Urbanpods PRO - Urbanpods and Urbanpods PRO

 UrbanPods Pro: Unboxing & Review 

Apple’s AirPods have become something of a cultural phenomenon. They’re the world’s best-selling headphones and exploded in popularity in a very short amount of time. Now their most recent model is called the AirPods Pro, which features a new in-ear design. 

Except what you’re seeing right now isn’t the AirPods Pro at all, they’re called the UrbanPods Pro. And while their designs are virtually indistinguishable from each other, there is one huge difference. Their price. Apple’s AirPods Pro is the most expensive headphones the company has ever sold, retailing for $250. While the UrbanPods Pro are just sixty-dollars. So considering the steep discount, let's see how just well these headphones compare, starting with an unboxing.

 I was very pleasantly surprised by the UrbanPods Pro packaging, not only does it look nice and modern, but it’s very well organized. The first thing you see is this envelope containing a very easy to understand instruction manual, followed by the UrbanPods Pro charging case, with the headphones inside.

 But what’s interesting is this ear tip holder underneath the case. It looks identical to the holder included with the AirPods Pro and contains the same small and large-sized ear tips in addition to the medium tips already installed on the headphones. So just like with the AirPods Pro, you have the flexibility to choose which size fits best in your ear. Finally, there’s a cardboard partition that you can lift open to reveal the charging cable. Now let’s take a look at the UrbanPods Pro charging case. One advantage it has over the AirPods Pro is that there’s a matte black option.

 Something AirPod users have wanted for years, but Apple has yet to offer. And I have to say, the matte black has a nice satin texture that’s even extended to the headphones themselves and feels great in my ear. The charging case is equipped with a lightning connector and wireless charging, which is a incredible feature considering its affordable price. And it has an LED indicator on the front which turns orange when the battery runs low.

 Opening and closing the lid is satisfying, and it appears to have the same hinge design as the AirPods Pro which is a nice detail. And opening the lid is all you have to do to pair these headphones to your iPhone or iPad. Just like with the AirPods, you’ll see this window pop up once you’ve opened the UrbanPods Pro charging case, and with a single tap, they’ll be connected and ready for use. Now if you want to pair to a non-iOS device, you certainly can by pushing this pairing button on the back of the case, but you'll have to go into your device’s Bluetooth settings and wait for the UrbanPods Pro to appear, and then connect by tapping.

Recent article:  Android 11 Beta 3 - Everything New || Gadgetsinfo180

 Now on to the headphones themselves. As you can see, they have the same design as the AirPods Pro, even down to the silver charging contact on the stem. But what surprised me was the ear tips. They snap on and off of the headphone exactly like the AirPods and have the same flush ear cone design, which is something I’ve never seen from a knockoff headphone before, let alone one that costs just sixty-dollars. So the design of these things is pretty incredible, but what about the performance and features?

 Well, let’s start with the functionality since there’s quite a bit to talk about. The UrbanPods Pro feature pressure sensors on each stem just like the AirPods pro, but they are a little more finicky and requires some practice to reliably trigger the intended function. For example, you can press twice to play or pause a song, triple press to skips between songs, and long press to activate Siri or toggle between playback modes.

 And while all of that functionality is much appreciated, the headphones can get confused between all those different gestures if your presses aren’t very deliberate. But something that did perform reliably every time was the ear detection which pauses music when a headphone is removed and resumes playback when it’s reinserted.

 And that brings us to another incredible aspect of these headphones, and that is their customizability. Just like with the AirPods, the UrbanPodsPro have an area in Bluetooth settings where you can perform an ear tip fit test, enable or disable automatic ear detection, set the microphone behavior, rename the device, define the function you want to perform when long-pressing each headphone, and even switch between listening modes. Which means, yes, these headphones do have active noise cancellation and transparency mode.

Recent article:  What Will Happen After 5G? | Gadgetsinfo180

 Now I will say that I didn’t notice much of a difference with the noise cancellation on compared to being off, but even having this in-ear design allows environmental noise to be muffled due to passive noise cancellation. When it came to transparency mode, I noticed much more of a difference. The headphones did amplify the ambient sounds around me without sounding too unnatural or causing a fishbowl effect. Now, how do these UrbanPods Pro sound? Because that is the main function of any headphone, and something really important to consider if you’ll be using these primarily for music.

 Well, I can honestly say that these are the best sounding knockoff AirPods I’ve ever tried. Usually, wireless headphones that are in this low-cost category compromise on sound quality. But I can honestly say that listening to music with these headphones was enjoyable, which is something I’ve never said about a sixty-dollar pair of wireless headphones before. Making a call was equally as enjoyable, with the person on the other end not noticing any difference between the microphone quality of the UrbanPods Pro compared to the AirPods Pro.

 Now you might be thinking, there has to be some compromise on these headphones since they cost almost $200 less, and you’d be right. From my testing so far, the UrbanPod Pro’sbattery life is about half as good as the AirPods Pro. I could listen to music for about two hours and forty-five minutes before having to recharge, compared to about five hours on the AirPods.

 And the active noise cancellation technology Apple has included on the AirPods Pro is the result of super expensive research and development that most companies just can’t compete with. And while the UrbanPods Pro has impressive sound quality, you’ll get even better performance from the AirPods. Lastly, the pressure sensor on the UrbanPodsPro just isn’t as refined as Apple’s implementation and may require a bit of a learning curve.

Recent article:  IOS 14 Vs IOS 13 Beta - Was It Really That Bad?

 But the fact that I’m even able to compare sixth-dollar headphones to a pair that cost two-hundred-fifty dollars, is a testament to how far these low-cost headphones have come in the last few years. The first pair I ever reviewed looked nothing like the AirPods, were bulky, and had terrible sound quality. But today, customers in need of low-cost wireless headphones don’t have to make nearly as many compromises as before. You can get an incredible design, easy one-tap pairing, advanced software customization, ear sensors, touch controls, wireless charging, and even great sound quality.

 So while the AirPods Pro is one of the best wireless headphones money can buy, not everyone needs the very best. Many people are trying to get the best value for their money. And that's exactly who the UrbanPods Pro is for. 

Recent article:   Flagship Specs In A Mid-Ranger?? – OPPO Reno4 Pro || Gadgetsinfo180 One

Recent article:  Samsung Galaxy Note 20 - The Full Reveal!