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What we think
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Updated April 11, 2024·
The Outlier Air V3 offers better build quality, built-in controls, and a much longer battery life, which is beneficial for extended use without frequent charging. They also have better sound quality for music and exercise, supporting AAC codec and being sweatproof certified, making them a suitable choice for active users and music enthusiasts. However, if you're on a budget, the Zen Air is less expensive and still provides good comfort, mic quality, and active noise cancelling. The Zen Air additionally supports wireless charging, which might be more convenient. Decide based on whether longer battery life and better exercise suitability outweigh the need for saving money and the convenience of wireless charging. 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 Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for exercise
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
- The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3.
Key differences
Music
5.7
6.8
The Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
5.1
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9
5.4
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life.
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Key similarities
Gaming
5.1
5.1
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.4
5.6
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for TV and video.
Noise Reduction
6.5
7.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Creative Labs Zen Air to be good for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair.
Cost
$30
$30
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the Creative Labs Zen Air costs $30.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and Creative Labs Zen Air both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and the Creative Labs Zen Air compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 | Creative Labs Zen Air |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $30 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Creative Labs | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | December 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.7/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.2/10 | 5.1/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.5/10 | 5.7/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 8/10 | 6.9/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | Yes | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.2 | 5 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 40 | 12 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | Yes | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Medium | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5.2 Grams | 5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
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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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Why trust us
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
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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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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.
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