If you're connecting to one device most bluetooth headphones will work just fine, the biggest pain point is when you have multiple devices to switch between. I've got some nice noise cancelling headphones I like to switch between my TV and ipad, where you've got to dig into the settings of both, disconnect it from one before connecting it to the other (which takes an unlock and 4 clicks on the ipad and about 10 clicks on the TV).

The biggest pro of the airpods for me though is the non-pro version, for whatever reason I just cannot stand in-ear headphones. The gripes in the article are all valid though, personally I'd really like to be able to pair bluetooth headphones to as many devices as I like then have a button in the system tray (or anywhere where it'd be a couple of swipes/clicks maximum) that is the equivalent of "I want sound from this device now"

Some of the complaints OP lists are related to using the Airpods with multiple devices. While the complaints are correct, the Airpods are miles better than any bluetooth earphones I've ever used when it comes to switching sources. The dance to get my old earphones to move from my phone to my tablet was annoying and brittle by comparison.

> the Airpods are miles better than any bluetooth earphones I've ever used when it comes to switching sources

I think this just depends on Bluetooth version. My current FreeBuds 4 switch between devices seamlessly, no manual switching needed.

With my old headphones I head to switch manually, but it wasn't that much of a bother with a switching widget on the main screen (instead going deep into the settings).

Nice. What bluetooth version gets you the easy switching?

Found some info here: https://soundguys.com/bluetooth-multipoint-explained-28601/

Apparently it's in Bluetooth 4.0 which is more than 10 years old. But various devices support this to various degrees.

None of my bluetooth 4 things do a good job with that. Even the nice Sony and Samsung stuff. I don't doubt that some others work well, though.

Additional anecdote, I have Sony XM3s and they are constantly having issues on both Android and Linux while being expensive and having excellent noise cancelation. They just worked for like the first 2-3 months but after a year, they've seemed to have gotten worse in basically all aspects (although interestingly switching from Sony's app to GadgetBridge for pairing and config, I seem to get better battery life). The connectivity has gotten so bad and I've caused so many interruptions in telemeetings that I bought a new pair of wired IEMs because I know analog actually just works (though my laptop lacks a headphone jack because of OEMs follow Apple's trends regardless of if the idea was good or bad).

I used XM3 for 2 years on Linux, Windows, macOS and Android. I guess I used them for 4-12 hours a day most for most of these two years. I guess I spent at least 1/4 of this period with them on my head. And I dropped them many times, weared them during my runs on seaside in hot weather as well as walked in them inrain / snow.

They still work as good as new except for battery life, but this expected for device that had 500-1000 recharge cycles. I guess battery lost like 30-50% of original capacity.

PS: I only used Sony app a few times to update firmware and change settings though.

A laptop not having a headphone jack is irritating.

The 2021 MacBook Pro has a headphone jack. I can understand taking the jack out of a phone because it makes it more water resistant and frees up space, but in a laptop there's a much larger footprint to work with. And users are more concerned with plugging in peripherals vs waterproofing in a laptop.

Oof. I'm sorry. My XM3s have been going strong connecting to Android and Windows devices for 2 years. I have the Sony app on my phone, but it doesn't launch when I connect. I never use it. I just use the system Bluetooth with LDAC.

All Apple laptops have a 3.5mm headphone jack though..not sure you can blame Apple.

Never said the laptops didn't, but Apple was the first major player to remove the standard of having headphones on a portable compute device with the iPhone. This caught on to other manufacturers first in phones and then percolated up to laptops.

No noise cancellation is better than bad noise cancellation. The ANC on every set of earbuds and headphones under $200 I've tried is just a blast of white noise that makes it feel like someone is ramming cotton balls into my ears with a jackhammer.

I guess it depends on the use case. ANC on my FreeBuds (which are open type) is certainly limited, but it's a make or break difference in e.g. public transportation.