Buying TWS? This Seven-Point Checklist Will Help You Pick The Right One

Truly wireless earphones once were cocooned in the premium price band, but over the past couple of years, the technology has developed to allow these to enter the budget segment too.

Representational images of TWS sets | Photos: Amazon

By Akriti Rana and Nimish Dubey

In a tech world that is beginning to go more wireless with each passing day, it does not really come as a surprise that TWS, or True Wireless Stereos, have become a major hit in such a short period of time. Truly wireless earphones once were cocooned in the premium price band, but over the past couple of years, the technology has blossomed into a more affordable, accessible butterfly that is now flapping its wireless wings in the budget segment as well. 

New wireless tech paired with affordable prices is basically the elixir to becoming an overnight sensation and that is exactly what has happened with truly wireless earphones. They have easily become the most popular wearable accessory in tech town. All of this makes truly wireless earbuds THE tech product to invest in. 

But while purchasing TWS was a relatively simple task a few years ago with a limited number of options available, today it is much tougher, with a wide variety of brands offering a number of devices with different functions, forms and features. So, before you grab yourself a pair of these wireless wonders, here are a few points to keep in mind (we are keeping audio quality out of the equation as checking for it is duh-level obvious):

Check The Fit, For They Do Not Stay Put

As glamorous as the truly wireless avatar of good old earphones look, they actually do not stay in your ears as perfectly or stably as brands may have you believe. And this goes for all TWS unless they have one of those ear-hinges that go around your ears and clip on. With  all other truly wireless earbuds, no matter if they go deep into your ear canals or simply hang in,  intense (and sometimes not even so intense) movements with the buds in your ears will invite drops. We understand this is quite ironic considering how TWS are often projected as the perfect workout buddies but most of them will seldom stay put through an entire proper training session. You will be able to keep them in place while walking swiftly and running (most of the times) but if you think they would stay in place through a gym session or your aerobics lessons, you are in for a bitter surprise. If you intend to use them while moving around a fair bit, we would advise getting TWS that have additional ear clips in the box. Of course, if you are finicky about exact fits, also check to see if there are additional eartip options in the box. 

Check The Build, For They Break Easily  

Being wireless costs many TWS their well-being quite often. Because truly wireless earbuds are yet to attain immunity from gravity, the fact that they do not stay put in place means they fall off and falling often comes with its share of damage. We know wired or wireless earphones slip out of ears as well but those have wires to save them from falling on the ground. In the case of truly wireless earphones, once they slip out of your ears, unless you have ninja reflexes, it is quite unlikely that you will be able to keep them from hitting the ground and that is likely to do some damage, if not break them completely. And well, if they happen to fall in water, there could be damage of a different sort. So our advice is to check the build quality of the buds (most are of plastic, but then there is tough and not so tough plastic), and also make sure they come with some sort of dust and water resistance - take a good look at the IP ratings. And not just of the buds, but also the case they come in! And that takes us to the next point. 

Check The Case, For It Keeps The TWS Running

They might not get as tangled as their wired counterparts, but using truly wireless earbuds is not exactly quite as hassle-free either. Complicating the TWS life is the case they come in. This is because the case is pretty much key to your wireless earbuds existence. It is not just home to the earbuds but also where they go and get charged back up again for the next audio session. This makes carrying the case absolutely crucial at all times. You also have to be a little mindful while putting them back in the case, as they have to go in the right slots correctly otherwise they will not charge. Of course, you need to charge the case as well. So, do not just check the build and size of the buds, but also the case they come in. The buds themselves might be tiny, but they could still be a pain to carry around if the case they come in is bulky or heavy.  And you are going to have to carry that case with you whenever you want to carry your TWS.

Check The Battery Life, For TWS Do Not Go On And On 

Truly wireless earphones are convenient to carry around and look trendy too, but because they are so small, the batteries in them are small as well. That means, generally lower battery life as compared to conventional wireless headphones and earphones Most truly wireless earbuds can offer audio output of 4-5 hours in one go, while those with exceptional battery would probably deliver 5-8 hours of output on single charge but it rarely goes beyond that. That is nowhere near the twenty hours and above you get from conventional headphones. The case in which these buds are carried also charges them and generally offers anything from two to three recharges to (in some exceptional cases, pun intended), even seven to eight or more complete recharges, but you have to put the buds in the case to recharge them. Which means you cannot use them while charging them.  

So binge watching a longish season of your favourite show might be a problem if you are using truly wireless earbuds. Which is why we would suggest taking a very careful look at the battery life of the TWS you intend to invest in. Also make it a point to find out the battery life of both the case as well as the buds — some brands tend to mix them to cut an impressive figure. "25 hours battery life" might actually be five hours on the buds, and close to 20 from the case! It also makes sense to find out how one can check battery life — most TWS and their cases do not have clear battery indicator lights on them.

Check The Interface, For Using Them Can Be… Complicated

Wired earphones are quite simple. You just have to plug them in and hit play and this process is universal for all wired earphones. Even using Bluetooth headphones are generally a matter of just pairing them with a device and then using buttons on the headphones or on a panel.. The story is not quite as simple when it comes to truly wireless earbuds. You have to make sure your Bluetooth is turned on and your device is discoverable, press buttons for different time periods on different earbuds or cases to pair them with your device.  The complications do not end at the pairing process. While truly wireless earphones offer freedom from wires, they cage you in with very tiny button controls that can be an absolute pain to use. As TWS are generally quite small  in form factor and control buttons on them are usually just as small, making it abundantly difficult to use and operate them. Some TWS try to do away with buttons and go with touch-based gestures, but even those are not very effective. When you opt for a TWS, you enter a world with multiple commands where double taps, single taps, long press, and swipes all have different functions. The TWS life can be complicated, one in which messing up a command is a pretty standard occurrence. So make it a point to check how the TWS work and different controls before you opt for one yourself. It could be the difference between using the TWS and hurling them away in irritation!

Check For Replacements And Finding Services, For TWS Are Easy To Lose, Hard To Replace

It is relatively hard to lose proper headphones as they tend to be large objects. Even conventional bluetooth earphones come with a wire connecting the two buds, so it is impossible to lose one of earbuds and a little harder to lose the earphones altogether as they generally have more body to them. The same cannot be said about TWS. Doing away with the wire from the equation means you just have the earbuds by themselves and individual earbuds are hands down more easy to lose than those wired together. A sub-problem of this main problem is that some TWS become useless if you lose one of them, where one of the earbuds does all the pairing and connectivity work while the other one just simply follows. Losing one of the earbuds in such a situation makes the other useless. Also, thanks to their being so small, repairability is often difficult. So when you are investing in TWS, do find out more about the availability of service and support. Also check if the TWS themselves come with the facility of being found — in many models, you can make them emit a beep or vibrate  by sending an instruction from the phone or notebook they are connected to. 

Check Other Features Too, For You Might Not Really Need All Of Them  

While you get a pair of headphones just to hear sound and in some cases, make the odd call too, TWS are often more than just about audio, spoken or heard. As you go up the price ladder, features on TWS increase. You get ANC (for minimising external noise), ENC (for minimising external noise during calls), special audio effects, support for virtual assistants, complex apps and even heart rate tracking in some cases. While they might sound very impressive, the complex UI of TWS (as we have explained earlier) makes using them effectively a difficult process. What's more, in some cases, you might not even need the feature - ANC and ENC do not seem to make much of a difference on lower priced TWS, and heart rate tracking can be very erratic. Similarly, apps for the TWS might not work properly with your device, and shouting "OK Google" at your TWS in public might make people certify you as a lunatic. To make matters worse, many additional features take a little bit out of the already limited battery life of your TWS. So while it is cool to have TWS that have as many features as a smartphone, we would advise you to go through that feature sheet and ask yourself "do I really need this?" before you sink your funds in a TWS.