Motorola has partnered with Bose to produce Moto Buds+ Bluetooth (5.3) earbuds for a price that’s unthinkable. It’s way cheaper than any Bose earbuds. But are they worth a look?

I like the rounded shape of the Moto Buds+ case because it is easy to slip into pockets or bags. The wireless earbuds are very comfortable to wear for prolonged periods. We are talking about two-three hours without any ear fatigue. Further, these are IP54 rated, so it can handle splashes.

To get the most out of the earbuds, you have to download the Moto Buds app. The app packs in most of the features found on other earbuds and the winning feature is the custom EQ.

You can quickly check how much battery is remaining on the buds and have full control over noise cancellation (adaptive, noise cancellation, transparency). Also present is in-ear detection and “fit test”. And, of course, there is “find my earbuds” option. In-ear detection is a helpful feature to have; whenever you take the earbuds out of the ear, the music stops.

The app has a number of customisations but there is room for improvement

The app even lets you play around with the touch controls. There are no single taps in the menu; you can do double-tap, triple-tap and tap-and-hold. Having no single tap means you can’t accidentally trigger a control when fiddling with the ears. Within in each category, there are plenty of other controls.

Sound experience

The top feature of the Moto Buds+ is the ‘Sound by Bose’ branding and helping the cause are dual dynamic drivers (11mm + 6mm). You get support for Dolby Head Tracking as well as high-res support. The buds support LHDC codec and to get the best sound having a Motorola phone may help.

The default audio setting produces excellent sound, taking on Nothing Ear (2) buds. The bass is just about right and doesn’t overpower the vocals on Kings of Leon’s new album Can We Please Have Fun. Caleb Followill’s vocals sound whisky-soaked and one can feel the pent-up aggression. We then changed gears to Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft. The finer production details of the album gets channeled easily on the earbuds.

If you tweak the EQ, try “vocal boost”. But I didn’t like the “bass boost” feature which somewhat muddles the sound. Motorola could have looked at a sound personalisation feature but that’s something restricted to more premium earbuds.

The adaptive noise cancellation feature is also pretty good. Traffic sounds are easily muffled and so are sounds in the office space. Just make sure you have the correct eartips for the full experience. Even if it’s windy, the earbuds can easily handle that. The transparency mode too works well. Let’s quickly talk about the triple microphones — they do a decent job but is nowhere near the capabilities of Apple AirPods, especially in noisy surroundings.

The wireless earbuds are light and are comfortable on the ears

Should you buy it?

You can get a solid eight hours without ANC and around six hours with ANC (all depends on the volume and the quality at which you are streaming). It’s among the best you will get on wireless earbuds. And the fantastic performance extends to the charging on the case. There is fast-charge support and with 10 minutes of charging will give you around three hours of playback. Plus, there is support for wireless charging. Overall, even though they are powered by Bose, you don’t get the full-on Bose experience but you certainly get excellent output for the money you are paying. It can take competition to the likes of Nothing Ear (2). Moto Buds+ is a solid option for the casual music listener.

At a glance

Device: Moto Buds+

Price: Rs 9,999

High notes

Good ANC experience

Clean soundstage

Comfortable on the ears

Supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking

Above-average battery life

Muffled notes

App can be made more robust

Microphone quality can be improved