I’ve used about half a dozen sets of earbuds in as many years, and I’m a fan of them. But as much as I love earbuds, I can’t ignore the fact that they come with their fair share of issues.
5
Wireless Earbuds Can “Die” in Storage
Earbuds don’t just sit there doing nothing when you’re not using them. Even in a case, powered off, their batteries slowly drain. This is called self-discharge, and it’s normal for all rechargeable batteries. The problem is that true wireless earbuds have tiny batteries (usually under 100mAh) that don’t handle deep discharge well.
If they sit for too long at zero charge (within the drained charging case), the battery chemistry breaks down once it falls below a particular threshold—and in many cases, the earbuds die and never turn on again.
This is different from a phone or a laptop, which have much larger batteries (a range of 3,000-5,000mAh, for modern phones) and sophisticated battery management systems. Earbuds don’t have the same safety buffers. If they drain past that critical voltage point, they may not come back.
4
Uneven Audio Balance Can Develop Over Time
Even if you frequently use and charge your earbuds, their batteries still degrade over time—but not always at the same rate. If you rely on one earbud more for listening to music or making calls, that side takes a bigger hit. The weaker battery won’t be able to power the amplifier inside adequately, making one side quieter than the other.
Physical damage plays a role, too. Dropping your earbuds on hard surfaces can damage the delicate components inside. One earbud might take the brunt of multiple falls and slowly lose audio power.
There’s also the ear wax our ears naturally produce. Every time you wear your earbuds, a tiny bit transfers onto the mesh. Over weeks or months, this considerable buildup can start blocking sound but may not do so evenly.
Related
Why True Wireless Earbuds Have Terrible Battery Life (and How to Extend It)
Don’t be surprised if your TWS earbuds don’t last as long as your smartphone.
Maybe your right ear produces more wax than your left. Maybe you sleep on one side, pressing that earbud deeper than the other. This all adds up over time; if you don’t properly clean your earbuds, you might end up blaming the buds when it’s biology messing with you.
Then there’s moisture. Sweat, humidity, and even light rain can soak the insides of your earbuds. Some models resist better than others, but moisture damage doesn’t always kill an earbud outright. Instead, it can weaken one side first, making the audio feel lopsided before the whole setup fails.
3
Charging Cases Can Be a Major Point of Failure
You probably don’t think much about your earbuds’ charging case—until it stops working. Then it’s a disaster. Most of these charging cases aren’t built to last. Hinges wear out. Batteries degrade. Charging ports have hiccups.
As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, many cases rely on tiny spring-loaded pins to charge the earbuds. If those pins get misaligned, clogged with dirt, or lose tension, your earbuds might stop charging. You’ll think your earbuds are broken when it’s really the case failing.
If your case dies, your earbuds die with it. And manufacturers rarely sell replacement cases separately, forcing you to replace the whole set.
2
Firmware Updates Might Break More Than They Fix
Firmware updates should make the experience better, but in some cases, they can cause major problems. I used to own the Galaxy Buds2 Pro in 2023, and I installed a firmware update that messed up the sound signature that came right out of the box. The treble became unbearably harsh, the mids felt shouty, and the overall listening experience became fatiguing. It was frustrating because the original tuning was perfect for my audiophile tastes.
Even worse is the fact that manufacturers rarely, if ever, let you roll back the firmware. There are unofficial ways to downgrade, but they’re risky and could permanently damage your device. Ever since I got burned, I don’t jump on updates the second they drop. I wait and see if other people report problems on forums, Reddit, or even product reviews on sites like Amazon. If people start complaining, I hold off.
1
Latency Issues Persist, Making Earbuds Unreliable for Certain Tasks
Bluetooth latency isn’t going away anytime soon, especially with earbuds, which is one reason I prefer wired headphones over wireless options. Whenever you watch a video or play a game with earbuds, there’s usually lag because Bluetooth doesn’t send audio instantly. The sound has to be processed, compressed, transmitted, decompressed, and finally played through the tiny speakers in your earbuds. Even with modern Bluetooth codecs like aptX Low Latency or AAC, there’s still delay.
When you’re listening to music, latency doesn’t matter at all. But for anything interactive—video calls, gaming, even certain types of music production—earbuds often fall short. This is particularly noticeable in fast-paced games, where audio cues are crucial for survival. You might hear gunshots a fraction of a second after you’ve been hit, or footsteps might reach your ears just a moment too late to react to that player sneaking up behind you. This kind of delay can be the difference between life and death—in the game.
