Why I replaced my $249 AirPods Pro with $19 wired EarPods

Google came for the wired it girls at its Made by Google showcase last month. The tech giant played a sponsored episode of Kareem Rahma’s SubwayTakes talk show during the event, in which Rahma and his fellow comedian Amber Singletary ripped on wired earbuds for looking “sloppy,” “dumb,” and “not cool.”

“The only thing they [wired earbuds] do is get tangled,” Rahma said, speaking into a corded mic, to which Singletary replied, also into a corded mic, “Yeah, they get tangled and now you look stupid.”

Someone in SubwayTakes’ Instagram comments section said it best: “Wow this is the easiest disagree ever.” I firmly believe that wired earphones are actually good and worth using in 2025, at least when it comes to Apple’s iconic EarPods.

I recently replaced my $249 AirPods Pro with a pair of those $19 wired guys, and they’re probably the last pair of Apple earbuds I’ll ever buy (or rebuy). Even the new AirPods Pro 3 don’t tempt me.

I wanted to love the Pros, I really did

Admittedly, I desperately wanted to like the AirPods Pro. I purchased Apple’s original in-ear, noise-canceling wireless earbuds back in 2020, wanting a pair to wear during flights and workouts. I’d read the write-ups lauding their clear audio, great ANC, and comfortable in-ear fit. (They’re “[probably] the most comfortable in-ear buds I’ve ever worn,” Mashable’s reviewer said at the time.) 

As an added bonus, I managed to find them on sale for nearly $100 off. The stars seemed to be aligning.

Anyone in the market for a pair of gently used first-generation AirPods Pro?
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Eager to try Apple’s best earbuds and still riding the high of scoring a good deal, I took my AirPods Pro on a long walk as their maiden voyage. I remember them not feeling the most snug, but it was winter, so I was wearing a tight beanie that kept them in my ears. Back home, I took their Ear Tip Fit Test and swapped their silicone ear tips for a different set — they came with three — convincing myself that they fit much better afterward (mistake No. 1). Their instability was surely just user error.

Several more walks transpired before I finally accepted the fact that my AirPods Pro actually didn’t fit well at all, no matter which ear tip I used. We were incompatible. Naturally, this only registered after their return period ended (mistake No. 2).

I kept using my AirPods Pro while it was still cold enough to wear a beanie outside. But once summer came, they took up permanent residence in a dusty corner of a desk drawer. Apple doesn’t accept AirPods for trade-ins, only recycling, leaving me out of luck unless I wanted to resell them — and I figured no one would buy buds that a stranger had dunked in their waxy meatus.

The AirPods Pro’s in-ear design just doesn’t work for me.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

I’ve been wearing over-ear headphones in the years since, but still yearned for a more portable option. 

In late August, I unearthed a pair of EarPods in an old backpack — the ones with the 3.5mm audio jack that Apple used to include with every iPhone (up until the iPhone 12). They have round, plastic earphones that sit on the edge of your ear canal, not inside it, a design that worked well for me back when I did most of my listening on an iPod nano. I figured they were worth another shot.

While EarPods aren’t free anymore, Apple sells them for just $19 with three connection options: the OG 3.5mm plug, Lightning, and USB-C. I bought a pair of the USB-C version to go with my iPhone 15 Pro and MacBook Pro — on sale for $18.50, no less. They’re just as comfy as I remember and sound perfectly fine for my casual music- and podcast-listening purposes, so they come with me almost everywhere.

You simply can’t argue with $19

For me, the EarPods’ perfect fit trumps a need for other fancy features. I can’t enjoy the AirPods Pro’s ANC or spatial audio when they’re constantly falling out of my ears. But that’s not the only reason they’ve become my earbuds of choice.

I <3 wires.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

While the “inconvenience” of the corded design is often treated like an indisputable truth, I’d argue that it’s mostly subjective. You might hate a wire because it can get caught on your arms or knotted in a pocket. Science says the latter is basically inevitable, so I’ll concede this point.

Still, the wire has its merits. It prevents my EarPods from getting separated, makes it so that I never get low-battery anxiety, and averts audio latency and Bluetooth pairing issues — all while letting people know that they shouldn’t talk to me. The range! I’m cool with the EarPods’ occasional Tangela cosplay, all things considered.

Moreover, there’s something so liberating about not having to be precious with my earbuds. (For reference, replacing one lost AirPods Pro earbud costs $89, or more than four times as much.) From a cost per value standpoint, EarPods are easily the best product Apple sells for under $20 — the other contenders being the infamous Polishing Cloth, an extension cable, and a few adapters. It’s not even a contest.

This is mostly why I haven’t tried the $129 AirPods 4 yet, which have a similar but more oval plastic “open-ear” design that seems like it might work for me. It’s also why I’m not chomping at the bit to upgrade to the new AirPods Pro 3 even though their reworked design involves two extra ear tip sizes. I’ve learned that I can get by with wired earbuds that cost thirteen times less — and I’m not going to have a panic attack if they break or wander off.

The EarPods are one of my on-the-go essentials.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Ask yourself: Have you avoided using EarPods because cords are truly incompatible with your day-to-day life, or just because you feel a compulsion to buy the latest tech? Join me on the wired side. The sound quality is good enough, the cover charge is cheap, and the haters are low-key still using other corded devices.