Using one earbud more than the other wears it out faster
Engadget says wearing a single wireless earbud for calls drains its battery faster and leaves the pair unevenly worn, and it suggests fixes.
The facts
- According to Engadget, using one earbud more than the other puts more battery cycles on that bud, so it wears out faster.
- Some earbuds use a master/slave setup, where only the primary bud works alone. Engadget says most newer models, apart from some cheaper ones, let either bud work in mono.
- Engadget names the Samsung Galaxy Buds and Google Pixel Buds as examples of pairs with role-swapping.
- Its advice: alternate buds, use transparency or ambient mode so you can wear both, or use a single-bud headset such as those from Poly and BlueParrott.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Batteries in earbuds are tiny, and you cannot replace them. Wear on one bud is wear on the pair, because when one dies early the other loses much of its use. Most people never think about this until one side goes flat. It is a small habit with a real cost, and the cost matters more when a replacement pair is a big expense. In Lagos, where gadget prices climb with the dollar, making a pair last longer is a saving.
For builders
Earbud makers can build in role-swapping so either bud can run alone, and a good transparency mode so people have less reason to wear just one. Battery balancing between the two buds is a gap worth watching.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.