The AirFly Duo Bluetooth adaptor is a travel game-changer worth buying
· New York PostWhen an airline gives you anything for free, that’s usually good news. In-flight snacks, extra miles or a seat upgrade are all worth celebrating.
But one travel freebie that generally won’t get anyone excited is the offer of free headphones. (As with travel pillows, you’re better off bringing your own.)
Airplane headphones are cheap, breakable and never as comfortable as your own. And unless you’re wise enough to always travel with an aux cable, these dinky wired headphones are your only hope for being able to listen to your in-flight movie.
That is unless you own an AirFly. This brilliant device turns any old-fashioned audio port, including the headphone jacks on airplanes, into a Bluetooth receiver that you can pair your wireless headphones and earbuds to. It works with Apple AirPods, Beats, Bose and any other brand of earbuds or headphones, and is small enough to fit in any pocket or bag with all your other travel essentials.
AirFly makes three models but we tested their AirFly Duo. It offers more features than the less expensive AirFly SE, but at a lower price than the high-end AirFly Pro.
AirFly Duo
Use this compact gadget to instantly transform any audio source with an auxiliary port into a Bluetooth-enabled device. It connects to any brand of wireless headphones and is great to have when you’re traveling.
Pros:
- Long battery life (22 hours)
- Compatible with all wireless headphones
- Able to pair up to two sets of headphones simultaneously
Cons:
- The pairing procedure can be tricky
- The design creates strain on auxiliary cable during regular, intended use
What is the AirFly Duo?
The AirFly Duo is a battery-powered adapter that connects to a standard auxiliary port, allowing you to wirelessly connect your headphones to an audio source via Bluetooth. The audio source does not need to have its own Bluetooth capabilities, so you can use the AirFly with a commercial airline headrest TV, a smartphone or tablet, a portable video game console or anything you would want to listen to using your headphones.
The AirFly Duo has a battery life of 22 hours and can be recharged using a USB-C cable. It’s a little over 2 inches long, not including the short aux cable coming out of one end, and you can pair your headphones with it from up to 33 feet away.
What does the AirFly Duo do?
The AirFly Duo converts the auxiliary port on any audio source into a Bluetooth device that you can connect wireless headphones to. You can connect up to two different pairs of wireless headphones at once, which allows you and a friend to both listen to the same audio source using separate headphones. That makes this tool great for letting two people watch the same entertainment on one screen or play the same video game together on a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
Once the AirFly Duo is plugged into an audio source, just press either the single- or double-dot button on the AirFly to connect to one or two pairs of headphones.
Why we love the AirFly Duo
After testing the AirFly Duo on airplanes, we found it to offer some much-needed convenience while traveling. Whether you find yourself on a flight that doesn’t hand out headphones, or you don’t want to use the ones offered (according to a 2023 Reader’s Digest article, airlines may be able to reuse their headphones), having the AirFly Duo nearby lets you comfortably enjoy your in-flight entertainment.
The extended battery life is a big plus since it means you can take multiple flights before needing to recharge it. Plus, the fact that it charges via USB-C is helpful, as that type of port is becoming the current standard among electronics. While the small fabric carrying bag that comes with the device doesn’t offer a lot of protection, it does serve as a useful place to keep the AirFly together with the included charging cable.
How the AirFly Duo could be better
While the AirFly Duo doesn’t have any major flaws, the one thing to keep in mind when using it is to make sure you’re not using other audio sources nearby specifically when you’re connecting your headphones to the AirFly. If you’ve ever paired your wireless headphones with your cellphone, tablet or laptop, and you have any of those devices up and running, they will compete with the AirFly and may not allow you to connect to it.
This issue can be avoided by simply making sure your other audio sources are in standby mode, but it is something to get used to as you use the AirFly.
The other flaw is the AirFly’s pairing procedure. It works slightly differently depending on the kinds of headphones you’re pairing, so you’ll want to consult the user’s manual the first few times you use it (and maybe save the link for future reference). If you don’t follow the instructions very closely, it’s easy for the pairing to not work, but in our tests with a pair of Apple AirPods Pro, it worked fine. However, this is something to keep in mind if you’re getting this as a gift for someone who isn’t tech-savvy.
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