Battery life is still an issue with wireless headphones and the SoundSport Wireless is no different.
The jury is still out on whether wireless headphones are better than wired ones, but there is clearly a growing realisation that the former is good enough for users to embrace them without much thought. We recently tried the latest Bose SoundSport Wireless and found the audio quality pretty good with a design, which despite being on the chunky side, didn’t make the earphones fall out of ears. However, battery life is still an issue with wireless headphones and the SoundSport Wireless is no different.
Here’s our review of Bose SoundSport Wireless in-ear headphones.
Bose SoundSport Wireless review: Build and Design
It won’t take too much time to figure out that the SoundSport Wireless headphones are huge and chunky. That’s because the large casing houses the battery, Bluetooth radios and audio drivers.
As far as the build is concerned, these are made of a hard plastic, which is evident considering they are water and sweat resistant. On top of the right earbud is a single home button that’s being used for pairing and power as well as the micro USB port, which is covered by a flap. On the left earbud, the plastic housing has nothing to offer.
There’s a three-button inline remote built into the cable which attaches the two earbuds to each other, paired with a small clip. The remote also features a microphone for hands-free calling, volume up/down buttons and a main central button used for playing, pausing and skipping tracks. The inline remote, which is placed below the right earbud, is easy to reach when you’re running or jogging. The SoundSport Wireless connects via Bluetooth to a device and also features NFC connectivity in case you own a compatible Android smartphone.
Also included with the purchase is a durable carrying case.
Comfort-wise they SoundSport is simply excellent.
Bose SoundSport Wireless review: Comfort
Comfort-wise they SoundSport is simply excellent. These in-ear headphones may seem huge, but they never fell out of my ears. They work pretty well for gym or running. As with in-ear headphones, the SoundSport Wireless comes with three different sized ear tips: small, medium and large. They are built from silicone and the bud stays securely in your ear. You can easily remove and re-attach these ear tips with ease.
Bose SoundSport Wireless review: Setup, app, connectivity and Battery
Setting up the SoundSport Wireless is fairly simple. Press the power button to turn the earphones on. Once tuned on, you simply press and hold the power button to initiate pairing mode, following the instructions on your smartphone, or tablet to complete the process.
Bose offers the Connect (iOS and Android) apps which is really simple to understand and use. Once downloaded, it automatically detects the earphones (of course, you will have to turn them on), then drag down on the image of your earphones to connect them. I wish the app had an equalizer built-in. When you turn on the headphones, a female voice will give you updates on how much battery life is left and with which devices you’re paired.
In my testing, I faced no issues connecting the earphones to my iPhone 5c and Gionee A1. The SoundSport stays connected while running. I did notice, however, that the audio breaks while travelling on the metro.
Bose promises six hours of constant playback on a fully charged battery, which isn’t something to boast about. In my week long testing, I was able to get close to five hours of battery life and had to charge them on a daily basis.
Bose SoundSport Wireless review: Audio quality
Bose is a renowned name when it comes to audio quality and the SoundSport Wireless was a great experience listening to my favorite tracks. The earbuds offered crisp details, and warm highs and mids. Although the bass was clean, it could have been a little punchier. One of my favorite songs “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga sounds good, really good, on the SoundSport, but I felt that bass was missing. The SoundSport really impressed during “Disturbia” by Rihanna.
Bose SoundSport Wireless review: Conclusion
Bose SoundSport are not something phenomenal, or out of the world. However, they are comfortable, still-good-looking fitness-centric earphones and most importantly, they sound great. Though I still feel that Rs 13,275 is not a small sum to spend on a pair of wireless earbuds, the fact remains that Bose always has a premium price. However, you can think of buying Apple AirPods for Rs 15,400, which deliver five hours of battery life, a portable charging case and are equally well-designed. You can pair the AirPods with an Android smartphone as well, though they work to their potential only on iOS.
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