AirFly Pro from TwelveSouth
CopyrightBro has recently partnered with TwelveSouth, a company committed to making the finest accessories available for Apple products, to bring our readers reviews of some of their latest products.
The first product we reviewed was the AirFly Pro, which is a nifty little bluetooth dongle that provides bluetooth input and output functions for devices that otherwise rely on wires. An example of a use case where it would serve as a transmitter for output would be if you have wireless headphones that you want to use with a source that doesn’t support bluetooth output, like machines at the gym or the seatback screens on airplanes. An example of a good use for input is if your car has an AUX port but doesn’t connect to your phone via bluetooth, the AirFly Pro is the missing link that can give you a wireless audio setup.
I was able to test the output functionality at the gym so that I could hear the TVs on my AirPods, and everything went off without a hitch. However, unless you really like listening to whatever is playing on the TV at the gym or you’re a frequent flier who loves their airline’s in-flight infotainment systems, most people are probably just going to connect to their own devices anyway. Despite being marketed more for this use case, I found the input use to be far more handy.
My car has an AUX port but no bluetooth support, so the AirFly Pro has been able to save me from the messy situation I had before, where I was having to use an AUX cord and Apple’s lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter. Now, I have the AirFly Pro connected to my AUX port and also plugged into the charger (it is battery powered, so you have to either take it inside to charge it every couple days, or just leave it connected to power in the car). The actual pairing process is easy: you just press the big button on the dongle for a second or two each time you get in the car, and it connects with no hiccups.
While it works well for input and output, I can’t help but imagine most people are going to use it for input. At $55, it’s not cheap, and there are certainly other options out there that don’t cost as much. However, the one-button simplicity of the AirFly Pro is very convenient, and it’s ability to work for a variety of use cases put it a step ahead of its competition. If you’re only looking for an input solution, you may find something better, but if you care about convenience and versatility, the AirFly Pro is a great option.