JOIN USXiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 review: Satisfyingly good!
Xiaomi, in early May, announced the affordable Mi True Wireless Earphones (TWE) 2 in India.
It costs Rs 4,499, much cheaper than the Apple AirPods or Samsungs Galaxy Earbuds, but does it deliver the goods? I have been using the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 for little over a week and here're my thoughts.
Design and build quality:
Design-wise, Xiaomi's new milky white-hued Mi TWE 2 takes some inspiration from Apple's AirPods minimalistic design, but the company has made sure the device has some uniqueness. It has curvy contours around pods and smooth oval-structured cylindrical edges.
The company says the TWE 2's design is slip-proof, but it's not the case all the time. During the testing, the earpods some times fell while walking down the stairs and even during exercise. It's not a deal-breaker. Without silicone ear tips, the earpods even the premium ones too will fall off while jogging or while commuting on a mass transport vehicle.
The TWE 2 charging case is compact and can easily slip in the pocket without much fuzz. It comes with Type-C power cable with the retail package.
User-interface:
I have to say, it took me just a few minutes to detect and connect to my iPhone. Just have to open the cap of the pod and press the power button to initiate pairing and within seconds, it appeared on the Bluetooth devices list and connected.
If you own a Xiaomi phone, Mi TWE 2 will appear as Air 2 and shows the box's and earpods' battery life details in a pop-up window.
It plays a pleasant sound when it detects the earpods are fitted into the ear and it automatically stops music or any multimedia content when removed from the ears.
The earpods are touch-sensitive. During the testing period, they worked flawlessly. If you double-tap on the right earbud it pauses/starts music or can answer phone call.
On the left side, you can invoke a digital assistant with a double-tap motion. However, this is a hit and miss, as I couldn't wake Siri while playing a music playlist. But, it was able to work fine when not playing any music or watching video content.
Another qualm is that it lacks volume control and we have to open the companion phone or the tablet to adjust the volume.
Performance:
The claims the TWE 2 come with 14.2mm dynamic drivers and was able to deliver a good hearing experience in almost all genres of music and acoustics. It supports SBC (subband codec ), AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), and LHDC (Low Latency and High-Definition) codecs, meaning the vocal and musical instruments can be distinguishable well without any distortion. Also, while playing games and watching videos, there will be no delay in audio delivery. Over-all, it does live up to the expectations to an extent.
With Bluetooth 5.0, it can remain paired with the companion device for distance up to 10-meter range.
It also boasts Environment Noise Cancellation (ENC) capabilities that enhance call quality. During the testing, it was able to block vehicle sounds in front of the house during a phone call, but when playing music in the same room, it struggles. However, it is still better than rival brands in its price range.
As far as the battery life is concerned, the company claimed that the TWE 2 (30mAh) will offer close to four hours of playback, and with the case (250mAh), it can go up 14 hours.
During the testing period, it delivered as promised. I was able to finish three episodes (little over 40 minutes each) of Home (Apple TV+) on my iPad and it still had a lot of juice left. And, I was able to watch multiple such sessions for four days with the help of the fully charged case.
Final thoughts:
The new Mi TWE 2 excels in most of the important aspects such as audible sound delivery during phone calls, music/movie audio play, compact form factor, and battery life. It is a perfect option for people who are looking for decent truly wireless earphones and doesn't want a burn a hole in their pockets.
Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cyber security and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.