TWS true wireless earphones - $50 - $100
4.5 STARS - The Fiil T2 Pro wireless earbuds treat you with solid active noise cancelling and balanced sound - if you're willing to deal with Chinese voice prompts and limited controls, that is.
Fiil T2 Pro specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof (sweat and rain proof)
4 - 6 hours listening on a single charge (ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips and USB-C cable
$80 - $90 - Check price on AliExpress (possibly cheaper here)
Below this Fiil T2 Pro review, you will find comparisons of the Fiil T2 Pro vs Earfun Free Pro 2, 1more ComfoBuds Pro, Tanchjim Echo, and Fiil T1 Lite.
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Design, comfort and battery life
Wait, haven't you seen the Fiil T2 Pro before on Scarbir.com? Nope - that was its sibling, the Earfun Free Pro 2. These two models share everything, just like the original Fiil T1 Pro and Earfun Free Pro did. The case and earbuds look, feel, and are the same.
That means you'll have a lovely compact charging case on the T2 Pro, which you can easily slide into any pocket. It has a nice heft, doesn't scratch easily, and a single LED light on the front indicates the remaining case battery. It can re-power the earbuds four times fully before needing new power via USB-C or wireless charging.
The earbuds of the T2 Pro deliver up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge, with ANC turned off. With ANC on and your music playing, the battery can get up to 4 hours. That's a decent score, considering the stemless design of the earbuds.
The T2 Pro is quite compact and comfortable to wear, even though the rubber ear tips that come with it are quite large. The top end of the earbuds has a separate rubber ring to make them fit snugly enough for working out and running - and the IPX5 waterproof rating makes sure you can also sweat and sport in the rain.
Controls and connectivity
Operating the Fiil T2 Pro is where some of you will lose interest. As Fiil is a Chinese brand and targets its home audience, the T2 Pro has Chinese voice prompts, which is inconvenient when you're switching between the noise-canceling modes.
The overall control scheme is way too barebones as well:
Double-tap L or R to play/ pause music
Hold L or R to switch between ANC on, Transparency mode, and off
If you want to add volume and track controls and English voice prompts, you'll have to hope for Fiil's Global Android and iPhone app to support the Fiil T2 Pro. Sadly, only some Fiil models have gotten support from the official Global app last years, and it's unsure if the T2 Pro will be one of them.
There is an improvised English translated non-Global for Android - see link here, but it it takes some steps to install it and not guaranteed to work well in the long term. With it, however, you can opt for more extensive controls; add volume controls and track controls - besides selecting between equalizers.
With or without an app: connectivity is good. Earbuds pair and connect quickly, and the Bluetooth signal holds strongly up to 9-10 meters away from your device. You can always skip between using two or one earbuds. Multipoint-connectivity is not supported; you can't connect the earbuds to two devices at the same time.
Calls, movies and Games
Just like the Earfun Free Pro 2, the Fiil T2 Pro gives a bit of a walkie-talkie vibe in phone calls. Your voice sounds clear and loud, with a slight but non-disturbing crackle underneath it. More so, in quiet areas, the line sounds completely dead when you're not talking - it can be that silent!
In more crowded areas, surrounding noises don't come through very loud, but the person you're talking to can hear some processing going on and a slight hiss in the background. Wind noise itself is barely audible in phone calls, but wind can drag away your voice.
Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, and other video calls are also doable with the T2 Pro. Again, there's a slight crackle on the line, but your voice is loud and clear enough.
Watching videos is a flawless experience, with perfect synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone. As the T2 Pro doesn't have extensive controls on the earbuds and misses Global app support, you can't activate the gaming mode on the earbuds - you'll have to do with a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games..
ANC Noise cancelling Review of Fiil T2 Pro
The Fiil T2 Pro has the same internals as the Earfun Free Pro 2, so you can expect decent active noise cancelling performance. The big difference is that the voice prompts are Chinese here:
ANC on = voice prompt sounding like 'xing-chan mosh-yu'
Transparency mode = voice prompt sounding like 'Kai-fone mosh-yu'
ANC off = voice prompt 'M-A-F-quan'
ANC Quality: The T2 Pro active noise cancelling reduces quite a bit of noise from your surroundings. Both brighter and darker background sounds can disappear mostly. If you're working in an office with the window open, you may forget there's distant traffic outside. Mild and consistent sounds from closeby are also reduced, like a fridge humming or typing on a keyboard. Voices from closeby are softer too. Outside, louder noises like accelerating vehicles and traffic are still audible somewhat. A solid performance.
Transparency mode quality: With the Transparency mode activated, the T2 Pro puts through bright noises clearly. It's easy to hear and locate traffic around you while you're listening to music, but voices aren't represented loudly enough - so if you want to listen to music and a conversation at the same time: just take an earbud out.
Wind noise reduction: Like the Earfun Free Pro 2, the T2 Pro doesn't show too much or harsh wind noise when you're using the ANC or Transparency mode, but it's great to have an ANC off mode at the earbuds as well, leaving out much more wind noise.
While the ANC performance is good for the price and in general, the long Chinese prompts are quite cumbersome. In environments without too much background noise, the difference between ANC on and off isn't always clear, and having two voice commands ending with 'mosh-yu' doesn't make things clearer.
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of Fiil T2 Pro
The Fiil T2 Pro is one of the few wireless ANC earbuds with a balanced sound.
Unlike many the Earfun Free Pro 2 counterpart and many competitors from well-known brands like Soundcore and Edifier, bass doesn't take the lead role in the music on the Fiil T2 Pro.
The T2 Pro is not devoid of bass, but the lower regions are kept clean and tight. The mid-bass fires a slam instead of a hefty thump, and operates quick. The sub-bass [darkest bass tones you can feel as much as hear] doesn't dive very deep or rumble very hard, but it's there where it needs to be.
This leaves space in the music, and it can be found in the mid-tones. The T2 Pro has an airy sound, with vocals in a center-forward position and instruments around them. Whether it's classical pieces with lots of different instruments or pop songs with a few electronic sound effects coming from your left or right or slightly diagonal in front of you; instruments are separated neatly, and details have their own place.
Airy doesn't mean bright or light, though. Other than predecessor Fiil T1 Pro and other earlier Fiil releases, there's no bump in the upper-mids and highs. Treble is wonderfully controlled, giving higher-pitched singers plenty of space to shine. In Björk's It's Oh So Quiet, her vocal outbursts are as extreme as they should be, but they don't become sharp. The same goes for the track's orchestral score: trumpets, violins, and cymbals sound natural and textured - but never harsh.
While the T2 Pro elevates lower mids slightly to give drums impact and boost darker electronic tones minimally, it's not a very warm sound earphone. There's a bit of a dark undertone in the music, further strengthened by the controlled treble. On some occasions, like in blues and jazz the T2 Pro handles so well instrumentally, you could lose the joyful warmth of live cafe recordings.
It's only a minor caveat in what the Fiil T2 Pro is: an outstandingly balanced sounding pair of wireless ANC earbuds under $100.
Fiil T2 Pro comparisons
Fiil T2 Pro vs Earfun Free Pro 2
Fiil shares quite a few models with Earfun and the difference is always this: the Earfun is bassier and warmer. The same goes for the Earfun Free Pro 2 compared to the Fiil T2 Pro. The Earfun has a stronger, thumpier mid-bass, further boosted lower-mids, and a warmer undertone. The Fiil is more balanced and sounds cleaner - with a surprise: its quicker and tighter bass can actually be more uplifting than Earfun's heavier approach. The T2 Pro has better separation and positioning of instruments and details; the Free Pro 2 is a bit warmer. The Earfun does win on practicality: it has English voice prompts, track and volume controls right on the earbuds, and a gaming mode you can actually activate.
Earfun Free Pro 2 review ($70)
Fiil T2 Pro vs 1more ComfoBuds Pro
The 1more ComfoBuds Pro has been the go-to combination of balanced-sounding ANC earbuds on Scarbir.com for quite a while, but now sees a strong competitor in the Fiil T2 Pro. The 1more sounds fuller in the lows due to a thicker mid-bass and slightly more boosted lower-mids. The ComfoBuds Pro is airier in the highs, but also noticeably thinner. On the T2 Pro, higher-pitched vocals have more body and are more nuanced, and there's more separation and instrumental detail on the Fiil as well. When it comes to functions, active noise cancelling and transparency mode are a tad stronger on the 1more, and while call quality is good on both, the 1more still has an edge.
Fiil T2 Pro vs Tanchjim Echo
If active noise cancelling isn't your main concern and you're aiming for balanced sound under $100, the Tanchjim Echo comes into view. The Echo reduces mid-bass by a bit, and lower-mids by quite a bit - and leaves a slimmer impression in the lows. The Echo puts most of its effort into the treble, which is more extended than on the T2 Pro. Vocals and instruments reach further into the highs, and both vocals and instruments have a brighter tonality. There's more space in music on the Tanchjim, with massive air on top and convincing instrumental texture - but the Fiil counters it by also showing a lot of texture in darker instruments. Fiil's tonality may be a bit darker, but it also appears more natural and is easier to listen to.
Tanchjim Echo review ($100)
Fiil T2 Pro vs Fiil T1 Lite
Finally, let's pit the T2 Pro against the highly regarded $35 Fiil T1 Lite here on Scarbir.com. Of course, the cheaper model doesn't have active noise cancelling, but after almost a year, it does come with English support from the Fiil Global app for iPhone and Android. Therefore, you can activate track and volume controls from the earbuds and choose opt for an engaging Bass equalizer from the app, next to the default sound signature. In both settings, the T1 Lite is more of a loose canon than the T2 Pro. The Lite has a much more heavy, thumping mid-bass, boosted lower-mids to give a bit of warmth, and upper-mids and highs are further forwarded and extended as well. The T2 Pro is cleaner. It offers a tighter bass with more separation and texture and it prevents higher peaks in the upper-mids and highs. Are these balancing tweaks, that come at the cost of T1 Lite's power, worth a $45 price difference? You decide.
Fiil T1 Lite review ($35)
Verdict
The Fiil T2 Pro is comfortable, has good call quality and solid noise cancelling. It has the best balanced sound for wireless ANC earbuds under 100 dollars - if you're willing to cope with Chinese voice prompts and limited controls.
4.5 stars - Great
Buy Fiil T2 Pro/ check price:
Buy Fiil T2 Pro on AliExpress (possible cheaper link)
I bought the Fiil T2 Pro myself 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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