TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
FOUR STARS - The Coumi Freedom Dots wireless earbuds combine ANC noise-cancelling with an IPX7-waterproof rating, making it an option to consider within the overly crowded segment of 50 dollars wireless earbuds.
Coumi ANC-861 Freedom Dots specs:
Bluetooth 5.2
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain and shower proof)
4 - 5,5 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 6 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$50 - Buy on Amazon US or other Amazon stores
Below this Coumi ANC-861 Freedom Dots review, you will find comparisons of the Coumi ANC-861 vs Edifier TWS330NB, Realme Buds Air 2, Realme Buds Air 2 Neo, and SoundPEATS T2.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Coumi Freedom Dots (also titled Coumi ANC-861) has a big case, almost like a big chunk of soap. Unfortunately, its size doesn't result in wireless charging or stellar battery capacity. The neatly finished matte-white shiny-white case can recharge the earbuds four times before needing new power via the USB-C port on the back.
Every charge grants the Coumi around 4 hours battery life with ANC on, or around 5,5 hours with ANC off. Average score, but that's probably plenty of juice for regular daily activities.
The Freedom Dots have medium-sized stems, and they don't brush against your ears or cheeks. Like so many competitors, these have the same oval inside part combined with diagonally placed rubber ear-tips (that come in six different sizes). Never change a winning formula: the Dots fit snugly and are comfortable to wear a few hours in a row.
The biggest triumph here is the IPX7-waterproof rating, meaning these can survive both heavy rain fall, a shower, or possibly even a drop in the bath - a rarity for noise-cancelling earbuds.
Controls and connectivity
The Coumi Freedom Dots controls the same as the AirPods Pro, with touch panels in the stems, you have to squeeze to control. Although it feels a bit wonky, the controls are logical and responsive.
Sqeeze R or L once to play/ pause
Squeeze R twice to skip to the next song
Squeeze L twice to return to the previous track
Squeeze R or L three times to activate the voice assistant
Hold R or L to switch between ANC on, Transparency mode, and ANC off
Sadly, it isn't possible to change the volume on the buds, and the Freedom Dots or ANC-861 doesn't come with an app to change the controls.
The earbuds pair and connect fast. They don't automatically pause playback when you take one out, but it is possible to switch easily between listening to one or two earbuds. Take a charged bud out of the case, and you'll immediately return listening in stereo. Hiccups in the Bluetooth connection or the sound rarely happen.
Calling and watching movies
If video calls (like Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings) are important, the Coumi Freedom Dots isn't a good choice. Your voice is loud enough, but is so warm and compressed it appears like you're mumbling - even when you're not.
In phone calls, your voice is much clearer yet still with the same pleasantly warm undertone. Outside, surrounding noises, louder sounds, and wind noise attack the loudness and clarity of your voice. The phone call quality is best indoors or in quieter outdoor circumstances.
It's easy to enjoy watching videos with the Coumi ANC-861, with mostly good synchronization between audio and video. Unfortunately, some videos on the YouTube app on iPhone can have a little delay in the sound. There's also a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games.
ANC Noise cancelling test of Coumi ANC-861
ANC Active Noise Cancelling on the Coumi Freedom Dots is well worth it for the price. It gives you some white noise in your ears, but that's not really a problem, as it successfully reduces and silences darker sounds from your surroundings. Background sounds, like traffic or even construction site sounds, are cut off at least nicely and sometimes even entirely.
Brighter sounds still come through clear, though. Whether it's people talking, keyboard clicks, or music playing elsewhere in the room: as the darker tones are reduced better than the higher ones, brighter sounds sometimes seem emphasized. This ANC works best for background noises.
The Transparency/ Ambient mode passes through chatter, traffic, and background sounds in a natural way, and even works when you're playing music on low volume.
Wind noise reduction: Happily, there's also an ANC off-setting right on the earbuds, which leaves out wind noise much - MUCH - better than the ANC and Transparency modes. This option still makes it pleasant to walk, run, or cycle with the Coumi ANC-861, and that's a great feature to have combined with the IPX7 waterproof rating on these buds.
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of Coumi Freedom Dots: Warm
The sound quality of the Coumi Freedom Dots reminds of that of the first generation of wireless ANC earbuds. That means it counters a lack of detail with emphasized bass and lower mid-tones to provide a full and very warm sound.
Music on the ANC-861 sounds far from accurate - there's nothing natural or textured about instruments like guitars, cymbals, or piano play. Both male and female vocals are heavily smoothed out and only sound a bit more prominent than these instruments - in acoustic or rock songs, darker male vocals can even drown a bit in between drums and (bass) guitars.
But while these seem like harsh words, there's something to say for this character. Music always sounds soothingly warm and doesn't distract you when you use your ANC earbuds during your workday. As highs are rolled-off early, there isn't a song that sounds sharp or harsh on the Freedom Dots.
Turn the volume up a bit, and the mid-bass gets enough of a slam to make modern music genres like pop, dance, and hip-hop sound engaging. It's not a technically advanced bass with deep-diving sub-bass or layers of texture, and it also doesn't strike very fast. It's just happy to support whichever genre you throw at it with a thump - without overpowering the music while doing so.
The sound then isn't overly bassy, nor is it very detailed or balanced. It's pleasantly warm. It makes the Coumi ANC-861 Freedom Dots perfectly suitable for background listening.
Coumi Freedom Dots comparisons
Coumi ANC-861 vs Realme Buds Air 2
Realme Buds Air 2 on the left, Edifier on the right
The ANC noise-cancelling of the slightly cheaper Realme Buds Air 2 doesn't always block out surrounding noise as well as the Freedom Dots, as especially darker sounds are still audible - but it gives a lot in return. The Transparency mode of the Realme passes through chatter and traffic better, the earbuds are less prone to wind noise, and they come in a much slimmer charging case. The Realme handles phone and video calls better and has a much more balanced sound - with a more layered bass, increased natural tonality, and more opened-up upper-mids and highs - not to mention it has free app support with three sound settings.
Realme Buds Air 2 review coming soon - buy on AliExpress, Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores ($40)
Coumi ANC-861 vs Realme Buds Air 2 Neo
Don't want earphones with a stem design? The even cheaper Realme Buds Air 2 Neo noise-cancelling may not filter out dark sounds as well as the Coumi Freedom Dots, but the Realme does reduce brighter and more closeby sounds better. The Neo's Transparency mode passes through traffic and chatter even clearer than the Coumi. This Realme also sounds more balanced and with more accurate tonality than the Coumi: the Freedom Dots mostly has a warmer and 'fatter' sound.
Coumi ANC-861 vs Edifier TWS330NB
The Edifier TWS330 NB sounds noticeably brighter than the Coumi Freedom Dots. It has more clarity in vocals and more open upper-mids than the Freedom Dots, which throws in a bigger mid-bass thump and much thicker lower-mids instead. The Edifier has a more compact case and smaller stems, and offers better phone and video call quality. The Coumi offers half an hour more battery life, has slightly more effective noise-cancelling, and carries this shower-proof waterproof rating.
Coumi ANC-861 vs SoundPEATS T2
At around the same price, the SoundPEATS T2 isn't flawless - as its ANC noise-cancelling can show a bit of distortion when you're using the function without playing music. It does have better battery life and a more engaging sound, however. The T2 sub-bass shows more depth, and its mid-bass has more texture. While it has a warm undertone, it still sounds a lot more balanced than the Coumi, elevating upper-mids and bringing vocals more forward. With its IPX5 waterproof rating, the T2 may just be a better set for runs and workouts in non-extreme conditions.
Verdict
The Coumi Freedom Dots wireless earbuds combine ANC noise-cancelling with an IPX7-waterproof rating, making it an option to consider within the overly crowded segment of 50 dollars wireless earbuds.
Four stars - good
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I received the Coumi ANC-861 Freedom Dots from the manufacturer to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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