TWS true wireless earphones - under $150
FOUR STARS - Once known for phone and USB accessories, Aukey now takes on the market of true wireless earphones. Their Aukey Key Series T10 competes with more expensive brands with a premium look and feel.
Aukey Key Series T10 specs:
Design, charging and comfort
The Aukey Key Series T10 is just over 100 dollars, which makes it one of the most expensive models tested on this site to date. It shows, though. The T10 looks and feels like a premium product from expensive, well-known brands. Take the charging case, for example: it has a round shape with a lid you slide open, rather than pull. It is a nice trick earlier done by the Anbes 359. This time, however, it goes perfectly smooth. You hear a gentle click when you reach the opening in which the earpieces reside. Fingerprints are hard to discover on the case, and it seems to be resistant to most scratches as well.
Both the charging case and earpieces have a stylish dark-grey color with a silver Aukey-logo in the center. The build quality is superb on both. Both the inside and outside of the earpieces look smooth and feel soft to the touch. You can pull the delivered, different sized rubber rings over the earpieces, to make them stay secure in your ear.
The material and the egg-like shape of the inside, make the Aukey EP-T10 comfortable to wear - although they do really fill your ear. The rubber rings ensure they stay tight in your ears, even for sports.
The battery life of the earpieces is on-par at this price, with up to 7 hours of playtime on average volume. The charging case shows its battery status with four LED-lights on the outside, and can be charged via USB-C and by wireless charging. They power up the earpieces around three times fully, before needing a recharge itself. Those aren't shocking values, but they're not bad either. Seven hours of playtime will get you through an entire workday just fine.
The only downside is the small opening: you won't be pulling those earpieces out when wearing gloves.
Connectivity and controls
Once you take the earbuds out, the Aukey T10 connects to your device quickly. Connectivity overall is outstanding. Whether you're inside or outside; walking, cycling, or standing still: the Bluetooth 5.0 signal is stable up to ten meters and holds just fine in areas crowded with wireless signals.
The area inside the silver ring on the earpieces is entirely touch-sensitive and controls fine. Tap once to play or pause the music, twice on the right side to skip a song and twice on the left side to return one. Changing the volume couldn't be better: long-touch the right one to increase volume and the left one to decrease it. The volume changes with steady, predictable steps too.re
Finally, you can activate your voice assistant with three taps. A good control scheme and execution.
Calling and watching movies
The Aukey T10 is not the best true wireless earphone to synchronize audio with video. It has a noticeable delay on the YouTube app and games on the iPhone. Video services like Netflix and Amazon Prime fare much better. Audio-video synchronization is solid on video apps on Android, but once again, gaming goes with a noticeable delay.
The call quality of the Aukey T10 is quite good, happily. When you're inside with little to no noise around, you sound crystal clear to the other end of the line. You may hear the other one with an occasional crackle, but it's not a big deal. Outside, surrounding noises aren't repressed too much, however. It can be harder to make a good call there.
Sound quality of the Aukey T10
When it comes to sound quality, the Aukey Key Series EP-T10 has already seen some raving reviews. According to several reviewers, the Aukey even holds in comparisons with far more expensive wireless earphones - such as the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless.
It's understandable why reviewers make this comparison. Foremost because the build quality of the Aukey competes with the more expensive premium brands. Another reason is the sound signature. The sound of the Aukey is tuned to please most mainstream listeners, with an emphasized, controlled bass, and a relaxing sound overall.
The bass of the Aukey has a gentle thump. It dives medium-deep when requested in songs like James Blake's Limit To Your Love, but both the mid-bass slam and the sub-bass never overdo it. The T10 doesn't have the quickest bass, but it gives you plenty of power to make dance and pop songs sound engaging, especially on higher listening volumes.
The soundstage of the T10 is mostly limited to a left-right stereo separation. That means instrument placement isn't the best either.
Within the mids, the Aukey T10 shares characteristics with the Samsung Galaxy Buds and the Edifier TWS5. Upper-mids such as lighter piano strokes, violins, and female vocals are pushed forward to the point they can sound a bit hissy. They can feel a bit artificial. Not shouty, happily - but still a bit blown up.
Surprisingly, the Aukey has a more engaging sound when you turn the music up. The bass-section and lower-mids (such as drums and darker electronic tones) then sound heftier and generate more impact, and they are better balanced with the mids and highs. There's logic in this approach: the Aukey thus sounds relaxed and work floor-proof on low to average volumes, and gives a more dynamic, engaging sound on higher levels. The downside is that you have to turn the volume up, if you want to enjoy the same generous level of bass.
The Aukey T10 seems to be tuned to pleasure fans of headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. There's nothing wrong with that - it has a lot of fans. It delivers a smooth listen overall - just don't expect the most detailed or natural sound out of them.
Selected Comparisons
Aukey T10 vs Jabra Elite 65t
Despite being bigger, the Jabra Elite 65 offers the same or even better comfort than the Aukey. The Jabra provides better call quality and delivers more detail in the sound, with a bigger soundstage, more vocal nuances, and emphasis on the upper-mids and highs. The Aukey has a tighter bass and has a more secure fit.
Aukey T10 vs Edifier TWS5
The Edifier TWS5 too, offers a sound signature that is both all-round and relaxing. Both wireless earphones have around the same battery life. The Aukey, albeit more expensive, definitely feels and looks more premium. It has a more comfortable fit, and the rings make the earpieces stay better in your ears. The Aukey sounds a bit more full in the lower-end; vocals are a bit more impactful on the Edifier.
Aukey T10 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds
The Samsung Galaxy Buds is another pair of wireless earbuds in which mids play the central role. Instrument placement and tonality are more accurate on the 'Gbuds'; the Aukey opts for a smoother sound. Both can also sound a bit artificial in their vocals. Comfort is comparable; the Aukey wins on battery life and build quality.
Aukey T10 vs Shanling MTW100
Recently called the best true wireless earphones under $100, the Shanling MTW100 resolves way more detail and offers more finesse than the Aukey T10. The latter has a smoother, laidback sound with a bass that's always there on higher volumes. The Shanling provides a more precise bass, better tonality, and a bigger soundstage.
Aukey T10 vs Creative Outlier Air/ Gold
The Creative Outlier Air and Gold both have a sound signature which is somewhat alike of the Aukey T10. They have a well-rounded, pleasant sound suitable for all genres and all moods. The Creatives sound more full, especially on lower volumes. Their soundstage is bigger and they deliver more details in the bass and lower-mids. Connectivity is much better on the Aukey T10, though.
Creative Outlier Air/ Gold review
Aukey T10 vs Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
The $250 - $300 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless sounds more full than the Aukey T10 on most volumes, providing a heftier bass and more definition in both male and female vocals. On higher volumes, the Aukey T10 catches up, and the two are comparable. Both then have elevated bass and vocals and still remain smooth. The Sennheiser has outdated technique, however - connectivity and battery life are way better on the T10.
No Sennheiser MTW review
Verdict
The Aukey T10 is a threat to more expensive truly wireless earbuds, with a premium look and feel and solid battery life. On top of that, it delivers a smooth and pleasant sound - best enjoyed on higher volumes.
FOUR STARS - very good
Buy Aukey Key Series T10/ check current price:
Buy Aukey T10 on Amazon Europe (Germany)
I received the Aukey Key Series T10 from Aukey for testing and reviewing purposes. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
Consider buying this earphone? I'd really appreciate it if you use the links in this article. It won't cost you extra, yet it will financially support me a bit in my ongoing quest for great affordable audio. <3
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