- [Michael Fisher] Fun fact.
I've never used Apple AirPods.
I just don't use an iPhone often enough,
but I've heard enough about them to want them.
By all accounts AirPods are the simplest,
most reliable Bluetooth earbuds on the market.
And the Android world doesn't seem to have
a solid alternative from one of the big names.
Google's Pixel Buds were panned,
while the Samsung and Sony sets I've tested
have really just been okay, at best.
So when Earin let me try it's M-2 ear buds
back at IFA 2018 in Berlin, I was still on the search
for an AirPods analoger.
And you know what, I think these are it.
(upbeat music)
The wins here start with the carrying case.
This aluminum capsule that everyone keeps asking me
if I vape with.
But instead of sticky smoke juice,
the capsule holds the twin earbuds
and the 600 milliamp power battery.
So that every time you pop 'em back in the case,
they're charging.
The buds seat magnetically in the cradles
and the slide closes with magnets, too.
Clicking home with a sound so satisfying
you'll fiddle with it all day long.
(case clicking)
It all feels very well made.
The only complaint I have is
that the charging port is Micro-USB
(people moaning)
which was old-school even last year.
The buds themselves are tiny, almost too tiny.
See, the entire outboard side of each bud
has a capacitive glass plate that you can tap to play,
pause or call up Google Assistant or Siri.
So you're basically guaranteed to accidentally tap them
when donning or ditching.
That means you need to carry the capsule
with you at all times.
Just pulling out the buds and shoving them in your pocket
is a guarantee of accidental taps.
They're also so small you'll end up dropping them
if you don't use the capsule.
Which I've done at least three times.
(buds clattering)
Fortunately, they seem durable
since they haven't broken, yet.
(uplifting music)
When they're in your ears,
the M-2s are as comfortable as any earbuds can be.
With tips who's Comply Foam material
is heat activated to conform to your ear canal.
The neat thing about these, the buds are identical,
so you won't find any left or right labels
and each is capable of serving
as the master connection to the phone.
And if you need to put 'em down for a sec,
they sit on a tabletop like adorable
little alien robot friends.
It's a good time.
I don't get out much.
Once I had 'em set up,
I was impressed by how smart the M-2s were.
You pop 'em out of the case
and by the time you've got the second one in your ear
they're already connected to your phone.
The sound stage is much more nuanced
than it has any right to be given their size.
(electronic static)
There's a spaciousness that I didn't expect
and noise reduction is pretty good, too, for earbuds I mean.
The only thing I can say against the sound
is that these are a little flatter on more dynamic tracks.
Also occasionally, one earbud didn't immediately connect
to the other, so I had an imbalance for a few seconds,
but that was rare.
Most of the time, the things just worked.
(uplifting music)
The Earin App is also good.
It lets you tune the music
and how much outside sound you let in.
I generally leave it at automatic so when I pause the music,
the acoustics of the outside world come in to replace it.
That way I don't need to take the buds out
to talk to someone.
And battery life is very close to the advertised figures.
A few months in I'm getting
three hours, 45 minutes per charge of the buds.
The capsule carries an additional 10 hours.
(uplifting music)
Let's touch on drawbacks before we hit the price.
I haven't enjoyed using the M-2s for phone calls.
Callers said I sounded far away and muddy.
They're also splash resistant, but not water-proof
and, dang it, the logo shouldn't rub off this easily.
(uplifting music)
Nitpicking, not really.
At $249, the Earin M-2s are about a hundred bucks more
than the Sony and Samsung competition I've tested
and $70 more than Apple.
But they're so much better than any other buds
I've reviewed, that I can't help but endorse them.
These are as close as I've gotten
to the fabled AirPod experience on Android, so far.
And given that they've held their price
for over half a year now,
it seems I'm not the only one who feels that way.
Buy 'em, if you wanna treat yourself or wait for the M-3s
and hope that price comes down.
(uplifting music)
As always folks, I'm interested
in what you're putting in your ears.
Hit me in the Comments with your favorite headset
or, a little change of pace, your favorite music
of the moment and be sure and Subscribe
to the MrMobile on YouTube and Instagram
so you don't miss the next mobile tech review
coming sooner than you might think.
Finally, you might notice this review is ah,
well about eight months after the product first launched,
so if you'd like to Share it, I won't stop ya.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.
(uplifting music)