For me the AirPods Pro are one of my most loved and used pieces of tech in recent memory. Assume OP uses iPhone and there are a handful of unique features AirPods offer when paired with iPhone that I assume Samsung pods would not. Things like syncing across devices via iCloud account… spatial audio… IOS integrated noise canceling control. And for me the fit and sound is fantastic.

I disable all the touch functionality of the pods. Over the past years of owning them I've had to re-disable dozens of times. That is my only gripe.

Because a “different brand” don’t automatically pair to every device connected to my AppleID (7), don’t have an interface on every device to adjust settings, don’t show the battery percentages on every device individually for each side and the battery case and don’t automatically switch.

BTW, AirPods “work everywhere” as standard Bluetooth headsets

Well OP is talking about how his airpods weren't working, yet they they're getting another pair which seems sorta odd.

The battery percentage thing does seem appealing, idk I guess I just charge mine often enough it hasn't really been an issue.

Auto switching does sound good though, maybe someday I'll try airpods.

It really isn't.

AirPods are a case where I broke my rule of thumb with Apple, not to buy in to a new product line until the fourth iteration. And sure enough, they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced.

But fixing flakiness with Apple stuff by buying a new one works more than you might think. They do actually iterate on reliability (not you macOS).

Man, finding them in the cushions might be worth the cash all by itself. The ones I have do the one-ear thing like one in ten (?) times, and I swear quietly and stick them back in the case. Reboot them a few times a month.

So, fine really, could be better. If they were a bit worse I'd run out and get the new ones.

> they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced.

Can confirm. Here the 3 of us have 2nd generation AirPods. In one of them the mic is no longer working, on another one of the AirPods won’t connect 90% of the time, and the last one has a combination of these two issues. Another family member is on their second pair already.

AirPods are great, while they are working.

Edit: forgot to mention that 3 of those pairs were replaced while under warranty.

Hmm, I haven't had issues with my Galaxy live buds. But you might be a heavier user?

The main annoyance is just that I have to re pair them to switch devices. But so far so good otherwise. I'm interested to see if they ever make a new version.

Repairing to switch devices is more than a little annoying when you have a phone, watch, computer, tablet, and two set top devices.

Because it might feel like a betrayal if they’d use some other brand. For fruit company lifers it’s a lifelong fan association, it’s not merely a consumer-manufacturer relationship like mere mortals who (also) use other brands.