Blend in and stand out with these discreet true wireless earbuds

A man's hand holds the Earin A-3 true wireless earbuds in hand

Credit: Earin

Earin often gets overlooked in the conversation of best true wireless earbuds, but the company has been around since the very beginning of the true wireless craze. Right before the official CES 2021 kickoff, the company announced the Earin A-3 true wireless earbuds. These tiny earbuds are jam-packed with nifty features, and boast a thoughtful design.

The A-3 earbuds look distinguished from the flood of true wireless competitors, and so does the case. The case is a small capsule with a flat lid that opens and snaps shut magnetically. It’s made entirely from aluminum, save for a plastic cutout on the back that allows for wireless charging. If you don’t have a wireless charger, you can also plug in any standard USB-C charging case.

It comes in a sleek silver or anodized black, both of which look fairly minimal and discreet.

Each earbud houses a touch sensor on the outside, and inward-facing proximity sensors that auto-pause music when you remove an earbud from your ear. They’re also IP52 water and dust-resistant, so you can take them to the gym if you like — just try not to go for a swim as they are not waterproof.

The Earin A-3 support a slew of Bluetooth codecs including SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX low latency. These are rocking Bluetooth 5.0 which means the buds sip energy for a long battery life. The earbuds can last up to five hours on a single charge, and the case adds another 30 hours.

The Earin A-3 charging case from the front and the back on a white background

The Earin A-3 true wireless earbuds on a white background

Each earbud has an in-house 14.3mm driver, and Earin claims these are the best sounding earbuds they’ve made despite the tiny size. However, they have an open-fit design. Practically, this means that you’ll also hear what is going on around you along with your music. If you like to stay aware of your surroundings while going for a bike ride or a run this can be a good thing, but if you’d rather block out the world, there are better options.

Earin is releasing a limited edition founder’s edition of the A-3 true wireless earbuds on January 14, via Kickstarter,. The Earin A-3 will be more widely available later in Q1, and will retail for $199.