Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsGood price, but somewhat frustrating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2020
Saying "you get what you pay for" in regards to these is both accurate, and a sign of the times. Five years ago, I paid about half as much for some wired earphones that were worse than the ones that had come with my phone. In comparison, given what you get, these are most definitely worth the price.
However, there are some things to be aware of.
Yes, again, for the price, they are rather quite good. They're (mostly) comfortable in the ear, the case is small, easily fitting into most pockets, and the sound quality is actually pretty decent. While I wouldn't want to rely on them for lengthy listening periods, they're good on the bus or the train, or on short-haul flights.
Thanks to their water-resistant rating, they're also good if you want to listen to something in the shower, or in a steamy bath. I'm not entirely comfortable with the shower option, even after doing it several times, but if you want to, you certainly can. I am told by my family that they appreciate the lack of music blasting out of my phone in such cases.
Unfortunately, they charge via the old micro-USB - a slight inconvenience if you're hoping to not carry a nest of wires with you. The lid, while held stable when closed by strong enough magnets, doesn't like staying open - there is no spring in the hinge, or a latch, or anything of the sort - making it not necessarily difficult, but certainly frustrating when taking them out or putting them back in.
The earbuds themselves charge automatically when put back into the case, though I've found that the connections can sometimes be a bit temperamental. The same can be said for the touch controls; they often mistake double-taps for single-taps, and accidental touches are common when adjusting them or taking them out or putting them in.
This part is just a slight niggle on my end, but aside from the standard Bluetooth voice, these earbuds have their own, and it will inform you which is primary/secondary, if you've skipped forward/backward a song, etc.. This isn't a bad idea, given that there's no tactile feedback for the touch controls, but the voice itself does get annoying quickly.
Firstly, it somehow manages to slur its words, seemingly being slowed down for no apparent reason. This, combined with the accent, is pretty unappealing.
Secondly, if you're trying to scrub through songs using the next/previous song controls on the earbuds, it will always - always - start the song, lower the volume of the song, and then say "forward/backward" with a heavy slur.
Again, that's probably something that only annoys me and a minority of other users, but it still factors heavily into my views on these earbuds.
Generally, I'd say that, for the price, the positives outweigh the negatives. Yes, the lack of USB-C, the temperamental case - hinge and connectors - and annoying built-in voice are, well, annoying, but you're getting quite a lot for the price. If you have a bit more money, maybe go for a slightly better alternative, but if you're interested in getting some water-resistant, fully wireless, inexpensive earbuds, these aren't a bad choice.