14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless headphones have been around for a while, but as it typically happens every time Apple reinvents the wheel, everyone seems to be using them these days after the debut of the AirPods.
The world has received the AirPods with mixed reactions, but again, this is something that happens every single time Apple comes up with something that looks or feels unusual.
The design of the AirPods has been widely criticized by many, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they didn’t sell well. In fact, the AirPods have become so successful that this product category now includes similar designs from a wide variety of companies, including here rival Samsung.
But when it comes to wireless earbuds, the market is actually full of interesting products that don’t necessarily cost as much as the AirPods, despite coming with the same feature lineup.
In fact, we’re actually more or less used to Apple’s products being overpriced, so it’s not necessarily surprising that other companies offer the same features much cheaper.
Mobvoi, the company that builds the TicWatch, has its very own contender in this somehow refreshed market, but this time, you’re offered a product that promises an improved design, even more features, and support for both Android and iOS. All at a lower price, that is.
Don’t be fooled by the name of the TicPods Free. They do not come free of charge. The earbuds are available for $79.99 at the time of writing this article, which let’s be honest, is quite a bargain when compared to the AirPods. They are available in three colors, namely Lava (red), Navy (dark blue), and Ice (white). We’re reviewing the Lava model.
The design of the TicPods isn’t necessarily surprising, because as said earlier, they look a lot like the AirPods. In fact, let’s not hide the fact that they are clones of the AirPods, but this isn’t a bad thing, especially if the product further polishes the design and adds new features that the original model lacks.
And this is exactly what the TicPods does.
While I’m not a big fan of wireless headphones anyway, I do use them when working out (this involves running and cycling), which kind of happens on rare occasions. Leaving my lazy attitude aside, my biggest problem with the AirPods was the fact that they sometimes feel loose in my ears, which at some level is worrying, to say the least, especially when running. Given how much they cost, nobody wants to lose them, right?
Mobvoi has resolved this problem with the TicPods Free, as they stay in place firmly no matter what you do. This is clearly a good thing, as you can go run without being worried that one of the earbuds would fall off.
TicPods come in a one-size-fits-all design, and the box also includes extra rubber earbuds tips for more size options. However, I can’t help but wonder what happens in the case of people with smaller ears. While they do feel comfortable in my ears, this may not be the case if a kid wears them, so not having multiple sizes might after all prove to be a drawback.
One thing that is worth mentioning is that depending on the color that you choose, the stems might be more or less flashy and eye-catching. The stems include all the internals that power the magic, such as the battery and the touch-interaction modules, and each comes with different roles. The right earbud is the only one that includes a microphone, which is being used for phone calls and interacting with the digital assistants.
First and foremost, the right and the left earbuds come with support for different gestures.
A 2-second long press on the right earbud, for example, lets you trigger the voice assistant. A similar gesture on the left earbud pauses ore replays a song. Sliding up and down lets you increase and decrease the volume when listening to music, while a double-tap skips to the next song.
When it comes to calls, there are several gestures supported here too. A double-tap on either earbud answers and ends the call, while to reject an incoming call you need to do a 2-second long press.
The touch features, which Mobvoi calls “Tickle,” are pretty straightforward, and I discovered most of them without even reading the manual. But to make the most of the TicPods, I do recommend checking out the papers that come in the box.
The sound quality of the TicPods is generally good, and I’d say that most of the time it is on par with Apple’s AirPods. Thanks to the fact that they stay firmly inside your ears, the bass sounds great, especially if you’re playing high-quality audio.
However, the TicPods aren’t very loud, and as a person who listens to music more than it’s recommended every day, I think this is quite a drawback. Of course I’m aware of the risk of listening to music at higher volume, but Tomorrowland has just ended and there’s just one way my brain can understand how it feels being there (without actually being there, that is).
When it comes to features, I find the TicPods pretty impressive. And it all starts with the in-ear detection. For example, if you want to pause the music, it’s enough to just remove the right earbud. Plugging it back in resumes the music.
There’s one thing that needs to be mentioned here and which TicPods owners must be aware of: the right earbud can work without the left one, but the left one can’t work without the right one. And it’s because the right earbud holds the microphone, which is required for features like phone calls and interacting with the digital assistant.
The way it works is pretty simple: when a phone call comes in, the audio is routed from the mobile phone to the right earbud, and from the right earbud to the left one. Using the left earbud without the right one would thus be impossible, but on the other hand, if the left earbud is removed, you still get to use the TicPods because the sound is available anyway.
TicPods Free also come with noise canceling, and I found it pretty effective. However, insulation helps a lot, and it’s all because of the one-size-fits-all thing that I mentioned earlier. Because the earbuds stay firmly in your ear, the outside noise is reduced as well, and this combination of design and features helps improve the audio quality overall.
Another neat feature is the charging case. TicPods come with small batteries that Mobvoi say can last for 4 hours per charge, but also with a charging case that can increase this time to 18 hours. The charging case uses a microUSB port to recharge and is the only way to recharge the earbuds, as you can’t plug them in.
While I couldn’t reach the claimed 4 hours per charge battery life, I got pretty close, and I think I would have gotten even closer with music playing at a lower volume. On the other hand, the charging case is an added bonus, as you can always be sure you can recharge your earbuds no matter where you are.
One of the best things about the TicPods is that these earbuds work with any digital assistant, depending on the platform powering your phone. For example, if you use them with an iPhone, TicPods support Siri as well, while on Android, Google Assistant is its best friend. It really doesn’t matter because TicPods work with the majority of assistants, and I can’t stress enough how important this is when comparing them with Apple’s AirPods (which are limited to Siri, of course).
When it comes to things that need to be improved, I think that the Bluetooth 4.2 support is a drawback, albeit not a significant one. Most likely, the next-generation TicPods will come with Bluetooth 5.0 out of the box.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you’re in the market for wireless earbuds, you must check out Mobvoi’s TicPods Free.
As I said earlier, this is without a doubt an AirPods clone, but the build quality and the feature lineup is impressive, to say the least.
Noise canceling, in-ear detection, support for both Android and iOS, gesture support, a charging case, compatibility with most digital assistants, and a premium build. These are the things the best define the TicPods Free and which place it at the top of the wireless earbuds market category.
Truth be told, it’s hard to imagine that you get so much at just $79.99, especially when looking at the price of… ahem… other earbuds.
At the end of the day, TicPods Free provide excellent value for the money, and with more aggressive marketing, they can easily become a truly powerful alternative to Apple’s AirPods.
