The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 7th that they conducted performance and safety evaluations of 10 wireless earphone products currently available on the market and found significant differences in quality and price among them.
The evaluation criteria included sound quality, noise cancelation performance, call quality, continuous playback time, video latency, maximum volume, static resistance, product weight, and additional features. The products were divided into high-price and mid-price categories for the test.
In the sound quality test, 8 out of the 10 products performed well in reproducing original sound without distortion. This group included 5 high-price products and 3 mid-price products. The Xiaomi product was rated as good, and the iRiver product was rated as average.
Noise cancelation performance was assessed with the active noise cancelation (ANC) function set to maximum. All five high-price products reduced noise by more than 18 decibels and were rated relatively well. Four mid-price products were good, while the iRiver product showed an average performance.
Call quality was evaluated in both silent and noisy environments (bus, train). In silent environments, products from Samsung Electronics, Sony, Apple, Britz, and Xiaomi were relatively good, while products from Samsung Electronics, Apple, and LG Electronics performed well in noisy environments.
Continuous playback time ranged from 4 hours and 50 minutes to 15 hours and 10 minutes, exhibiting a maximum difference of 3.1 times between products. Sony products lasted the longest without ANC, while iRiver products had the shortest duration. With ANC turned on, JBL products lasted up to 9 hours and 10 minutes.
Video and audio latency varied from a minimum of 0.19 seconds to a maximum of 0.38 seconds. Apple products had the shortest delay at 0.19 seconds in the iOS environment. Six products, including Samsung Electronics, JBL, Britz, iRiver, LG Electronics, and QCY, reduced latency to up to 74% (0.38 seconds→0.10 seconds) when using specific modes like game or video mode.
In the maximum volume test, iRiver products exceeded the European Union’s safety standard (below 100dBA), requiring caution. There is no related standard in the country. All products met standards for static resistance and labeling.
Product weight ranged from 4.1g to 7.1g. The iRiver product was the lightest, while Bose’s was the heaviest at 7.1g. Features such as dedicated apps, spatial audio, wireless charging, audio wired connection, Auracast, and hearing aid support varied by product.
The Xiaomi product was the cheapest at 24,800 won, while the JBL product was the most expensive at 359,000 won, with a maximum price difference of 14.5 times between products.
The Korea Consumer Agency stated, “Given the large differences in performance and price among products, it is advisable to select products carefully based on their intended use,” adding that they plan to continue providing quality information useful to consumers.