Truly wireless headphones (earbuds that aren’t connected by any wire) are rapidly gaining popularity and nearly every audio manufacturer is beginning to release their own versions of them. Apple is currently ruling this space[1] with the AirPods, in the US anyway, and it seems as though everyone wants a piece of that pie.
Bose[2] has launched[3] its first pair of truly wireless earbuds in India, called the SoundSport Free, and it's aimed at users with an active lifestyle. Naturally, being a Bose product, it does command a premium which in this case is Rs. 18,990. Armed with an IPX4 certification for sweat resistance and the promise of good audio quality, is the SoundSport Free worth the asking price?
Bose SoundSport Free design and features
The SoundSport Free earbuds have very good build quality and feel sturdy. Glossy plastic has been used for most of the construction, along with a bit of rubber lining for the buttons. We have the black version for review today but this pair is also available in Midnight Blue and Bright Orange, which look a lot more striking. The earbuds stick out from your ears a bit when you wear them. We found them to be fairly light at 15g each, and we didn’t face any fatigue even after prolonged listening sessions.
The right earbud is the main one, and has all the buttons for media playback and voice prompts. Calls are only routed to your right ear. The bottoms of each earbud have a series of contact pins which are used for charging when they are placed in their case. The left earbud just has a single ‘Bluetooth’ button, which is used to wake the pair out of sleep, disconnect...