TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
FOUR STARS - The Tribit FlyBuds NC has a smooth, warm sound, solid battery life, convincing call quality, and tops it off with decent ANC active noise cancelling.
Tribit FlyBuds NC specs:
Bluetooth 5.0
IPX4 waterproof (light rain and sweat proof)
5,5 - 7 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$60 on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores - check price!
Below this Tribit FlyBuds NC review, you will find comparisons of Tribit FlyBuds NC vs Mpow X3, Tronsmart Apollo Bold, and 20Decebel ANC.
Update January 2021: As the quality of new TWS wireless earbuds keeps improving and there are more and more great models on the market, the overall score for this model has been adjusted from 4.5 to 4 stars
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Tribit FlyBuds NC charging case is almost identical in size to that of the Tronsmart Apollo Bold. It's round, compact enough to slide in jeans pockets, and powers via USB-C. The build quality and lid construction are just sturdy enough. On the front, four LED-lights indicate the battery status of the case and which earphones inside are charging.
The earpieces of the FlyBuds consist of a stem with a medium-sized round upper-part. On the outside, this round part is your touch panel. On the inside, the FlyBuds have a slight bump in the design. It follows your ear's shape and feels comfortable to wear, even though it isn't the tiniest.
The fit is good: while you can hear your ears and earphones moving a bit when you're shaking your head, the Tribit stays in place neatly. The IPX4 waterproof rating should make them withstand light rain and sweat. They do pick up a bit of wind noise when you're running or cycling with them, which becomes much louder when you switch on its Active Noise Cancelling.
Battery life on the Tribit FlyBuds NC is solid. The earbuds last up to 7 hours with ANC off, and reach up to 5,5 hours playtime with ANC on. That's plenty of time for a working day or daily commuting.
Connectivity and controls
The Tribit FlyBuds NC has straightforward controls, and the round touch panels respond well to your touch.
With two taps on the left or right earbud, you play or pause the music. Tap three times on the right earbud to skip a song; tap thrice on the left earbud to return a track. Unfortunately, there aren't volume controls on the earbuds.
Cycling between the ANC functions is done by holding the right earpiece. The first time activates ANC; the next starts Ambient Mode, a third double-tap turns Ambient Mode and ANC off. A female voice takes her time to say things like 'Ambient Mode off,' but it's clearer than heaving just beeps as feedback.
Connectivity on the FlyBuds NC is solid, with its Bluetooth signal holding strong up to ten meters from your device. You can also put an earpiece to charge in the case while listening to the other. When you take it out again, the earpieces immediately find each other again and resume playing in stereo mode.
Calling and watching movies
It's fine to take a phone call with the FlyBuds NC. The Tribit puts your voice through loud and clear to the other end of the line. Occasional higher-pitched sounds like accelerating scooters and motors or nearby people can come through in your call, but darker and regular surrounding noises, such as traffic at a distance and cars and trains passing by, are reduced nicely. The Tribit is suitable for phone calls both indoors and in quieter outside areas.
As a bonus, the wind you can hear when you're walking or cycling with the earphones in and ANC turned on isn't audible for the person you're talking to.
The FlyBuds NC makes it fun to watch videos, as audio synchronizes good with video on Android and iPhone. However, there is a noticeable delay in sound effects when playing games, as is the case on almost all wireless earbuds.
Also read: The best $100 wireless earbuds with ANC
Tribit FlyBuds NC ANC quality
The ANC Active Noise Cancellation - the function that quietens noises from your surroundings - works decently on the Tribit FlyBuds NC, even when you're not playing any music.
Important! At this moment, noise cancelling on wireless earbuds doesn't come close to ANC on the best full-sized headphones, like models from Sony and Bose. Those can take away your surrounding noises entirely; earbuds only reduce volume. With that said:
The Tribit brings in a slight white noise to battle the sounds around you. While you can sometimes hear this effect working, it does its job well. Especially darker tones are reduced in volume output. Trucks of trains passing by at a distance, electronic humming, and darker voices are harder to hear with noise-canceling activated. As with most other wireless ANC earbuds, brighter sounds still come through. It will be harder to hear the exact words from people around you, but you will still definitely notice people talking around you - next to you and further away in the room.
If you want to hear voices and traffic clearly, you can switch to Ambient Mode, which puts trough higher-pitched noises wonderfully while continuing music playback. This makes moving in traffic or eavesdropping on a conversation a breeze, if you're not playing music too loud, that is.
Cycling between the ANC functions is easy: hold the right earpiece to turn ANC on, activate Ambient Mode, and then turn both ANC and Ambient Mode off. The latter is recommended regularly, as it will save battery life and rules out the wind noises you pick up so easily with ANC turned on.
The noise canceling on the FlyBuds fares better than on competitors like the Aukey EP-N5, Mpow X3, and Boltune BH023, but can't compete with the Tronsmart Apollo Bold and Oppo Enco W51.
Sound quality of Tribit FlyBuds NC: Smooth
The Tribit Flybuds NC has a straightforward, dynamic sound. It's tuned towards modern genres like pop, hip-hop, and dance.
The FlyBuds NC combines a boosted bass with elevated upper-mids, without making a single aspect dominate the music. It feels like a more natural approach than other wireless earbuds with ANC - the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, Edifier TWS NB and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 (which are bass heavy) on one side, and the Aukey EP-N5 and Mpow X3 (treble-focused) on the other.
The Tribit has a solid bass thump that gives power to genres like pop, dance, and hip-hop. It also provides a bit of slam to easier-going genres, like singer-songwriter pieces. The sub-bass is rather shy on the Tribit; often it's the mid-bass slam that makes you experience the bass, rather than the deepest, darkest bass-tones. While the bass is strong enough, it does lack tightness. It can be a bit mushy.
There's always warmth in the FlyBuds sound. Next to the bass, lower-mids are boosted, giving body to lower male vocals and darker electronic tones.
Female singers and higher-pitched male voices sound upfront, but never harsh or bright. As the upper-mids are slightly boosted, you can hear them over the instruments in the music. Especially instruments in the mids, like guitars and pianos, don't enjoy a lot of attention - and some male vocals (for example in Eagles’ Hotel California) can sound tinny. The detail that's there restricts to sound effects and instruments coming from your left and right. The FlyBuds NC has a mediocre soundstage, yet it's hard to place instruments around you precisely.
Music on the Tribit FlyBuds NC will please many with its warm and straightforward character.
Tribit FlyBuds NC comparisons
Tribit FlyBuds NC vs Tronsmart Apollo Bold
The sound of the Tribit FlyBuds NC is smoother than that of the Tronsmart Apollo Bold. The FlyBuds offers a more balanced sound, with better-controlled bass and more upfront vocals. Music on the Tronsmart feels more around you, but it also has rougher edges. Its striking, hard-hitting bass can become tiresome, and vocals can be harsh at times or more sibilant (emphasizing sss's sounds).
The ANC on the FlyBuds rules out more low background noise than the Apollo Bold (thanks to passive noise isolation; a better ear-shaped fit), but the Tronsmart diminishes higher-pitched sounds better. It also has a better transparency mode, while the Tribit is the preferred option for phone calls. The winner between these two depends on your requirements.
Tribit FlyBuds NC vs Mpow X3
With its bigger earpieces, the FlyBuds NC blocks a little more noise passively, but both the Tribit and the Mpow X3 don't have the strongest noise canceling. They do both have good call quality, however, and they also share an engaging sound. The Mpow X3 injects more higher tones in music, making vocals (and instruments like cymbals and violins) sound clearer, while the FlyBuds has a warmer sound with more emphasis on the lower frequencies. The Mpow does have a tighter, faster, and more detailed bass, making music sound more uplifting - but its focus on treble can also cause some occasional harsh peaks. The FlyBuds plays it safer; its sound is slightly less engaging, but friendlier.
Tribit FlyBuds NC vs 20Decebel ANC
The 20Decebel ANC (also available as TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 and Tozo NC9), has more audible white noise in its ANC, battling but also (strangely) strengthening higher-pitched sounds somewhat. The Tribit filters more sounds from all frequencies. Musically, the Tribit has a more dynamic, engaging sound, with more upfront vocals and upper-mids - as opposed to the dark and recessed sounding 20Decebel. Call quality on the Tribit is better as well - making this the better allrounder.
Tribit FlyBuds NC vs Fiil T1XS
Do you need active noise cancelling functionality on your earbuds? Probably… not (yet). The best wireless earbuds without ANC have such a good passive noise isolation, they can compete with ANC strength on earbuds. The Fiil T1XS doesn't reduce surrounding volume as good as the Tribit, and call quality is a tad more natural on the FlyBuds as well, but dropping the ANC functionality gets you much in return. The Fiil has sport-wings to make them suitable for workouts, an app with great equalizers, a low-latency mode for games and most importantly - a more refined sound, with tighter and deeper bass, more lifelike vocals, nuances around you and better instrument tonality. Don't stare blindly on noise cancelling functionality just yet.
Verdict
The Tribit FlyBuds NC has a smooth, warm sound, solid battery life, convincing call quality, and tops it off with decent ANC active noise cancelling.
Four stars - good
Buy Tribit FlyBuds NC:
I received the Tribit FlyBuds NC for testing and reviewing purposes from Tribit itself. 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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