Wednesday, Mar 31 2021 12:25PM

The Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds (“True Wireless Stereo”) are a good choice if you are after budget earbuds – just so long as long battery life and clear audio, with a focus on voice, is your priority. Audio quality is crisp and remains undistorted near-maximum volume, but the Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds prioritise treble over base.

Opening the box, you will find two earbuds housed in a compact magnetic charge case, along with two additional pairs of ear tips (larger and smaller so you can find your best fit), and a short USB Type-C cable for the charging case. Setup is dead simple: remove the earbuds from the case, press and hold either the left or right earbud button for a few seconds to enter sync mode, and connect to a Bluetooth device of your choice. You can desync the left and right earbuds if you need to, but they can be resynced when stored in the carry case.

The advertised features include:

Up to 12-hours continuous playback per charge
Up to 42 hours of playback when paired with the charging carry case
High-quality PU + titanium diaphragm
cVc 8.0 noise cancellation for crystal clear calling
Bluetooth v5.0 aptX for a strong connection with lower latency
Up to 10m (30ft) connection distance (with walls)
Low profile, ergonomic in-ear design with touch controls
IPX5 splash and sweatproof

The Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds stylishly packed. I was provided with the white version for review but they come in a range of colours.

First impressions of the Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds are mixed. The case and hinge feel sturdy enough, with the earbuds locking magnetically into place with no resistance, but they’re made of hard plastic that feels brittle and unlikely to survive a heavy impact. The earbuds themselves are large and, as a consequence, fitting them comfortably – making sure to leave the touch-sensitive buttons unimpeded – required several readjustments. They’re not discrete if that’s what you’re after and, despite being advertised as “splash and sweatproof”, their size also makes them prone to shifting position during vigorous movement (think running or ballistic exercises).

On the upside, the Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds are easy to pair, with the touch controls split across both earbuds, making them intuitive to use once you’ve memorised some basic shortcuts. You can tap the left to pause, the right to resume; you can press and hold the left to lower volume, the right to increase it; you can double-tap the left to skip back, the right to skip forward etc. The audio quality is good, with minimal scratchy distortion as you approach maximum volume. I found 80% of the maximum volume was my cut-off point; still more than loud enough for listening in the car, walking through public spaces, or jogging in blustery conditions.

The Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds fit snuggly in the carry case and quickly charge to full in under an hour.

The noise-cancelling mic picked up my voice clearly, even when making calls or recording on the move (admittedly, this is rarely an issue for me, so your mileage may vary). The Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds seem optimal for mid to high-range frequencies, so voice comes across particularly clear, making them ideal for hand-free calling, podcasts, and YouTube/Twitch vlog-style content.

Unfortunately, they do not reproduce low frequencies as well. This is a common problem with the tiny diaphragms found in most earbuds but feels particularly noticeable in contrast to how the Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds handle mid- to high-frequencies. If you are looking for a set of earbuds that’ll provide the bass you need for a thumping exercise rhythm or earbuds that’ll reproduce the pounding combat sounds in a mobile game, you’re likely to be underwhelmed.

The Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds are fairly large, making it a hassle to get a good fit and making them prone to shifting during heavy movement. The touch controls are at least easy to find and operate on the move.

A few other issues I noticed included: a short delay between tapping the touch control and the response (presumably to account for double-tap inputs), and a split-second drop of sound to one (or both) earbuds when manually locking my phone or during sudden movements while exercising (think stumbling while jogging). Thankfully, the control lag you can quickly adapt to, and the audio drops are rare enough and not uncommon with Bluetooth devices.

As someone who is currently trying to juggle parenting, part-time studies, an erratic exercise routine, gaming, and hobbyist writing, I’m getting a lot of value out of the Edifier TWS1 Pro earbuds. They may not be perfect for all tasks, but the simple controls, exceptional battery life, the ability to recharge them in under an hour in the carry case, and excellent audio when making calls and listening to podcasts have made them invaluable at times.

If, on the other hand, you’re primarily after a set of earbuds for music and gaming, you may want to instead look for a good, wired pair or more expensive wireless set with larger drivers and better low-frequency reproduction.

-06:16