Just a few years back, buying a pair of wireless gaming earbuds meant splurging some extra cash on a product that was leagues below wired gaming headsets in the same price bracket. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore. This is largely due to several Indian brands stepping up and putting out affordable gaming TWS products that provide a bang for the buck. Boult is one of the first names that come to mind. Last year, the audio outfit launched the ‘Astra’ TWS which features a low latency rate of 45ms. These wireless earbuds are currently priced at Rs 1,199. When the Astra crossed our desk, we were quite surprised by its bold, unique design. Interested to check out its performance, we used the TWS for a week. Here is our in-depth review of the Boult Astra.
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In This Article
Boult Astra review: Design
Inside the Boult Astra retail package, you get the TWS charging case with earbuds inside, two extra pairs of silicone ear tips, a USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable, and a user manual. There are three colour options on offer – Black Gloss, Smoke Metal, and Opal, White.
The wide charging case has a spaceship-like design, which brings a lot of flair and personality to the product. The black colour variant looks like a Batmobile, with the LED lighting around the lid resembling the brake lights. A glossy black strip meanders around the bump on the top panel, offering a contrasting feel to the matte finish on the rest of the case. There are two USB Type-C ports on either side of the hinge, which is more of a styling choice rather than a functional one since you can only use one USB port at a time to charge the TWS. If one port stops working, you can always use the second one.
We were pleased with the quality of materials used in this product. Even though it is entirely made out of plastic, the charging case is not flimsy at all. The hinge feels sturdy and offers a very satisfying snap when the lid is shut. The breathing LED lights around the lid are styled very tastefully and do not feel gaudy at all. In our opinion, the Astra is one of the best-looking wireless earbuds in its price category.
The immaculate styling continues inside the case as well. Flipping the lid open, you will find the earbuds nestled comfortably in their cutouts, with a glossy bump encasing them. The arrow lighting pattern on the inner panel slowly lights up as the earbuds go into pairing mode. It plays into the futuristic look that Boult is going for on the TWS.
The earbuds are made out of plastic and have a glossy finish to them. The in-ear design offers a comfortable, snug fit. The zig-zag pattern of the stems makes them easy to hold and adjust without triggering the touch controls. This is a big plus point in our book because accidental touches often mar the entire TWS experience for us.
We used the Boult Astra while working out and hiking during the review period. Rated IPX5 for dust and water resistance, the wireless earbuds were undeterred by sweat and minor splashes of water. Despite the glossy finish on the inner panel of the earbuds, the fit remained airtight even when things got sweaty.
Boult Astra review: Performance
Delivering the audio output on Boult Astra are 13mm dynamic drivers. Bluetooth 5.3 support provides a stable connection and fast pairing with ‘Blink & Pair’ tech. After the initial pairing process, all you need to do is flip open the lid for the earbuds to connect to your device.
Moving on to the most important part of the review – the sound quality. After being floored with the Astra’s flashy design, we had high hopes for its audio performance. And it did not disappoint. We were happy with the clear mids and highs that formed the soundstage. The bass is slightly boosted but it does not throw a blanket over the other elements. In fact, it is quite smooth and delivers the ‘thumping’ effect quite nicely.
Bass enthusiasts will certainly enjoy the audio tuning on these earbuds. The soundstage is far from neutral, but it is a whole lot of fun. Usually, entry-level earbuds either sound tinny or have an overblown low-end. The Astra strikes a nice balance among the frequencies and produces a well-rounded output. Even though it is branded as a ‘gaming’ TWS, it can easily go toe to toe with any ‘music’ earbuds in the category.
Talking about the gaming performance, the Astra has a 45ms latency, which isn’t the lowest we have seen in this segment, but it is certainly optimum. We played a handful of FPS games like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile with the Astra in our ears. Not once did we experience any latency issues. The action on the display was perfectly in sync with the audio feedback. We were also pleased with the crispness of audio that the Astra produced. To top it all off, the detail in the output was impeccable as well. Even the faintest of steps were reproduced by the earbuds.
While we had no complaints with the Astra’s audio performance, its microphones leave a lot more to be desired. The audio relayed to the recipient on calls is boxy and lacks a lot of detail. Even though the TWS uses Quad Mic ENC, the noise level could have been maintained better. Taking a call outdoors meant unpairing the TWS and relying on the phone’s microphone.
The battery performance on Boult Astra is pretty standard. The earbuds offer 6-7 hours of playtime on a full charge, with an additional 48 hours in the charging case. With quick charging onboard, plugging the TWS into the charger for 10 minutes provides 1.5 hours of playtime. There is no companion app for Boult’s TWS products yet, but we hope there is one on the way.
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Verdict
Boult Astra is a well-rounded TWS product that is just as good for listening to music as it is for gaming. Gaming earbuds tend to go overboard with the design, but the Astra manages to strike the right balance between catchy and tasteful. If you’re not a fan of flashy RGBs, you’ll enjoy this one. Its sound quality punches above its weight, offering some of the best tuning we’ve seen in this segment. The shoddy microphone and lack of a companion app let it down a little, but at the price of Rs 1,199, the Boult Astra is an absolute steal.
Boult Astra: Pros
- Great design
- Well-tuned audio profile
- Good gaming performance
- Price
Boult Astra: Cons
- Poor call quality
- Does not have a companion app yet
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