At a time when ‘Nothing’ (upcoming tech brand) appears to be everything for tech enthusiasts, it’s good to see Realme putting out products with confidence as well as bringing to the fore another promising brand. Realme has introduced DIZO as part of the company’s TechLife ecosystem (to clarify, DIZO has not been started by Realme). Among the first DIZO products to arrive are the wireless earbuds GoPods D and Wireless Bluetooth Headset (neckband). Both are easy on the pocket and both manage to punch above its pricing.

We are mainly going to look at GoPods D and also talk about the soundscape of the neckband. Coming in at only Rs 1,399, GoPods D has a well-designed egg-shaped charging case with matte finish. Frankly, I am not sure how long the shiny surface will last once it starts residing in the pocket with the keys to the car. The earbuds are good to look at and have some interesting features to offer. It’s best to link both the products to the Realme Link app, which will offer you easy access to equaliser options as well as some extra features.

In way of sound, both are bass-friendly, which is something most users demand. So, songs from Dua Lipa as well as Doja Cat rock but at the same time, vocals take a backseat now and then. But, given the pricing, there is little room for complains. The earbuds come with 10mm bass boost drivers, which offer excellent sound. The clarity of GoPods D in a way reminds the user of Realme Buds Air 2 but the former has fewer features. The neckband comes with 11.2mm dynamic bass boost driver, ensuring a similar sound stage.

With Bluetooth 5.0 on board, the connectivity of both devices is good and we didn’t experience any issues. As for gaming, both these DIZO products are best in their price segment. While the earbuds have 110ms super-low latency, the neckband has it at 88ms. The earbuds even come with environmental noise cancellation for calls, something that’s helpful in crowded areas. Call quality on both devices are good and the person on the other end of the phone will not complain.

Even though they are inexpensive, Realme is offering IPX4 water resistance, which means both products are able to handle some sweat and splashes but please don’t sport them in the pouring rain. Maintaining volume at around 60 per cent, I was able to get around 18 hours of music from the earbuds and 15 hours from the neckband.

The DIZO products are in a very tough category, one in which pricing is as important as features. Both the DIZO GoPods D and Wireless Bluetooth Headset offer enough sonic booms to keep listeners happy.

At a glance: DIZO

Abhilash Panda has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of DIZO’s India operations

DIZO wasn’t started by Realme

Realme simply identified DIZO as an aspiring brand with potential to become a part of the Realme TechLife ecosystem. DIZO is an individual brand and has its own management, marketing and operations team, which is not connected with Realme. Abhilash Panda was recently appointed CEO of DIZO’s India operations

In way of support...

And as part of the Realme TechLife ecosystem, DIZO has Realme’s support in three key aspects — industrial design, supply chain, and AIoT experience that work perfectly with the Realme Link app. DIZO even has its R&D team working on a global as well as local scale.

India and beyond...

Besides India, DIZO products will be available in several other countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa.

More about it

DIZO Wireless Bluetooth Headset can take some splashes, making it good for light exercise routines

Device: DIZO GoPods D is priced at 1,399 and DIZO Wireless Bluetooth Headset, Rs 1,499

High notes

• Affordable and good for daily use

• Partial towards bass means most dance-floor hits work well

• IPX4 water resistance

• Good battery life

Muffled notes

• The quality of plastic could have been better