From Samsung to Jabra: A selection of TWS earphones for calls and music

Here is a selection of some of the finest earplugs in the market and what they offer for the price

Samsung Galaxy Buds+

• Price: Rs 11,990
• Pros: Call and music quality, feature-rich app support, battery
• Cons: Weak ingress protection, noise cancellation

The Galaxy Buds Plus is a pair of true wireless stereo earphones from South Korean electronics maker Samsung. A successor to the Galaxy Buds, the Plus edition gets new touchpad functions, better audio drivers, additional microphone and enhanced on-battery time. The earbuds support Microsoft Swift Pair feature, which makes it effortless to pair the earbuds with Bluetooth-enabled Windows 10 running notebooks. Additionally, the earbuds get Spotify integration and a simple tap and hold gesture on the left earbuds’ touch pad enables the music-streaming service on the phone to play music. The earbuds have also got an enhanced ambient mode, which lets you stay aware of the surrounding noise — only if you want to. It sounds better, thanks to the dual-driver set-up with dedicated tweeter for highs and woofer for low bandwidth frequencies. The earbuds are tuned for a balanced output, and there are several pre-set equalisers and a provision to set custom equaliser available in the Galaxy Wearables app to change the output. The Galaxy Buds+ works equally well for voice call, thanks to the new three-microphone set-up (two outside and one inside) that recognises voice clearly even in noisy environments. Rounding off the exceptional performance, there is an impressive on-battery time of more than nine hours, and an extra 10-hour battery in the case.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

• Price: Rs 24,990
• Pros: Build quality, active noise cancellation, Comfortable fit
• Cons: Price, no wireless charging, touch controls

Successor to the Momentum True Wireless, these second-generation true wireless stereo earphones from Sennheiser adds active noise cancellation on top of other capable features of the predecessor. Though similar to the first-generation earphones, they boast slightly smaller footprint, improved on-battery time, and an unmatched sound quality in its segment. Moreover, they have soft silicone ear tips, which latch in to ears comfortably and do not let the earbuds come out accidentally. As for the sound quality, these earbuds are tuned for neutral output, which works across genres and needs no tweaking. Overall, the earphones’ output is rich, balanced, and pleasant. Simply put, they are one of the most versatile earbuds. Coming on to the earphones’ ANC capability, it is impressive and exceeds expectations as it blocks the ambient noise and delivers undistracted experience. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 are capable true wireless stereo earphones that do not compromise on parameters like connectivity, design, and performance that define premium wireless earphones. Moreover, the earphones’ sound quality is impressive. The earphones are expensive, but they offer an all-round package, which justifies premium pricing.

Jabra Elite Active 75T

• Price: Rs 16,999
• Pros: Build quality, IP57 rating, Music and call quality
• Cons: Design, Lack of touch controls, No active noise cancellation

Based on the Elite 75T, the Active variant adds rubberised coating and IP57 rating on top of other features that you get with the non-Active variant. The rubberised texture on the earphones and case has a good grip that improves handling and adds a layer of protection. The IP57 rating makes the earphones resilient to water spillage and dust. Both these add-ons justify the Active moniker of the Jabra Elite Active 75T. As for the performance, the Jabra Elite Active 7T are the go-to earbuds for audio enthusiasts that do not want to compromise on call quality either. With regard to audio quality, these true wireless stereo earbuds offer smooth bass, balanced vocals and neutral treble. The earbuds’ get loud at peak volume levels but do not sound shrill. They support commonly used advance audio codec (AAC) and sub-band codec. Complementing the earbuds is the Jabra Sound+ smartphone app, which is loaded with value-added feature that help in custom tuning the earbuds’ output. While most things seem in place, the earbuds lack touch controls and active noise cancellation (ANC). The Elite Active 75T has a decent on-battery time of 7.5 hours on a single charge, and gets additional 28 hours of charge from its case.

OPPO Enco W31

• Price: Rs 3,999
• Pros: Design, Build, Comfort
• Cons: Noise isolation, Volume, Touch controls

The OPPO Enco W31 is a pair of true wireless stereo earphones that Chinese smartphone maker OPPO launched recently as part of its bid to enter product categories other than smartphones. These earphones boast an in-ear design, something most of its peers in the segment lack, and an ingress protection rating (IP54) for water and dust resistance. Though budget earphones, the Enco W31 boasts a design better than your regular ‘budget’ product. The earphones’ in-ear design provides a secure and snug fit, and they do not come off on their own. The silicone ear tips are soft and do not go deep inside the ear cavity. While this affects the earphone’ noise isolation capability, it also makes them easy on ears; you can use them for extended hours without any discomfort. The earphones’ audio output is not the best; they might sound muted even at max volume levels. However, the overall output quality is balanced and they manage to deliver distinct low, mid and high frequencies. For calls, it is mixed bag of hits and misses. The earphones support touch controls but some of the most basic controls are missing — play/pause audio track and volume controls, for example. Moreover, the lack of app support restricts the earphones’ utility; you need to make do with whatever features and functions you get out of the box.