This is the year of the truly wireless earbuds - we've had Bluetooth in-ear headphones for a while, but never anything that cut even the cord between the two earpieces. We've seen these from Jabra, Earin, Apple, and a few others so far, but one of the first to hit the market was the Samsung Gear […]

Very secure fit; comfortable; decent audio quality; convenient fitness tracking without needing a phone; convenient charging case; reliable touch controls

Frequent connectivity issues; short battery life; batteries drain unequally; lack of playlist options for stored music

What do you get when you take an audio device, give it touch controls, make it as small as humanly possible and stick some fitness tracking functions on it? The Samsung Gear IconX .

The Samsung Gear IconX is a completely wire-free pair of Bluetooth headphones with solid sound quality and the ability to track your workouts.

Seamless, simple swipe-and-tap-based operation; Built-in heart rate monitor, works with app for fitness tracking; 4GB of internal storage for music; Carrying case doubles as charging dock and portable charger

Not for those seeking huge bass; Delay with ambient mics

Do you remember a time, not long ago, when the iPhone still had a headphone jack and wireless headphones still had a wire? In a way, the $199.99 Gear IconX can be seen as Samsung's answer to the forthcoming Apple AirPods, in that it too is a pair of completely wire-free earphones. Independent left and right earpieces snap right into a charging case, which also acts as an on-the-go charger, when not in your ears. But unlike the AirPods, the IconX is also focused on fitness, with a built-in heart rate monitor and the ability to track your activity. Whether this new earphone style will be ubiquitous in about a year's time is up for debate, but the IconX is a solid start, offering both respectable sound quality and fitness tracking capabilities. DesignAvailable in blue, gray, or white, the Samsung Gear IconX has some distinguishing design flourishes, but is ultimately very similar to the wire-free Apple AirPods and Bragi Dash once you get past the cosmetics. Each pair has a tiny hard...

The Samsung Gear IconX is a completely wire-free pair of Bluetooth headphones with solid sound quality and the ability to track your workouts.

Seamless, simple swipe-and-tap-based operation; Built-in heart rate monitor, works with app for fitness tracking; 4GB of internal storage for music; Carrying case doubles as charging dock and portable charger

Not for those seeking huge bass; Delay with ambient mics

Wireless earbuds are still a new concept for many consumers, but soon would become an everyday device for many people. Apple announced the AirPods when it showcased the new iPhone 7 smartphones. They do look awkward, but thanks to Apple, more players will start making their own wireless earbuds now.

allows alot more freedom of movement and I can listen to more music and take calls more and i have more privacy when taking calls. Easy pairing for iphone or samsung the app on samsung was a bit difficult cause i didnt know it needed the gear app but when i figured it out it was easy.

You might need a leap of faith to insert Samsung's Gear IconX wireless earbuds inside your ear canals. Indeed, as Note7 owners showed us over the last few months, electronics packed with lithium-ion batteries can do double-duty as incendiary devices.

The Gear IconX from Samsung is certainly a unique and attractive product and provides a glimpse into what's to come. Cord-free wireless earbuds seem to be a natural progression for Bluetooth audio, and it's about time we saw some big strides being made in this segment.

Comfortable design; Heart rate sensors built-in; Works as a standalone player; Intuitive controls

Abysmal battery life; Audio quality could be better; Expensive

I was pleasantly surprised with wireless earbuds. Not only they fitted well onto my ears but they also come with 2 other size fittings. I was little bit skeptical at the beginning if they will stay inside but they actually did.

Overall the Gear IconX is an innovative pair of compact earbuds with several features such as heart rate tracking, built-in storage for offline music playback and bundled wingtips and ear tips but it falls short when it comes to battery life, which is the most important part of a Bluetooth headset.

Light; Compact design; Heart rate sensor; Sweat and Splash Resistant (P2i Nano Coating; 4GB internal storage for standalone music playback

Poor battery life; Average audio quality; Requires IconX PC Manager to update firmware; Priced slightly on the higher side