Move over AirPods Pro, Devialet’s second-gen luxury earbuds are serious about sound

Devialet’s Gemini II true wireless earbuds promise “state of the art sound” and extraordinary ANC

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When Devialet launched itsGemini true wireless earbudsin 2021, we were really impressed most of the time: when they’re good, they’re very good and deliver an impressively punchy performance. However, we did encounter a few issues that prevented them from being the ultimate rival toApple’s AirPods Pro, so we’re intrigued by the launch of the second generation, the Gemini II. With better audio, unusual design and new active noise cancelling, they’re clearly aimed squarely at Apple’sAirPods Pro 2.

The issues we had with the previous Gemini were with audio quality with ANC switched off; with it on, they sounded fantastic. This year’s model has even better ANC, with a new version of Devialet’s noise canceling tech and a new feature called AWR, short for Active Wind Reduction. As the name suggests, AWR is designed specifically to reduce the noise of the wind – something that’s an issue with relatively large earbuds like these.

Devialet Gemini II earbuds: key features and specifications

The Bluetooth here is Bluetooth 5.2 for better connectivity and stability, and it has multipoint so you can connect to two different devices simultaneously. There’s IPX4 water resistance, new customisable touch controls – addressing another issue we had with the previous generation – and five hours battery on a single charge, rising to 22 hours with the included charging case.

The other big change isn’t so welcome: these earbuds are a lot more expensive than their predecessors, which retailed at £279 / $299. The Gemini II are £349 / $450 / AU$699 for the black or white versions and a hefty £549 / $649 / AU$1,099 for the more fancy Opéra de Paris special edition. That takes them closer toAirPods Maxpricing than AirPods Pro, which is going to make them a tough sell for anyone who isn’t already all-in on Devialet audio kit.

It also makes them more expensive than my own current favorite and our current pick of thebest noise canceling earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort II. They’re currently £279 / $299 / AU$365.

As you can see from the above image, the new Gemini II earbuds are absolutely gorgeous – but unless they sound significantly better than the Bose, you’re paying an awful lot more money for that stylish exterior. And unless you have eyes inside your ear canals, how they sound is going to matter much more than how they look. I can’t wait to see what my colleagues make of them when they put them through their paces.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

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