The earphones are considerably less stylish than they claim to be, but they deliver in terms of performance.
1More’s first truly wireless headset is affordable, yet capable
Chinese audio manufacturer 1More sits in a unique space in the headphone industry, offering premium, high-performance products that are neither too cheap nor too expensive. We've reviewed quite a few 1More products over the years, including the entry-level 1More Piston Fit and mid-tier 1More Stylish Dual Dynamic Driver Bluetooth Earphones, both of which are among our top picks in their respective price segments. The company has now joined a growing list of audio manufacturers to get on board the truly wireless bandwagon.
The 1More Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones are, on paper, an impressive proposition. Priced at Rs. 6,999, this truly wireless headset from 1More is the most affordable option we know of that support both the aptX and AAC Bluetooth codecs. There's a lot more to this pair of earphones, and we've put it through the paces in our review.
While most audio brands go with creative or letter-and-number based model names, 1More's naming convention is considerably more Google and Amazon search-friendly. The name in this case is essentially a perfect description of what the product is, with the word ‘stylish' slipped in for effect. While the 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones don't look bad at all, they are, in our opinion, considerably less stylish than they claim to be.
There's no fancy design here, but the earpieces are compact and light, and perfectly adhere to the minimalist aesthetic. The outer part of each earphone has an indicator light and a physical button for controls. Included in the sales package are three pairs of ear tips, three pairs of ear wings, a small plastic carry pouch, and a Micro-USB charging cable. We quite liked the fit and comfort of the 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones, and they stayed in place securely even with a lot of movement.
The button on each earbud can be used to answer or reject calls, summon the voice assistant on your paired smartphone, and control music playback. Volume cannot be adjusted on the 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones themselves, and will need to be controlled from the source device.
Powering the earphones are 7mm dynamic drivers, with connectivity through Bluetooth 5. The 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones support the SBC, AAC, and aptX Bluetooth codecs, which is a rarity in the truly wireless segment, especially at this price. Either earbud can be used individually while the other is placed in the charging case. When used together, the earbud that connects first serves as the master unit that connects with the source device, with the second one connecting to the first.
The charging case of the 1More Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones looks somewhat like a pebble, with a logo at the top and a button that opens the lid on the front. The back of the device has a Micro-USB port for charging. The case charged fully in around 90 minutes when connected to a laptop's USB port during our review period.
The earpieces automatically power on when removed from the case, and they turn themselves off and begin charging when placed in it, staying in place magnetically. We were able to get around 5 hours, 30 minutes of battery life per full charge of the earphones on average, and the charging case was able to refill the batteries on the earphones close to thrice over, for a total battery life of around 22 hours per charge cycle.
The 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones aren't among the most affordable at Rs. 6,999, but aren't as expensive as options from Nokia and Samsung, not to mention the likes of Apple and Sennheiser. However, we felt that these earphones definitely punched above their weight, taking advantage of the aptX and AAC codecs to offer excellent sound quality for their price on both Android and iOS devices.
We tested the earphones with a OnePlus 7 Pro (Review) and an Apple iPad mini (2019), using Spotify, YouTube Music, and our collection of high-resolution audio tracks for this review.
Connecting to the Android smartphone automatically activated the aptX codec on the 1More earphones, and we quite liked the clean sound and level of detail with this codec in use. Listening to funk classic Let's Groove by Earth, Wind and Fire, we were treated to a wide soundstage, distinct directional sense, and excellent interplay between the two stereo audio channels. The earphones were able to keep up with fast-paced tracks with ease, never losing out on detail.
What we liked the most were the percussion hits, which felt incredibly realistic and present. Some of the auto-tuned vocals also had a strong reverb which gave the sound a natural feel. This was the case both on the Android phone as well as when using the iPad as a source device with the AAC codec in use. However, we felt that sound was slightly sharper and more defined when using the Android phone.
What the percussive notes also demonstrated was the strong low-end frequency response of the 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones. When we first unboxed and used these earphones, we felt that the bass was a bit too aggressive and overpowering. Our impression of the low-end improved over time as the drivers burned in, and we had a chance to appreciate the tightness and natural-sounding attack in the bass.
Moving on to Not The News by Thom Yorke, the powerful bass was once again on show with a strong reverberating low-end. It never overpowered the mid-range and highs, which sounded distinct and audible. However, the lows do sound somewhat louder, and vocals might be a bit harder to pay attention to at low volumes as a result. The bias isn't particularly distracting, and is only truly noticeable when vocals are the essence of a track.
The 1More Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones are also said to offer environmental noise cancellation (ENC) for voice calls. We didn't have any complaints with voice quality on both ends of calls.
Truly wireless earphones are constantly improving, but manufacturers in the segment have largely ignored the importance of proper codec support. While 1More Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones aren't the first with aptX codec support that we've tested (that would be the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless), they are much more affordable. This is a huge contributing factor to sound quality, and we quite like what's on offer here.
The earphones aren't the best-looking for the price, and Micro-USB for charging is something that now annoys us. Those points aside, there's a lot to like in the 1More Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones, including their natural sound, attacking bass, and decent battery life. At this price, there's really nothing else worth considering in the truly wireless space.
Price: Rs. 6,999
Pros
Cons
Ratings (out of 5)
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