TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - Premium looks, solid call quality and video playback, good sound… and an exceptional 12 hours playtime on a single charge. The budget-friendly SoundPEATS Sonic has a lot going for it.
SoundPEATS Sonic specs:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC and AptX-adaptive codec
12 hours listening on a single charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 2 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$50 on Amazon US, Amazon Germany, other Amazon stores or AliExpress
Below this SoundPEATS Sonic review, you will find comparisons between the SoundPEATS Sonic vs Fiil T1 Lite, SoundPEATS TruEngine 3SE, and Earfun Free Pro.
Update March 23, 2021: With the better-sounding and ANC-supported SoundPEATS T2 now available for the same price, the overall score of the Sonic has been adjusted from 5 to 4,5 stars.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The SoundPEATS Sonic belongs to the best-looking pairs of nearly 200 reviewed wireless earbuds on Scarbir.com. The earpieces look and feel way more premium than their $50 price point suspects. The combination of silver-grey and matte rosé gold is tasteful, and the SoundPEATS-S logo in the middle of the shield-shaped sides only adds to it. What's more, is that these logos light up. They're off (happily!) when you play music on them but become bright white when they're idle or orange when you're charging them. It looks - extremely - cool.
But it's the battery life where it becomes truly impressive. SoundPEATS promises up to 15 hours of playtime in one go. That seemed too ambitious in the test period, but when playing music on workspace-proof background volume, it was possible to get up to 12 hours of playtime on a single charge. TWELVE hours - that's twice the score of most earbuds in this price range and among the entire market's best scores. These are suitable for that very long holiday trip or flight (when it's allowed again) and can outlast the battery of your phone itself.
The earbuds are a little bigger than usual, and especially in the beginning, you can feel them in your ears. Happily, they are quite comfortable once you're used to the size. The earbuds are round and have a slight bump on the inside. Along with the long nozzle that goes deep into your ears, the Sonic provides a deep and tight fit. It offers great passive noise isolation - it blocks as much surrounding noise as some noise cancelling earbuds do. Sadly, it doesn't have a waterproof-indication.
The charging case is the least spectacular part of the buds, as it can only recharge the earpieces twice before needing new power via USB-C itself. Even so: with a LED light on the inside showing the remaining charge, its duotone color-scheme, and sturdy build, there's nothing to complain about here. The case also recharges fully in 1,5 hours. You will never be out of battery with the Sonic.
Connectivity and controls
Unlike most wireless earbuds, the SoundPEATS Sonic has actual buttons. You can control it by pressing the entire shield-shape on the sides.
Press L or R once to play/ pause music
Press R twice to increase the volume
Press L twice to decrease volume
Long-press R to skip to the next track
Long-press L to return to the previous song
Press R three times to activate the voice assistant
Press L three times to (de)activate the Gaming Mode
The control scheme is convenient, it responds well to your input, and you don't press the buds in too deep by pressing the button. When executed this well, actual buttons may still be preferable to touch panels.
Connectivity on the SoundPEATS Sonic is good. It's easy to switch from mono mode (when you're charging one bud and listening to the other) to stereo again, and the Bluetooth connection holds steady north of 10 meters - even with thin walls in between.
Calling and watching movies
The SoundPEATS Sonic has decent call quality. Your voice sounds a bit dampened and not very loud, but it's still audible and clear enough to be heard properly. Surrounding noises are filtered out nicely most of the time, like people chatting in the background or traffic at a slight distance. The sharp sound of a passing scooter will come through in your call, however. Many surrounding noises and wind can challenge the call.
Watching videos is fluent on both iPhone and Android, although you may need to activate the Gaming Mode by triple-pressing the left button to get perfect lipsync in the YouTube-app. Other video services can do without it. It's easy to enjoy watching hours of shows and films with these.
With this Gaming Mode, there's also less delay in sound effects when playing games - but there's still some delay. The dirt-cheap QCY T5 fares better in this regard. Happily, the SoundPEATS has clear voice prompts stating when the Gaming Mode is switched on or off.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $50
SoundPEATS Sonic sound quality: Highs and Lows
The looks and battery specs of the SoundPEATS Sonic would be worthless if it sounded bad - but fortunately, it doesn't.
The Sonic has strong-striking mid-bass, with plenty of detail. Both electronic basses and bass-guitars have decent texture and are full of impact, and there's enough separation between basslines too. The sub-bass (the lowest bass notes you can feel as much as hear) sounds beautifully deep but keeps its rumble in control.
In the highs, female and higher-pitched male vocals are pushed forward and sound clear. Singers reach their highest notes easily, without becoming painfully sharp to listen to. The same goes for instruments like violins and cymbals: much clarity, no harshness. The Sonic has a bit of 'air' in the sound too. There's a solid soundstage with effects coming from your left and right, although it's hard to precisely place instruments around you.
The mids aren't on the same level, however. In more crowded music pieces, it's as if there's a weight pressing on the mids that restricts their presence and warm undertone, squeezing the lowest mids out, and letting medium-high vocals slip to the highs. Even though the Sonic doesn't enter the harsh territory in higher notes, vocals can sound unnaturally thin. It misses a bit of warmth from the center-mids.
Due to the long nozzles on the Sonic, you may have to fiddle with the buds in your ears to get the best sound. Push them in too far, and the sound becomes shallow, put them in too lightly, and you'll miss some of the soundstage. Happily, unlike for instance the QCY T10, the fit holds perfectly when you've found it. The volume levels are great, too, as it can go from background listening to very loud on both Android and iPhone without displaying too much white noise underneath it.
Tight and impactful bass, a solid soundstage, and clear highs: the SoundPEATS Sonic could use a little more body in the mid-tones, but these earbuds just sound good at their $50 price point.
SoundPEATS Sonic comparisons
SoundPEATS Sonic vs Fiil T1 Lite
For anyone looking for affordable wireless earbuds, this is a choice many people will make and should make. At just $35, the Fiil T1 Lite is one of the best sounding wireless earphones on the entire market. Its bass is a bit looser than the Sonics, and the Sonic places vocals more forward. However, the T1 Lite is a step up when it comes to detail: there are microdetails like the plucking of guitar strings you can't hear on the Sonic. Both instruments and vocals sound more natural on the Fiil, lower-mids are represented better, and there's a subtle yet desirable warm undertone under the T1 Lite, whereas the SoundPEATS sounds colder.
Practicality then? The SoundPEATS outclasses the Fiil battery, 12 to 6 hours of playtime per charge. The Fiil earbuds are more compact and comfortable, and the case is more pocketable as well. Both also handle phone calls fine. When looking for earbuds under $50, it comes down to this: do you want 12 hours battery life and great sound, or do you want 6 hours battery life and the best sound?
SoundPEATS Sonic vs SoundPEATS Truengine 3 SE
The SoundPEATS Truengine 3 SE has cleaner bass than the SoundPEATS Sonic. Vocals and other higher frequencies have more weight and warmth on the Truengine 3 SE, and mid-tones are represented better. The Sonic has a colder sound and a fatter bass. On a practical level, the Sonic is a better total package, with better build and call quality, a Gaming Mode, and 12 hours battery life instead of 6 hours. Because the Sonic has a tighter fit, it picks up less wind noise when commuting and even offers decent passive noice cancelling. The Sonic is one of the most convenient cheap TWS; the Truengine 3 SE sounds better.
SoundPEATS Sonic vs Earfun Free Pro
The Earfun Free Pro is a bassier adaptation of the beloved Fiil T1 Pro, and competes with the SoundPEATS on price and performance. Its 6 hours battery life isn't quite that of the SoundPEATS, and it's ANC active noise cancellation doesn't remove any more sounds than the Sonic does without the function - but call quality is better, the case is more pocketable and the earpieces are comfortable. While they both love to pump their basses, the bass on the Sonic is more articulated and tighter. The Earfun has a bigger, fatter thump. A muddier bass. The Free Pro also sounds warmer, with more emphasis on the lower-mids and a warmer undertone on vocals and instruments. The SoundPEATS has more air in the sound, and more forward vocals, but these can sound a little thin. The SoundPEATS is more technical, the Earfun a bit more fun.
SoundPEATS Sonic vs TRN T300
With 4 hours of playtime instead of 12, a loose fit, and its clunky charging case, the $60 TRN T300 may not seem like a competitor to the Sonic, but it is when it comes to the sound. Both these models have outspoken bass and solid soundstage. The SoundPEATS has a slightly tighter bass, but the TRN offers more texture in it, especially in acoustic basslines. The T300's soundstage is bigger, with more space around you and between instruments - it's easier to place instruments, too. The Sonic extends highs further and sounds brighter; the TRN reduces them earlier and sounds smoother and warmer, strengthened by the elevated lower-mids and attention to mids the SoundPEATS lacks.
Verdict
The SoundPEATS Sonic almost has it all: an exceptional 12 hours of battery life, premium looks, solid call quality and good video playback. Its sound could use more refinement, but if you're searching for a TWS with long battery life, this should be on your shortlist.
4.5 stars - Great
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I bought the SoundPEATS Sonic myself to test and review myself. 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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