There are a lot of budget earbuds on the market. Some of them are good but many are not. So how do you decide on a pair of true wireless earbuds that don’t cost the earth? My advice would normally be to spend a little more but if you’re giving earbuds to kids to use and don’t want to risk sending them out into the world with something expensive, the SoundPEATS Free2 might just be the answer.
These competitively priced true wireless earbuds have no bells and whistles. For example, they don’t offer Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) and only support the most basic SBC audio codec. Additionally, that can’t be charged wirelessly or played for longer than five hours on a single charge. That said, these cheap and cheerful little earbuds have a lot to offer for the money.
Built around a Jerry 6973D4 Bluetooth 5.1 chipset, the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic earbuds provide a very stable connection. The earbuds can play for up to five hours on a full charge and the charging case is good for up to 20 hours of backup charge, enabling the earbuds to be recharged three times before the case needs recharging.
The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic earbuds can play for five hours on a single charge. There are another … [+]
Although the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic earbuds don’t offer an ANC function, the built-in microphones for making phone calls do have noise cancellation so video chats and voice calls are as clear as possible.
The build quality of the case and the earbuds feels robust and the ultra-lightweight earbuds fit well in the ear thanks to a choice of differently sized silicone ear tips. The earbuds are waterproof to IPX5 standard which is enough to shrug off some splashes but not much more.
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Each earbud has touch-sensitive controls for skipping tracks, pausing music and taking calls. The controls aren’t programmable as there’s no smartphone app for the SoundPEATS Free2. These are quite basic earbuds but they do have most of the functions needed for everyday use.
The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic earbuds come with silicon ear tips in three sizes, a USB-C charging … [+]
Even though the SoundPEATS Free2 only support the basic SBC Bluetooth codec, the 6mm bio-compound dynamic drivers produce a very satisfying sound. There’s a hefty dose of bass, plenty of detail in the treble and a reasonable midrange. What you don’t get is low latency, which means the earbuds aren’t too good at keeping in sync with movies or games. The lag of the sound means that when you’re watching movies, the lip sync can slip.
Verdict: The SoundPEATS Free2 Classic earbuds are pretty good value for money and robust enough to withstand a fair amount of punishment. The sound is adequate but don’t expect too much at this price. If you want audiophile quality, look at something more expensive that supports AAC or aptX audio codecs.
Pricing & Availability: $19.99 / £19.99 / €19.95
More info: soundpeats.com
Tech Specs
- Driver type: 6mm bio-compound dynamic
- Bluetooth version: 5.1
- Bluetooth profiles: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
- Chipset: Jerry 6973D4
- Audio codecs: SBC
- Range: 10m
- Battery life: 5 hours (earbuds) / 30 hours with case
- Charging Time: 1.5 – 2 hours
- Charging port: USB-C
- Weight: 4.97g (per earbud) 37.5g (case and earbuds)
- Controls: Touch
- Waterproof rating: IPX5
