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Updated April 10, 2024·
If you prioritize wireless convenience and are integrated into the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) would be a better fit, offering features such as spatial audio, adaptive sound, and ear detection, and they charge wirelessly. However, if you're on a budget and don't mind a wired connection, the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS could suit you, especially since they have a good build quality and sound performance for their price. Note that the Airpods may not isolate noise as effectively, so for noisy environments or air travel, the Creative Labs earbuds might be the superior choice despite lacking wireless capabilities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple Airpods (3rd generation)
Good for music
Good for phone calls
Good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS
Good for gaming
Good for TV and video
Key differences
Music
7.1/10
6.6/10
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is good for music, while the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
7.9/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for gaming, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6/10
6.9/10
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is only fair.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.6/10
7.4/10
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good.
TV and Video
5.5/10
7.2/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for TV and video, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
7.0/10
The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS is good for noise reduction, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Battery
6.0 Hours
N/A
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has 6 hours of battery life. The Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS does not have a battery.
Cost
$179
$25
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has a price of $179 and the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS costs $25.
"The Apple AirPods improves upon the 2019 model with its more ergonomic, yet unsealed, fit, water-resistant build, MagSafe charging case, and advanced software features. You can enjoy a wholly immersive movie experience with the new AirPods' spatial audio with head tracking, and enjoy HD audio during FaceTime calls. Of course, most of these features are limited to Apple hardware."
"These super-affordable wired earphones are some of the best I’ve heard in recent years. For the money they are unbeatable. And before you say: “I can’t use them as there’s no headphone jack on my smartphone!”, they can work with jack-less phones by using the brilliant little Creative SXFI headphone amp which plugs into a smartphone’s USB or Lightning port (with an adapter) and produces the most sublime audio output."
Get a great deal on the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) or the Creative Labs Aurvana Trio LS
About Apple
Apple Inc. is an American technology company, founded in 1976, known for its wide range of premium products, including smartphones, computers, and audio solutions. Apple offers the very popular personal audio line AirPods, highly regarded for their wireless, smart capabilities and their seamless integration with the iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. They provide a high-quality sound, comfort and lifestyle features perfect for all users invested in their ecosystem.
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.