Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank

[testman78]

Introduction

Today I’ll be reviewing these Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds. I love audio products and never turn down the opportunity to review some new earphones. These earphones are a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) pair of earphones. The supplied charging box also doubles up as a powerbank, enabling you to charge your mobile device. But are they any good? Sound quality? Time to test them out!



The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds connects to devices using Bluetooth 5.1, which means it won’t ever be compatible with features like Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec (which are using the 5.2 firmware).




Packaging & Contents

The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank comes packed in a nice black and blue package with the Sandberg logo on top. The front of the package shows a large image of the Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank in the middle and the main features.



On the sides we have more images and illustrations on how the Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank can be used and on the back we have detailed information in 24 languages.



The Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank itself is packed very securely.



Inside the box we just have the Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank, a micro USB cable(length 20cm) and a quick guide.




There are two additional pairs of silicone tips.




A Closer Look

The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds come in a black glossy case with a flip lid on top. The case is a little thick, compared to similarly shaped ones from the likes of the Apple AirPods or the Google Pixel Buds A-Series, but it still fits in a pocket just fine.



The charging box measures 7.5cm x 5.0cm x 3.0cm and weighs 70G. You’ll also notice that the lid is translucent which allows you to see the built-in LED charging indicator of remaining battery life of the charging box.



On the front you’ll see a silicone cover. Underneath this cover you’ll see the micro USB input charging port. You’ll also see a USB-A output port too.



The in-built 2000mAh lithium-ion battery also doubles up as powerbank.



Magnets hold the earbuds in place when you store them for charging. When you’ve finished with the earphones simply put them back into the charging box, they’ll start to charge and disconnect from your device. Removing them again will result in automatic pairing to the last known device.



The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds is made mainly of plastic, as is its charging case, which helps keep things lightweight. Each Earphone measures 3.0cm x 1.5cm x 1.5cm and weighs a mere 4G. They’re black in colour and each feature either a R or L symbol on the back to indicate correct ear use. We can see charging pins to contact each earphone.



The earphones are touch sensitive and you’re able to do a range of controls on the earphones themselves. You’re able to do the following:

Pause/Play: Tap once on either earphone.
Answer/End a call: Tap once on either earphone.
Reject Phonecall: Tap and hold on either earphone for 3 seconds.
Siri: Tap and hold on either earphone to activate Siri.
Track Selection: Double tap on the right earphone to skip, double tap the left to go back.
Volume: Tripe tap on the right to increase volume; triple tap the left to decrease the volume.




Performance

You’ll need to charge the charging box for around 1-2 hours using the supplied micro USB cable. If you want you can use any micro USB cable, it’s a generic charging cable. You’ll need to plug the USB-A side into any 5V DC power source. Once charged the charging box will hold around 4 charging cycles for the earphones. The earphones take around an hour to charge and will be indicated with a red LED light which will turn to blue to indicate a full charge. The buds feature a molded shape meant to nestle snugly into your ear, but whether it successfully manages this depends on your particular ear shape. There are no additional stabilizers like ear fins or hooks, so getting a decent seal with the properly sized ear tip is very important (especially if your ear shape isn’t suited to the shape of the bud). Fortunately, the Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds comes with three different sizes of silicone ear tip, so finding a decent fit shouldn’t be too hard. You’ll hear a generic voice prompt to indicate power, you’ll now need to perform a Bluetooth search on your device. The earphone will flash alternately blue/red whilst this process is carried out. Connect to the option and you’ll hear another voice prompt confirming a successful pairing. Much like with pretty much every other pair of true wireless earbuds, the Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds breaks its connection with your paired device when you store it in the charging case. However, since either bud can pair with your device, if the charging connection doesn’t happen for both earbuds, one will stay paired. This drains the earbud battery even more, and it makes answering phone calls kind of a pain if you’ve walked away from wherever you left the buds to charge. I routinely have to fiddle with one bud or the other to make sure they’re both charging, otherwise I’ll pull them out and run into a situation where one is full and the other barely has any juice left. This can mean more than just being forced into mono listening occasionally (something the earbuds support, which is nice).



The touch-sensitive on ear controls do work quite well, once you get used to the sweet spot of controlling them. It takes some practice and lots of annoying pausing/playing whilst you learn to skip tracks and control volume. Τhe Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds can last up to 6 hours on a single charge when turned on and listening. At a consistent output of ~75dB, the left earbud of the Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds lasted 5 hours, 23 minutes, while the right one lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes—some degree of difference between the earbuds is expected, as it’s largely the nature of how true wireless earbuds work. The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds produced a decent amount of tones with a good mix between high tones, mid-tones, and low tones. Of course, it's nothing miraculous, so to speak, but it still exceeded our expectations. Especially considering how it is competitively priced on the market. Sound cancellation is OK, most unwanted background noise is removed, noise isolation is average, there’s some sound leakage. The sound starts to distort around 3/4 in volume. People on the other side of your video call or phone call can hear you clearly. The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds are fitted with a V5.1 Bluetooth chipset, this provides a working distance of around 10M before they start to lose signal.




Final Thoughts

Wireless earbuds or TWS earbuds are a rage now and everyone wants to use one as these are quite comfortable to use without the bothering cables. However, it is important to select the best option available as you will be spoilt for choice with the numerous brands out there. What I really liked as an idea in these earphones and intrigued as I told you in the beginning, is that the charging box can be used and as a powerbank. Something good, if you are about to remain without any power at your mobile! The Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds sit pretty well on your ears. They are reasonably light and provides a decent amount of wearing comfort. The earbuds piece just don't really lean in your ear. You have to squeeze them a little bit between your auricle. The earbuds feature touch-sensitive panels that offer a decent spread of onboard controls. The Sandberg Bluetooth earbuds delivers acceptable audio performance. Another worth noting is that, pairing the Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds to a supporting device is smooth and quick.



Overall, I’m happy to recommend these earphones, they’re cheap and OK for everyday use. Obviously, they’re not going to impress an audio enthusiast, but the average consumer will be happy with them. Furthermore, you can also charge other USB devices such as your smartphone since the charging case also functions as a power bank. Pretty neat feature considering its price(27€). Sandberg does have a strong reputation and also includes a 5 years warranty which covers your device if something happens during regular intended use of the unit.