Whenever a new pair of true wireless earbuds come out, one of the first questions you always ask is, “Does it look like the Airpods?” As in, does it have those stems hanging out at the bottom or is there not a stem in sight? While Bang & Olufsen’s initial foray into the category steered clear of that design aesthetic, their newest, the B&O Beoplay EX, embraces it for a very specific reason.
No, that reason isn’t to make the earbuds appealing to Apple fans, not that it would hurt, of course. Instead, those stems actually create extra room in the interior, allowing you to fit additional hardware you wouldn’t otherwise be able to accommodate in a stemless design.
The B&O Beoplay EX uses the additional room to squeeze in 9.2mm neodymium drivers, which is one of the bigger drivers you’re going to find in a true wireless device. According to B&O, those drivers allow it to punch well above its size, delivering a fuller bass sound and a level of detail that few would expect from something so compact. It comes with active noise cancelation, so you can drown out engine sounds, bustling crowds, and any other ambient in the vicinity, allowing you to enjoy your music as if you’re back home in the quiet of your bedroom, as well as a transparency mode that allows outside sound to easily come in, so you can engage in conversation with just a quick tap of the earpiece.
The stems also allowed the outfit to place the six microphones closer to your mouth than stemless designs, which should make it easier to pick up your voice during conversations. The mics use beamforming technology that can distinguish between voices and other sounds, by the way, allowing it to filter the sound it picks up, so that everything other than your voice is removed in the transmission, ensuring the person on the other line hears you loud and clear.
The B&O Beoplay EX comes in a premium construction using aluminum tempered glass polymer silicone, with a glass touch surface surrounded by an aluminum outer ring creating a really appealing aesthetic. Despite the jewel-like aesthetics (at least, that’s what they were going for), it’s not dainty in the least, boasting a waterproof build that allows it to submerge in three feet of water for 30 minutes, so it should easily handle all the sweat, splashes, and even the occasional rain it’s bound to encounter in day to day use.
The onboard battery can keep it playing music for six hours with ANC running and eight hours without the noise cancellation, with the charging case holding another 20 hours’ worth of charge, so you’ve got enough juice for all-day listening (albeit, with a couple trips back to the case). Other features include four sizes of swappable silicone tips, multipoint support (up to two active devices), Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and a customizable sound equalizer (complete with presets) accessible through the companion app.
The B&O Beoplay EX is available now, priced at $399.