Along with the Edge 50 phone series, those from Motorola they also launched wireless headphones in mid-spring Motorola Buds+ thundered by Bose. They are part of the mid-range segment if we look at the price zone in which they were included and represent an important step for Moto, being offered quality acoustics and a comfortable design. I’ve been testing them for the last few weeks and now comes the review.
Unboxing and design
The headphones arrive in a compact blue square box that will feature the headphones themselves, along with some key details such as Bose sound, audio capabilities and Hi-Res support. As soon as you lift the lid, you will discover the transport/charging box inside which the in-ear headphones are located. You’ll also lift the cardboard backing from the inside to reveal two drawers that hold a small USB-C to USB-A power cable and replacement silicone plugs of various sizes, totaling 3 sizes: S , M, L.
You will of course also find the user manual that takes you step by step through the features and control methods. The carrying case is compact, has a textured finish and is made of polycarbonate. It comes with USB-C port for charging and there is also a notification LED here. Inside you find the headphones attached magnetically and you also have a pairing button for connecting to your devices.
The model I received is the beige one, but I see that there is also the Forest Gray version. There is no information about the dimensions, but both the case and the headphones are light in weight, especially the headphones, which are very comfortable even with prolonged use.
In terms of design, the headphones are inevitably reminiscent of AirPods and have that angled body for a better fit in the ear. The stem is short and we have silicone plugs to help cancel background noise. By the way, we also have water-repellent design.
Technology, control
The new Motorola Buds+ headphones come equipped with dual dynamic drivers 11mm woofer + 6mm tweeter, have a system with 3 microphones and ENC noise cancellation, and on the connectivity side we will use Bluetooth 5.3. We get Sound by Bose tuning, and with Dolby Head Tracking we will experience studio-quality sound, with full immersion and being in the center of audio streaming.
We tick and support Hi-Res Audio, Dolby Atmos, as well as ANC. As for control, like many other wireless in-ear headphones on the market right now, the Moto buds+ offer touch control as follows:
Left helmet:
- double tap – play/pause
- triple tap – previous song
- long tap – switch between ANC/reject call modes
Right helmet:
- double tap – play/pause
- triple tap – next song
- long tap – switch through ANC/reject call modes
You can customize these control gestures and associate, for example, increasing the volume with a double tap on the right headset, while on the left you keep play/pause. The touch control is intuitive and from the application you can better understand how to proceed to ensure that you do not fail to touch. You have a tutorial.
You can also activate wear detection, so when removing one or both headphones, the playback will be paused and resumed when wearing the headphones.
Battery
What I like most about the Motorola buds+ is that it offers wireless power and you can forget about the small USB cable in the package, which you will probably never use. When you want faster charging, connect the cable from your smartphone. With 10 minutes in the box, you’ll have 3 hours of headphone playback with ANC off.
If you want to use the ANC, you will enjoy several hours of playback, taking into account the fact that you reach around 60-70% volume and do not sacrifice performance, having also activated the Hi-Res mode which consumes extra. With ANC off and at lower volume you have a total of about 8 hours of listening time. With the carrying case you get a total of 38 hours, which sounds fantastic.
As an experience, I used the headphones with ANC activated or in Transparency mode, at a volume of 60-70% and I also activated Hi-Res to enjoy quality acoustics, a scenario in which I reached almost 4 hours of playback, just as it took the Marrakesh – Istanbul flight back from the Motorola event in the desert.
For such a journey with music, movies and maybe some calls, I say we are fine. Rarer are the scenarios where you’ll be using the headphones for so long continuously, so you won’t feel the low battery life, with the headphones resting in the case and charging while you take a break.
Application
For the moment there is the application Moto Buds only for Android and I tested it on one Motorola edge 50 Pro. Connecting the headphones is very quick and I was greeted by a small software update at first which took a few minutes. In the app interface you will see the Moto buds+ with battery status details for the left/right earbud but not for the case for some reason.
Below you have Noise Control with options Off, Transparency, Adaptive or Noise Cancellation. Below are the Sound settings where you can activate Spatial Audio or switch between Smart Audio, Music, Movie, Game, Podcast or Custom modes if you want to customize the experience. Here you walk to the equalizer, bass and treble. You have too Surround virtualizer and Volume Leveler. The preset equalizers are Brilliant Treble, Bass Boost and Vocal boost.
There is also a Hi-Res Mode for high quality audio, and finally you have Gaming Mode. Also, in the application you will also find the Dual Connection option that you will check if you want your new Moto buds+ headphones to connect to two devices. As an extra, the app also offers a Fit Test to make sure you’re using the right plugs for your ears, and there’s also a Find my earbuds function.
Sound and conclusions
I admit I was surprised by the sound these headphones deliver, especially since Motorola it didn’t stand out much in the segment, with the VerveBuds series as far as I remember or very affordable variants that didn’t impress in this regard. Come with sound Bose, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio and ANC bundled here after many pairs of headphones with no personality, clearly it is something to be appreciated.
From the start you will enjoy quality bass, much more pronounced than the headphones I currently use from a rival brand, and the sound has that richness that immerses your acoustic senses. When streaming music, I chose to use the Smart Audio mode, which does exactly what it says, perfectly balances all the settings to enjoy quality sound depending on the genre being listened to. The face function identifies the type of content and makes automatic adjustments to deliver the best sound, just what we were telling you.
I chose to use and Hi-Res for extra audio power, and so with that Dolby Head Tracking technology you really feel like you’re in the middle of the music performance, having the front seat of the stage. I listened to different genres, from rap, hip-hop, electronic music to various rock genres and Smart Audio adjusted the audition perfectly.
The ANC can cancel up to 46 dB of ambient noise and it does its job very well, in scenarios like typing on a mechanical keyboard that you won’t even hear if you have the volume at 50-60%. You will also be satisfied with the volume, which even at the maximum level will not affect the playback, without distortions or other shortcomings. I like the support for wireless charging, the app is intuitive and easy to find what you’re looking for, and if there was a downside, I’d put the lack of a dedicated iOS app, but I think that’s coming soon.
Price and availability
The Motorola moto buds+ headphones will arrive on the local market at a recommended price of 699 lei and we will update here as soon as we find them listed at retailers in Romania. In the meantime, you can find them on Amazon DE with free delivery in Romania at the price of 108.76 eur (541 lei).
Tags: Wireless inear headphones surprising bass tuned acoustics Bose
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