I12 TWS Review: How good is the cheap AirPod clone?
I12 TWS WIRELESS BLUETOOTH EARBUDS
With its “i12 TWS Binaural Call Bluetooth Earbudsbuds”, the Chinese manufacturer TWS promises a magical and effortless experience that will forever change the way your headphones are used. The product obviously copies not only the design of Apple’s EarPods but also the marketing language. At least as good as possible with English as a second language.
But the i12 TWS is a product that costs about 10 times less than Apple’s current AirPods. In fact, they can be purchased on Electrogenial for just 24 euros.
I12 TWS review: design and processing
Let’s start with the design. If you have Apple AirPods, you will notice the differences fairly quickly. The headphones themselves do not have the third opening in the ear canal, and the headphones and the metal rings at the bottom are slightly larger than the original. I would also say that the i12 TWS is slightly lighter than the AirPods. If you’ve never seen Apple AirPods before, it’s hard to guess that it’s not an Apple product when it’s turned off. The manufacturing quality of the individual headphones is good, even really good considering the price.
Charger
These changes, however, if you take the charging case in your hand. Although it is absolutely impossible to distinguish it from the AirPod storage box outside, its manufacture is far from meeting Apple standards. The dimensions of the i12 TWS box are slightly, but really marginal, larger. The metal hinge has a similar design, closes with a magnet, and there is even an Apple Lightning connector at the bottom. The manufacturers certainly couldn’t have cloned the AirPod charger better.
In terms of build quality, however, it is not at all comparable to Apple products. The box does not close completely clean; the polycarbonate used seems cheaper, and the lacquered metal hinge is also made of plastic. Nevertheless, it must be said: We are talking about a price which represents one-tenth of the price of AirPods. But the work is not bad at all.
I12 TWS WIRELESS BLUETOOTH EARBUDS
Light show
However, the manufacturer himself makes sure that you don’t look like a football professional with a 24-euro helmet. The button on the back of the AirPod clone does not allow you to associate it with your smartphone. Instead, it activates the charging functionality of the case. It’s really stupid. While the headset is charging, the charger lights blue, and the headset itself lights red. So if you want to live the illusion that you own the expensive AirPods, you have to keep them in your pocket and not show them somewhere.
When the headphones are in pairing mode, they alternate between red and blue. Fortunately, once the connection is established, the lights do not turn on.
I12 TWS review – User comfort
Apple EarPods, which were introduced a year after Steve Jobs’ death, have been received very differently by users. Some users simply couldn’t fit the headset comfortably or with enough support in their ears. Many people complain that headphones fall from their ears too easily.
It’s not how I feel myself. Even the Apple EarPods were designed to fit my ear, while the in-ear headphones weren’t really comfortable or did not fit perfectly. The same goes for the new AirPods, which adapt perfectly to my ear.
Due to their similar design and low weight, the i12 tws airpods is very comfortable in the ear and perfectly resistant to bombardment. I’m pretty sure I could do an intensive workout in the gym, including a treadmill. However, I also know that Apple headphones are made for my ears for some reason.
Basically, if you have AirPods sitting comfortably in your ear, you won’t have a problem here either.
I12 TWS review – Tactile gestures
For 24 euros, you get not only functional Bluetooth 5.0 wireless headphones but also touch gestures. On the back of the two earphones, different functions of the headphones can be controlled in the form of different touch controls. They worked surprisingly well in our test. On Electrogenial, it says in the description that the volume control only works on iOS, but this is not true. The volume can also be changed in Android by double-tapping.
I12 TWS WIRELESS BLUETOOTH EARBUDS
Gestures at a glance:
- 1 x typing: Resumption / pause of reading
- 2 x typing: Volume down (left) / up (right)
- 3 x typing: Next song (left) / Previous song (right)
- Keep the button pressed for 3 seconds: the linguistic assistant is activated.
- Hold this position for 5 seconds: Turn on / off
I12 TWS review – Battery life
The manufacturer promises a battery capacity of 300 mAh in the charging case, where the headphones can be charged about 10 times. A full charge takes less than an hour. In order to charge the headphones safely, you may need to push them a little harder when you put them in the box.
The operating time itself is highly dependent on the activity, and for calls, it is approximately one hour to one and a half hours. For listening to pure music, they can be used continuously for less than two hours before needing to be recharged.
I12 TWS review – Sound quality
What sound do you get for 24 euros? Well, there is a problem with the small drivers for the i12 TWS. To listen to music in everyday life, this may even be enough for many users. Myself, who am used to more expensive products on the one hand and who prefer them. On the other hand, I notice the difference.
First, the positive: the voices and mids are finely audible, reasonably bright, and relatively clean. Headphones definitely have their strength in the middle. Rap sounds amazingly good on the i12 TWS if you like the genre. The treble is relatively weak and a little blurry. Those who hear a lot of EDM will miss the more exceptional contrasts offered by more expensive headphones.
However, the bass is surprisingly the biggest weakness of the AirPod clone from China. The i12 TWS offers absolutely no bass; sound separation is practically impossible, and above all, rock music only looks like a confused sound ulcer. They simply cannot create an orchestral sound at all.
Comparison with Divacore Nomad +, Apple AirPods, or BeoPlay E8 is not even possible. In all these cases, we are talking about a price difference of 100 euros or more. If you need a comparison value, bring better headphones with you to your pharmacy checkout. The i12 TWS is roughly at that level in terms of sound, although the mid-range is likely to be louder, and the bass of most cheap headphones is just overdriven, unclear, and just plain terrible.
Overall, this makes the whole sound process, which is all about, quite manageable. If I need wireless headphones to spend the night in a festival tent or because I know I will forget my dear couple on vacation, then I could live with that. They are not terrible.
I12 TWS review – Connectivity
As soon as the i12 TWS case is opened, direct pairing with the smartphone is possible. If you remove the individual headphones from the charging case, they turn on directly. They are then automatically in pairing mode and can be connected to the smartphone.
The connection to the headset via the smartphone is surprisingly stable. With the Pocophone F1 that we tested, we experienced only one connection interruption, which was quickly resolved by restarting the headset. In daily use, connectivity is stable, and the headset can still be used remotely. In a living room, you can move freely without logging out.
I12 TWS WIRELESS BLUETOOTH EARBUDS
I12 TWS review – Conclusion
You really need to let the Chinese manufacturer know that in terms of design and functionality, it has created an impressive AirPod clone for a tenth of the price. Of course, the differences are quickly noticeable and audible upon closer inspection.
However, it must be said that for 24 euros there is much more than one mannequin. Lots of people in my circle of friends use less efficient headphones in everyday life. In terms of sound, they are still better than the 5 Euro Noname headphones from the Kaufland box office. For 16 clones of Euro AirPod, this is a great compliment.
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