For a price of under Rs 5,000, the TWS market these days is generally split between Realme’s Buds Air (review), OnePlus’ Buds, OPPO Enco W11, or Xiaomi’s Redmi Earbuds S. Apart from these four heavyweights, companies like Noise or Boat also have several compelling products. Recently we got our hands on Wings Techno TWS earbuds that retail for Rs 3,999. How good are these new earbuds and do they warrant a switch? Read on to find out in this review.
The lowdown
The all-black design of the Wings Techno are really to my taste. This includes the outside of the case, inside and the earbuds, all of whom share the exact shade of matte black. This gives a sense of uniformity in design, much like the Apple AirPods. The plastic used on the case and earbuds doesn’t feel cheap and the former actually is quite light and pocketable. However, the case can get scratched very easily which is a bummer. The shape is a square-ish form factor with the edges rounded off and there are no physical buttons anywhere, just a micro-USB slot for charging and LED lights indicating the battery level. The hinge on the case can be opened easily using your thumb and also snaps the lid shut with a satisfying click. I’m more bummed about the lack of Type-C port on the case since it is a standard that we have pretty much shifted to and it is a rarity to find a micro-USB port.
Inside the case, you will find the earbuds stacked vertically like the AirPods. The stem of each earbud is about as long as what you would see on the AirPods as well or any other knockoff. This does improve the microphone quality more than if you just had a normal earbud like the Galaxy Buds. The position of the earbuds is not interchangeable inside the case so it makes it difficult at night to put the buds back in. Once in, the buds lock into position with a magnetic click and are easy to pull out for use. While wearing them the buds hook securely and the in-ear design creates a decent seal with your ear canal. However, the Wings Techno can hurt your ear cavity when placed there for a prolonged period although unlike half in-ear designs, the earbuds will stay securely on even if you are out running or exercising.
There are no physical buttons on the Wings Techno and all the on-ear functionalities are fulfilled via a touch-sensitive, circular panel on each earbud. The textured finish on the sensor makes it easy to distinguish from the other part of the earbud. However, the touch response is a hit or miss, for the most part. Basically, you can tap to pause/play music, a long press on the right and left will increase and decrease the volume respectively and a double-tap on either will skip or play the previous song. Even so, the earbuds can sometimes confuse a single tap with a long press and vice-versa. Other times the earbuds have some difficulty in registering a touch at all. When I’m sleeping on my side with the earbuds on, accidental touches get registered. On the plus side though, the earbuds are IPX5 certified for water resistance so you can take them out for a jog in the rain or through a sweaty workout.
As for musical prowess, the Wings Techno use reasonably big (for TWS earbuds) 5.8mm graphene drivers. I expected the earbuds to touch more on bass rather than vocals but I was surprised to find a balanced signature with an equal dose of both. The mids and highs on Aerosmith’s Dream On along with the scintillating instrumental at the end were clear as day. Instrument separation is not something so pronounced on sub-Rs 5,000 earbuds, or at least on those which I have tested, but the Wings manage it quite exquisitely. Bass-heavy songs, particularly of the Hip-hop genre, are not the greatest but again the crispness in the vocals make up for it. This holds true for Bollywood tracks as well and I was immersed in the voice of Ankit Tiwari. Overall, a pretty nice listening experience for entry-level TWS earbuds. The microphone quality was good and it helps that the stem extends downwards to capture sound more clearly. Even so, the earbuds do not mute out ambient noise which makes my voice heard for the receiver to hear when I’m in a noisy environment.
Battery-life on the Techno Wings is extremely reliable with the case providing up to 24 hours of music playback while each earbud can run for a maximum of 6 hours. Usually, TWS earbuds along with the case aim to last for about a week on normal usage and the Wings Techno is no different. During my regular use, which involved about 2-3 hours of listening each day, the device managed to pull past the week and spilled into the next week before I was forced to charge it again. However, putting micro-USB for charging instead of the trusty, more reliable and widely accepted Type-C, did feel a bit disappointing.
Verdict
It would have been easy to recommend the Wings Techno simply based on the melodious sound signature, not overly relying on bass, and superb battery life. However, things such as a micro-USB port and iffy touch controls weigh it down. While you are not going to get significantly better TWS earbuds at its price, the Wings Techno does provide a decent seal in your ear for a better experience. If you are looking for more features but can sacrifice on a bit of sound quality, the Realme Buds Air should make for a great choice.
Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros:
- Very pocketable
- Great battery life
- Good sound signature
- IPX5 water resistance
Cons:
- Iffy touch controls
- Micro-USB port
- Could cause some discomfort after prolonged usage
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