Motorola Sound has an emerging line-up of true wireless earbuds, largely at the budget end of the spectrum, making the new Buds-S ANC the most expensive of the bunch yet. With features like active noise cancellation, an IPX5 rating, wireless charging, and 6 hours of active noise cancellation before you need to put them back in the box, it’s clear that Motorola Sound wants the Buds-S to compete with the Apple and Samsung of the world. Is it enough to trade strikes on paper in this way?
You could argue that at $100 less than the AirPods Pro and $50 less than the Galaxy Buds Pro respectively, the Motorola Sound is expected to compare favorably, even when it doesn’t come out on top. So while they may do so He wants Taking the Buds-S up against the AirPods Pro, I’d say they’re compelling enough on their own for the right person.
Moto Buds-S ANC
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The Moto Buds-S ANC offer clear sound, active noise cancellation, and an IPX5 rating, all at a competitive price.
- Battery life: 6 hours with ANC, over 8 hours without. 2 extra fees with case
- Noise cancellation: Yes
- Mono listening: Yes. Either bud
- Contact: Bluetooth 5.0
- Intellectual property classification: IPX5
- Supported codecs: AAC and SBC
- shipping: USB-C or Qi wireless
- Driver size: 10 mm
- Price (MSRP): $150
- Dimensions: Buds 40.9 x 21 x 24.2mm, case 60 x 54.5 x 25.5mm
- weight: Sprouts 6g, box 54g + sprouts
- Active noise cancellation works well
- It does not require an app for any of its features
- The sound quality is very clear
- Call quality is good on both ends
- The lack of an app means you can’t customize tap gestures or sound profiles
- It is difficult to sit down due to the size/shape of the earbuds
- The speaker grille is located at the tip of the bud, making it a wax magnet
- They’re a bit quiet.
Design, hardware and what’s in the box
Like many other true wireless earbuds, the Moto Buds-S ANC takes some cues from the AirPods (see above). The buds first slide into their case in the same way that AirPods do, but the magnets holding them up are very weak, so they’ll likely fly off if you drop the case. Besides the earphones and their case, the box also contains two replacement pairs of ear tips and a type-a to type-c charging cable that’s about a foot long.
The control layout is simple: tap once on the touchpad on either earbud to play/pause or answer/end a call. A long press on either earbud will summon your voice assistant. Double and triple clicking on the right bud will skip tracks forward and backward respectively. Double tap the left bud to cycle through the three ANC modes (off, on, and ambient mode). The touch target (logo) is relatively small, reducing the possibility of accidentally hitting it. The only complaint I have is that the earbuds are selective about the tapping speed. Tapping too fast or too slow may cause you to pause instead of skip. It’s not hard to get used to the timing.
The case feels a bit large, although it still manages to fit in the odd little pocket of my jeans. Although the extra thickness doesn’t make it too cumbersome, it will be easy to notice on anyone wearing skinny jeans. The case also feels hollow when compared to something like the AirPods Pro. Combined with the extra size, this makes them feel deceptively light, even though they are less than 2 grams lighter than Apple’s headphones.
I don’t particularly like the design of the Moto Buds. The mesh of the speaker is close to the end of the tip, which causes it to become saturated with earwax. The bulbous shape of the buds also makes it difficult to guide them comfortably in your ears.
Sound quality, features, battery life
The Buds-S’s sound quality takes things in a positive direction with pleasant, clear sound. No part of the sound seems to cover anything else, with good clarity between the bass, mids and high end of the spectrum. In terms of support for high-quality codecs, it’s a shame that the Buds-s don’t use aptX or LDAC, just AAC. Although it doesn’t sound particularly spacious, it’s still possible to pick out individual instruments on most tracks for more critical listening, if just barely. If you’re looking for amazing bass, probably skip it.
Unlike some other ANC headphones I’ve tried, the Buds-S don’t feel like they’re beaming silence into your ears in ANC mode, but they still manage to reduce things like whiny fan noise and the low hum of my heater. They even cut off the sound of my mechanical keyboard and prevented me from noticing someone turning on the TV.
I’ve been able to get over 8 hours of listening from the Buds-S on a single charge (with ANC turned on) several times, even though the box says to expect only 6 hours. I can’t promise you’ll see the same thing, but the 6-hour rating seems like a conservative estimate. Although the battery life is long (whether ANC is on or not), I usually take them out after three or four hours due to minor discomfort. This isn’t a big deal, as very few earbuds can remain comfortable for longer.
There’s no Moto speaker app, which makes it quicker to set up. However, this means you can’t remap any of the functions in the touch zones or set custom EQ profiles, so you’re stuck with the default settings: the left earphone controls the ANC modes, and the right earphone controls track skipping. This limitation is different in mono mode, which we’re glad to see as an option. No matter which earbud you use alone, you’ll use it with the control layout of the right earbud in whatever ANC mode you last used without any Controls to change that.
Should you buy it?
maybe. I honestly think there are a lot of people who will enjoy these earbuds. They are not groundbreaking or the best at everything they do in their price range. what are they We are It’s a set of earbuds with excellent sound quality and modern amenities like wireless charging and a better weather resistance rating than what Samsung and Apple offer for the same money.
You can spend less on something like the Sony WF-C500 and still have good sound, but then you’ll lose out on features like wireless charging and active noise cancellation (ANC) technology. The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro is also an option if you want these features, but it’s a bit more expensive. We currently do not recommend Samsung headphones due to skin irritation issues. The Moto Buds-S are priced right, but there’s more value to be had elsewhere.
Buy it if…
- You want earbuds that will work in the rain or while working out
- You enjoy listening to music that is not super bass
Don’t buy it if…
- You want thumping bass
- Want more app integration into your listening experience
