Samsung’s Gear IconX (2018) is almost everything I wanted the first one to be

My search for the perfect pair of headphones will probably never end. Especially since so many in-ear headphones simply refuse to fit my ears. It was particularly painful for me when I first tried on Samsung’s Gear IconX truly wireless earbuds because they simply wouldn’t fit.

But Samsung has refreshed their rocky first attempt at truly wireless in-ear headphones. These are the Gear IconX (2018) and right off the bat, I’m happy to report they fit far better than the originals.

I can already see the comments being angrily typed into the box below about how “fitting Rory’s ears” is not an objective measurement of how good a device is. And you’re probably right. But I also know that there are people out there with ears that aren’t as universally shaped as everyone else’s. People like me, who always struggle to find proper in-ear headphones that fit their ears, so this is for them.

Here’s what I can tell you objectively about the device, though. I think a big part of why these fit better in my ear is that the stem that funnels music into your ears feels slightly longer than its predecessor’s. This allows for a more secure fit in my ear without having the big “head” getting in the way.

What’s more, it also feels a lot lighter than the first IconX so they don’t fall out of my ears that easily. The first fit I had was with the shortest wing-tip and it clung snugly into my ears — no amount of head shaking would get them loose and that makes me very happy. The second pair (black) had much larger wing-tips and those stayed nicely in my ears too.

I guess when Samsung said they made it more ergonomic, they meant it so big props to them from someone who has weird ears.

While comfort is probably the biggest factor for me, sound quality is also pretty crucial. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much time with them — I couldn’t listen to my own music — and I could only sample some polyphonic tunes that they had by default. However, they sounded alright to my ears, though, I must stress I’m no connoisseur of audio quality, so I’ll wait for a full review to pass final judgement.

What I do really like is the larger battery Samsung managed to cram into this minute device. Capacity and listening time has practically been doubled (7 hours standalone, 5 hours with Bluetooth) from its predecessor. They also upped the capacity of the carrying case it comes with to 340 mAh while at the same time making the case significantly smaller than the first one.

And all of this is done without sacrificing the device’s fitness tracking capabilities. In fact, Samsung also added support for Bixby so you can interact with it using your voice.

All in all, and as far as first impressions go, I’m pretty happy with all the changes Samsung has made to their wireless earbuds. I am also very stoked to give these puppies a full review when they finally land in Malaysia — which is reportedly sometime next month. Why are they called the Gear IconX (2018) when they’re launching this year? I’m not sure, but I have asked Samsung about it and are awaiting their response.

Samsung says that it’s because the Gear IconX are part of the company’s (2018) roster of new devices, so it wouldn’t make sense to put 2017 in the name.