TWS true wireless earphones - under $25
FOUR STARS - The Tronsmart Spunky Beat delivers great sound quality and excellent video playback for only $25, but is a bit troubled by cumbersome touch controls.
Specs of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and AptX codec
IPX5 waterproof (sweat and rain resistant)
5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips, USB-A and USB-C cable
$25 on AliExpress or Amazon US (check current price)
Below this review you will find comparisons between the Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs Tronsmart Onyx Neo, QCY T5, QCY QS2, Mpow T5/M5 and SSK BT03.
Update February 20, 2020: Due to lasting connectivity issues and the cumbersome touch controls, I've decided to decrease the overall score from 5 to 4 stars. I've also added a comparison of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs SoundPEATS TrueDot.
Design, comfort and battery life
The earpieces on the Tronsmart Spunky Beat are the most compact so far encountered in 65+ reviews on Scarbir.com. They are incredibly lightweight and shaped like little eggs. They dive almost entirely into your ears, but due to the tiny nozzle and ear tips to put around them - they don't feel too tight in your ear. They balance a fine line between comfort and tightness. It may not feel safe to use them for sports - but once pushed inside your ears steadily, they survive shake and running tests. These are one of the most comfortable wireless earphones you can buy.
Just as the earpieces, the charging case of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat is delightfully compact. It's smart too - it shows the battery status on the front via LED-lights, it comes with an attached strap, and even has an attached USB-A charging cable under its belly. Charging conventionally is possible, too, with the USB-C port and the delivered cable.
The battery life of the earpieces is solid for this price range, and certainly for the size. It offers around 5 hours playtime on a single charge, dependent on your volume. The case can recharge the earpieces three times fully, and reloading the case with the earpieces for five minutes, gives you an hour of music. Excellent.
Connectivity and controls of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat
The earpieces of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat have touch controls, and they are the weak spot of these wireless earphones. They often respond way too quick (and sometimes too slow) to your actions. For example, it can continue playing after pausing, because you touched the earpieces while putting them away. Other times, it can be a bit hard even to pause a song. On three different Spunky Beat's I've tried, it turned out hard to activate functions on the right earpiece.
Sometimes even, both earpieces don't respond anymore - until you put them in the case and take them out again. And in three instances, the earphones shut off by just holding them for a few seconds.
The control scheme takes getting used to. Touch once to play or pause, or take a call. Hold the right side a bit to return (!) a song, hold the left one to advance a track. Tapping two times on the left bud activates the voice assistant of your smartphone. On some models it's possible to change the volume by tapping multiple times on the buds, but actually changing the volume is hard due to the strange touch sensitivity - and on other models changing the volume isn't possible at all.
It's easy to say the controls aren't the best part of this TWS. They're, in fact, rather sluggish.
The connectivity on the Spunky Beat is spot on. They pair fast once you take them out of the case, and it's easy to switch between one or two earpieces - it doesn't matter which. You'll hear the Connected prompt first, but it works just fine. Bluetooth connectivity is great as well, up to ten meters, and even when there are walls between your device and earpieces.
Call quality and watching videos
Audio-video synchronization on the Tronsmart Spunky Beat is excellent, on both Android and iPhone. On the latter, it even perfectly synchronizes in the always challenging YouTube app. It performs stellar in services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well. There is a noticeable delay in the sound when gaming, however. If you're looking for a low-cost set that supports this, do look at the QCY T5.
The call quality of the Tronsmart Spunky Beat is convincing. Even if you may sound a tad tinny, it's perfectly doable to have a more extended phone call, both inside and outside, where surrounding noises are suppressed well.
Also read: The best wireless earphones under $25
Sound quality of Tronsmart Spunky Beat
It's easy to see why Tronsmart put the name 'Beat' on this earphone. The Tronsmart Spunky Beat has an engaging, thumping bass - and that's not all.
The Spunky Beat has a beat, alright. Once you press the tiny earpieces in deep enough, there's a generous bass presence coming from them. The mid-bass delivers a slam that's quick enough to make you tap your foot. The sub-bass is… well... it's assertive alright. You will hear and feel the bass rumble.
The dedicated reader may notice the earlier released Tronsmart Spunky Buds had a very prominent bass too. That one, also, had moments delivering a pure smile on your face out of simple bassy joy. However, there's a difference now. This time around, it doesn't push other frequencies overboard. Basslines - thumps, rumbles; it can be a bit messy at times, but most of the time, the bass gives you plenty of power.
The upper-mids are forward and very clear, with female vocals and higher-pitched male singers taking a prominent role in each song. Violins and guitars are awarded room to shine. The Tronsmart Spunky Beat can, however, sound harsh on higher volumes. You may need to get used to the amount of highs the Tronsmart has, especially coming from a warmer and darker sounding earphone.
On the iPhone, the Spunky Beat can go so loud, it loses dynamics and it sounds plain tinny and harsh. It's best to stay away from those volumes. On Android, you cannot quite reach the same volume levels.
The soundstage is pleasantly wide, and instrument separation and placement are impressive. The tonality is on the warmer side, although it's not nearly as warm as competitors like the more bass-thump focused Syllable S105 or Mpow M7.
While the Tronsmart Spunky Beats throws details in your face at a lower volume too, the Beat performs better when playing music loud - just not too loud. On lower volumes, center-mids may sometimes sound a bit hollow between the forward bass and upper-mids. On higher volumes, these deliver a hugely engaging listen.
Even though the bass can get a little messy and the highs a bit too sharp, this is one solid performer for its price.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat comparisons
Tronsmart Spunky BEat vs QCY T5
The QCY T5 is another incredible true wireless earphone under $25. It delivers a complete package, with comfort, great connectivity, call quality, and even an impressive Gaming Mode that helps audio synchronize while playing games. The Spunky Beat offers longer battery life, and has a bigger bass thump. The bass of the T5 can hit deeper, though, and equally extended highs are controlled better - the T5 sounds less harsh on the highest volumes than the Spunky Beat.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs Tronsmart Onyx Neo
Tronsmarts cheapest sets of wireless earbuds both lack great functioning touch controls, unfortunately. The Spunky Beat offers more massive bass and more presence of lower-mids. Both have clear highs, but due to the even higher elevated treble, the Onyx Neo can sound a little too splashy or thin - while the Spunky Beat always throws an engaging bass and more active lower-mids in the mix. It makes the Spunky Beat a more versatile, fun TWS than the Onyx Neo.
Full Tronsmart Onyx Neo review here
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs SSK BT03
SSK BT03 in white-orange, QCY T5 in black
Apart from the more introvert and decent colors, there is more to the Spunky Beat compared with the SSK BT03. The Beat earpieces are even tinier and more comfortable, due to their shape and the touch controls instead of actual buttons. Battery life and call quality are better. The SSK BT03 sound compares well to the Spunky Beat, but the signature is a bit more aggressive than the Beats one, with a more harder-striking and overpowering bass. Vocals are even more forward. Both are impressive.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs Haylou GT2
Another competitor to this Tronsmart is the fantastic Haylou GT2. The Spunky Beat has more bass presence, but the Haylou GT2 bass can dive deeper. The Spunky Beat has a fuller sound; the GT2 resolves some more details in the mids. The GT2 sounds airier, and it performs better on the highest volumes - where the dynamics of the Spunky Beat impress less. Audio-video synchronization, battery life, and call quality are better on the Tronsmart.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs SoundPEATS TrueDot
Surprise: the Tronsmart Spunky Beat sounds somewhat tinny in comparison to the TrueDot. It has a sweet bass and steady bass thump, but has less bass and lower-mids weight than the TrueDot. Upper-mids and highs are more extended on the Spunky Beat, but also make the earphones overly bright in comparison to the TrueDot. The Spunky Beat may disappear just a bit more in your ears, but the controls on the TrueDot are way better.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs QCY QS2
The QCY T5 has now beaten the QCY QS2 on versatility, but the QS2's ongoing popularity still justifies this comparison. The Spunky Beat sounds more forward and clear - it has a more elevated bass and lower-mids and a bigger soundstage with better instrument placement within. It has better battery life and is more comfortable as well, due to the tinier earpieces. You may say the Spunky Beat is an upgrade over the QS2.
Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs Mpow T5/ M5
Compare the Spunky Beat to Mpow's excellent sub-50-dollars offering, and the Mpow T5/ M5 has a bigger soundstage and more precise instrument placement. The bass on the Beat offers more detail, and mids sound warmer. Vocals take a more prominent position within the music on the Beat. Both sound terrific; but the Beat wins on practical aspects. Comfort, battery life, audio-video synchronization, and call quality are better.
Verdict
Comfortable compact earpieces, a smart case, solid battery life... and most of all: convincing sound quality with a sweet thumping bass. The controls are the only weak spot on this winner among truly wireless earphones under $25.
FOUR stars - VERY GOOD
Buy Tronsmart Spunky Beat/ check current price:
Update November 28: Added a comparison to the Haylou GT2 and further defined the bass section of the review.
Update December 27: Added a few words on the touch controls (see controls) and the volume output on iPhone/ Android (see sound quality).
Update January 22: Now (finally, oops!) added a comparison from the Tronsmart Spunky Beat vs Onyx Neo.
Update February 20: Updated the sound quality and overall score from 5 to 4 stars, due to the harshness of the sound on higher volumes and the cumbersome controls.
I received the Tronsmart Spunky Beat from Tronsmart to test and review. 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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