Every smartphone maker is talking about ecosystem and how customers are buying one product after another from the same brand. Yes, being an ecosystem player helps but it also means coming up with amazing products, which alone gives birth to brand loyalty. Vivo too is doing the same. We have had the company’s TWS Neo Earphone for some time and had it paired with the Vivo X50 Pro. Results? Read on.
Great design and good soundscape
Inside a pebble-shaped box, are the earphones with an outer-ear fit, which is like the Apple AirPods. The box is quite small and the quality is quite good; it doesn’t easily get scratched by car keys or coins. Pop open the box for the earphones that weight 4.7g (each) only and can be worn over hours without any discomfort. It doesn’t sit too far into the ear canals because of the design and the stem is long enough, which means better call quality. It offers a snug fit and no matter how much you shake your head, it won’t fall off.
In the sound department, Vivo has packed in a lot of codecs. There is a 14.2mm large driver unit, which brings in vibrancy to low frequencies while keep the vocals mellow. Hopping from genre to genre, we were able to enjoy a lot of country and blues without a problem. The earphones come with aptX, AAC and SBC. aptX audio technology is important because it reduces the latency to keep audio and video in sync. The codec helps reproduce the soundscape as intended by the artiste.
But the problem lies with bass-heavy music. Be it a Skrillex or a Diplo track, the listener would find something missing. It’s not that the bass is messed up; it’s just doesn’t feel punchy enough. Having said that, words come across clear and instrumentals sound fine. It’s far better than Realme Buds Air Neo but falls behind Creative Outlier Air. In short, The Who will sound good on the new earbuds from Vivo but the English rock band will sound better on Outlier Air.
There is AI noise cancellation to improve the sound on voice calls, which is a good feature. Voice quality is good and the sound of cars and crowds get blocked to make calls appear clearer. There are several tap and swipe gestures that can help you control the buds. Sadly, there is no wireless charging or the ability to connect to two devices at once.
Is it for you?
The earbuds offer 4.5 hours of battery life and the charging case can keep it going for 22.5 hours. So it adds up to more than a day. There is also IP54 waterproofing, which is enough to protect the buds from light rain. Though the bass could have been louder, there are enough codecs to keep you going. Despite a lot of competition, Vivo TWS Neo Earphone holds its own with good battery life and a decent soundscape.
At a glance
- Device: Vivo TWS Neo Earphone
- Earphone weight: 4.7g
- Water and dust resistant: IP54
- Driver unit: 14.2mm
- Codec: aptX Adaptive, AAC, SBC
- Microphones: Two beam-forming microphones
- Battery: 4.5 hours + 22.5hours
- Price: Rs 5,990
