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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize convenience and portability for use during exercise along with easy integration with Apple products, choose Apple AirPods (3rd generation) as they're sweatproof, have wireless charging, and are optimized for Apple devices. However, if you are looking for better noise isolation, longer battery life, the ability to use them wired, and superior sound quality for gaming, TV, and video content, the Sennheiser 450BT might be the better choice. Keep in mind that the Sennheisers also have active noise cancelling and are foldable, making them versatile for travel, albeit less portable than the compact AirPods. 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 podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sennheiser 450BT
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Music
7.1
6.2
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
5.4
8.8
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for gaming, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
6.9
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is good for phone calls, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.6
7.9
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sennheiser 450BT is good.
TV and Video
5.5
8.1
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for TV and video, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Noise Reduction
2.5
9.1
The Sennheiser 450BT is excellent for noise reduction, while the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) is poor.
Battery
6.0 Hours
27.5 Hours
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has 6 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$179
$90
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has a price of $179 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $90.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Apple Airpods (3rd generation) has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
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How the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) and the Sennheiser 450BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple Airpods (3rd generation) | Sennheiser 450BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$179 | $90 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Apple | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | February 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 7.2/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.4/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.6/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 7.2/10 | 6.1/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 6 Hours | 27.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 2.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 30 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 2.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | No | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 4.3 Grams | 240.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Apple Airpods (3rd generation)
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Lily Katz, Christian Thomas | February 2023
"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."
Sennheiser 450BT
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Lily Katz | March 2022
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Apple Airpods (3rd generation) or the Sennheiser 450BT
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 Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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