Guide: Earbuds to buy in Japan
I have summarized the results about earbuds I got after searching all over the internet. And feedback from friends who have used the earbuds. This is not a data based article rather opinion based.
The information about earbuds collected until January 2020. So After 6 months this guide should become obsolete. So if you are seeing this article that late, please ignore this and look for recent articles.
Keep in mind :
- This guide is for everyday consumers not for audiophiles
- This was made with the product available in Japan till January 2020.
- The stats are completely subjective.
- I will not providing any technical information here. Get the basic filtering here, then do the confirmation research on internet.
- This is for people who don’t like information overload yet want close to perfect result with the least amount of time.
The best products are :
iOS user:
For every day consumer, the best choices are from Air-pods line up. This is a pretty common knowledge. Although it’s super expensive. You can’t go wrong with this.
The latest one is Airpods Pro - 30,580円 . This is the best one, but for cheaper options you can also look for earlier models.
I would suggest you to buy with the AppleCare+. So in case your device gets stolen you can get a new one with 3000 yen.
Here’s my stats which matters:
Style/Design:5★
Sound Quality: 4★
Convenience: 5★
Price: 2★
Recommended: 4★
The stats are completely subjective.
Link: Official Website
Android users:
I didn’t find the overall comfort and convenient level same as Airpods Pro. But the Sony WF-1000XM3 comes close. Although this earbud has the best sound in the market. So if you care about sound the most, this is your choice.
Price is 24,000円 - taken from amazon.jp. It was more expensive around 26,000円 in the official website.
Stats which matters:
Style/Design: 2★
Sound Quality: 5★
Convenience: 3.5★
Price: 2★
Recommended: 3★
Again the stats are completely subjective.
The next best cheapest option for earbuds are :
So if you don’t have the budget yet still looking for the convenience of an earbud and good enough sound quality. And planning to keep the earbuds for 1~2 years. This is in my opinion the next best things.
Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro
Price: 14,380円. The price is taken from Amazon.
Anker Soundcore is a Chinese company which is a better brand than generic Chinese hit or miss products.
This has impressive features hardware wise. But I don’t like the design being bulkier so pop out a lot in the ear. But from a features per dollars basis, this is the best.
If only I have liked the design, this would have been without doubt my first choice.
Stats which matters:
Style/Design: 3★
Sound Quality: 5★
Convenience: 3.5★
Price: 2★
Recommended: 3.5★
Soundcore Liberty Air 2
Price 8000円. From Amazon
If you don’t like the liberty pro 2 style or seem expensive. Then without doubt this your obvious choice.
Stats which matters:
Style/Design: 2★
Sound Quality: 3★
Convenience: 3.5★
Price: 5★
Recommended: 3★