TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
THREE STARS - Tronsmart is the next Chinese audio brand to take on AirPods in design and functions. If you want the same sound as the Apple buds for the priced of the wired Earpods - you can't miss the Tronsmart Onyx Ace.
Specs of the Tronsmart Onyx Ace:
Bluetooth 5.0 with QCC3020 chip and AptX codec
IPX5 waterproof (sweat and rain proof)
4,5-5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with USB-C cable
$35 on AliExpress - check current price!
Below this review you will find comparisons between the Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs SoundPEATS TrueAir, Edifier TWS200, SoundPEATS Truebuds and Baseus W09.
Design, comfort and battery life
The Tronsmart Onyx Ace is available in black or white, and especially in white, the case shares the look and feel of the AirPods. There are two main differences in the case. The first is the silver-grey front, with four LED-lights that indicate the battery status of the earpieces and case itself. The second is the USB-C port.
With the case fully powered up, you can recharge the earbuds four times. Each charge gives the earpieces around 4,5 hours playtime - a decent score in this price range.
The earpieces itself look like the regular AirPods, although the silver touch strips on top of the stem, separate them in the design. Both the stem and the earpiece are nicely rounded on the inside, and hang comfortable and steady in your ears.
Even when half in-ears like these aren't your cup of tea, the Onyx Ace grips in good. Possibly even better than competitors like the Edifier TWS200 or SoundPEATS TrueAir. On top of it, the earpieces and case feel more robust than their competitors as well.
Connectivity and controls on Onyx Ace
Tronsmarts previous wireless earbuds, the hugely popular Tronsmart Spunky Beat and Tronsmart Onyx Neo, had lackluster touch controls that didn't respond too well to your touch. Tronsmart learned from it this time around.
The touch controls work very well, especially for a stem-design earphone with a smaller-than-average touch panel.
With double taps on the left or right earpiece, you play or pause the music. You can increase the volume by a tap on the right one, and decrease it by a tap on the left. Skipping a track? Hold the right side for 2 seconds. Returning a song? Hold the left one. Three taps on either side activate the voice assistant on your smartphone. All actions are confirmed by a pleasant! tick-like sound.
The connectivity on the Onyx Ace is solid - mostly. What's important is that you should connect to both earpieces in your Bluetooth list. Wait for the prompt to also connect your other earpiece on both of them. Only then will the Ace connect properly every time. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to swap between one and two earpieces instantly. Besides, the Onyx Ace has troubles re-connecting sometimes, after connecting to another Bluetooth device in between. The controls do respond, but there doesn't come any sound out of the earpieces.
The Bluetooth 5.0 connection strength itself is solid - even with walls within ten meters of distance.
Video and call quality of Onyx Ace
With the recently released Onyx Neo, Tronsmart raised high hopes for the call quality of the Tronsmart Onyx Ace. Can the Ace compete with the brilliant Edifier TWS200 in this regard?
Mostly: yes! The Onyx Ace has a four-microphone setup to reduce the sound from your surroundings and focus on your voice entirely. That works: your voice sounds clear above background noise, indoor, and also outside in between traffic and some wind. For instance, trains, an accelerating truck at 50 meters distance, and all kinds of outside working noises, are reduced entirely in the call.
It's not as flawless as on the Edifier TWS200, however. Sometimes, you can hear a bit of processing going on - with shifts in the sound you'll hear. The other end of the line may also hear you're not directly speaking in your phone microhpone. Still - it's absolutely possible to have a long phone call with these.
Watching videos with the Onyx Ace is flawless. Audio-video synchronization is spot-on on both iPhone and Android, including the challenging YouTube-app. There is a noticeable delay while playing games, however, as is the case with 99% of wireless earphones.
Also read: The best cheap AirPods-like wireless earbuds
Sound quality of Tronsmart Onyx Ace
Let's state the same thing as in the Edifier TWS200 review: it's much harder to manage a good sound out of a half in-ear earpiece - which aims sideways in your ears - than it is to get a good sound of a fully in-ear design.
As a result, Apple's own AirPods don't sound that good; the Edifier TWS200 is too mid-centric for some, and the SoundPEATS TrueAir has enough bass - but slightly overproduced highs at the highest volumes.
The Tronsmart Onyx Ace is not a terrific sounding pair of earphones. The sound is best described as dull - and falls especially short in vocals. It doesn't matter if a song has darker male vocals or higher-pitched female voices - they simply don't protrude from the rest of the music. At best, they sound clear-ish right in between the rest of the instruments. More often, they drown in the other frequencies and play a recessed background role.
Highs on the Onyx Ace are practically non-existent. Typical mids like guitars, are about the highest frequency the Onyx Ace reaches. Cymbals, violins, nuances in higher vocals - they're hard to find here.
Still, not all is bad. The Tronsmart Onyx Ace has a nice slamming bass for a pair of half in-ears, which delivers just about plenty punch to make dance songs uplifting enough. You may even bop your head more than once. Also, because mid-tones and vocals are pulled towards the lower frequencies, the Onyx Ace at least sounds full. It's just not... the best kind of full.
Selected comparisons
Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs Edifier TWS200
The $40 Edifier TWS200 is another pair of half in-ear earbuds with outstanding call quality, both indoor and outside. It shares the battery life of the Onyx Ace, and while the stem is longer, it feels just as comfortable. The Edifier sound is more outspoken, with more detailed lows and mids, pronounced vocals, and more upper-mids. The Onyx has better and even volume controls, however - and USB-C charging instead of micro-USB.
Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs SoundPEATS TrueAir
At the same $30, the SoundPEATS TrueAir is another half in-ear contender for the Onyx Ace. Its case is a bit bigger, and the earpieces look a bit less like AirPods. The call quality is noticeably worse, with unclear microphone output indoors and outside. Music qualities are better, however, with a more engaging bass and elevated vocals - resulting in a more dynamic sound. At the highest volumes, the highs of the TrueAir can seem overly processed, but the sound is still more detailed and captivating than the Onyx Ace.
Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs SoundPEATS Truebuds
SoundPEATS has another half in-ear earphone. The Truebuds has a case twice the size and three times the weight of the Onyx Ace and has a USB-port to recharge your smartphone. The sound on the Truebuds is much more vibrant, with more definition from the lows to the highs. Upper-mids and vocals sound upfront and detailed, and the bass is more pronounced as well. The Onyx Ace is better in handling calls and video playback, however.
Buy SoundPEATS Truebuds (review coming soon)
Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs Baseus W09
The $25 Baseus W09 has been on the Scarbir.com shelves for a long time, not reviewed because of its mediocre sound quality. Turns out that it's on a level playing field with the Onyx Ace. The Baseus has more emphasis and details in the mid-tones; the Tronsmart puts more weight in the lows and sounds a bit more relaxed. Vocals sound thin on both models. The Onyx Ace is better on all other aspects: video playback, call quality, comfort, and battery life.
Buy Baseus W09 on AliExpress (no review)
Tronsmart Onyx Ace vs Apple AirPods
This is a comparison I would never have thought of myself, but as reader JaxTeller points out: the Tronsmart Onyx Ace sound exactly like the wired Apple Earpods or even the wireless Apple AirPods! The Apple's have a somewhat more boosted bass, but that can also sound a bit muddier in bass heavy tracks. Vocals are a bit warmer on the Earpods, but the overall sound signature is very similar. If you prefer a wireless version of your Apple Earpods at around the same cost - absolutely consider the Tronsmart Onyx Ace.
No Apple Earpods review - check out my Apple Airpods Pro guide here
Verdict
With excellent call quality, great comfort, and outstanding controls, the Tronsmart Onyx Ace almost ticks all boxes for affordable half in-ear earbuds. The sound could have been more refined, though.
Three stars - worth considering
Buy Tronsmart Onyx Ace/ check current price:
I received the Tronsmart Onyx Ace myself to test and review. Thanks, Tronsmart! 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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