Apple AirPods (2021) vs Etymotic ER3XR

The Apple AirPods (2021) is an exemplary product and one of the very best Earphones at the $180 budget.

The Etymotic ER3XR, however, doesn't seem to have enough data available for us to be able to draw any meaningful conclusions.

The Apple AirPods (2021) was loved by reviewers from numerous highly trusted sources that perform in-depth objective testing, including PCmag, Tom's Guide, CNET, Laptop Mag, and Rtings. It did great in their roundups - it was dubbed "Best Standard AirPods" by PCmag, "The best standard AirPods for voice and FaceTime calls" by Tom's Guide, and "Best open earbuds for workouts" by CNET. That's high praise coming from sources of such caliber.

As for the Etymotic ER3XR, it was really well-received by reviewers at PCmag, a reliable source that's known for conducting its own, high-quality, in-depth testing. It performed great in its "The Best Earbuds (In-Ear Headphones) for 2022" roundup and was named its "Best for Audiophiles", which, on its own, makes it a product that warrants a closer look.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like PCmag and SoundGuys, and learned that they all showed a preference for the Etymotic ER3XR.

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Earphones received. We found that the Apple AirPods (2021) managed to earn a rating of 9 from hardwarezone.com.sg, whereas the Etymotic ER3XR got its highest, 9.6, score from reviewers at Head-fi.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Earphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Earphones being 7.3 out of 10, whereas the Apple AirPods (2021) and Etymotic ER3XR managed averages of 8.1 and 8.6 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Apple AirPods (2021) vs. Etymotic ER3XR comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.