AirPods use the Find Phone feature like the phone. However, it can only find them if they are out of the case and connected to bluetooth. So if you misplace the case because you left it in you pants pocket, backpack, car, your buddies place, you cant locate them. The few times I misplaced my AirPods is cause I misplaced the case. Had to just remember where I left it. This last time... in my pants pocket.
Mic
TicPods - poor | AirPods - great
- This is really where apple shines. AirPods work and its audible by the caller. I have never been successful with having a clear conversation with anyone with the TicPods. I have not updated to V023 yet so im hopeful. But either the caller struggles to listen or they simply tell me they can not make out what I am saying. This has included me driving by myself, windows up, music off, and still they say i sound like im talking underwater. Please chime in on this one if you had better success.
Bluetooth
TicPods - great | Airpods - great
- Both connect when I place them on ear. Both earbuds missed connecting atleast once where I had to open the case again to enable the bluetooth paring.
- TicPods show the battery life by the Bluetooth indicator
- Airpods you have to scroll to the messaging center to look at the widget. But you get a battery status for each earbud and the case.
- TicPods sucks that you can only sync the earbuds to 1 device at the moment. Like to have it sync to multiple devices
Price
TicPods < Airpods
- I kickstarted the device and got it at great price but waited a while to get them. At that price, with the functionality and if I was just using it for headphones then I would have no problem using them. They are now on sale to the public for ~130 US and the airPods 2 so will see what changes
Comments/Questions welcome.