Samsung has a high reputation in the field of home appliances and digital products, and after it incorporated the top audio manufacturer Harman Kardon (holding brands such as Harman Kardon, AKG, and JBL) into its command in 2017, audio products have also begun to have the strength to compete with giants.
 
The Samsung Gear IconX 2018 is known as the strongest competitor to AirPods, with a high score of 71 points in the US Consumer Reports, ranking the wireless sports headphones in joint second place, and is also one of the six recommended headphones in the Consumer Reports feature article "True Wireless Earphones That Deliver Great Sound".
 
The Gear IconX 2018 is the second generation of the Gear IconX, focusing on improving the short battery life of its predecessor, which can play music for 5 hours or 7 hours (local music), and supports fast charging for 5 minutes and 1 hour of listening to songs. In order to ensure battery life, the Gear IconX 2018 also removed the heart rate query function on the Gear IconX. However, it can still be used with a mobile app to record data such as speed, workout time, distance traveled, and calories burned. After setting the sports mode, it can also provide real-time voice feedback to prompt and guide the exercise. The Gear IconX 2018 comes with 4GB of storage, so users don't need to carry their phones when exercising outdoors. But it's a pity that its waterproof performance is average, and it only supports waterproofing in life.
 
In terms of sound quality, the Gear IconX 2018 supports SBC and Samsung Scalable encoding technology. According to the official statement, Samsung's scalable encoding technology can output clear and stable sound quality in a variety of environments. In terms of actual hearing, Gear IconX 2018 is somewhat similar to AKG, with clear high frequencies and a slight bias towards low frequencies, outstanding sense of space, elastic bass, and more details retained, which is a style that most consumers will like, with a price of 1449 yuan.
 
Another Samsung headset that has been recognized by Consumer Reports is Level Active, which was mentioned in the feature article "Great Workout Headphones". The price of Level Active is only 299 yuan, which is very suitable for entry-level consumers. It not only provides three wearing methods: ear wings, ear hooks, and earbuds to meet the needs of various sports, and can record various sports data with mobile phone APP. However, Level Active only supports life waterproofing, and the battery life of 5.5 hours is relatively average, and it does not support Bluetooth encoding such as aptx and AAC, which makes its sound quality not too pleasant.