SAMSUNG Gear IconX Cord Free Fitness Earbuds (SM-R140NZKAXAR) Black (Renewed)

I purchased the Gear IconX earbuds after trying 3 other brands in the $30-$50 range. All the cheap earbuds were plagued with issues such as inability to pair between earbuds, lack of volume control on the earbuds, poor reliability, and uncomfortable fit. All those issues motivated me to consider a more reputable brand and product, which guided me toward the Samsung Gear IconX. Because I wanted to limit my budget to under $100, I considered the renewed (i.e., certified refurbished) option, which brought the cost down to below $80. Here is a summary of my first impressions after experiencing the product for two days.1- Is the renewed option worth it? Most negative reviews of this product mention the poor quality of the renewed earbuds (e.g., worn cosmetic look, missing parts...). I believe that those issues are vendor-specific. I purchased my earbuds from Mastertronics (98% positive rating) and I can only praise the quality and look of the earbuds I received. The earbuds came in their original box, looked absolutely brand new, and came with all accessories sealed in their factory box. There is literally zero difference between the product I received and the brand new product, besides the fact obviously that the box had already been open. So my advice is to make sure you pick a reputable vendor if you decide to go with the renewed option.2- First setup. After unpacking the earbuds, I connected the case to the USB C charging cable (provided). It took about two hours to charge both the case and the earbuds. Reaching full charge was indicated by a green light at the back of the charging case and by two green lights in the front for both earbuds. The charging time is consistent with what is reported by Samsung on the product webpage, which makes me believe that the battery on those renewed earbuds operates as new. Once charged, I installed the Galaxy Wear app on my Android phone and started the pairing process, which took about 15 seconds. Following this step, the app detected the firmware of the earbuds and updated it to the latest version in about 1 minute. At the end of this initial setup, the earbuds were paired to each other and to the phone. No glitch. A nice change as compared to the flimsy and unreliable process that I had experienced with cheaper earbuds.3- Fit and comfort. Following the initial setup, I tried to put the earbuds in my ears. The earbuds come with 3 sizes of earpads and earfins (S, M, L), which provides many options for a perfect fit. What worked for me was to use the medium earpads in combination with the small earfins. The fit is comfortable, does not hurt the ears and the earbuds seem to be well locked in place, allowing for use during exercise and running, which will be be my primary use. Again, a nice change as compared to most cheaper earbuds I had tried, which did not fit nicely in my ear due to the limited sizes of earpads and earfins typically provided with those products.4- Sound quality. I tried playing different styles of music and the sound quality was much better than any other earbuds I tried in the past. One thing that I really like is the ability to use different equalizer presets from the Wear app. The bass are powerful without being overwhelming. Voices are crystal clear, which is a plus for my typical use (podcasts and radio). I am sure that some more recent and more expensive earbuds can provide a sound that is even better, but in the sub $100 range, I really don't think I could find something any better. Very pleased with the sound quality.5- Other features. I have not really tried any of the other features that the earbuds pack. For example, I already track my exercise using my Fitbit, so I have no need to use the tracking functions of the earbuds, but it is a great thing to have if you don't already have a fitness tracker. Another really nice feature is the ability to store music directly in the earbuds (up to 4 GB I think), which allows for leaving the phone behind during exercise.Concluding remarks: If you're on the market for a pair of wireless earbuds but your budget is limited, I would strongly consider the renewed Samsung Gear IconX. Do not waste your time with cheaper options. Provided that you choose a reputable vendor, you will receive a product that is essentially brand new. The Samsung brand also provides peace of mind for product support, software features, and updates, which you would not have with no-name brands. The sound quality is really good and there are tons of options to help you find the best fit for your ear. I'm very happy with my purchase and I should not have wasted my time with cheaper options.

I have been using the same pair of 2018 IconX buds since 2018. They're still going strong, but I've beaten them up pretty good and thought I would grab another pair while they're still available. So far I have received 2 of these "renewed" sets, and had to return both because the right earbud was defective. Both sets paired easily with both my Android and Apple devices, no complaints there. But in the first pair there was no sound at all from the right bud, in the second there was just a whisper. I am going to spin the wheel again, but this time with a different merchant, because product itself is SO amazingly good when not defective. The battery life is excellent, the connectivity is rock solid, the sound quality is still great after 5 years. Best of all, the buds come with a "fit kit" that allows you to tailor them individually to stay in your ears, no matter what you are doing, and that is something that I have not found in any other product. I have been snowboarding, skiing, jet skiing, running, mountain biking, hiking, you name it, with these buds, and they just stay in, period. I can highly recommend them for active ears.

Best earbuds I have ever purchased. I have had mine for almost a year now, and I use them every day. But like most things there are some bad to go along with the good.The good:sound qualityEase of useCompatibility with my S93 gig on board music storageComfortableThe ambient sound modeBattery lifeThe bad:You must clean them regularly. I use mine daily, and I have to clean them with the little, included, brush. It's easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes to do. If not you loose sound quality and volume.Ambient sound shuts off when the sun hits my ears a certian way. Weird and inconvenient.Not very water resistant.They overheat if the sun stays on them too long. On super hot days, I sometimes have to take them out for a couple of minutes till they cool down.They are awesome, and I am very happy with them. It took me a while to figure out that they need to be cleaned regularly. I was really upset about the sound diminishing, untill I figured that part out.I hope this helps.

I owned a pair of the 1st generation iconx buds back in 2016 and loved them. I ended up giving them to my niece and was planning on buying me another pair but then I read that the Galaxy Buds don't have the 4GB internal memory and that just blew it for me because that was one of my favorite features. So I've been kind of keeping my eyes on the Iconx 2018's for a while and it seems to be a good decision.These, as compared to my original pair, have better and more features and more importantly, 4 gb of internal storage for listening to my music without having to be connected to anything.I was a little reluctant to get refurbished but now I'm really happy I did. The packaging was great, like new, everything inside was absolutely in mint condition with no signs of having ever been used. After charging them I used them for the rest of the day and night so I could guage the battery life for the ear buds and the case and so far everything seems to work as it should. I wish the battery life was a little better but I new what to expect having owned the 1st gen but the 2018 model batteries are actually improved over the 1st gen. The only complaint I have is that they didn't come with the extra pair of ear tips or the wings. The tips are not really important as I have a lot of them from years of buying ear buds but I could've used the wings.Again, not a deal breaker because the price was such a bargain.I have read some less that positive reviews about the condition in which they were received but based on my purchase I highly recommend them. It seems that it's kind of hit or miss whether you get some junk or a great pair and it's totally worth it considering you can return them if there is a problem.