Here's a hot take: these Anker earbuds are the best earbuds to give as a gift this holiday season.
Yes, we know, we know. In an arena occupied by power players like Apple and Bose, it's bold to stan for Anker, an openly acknowledged 'budget brand.' But we do, nonetheless!
Which might make you wonder, what would lead us down this creaky path? Are we privy to some information that proves these have better sound quality than their big-name competitors?
No, we aren't.
So, you must be thinking, perhaps these have some amazingly useful feature that no other earbuds have, the kind of thing whose utility you don't know until you experience it, and then, you can never go back. Is that it?
Not that we're aware of.
Then, you think, maybe we have a connection at Anker, and know that a particularly adept engineer designed these, pouring over every detail to ensure they're perfect?
Again: nope.
What we like most about these earbuds is not actually the earbuds themselves. It's an accessory they come with. And that accessory is a little thing called hundreds of dollars to spend on other shit.
To be clear, it's not that we don't like the earbuds. We love them, actually. Their sound is good. Their functionality is good. Their battery life is… well… actually a lot better than good. But the only thing truly amazing about them is how cheap they are given their quality. And we think that makes them a better gift than a lot of premium earbuds.
Because, let's be honest, we're talking about earbuds here. Do you need the best possible pair to make a quick phone call and then listen to some podcasts, half of which open with one of the hosts apologizing because there's "some construction over here"? No! These would work just fine for doing that. And, again, they leave enough cash left over for you to get someone something that provides another hundred-plus dollars of excitement.
With all this being said, we do acknowledge one possible exception to this claim, and that's if you're shopping for a true audiophile. Then again, in that case, you're better off just giving them money and letting them go nuts. Those nerds are very particular, and your surface-level research might end up with you handing over a box of 300-dollar earbuds that they openly scoff at.
So, there you have it: we can admit that we're not always right. And that's how you know we're right. (Don't think too hard about it; just know it makes sense.)
Please, now, buy some earbuds. They're good, we promise.
