The ‘Best True Wireless Earbuds under 5000’ segment picked up a lot of commotion in 2020 especially in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic leading to people working from home and needing to talk to people digitally or binge-watch content on different streaming platforms. This leads different companies to increase their investment in the earbud market leading to different earbuds with features suiting everybody’s needs making them an essential commodity to top and compliment our style and standard of living. And like smartphones, they vary between different price ranges so here is a list which according to us has the best true wireless earbuds fulfilling everyone’s needs within the price range of Rs 5,000. This list includes earbuds from OnePlus, Oppo, Jabra, Noise, and Mivi.
OnePlus Buds
Features
+ Stylish
+ Comfy
+ Great Battery life
+ Type-C quick charging
+ Dual Mic
+ Dolby Atmos and Google Fast pair supported
+ Sounds good with high-resolution music
+ nice for calls
+ IPX4 rated
Problems
– All options not accessible if you don’t have the latest smartphone from the company.
– No advanced Bluetooth codec support
– Sound is not very detailed
– Barely any passive noise cancellation
Review
OnePlus the “David” to “Goliath” like Apple, Samsung, etc. smartphone corporations recently came out with their true wireless earbuds OnePlus Buds priced at 4,990. It’s their 1st true wireless earbuds and offers spectacular features and specifications for the value. These buds are said to work best with Oneplus smartphones, regardless they work simply fine with other devices.
Many true wireless earphone manufacturers are going for the outer-ear fit because it permits them to fit larger driver units which made OnePlus prefer this style enabling them to possess 13.4mm dynamic drivers making up for the apparent reduction in noise isolation which is a result of the outer-ear fit. The earbuds feel non-intrusive and quite comfy providing for a good quantity of ambient sound to be heard. The earbud may not comfortably fit with some people as an outer-ear style earbud hangs out of your ear creating issues for people with smaller ear lobes. They have large touch sensors for gesture controls closely resembling their own wireless neckband-style earphones OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z.
They have a wear detection feature and either earbud can be used individually. They also support Dolby Atmos, Google Fast Pair when used with compatible OnePlus smartphones. They even have a low-latency mode reducing the latency to 103ms operating only when the Fnatic mode is turned on and can’t be toggled independently, a feature of the OnePlus smartphones. The OnePlus Buds have a rating of IPX4 for water resistance which means it’s able to handle a few light splashes of water enabling you to use them when going for a workout. Sadly it doesn’t support advanced codecs like aptX. These buds support fast charging, with a 10-minute charge of the case OnePlus claims it is enough to deliver 10 hours of playback time. The buds themselves have a battery life of 7 hours and a full charge of the case is said to have a battery life of 30 hours.
With the OnePlus Buds, more attention has been paid to style and features, whereas sound hitches a ride in the backseat, which doesn’t mean that they sound bad; on the record, they sound decent enough for their price tag, and largely on par with the other earbuds in the same price range. There’s barely any noise isolation but the earbuds are loud enough to allow for a proper listening experience, also allowing you to listen to your surroundings. There’s a major sub-bass bump which on more than one occasion ate into the earbuds’ ability to properly replicate vocals and trebles. Not an enormous quantity of detail can be heard on the OnePlus Buds and the sound stage is also limited. Though using high-resolution music appears to solve the problem but even then the AAC codec can only send that much info for the earbuds to work with. The OnePlus Buds does get terribly loud leading to listener fatigue but is especially useful on voice calls and as they have the mic on both the buds it helps capture a clearer voice and is absolutely best for calls.
Oppo Enco W51
Features
+ Comfortable Fit
+ IP54 rated
+ Active Noise Cancellation
+ Great Sound Quality
+ Good for calls
+ Wireless charging
Problems
– No support for advanced Bluetooth codec
– Average battery life
– Touch controls can not be customized without an Oppo smartphone
Review
Active noise cancellation is relatively a new concept for truly wireless earbuds. It was first seen in 2019 only in the premium earbuds such as the Sony WF-1000XM3 and Apple AirPods Pro. In just a year it can be seen in more products of the same category and has become natural to expect this feature. Priced at Rs. 4,990, the Oppo Enco W51 is a full-fledged pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation and wireless charging.
The Oppo Enco W51 has a decent look when compared to the Oppo Enco Free true wireless earbuds though it does have a glossy finish which has quite a good look and feel to it. It has a proper in-canal fit which is needed for functional active noise cancellation. The earbuds have a rating of IP54 for dust and water resistance making them handle sweat and light splashes of water without breaking a sweat. It has a Type-C port for charging and also a charge indicator LED at the back. These earbuds also come with support for Qi wireless charging, a very impressive feature at this price range. It also ships with an additional set of ear-tips to suit the user’s ear and a charging cable.
The Oppo Enco W51 has touch controls and also supports your smartphone’s default voice assistant. They have proximity sensors enabling single earbud usage and also pausing and playing the music when you take off or insert either earbud. The main attraction of this earbud is its active noise cancellation. It uses a triple mic setup for noise cancellation as well as noise suppression on calls, and Oppo claims to achieve a 35dB improvement. They have 7mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity, and no support for aptX codec. The earbuds have battery life for 3 hours with noise cancellation activated and 3.5 hours deactivated. The case when fully charged has a battery life of 15 hours.
The earbuds have a largely balanced and detailed sonic signature which is one of the best compared to the other in this price range. Even without the support for the aptX codec, The Oppo Enco W51 works very well to ensure detail in the sound with the AAC codec. The bass isn’t punchy offering details across the frequency range, particularly in the mid-range. The soundstage is wide and gives a proper sense of direction and feel. The ANC of this earbud is like any other affordable option, slightly noticeable.
Jabra Elite 65t
Features
+ MIcrophone Quality
+ Great Battery Life
+ Multiple Device Connectivity
+ Comfort Fit
+ Good for calls
+ IP55 rated
+ Stylish as in retro looks
Problems
– Sound Quality
– Sub-par bass
– Audio Lag when watching videos
Review
The Jabra Elite 65t was released in March 2018, making a great impression and won the market by default as the available options were very limited. As they were manufactured in the early 2018’s all they were made for is playing music and lasting for a long time. They have a plastic build which makes them very lightweight, and they fit comfortably. The Jabra Elite 65t has a more discreet and professional look to it when compared to the other earbuds. Apparently, they do not have a touch control but rather a button on each earbud that supplements for the touch controls.
The Jabra Elite 65t is rated IP55 so it can handle dust and sweat without a problem. Both of the earbuds have a small part in the bottom which has microphones inside of it, and Jabra has a long history of making microphones to be placed in their headsets so they work very well with calls. They have connectivity of Bluetooth 5.0. There are significant lags in audio when watching videos or playing games, and also does not support aptX codec. One of the features of this earbud is it can connect to multiple devices because of Bluetooth multipoint which makes switching between paired devices effortless. You can also connect the earbud to two devices at any given time and supposedly you are listening to music on one device and receive a phone call on the other device it will automatically switch to the other device, after u hang up it switches back so u can keep on jamming.
The Jabra Elite 65t has a battery life of 7 hours and the case on a full charge has a battery life of 18 hours. The mic quality is one of the most noticeable features of this earbud. The overall sound quality is average and the sound stage is very limited. The app provides some EQ presets but that does not make a big difference in overall quality. The bass is minimalistic here so would not recommend it for the bass heads out there.
Noise Elan
Features
+ Low Latency
+ Great Battery Life
+ Transparency Mode
+ aptX codec supported
Problems
– Bulky
– Can not do heavy movements
– No fast charging
– Bass Heavy
Review
Noise Elan priced at Rs. 3,799 features a multi-microphone system which it uses to only provide a transparency mode and is also aimed at gamers with rated low latency of 80ms. They are designed for a proper in-canal fit though you can not workout or make heavy movements while wearing them as they may fall out. The earbuds are large but are shaped perfectly so that it doesn’t cause any discomfort. The ear tips work wonders in blocking the ear canal creating a strong passive noise cancellation. It has touch controls and uses a Type-C cable for charging. Sadly they lack wear detection sensors which kind of is a standard for truly wireless earbuds at this range.
The Noise Elan overdoes the bass eventually amping up the mids more than required. The high frequencies eventually get drowned out in the audio, given that a 6mm driver has to do everything which makes the overall audio profile muddy. The strong passive noise isolation only adds to the bass effect. The gains can be noticed with the aptX codec as it is supported but the AAC codec makes the sound slightly flat. It also has a transparency mode which uses the multi-mic system to offer you the ambiance of the surrounding, put in simple words it allows you to talk to people or hear what they are saying without taking the earbuds off. The buds themselves have a battery life of 8 hours and the case on a full charge has a life of 24 hours.
Mivi Duopods M80
Features
+ In-ear
+ aptX support
+ Great battery life
+ Great sound experience
Problems
– Mic quality is not up to the task
– Noise cancellation is bad
Review
The homegrown audio company, Mivi recently launched a new pair of truly wireless earphones, the Mivi Duopods M80, in the booming affordable TWS market. Priced at Rs 2,499, the Duopods M80 comes packing Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity, IPX4 water resistance rating, aptX codec support, touch controls, sizable battery life of about 30 hours, Type-C charging, and much more. Overall, the buds have an ergonomic and lightweight design and fit in the ears pretty snugly. The IPX4 rating means that you can use these buds in the gym even if you sweat profusely, or even in light rains. The buds don’t cause any discomfort or pressure within the ears even after prolonged usage. However, the touch controls are extremely sensitive, to a point where it gets irritating. Even unintended slight taps cause the music to pause or play. The Mivi Duopods M80 also comes with mono mode, which means both buds are master buds. So, you can simply pull out one earbud (right or left) from the case and listen to music solely on that. Powered by Bluetooth v5.0, the earphones connect to your device pretty much instantaneously. Overall the Mivi Duopods are feature-rich true wireless earphones that also have ergonomic and lightweight earbuds that fit snugly in most ears. However, the overly muddy bass response tends to shroud the details in the mids and highs in most genres of music. Additionally, the bass also gets distorted on higher volumes, which makes it hard to recommend these earphones for music listeners.
