$159 is really too expensive
The AirPods sounds terrible. Worst in class.
Some of the brands I’ve used over the years include Sennheiser, Beats, Shure and Beyerdynamic.
Let's look up these brands and their wireless headphones at the moment.
First, Sennheiser.
Sennheiser has products like the "MOMENTUM Free In-Ear Wireless" and "Momentum In-Ear Wireless". These are in-ear headphones with a wire that goes around your neck. While reviews don't complain about sound, these can hardly be considered wireless. I mean, the wires are right there (points at screen).
Hardly considered similar products.
Let's visit Beats.
Same thing. Wires. Next.
Shure. Never heard of them, but hey, lets google "Shure wireless in-ear headphones". Wires again. This seems to be a trend.
Beyerdynamic? It's up to you! Yeah, you know already. Wires.
I do believe there is a market for these "wireless" (calling them "wireless" is just lying but hey) headphones, they are widely different form Apple AirPods.
The Apple AirPods are TRUE wireless headphones. They are a whole different product. There are other brands that have similar products (with charging case & without wires), but these are mostly more expensive, have worse specs and/or are mostly a pain to pair because you have to pair both earbuds individually.
I'm not saying Apple AirPods are best in their product class, but I highly doubt they are "worst in class". But then again, we have to consider what "class" they are in anyway. In my opinion, Apple AirPods are WIRELESS in-ear headphones. These products you're talking about are "wireless" in-ear headphones
Having a wire around your neck is totally different to having one to your phone. It's actually a nice convenience having a neck wire because:
* you're less likely to lose an odd earphone (something that is more likely when your earphones are like loose change)
* you can pop one earphone out and rest it on your shoulder. eg when shopping and you're in the queue to pay. You can then interact with the cashier without appearing rude
* you get extended battery life as you now only need one BT radio per pair of headphones (this is actually the main reason 3rd party ones are cabled and this is a problem Apple have managed to solve with a custom BT radio controller)
The fact that you can buy after market cords for Apple's wireless earphones says a lot about how it's actually a desirable feature for some people. But another example is people who attach neck cords to reading glasses.
Moreover, I do happen to own corded bluetooth earphones and specifically chose them over "true wireless" because they offered the best of both worlds - liberated me from being tethered to my phone or other playback devices while still giving me the convenience to hang the earphones around my neck while I'm not using them. This was a very calculated decision on my part because I did also look at "true wireless" and was very tempted by them. I'm also adamant that I made the right decision given my usages.