The disappearance of the headphone jack from flagship and midrange smartphones has created a huge demand for affordable wireless earbuds. If you don’t want to splurge on premium TWS products, there are plenty of budget offerings that can get the job done. More recently, entry-level wireless earbuds have seen a great rise in popularity as they have massively upped their audio game. If you’re looking for a pair of earbuds under Rs 2,000 you no longer have to settle for a boxy output with barely any detail. Lava is one of the tech outfits that have consistently put out good TWS products over the last few years. We’ve been using its latest release, the Probuds 22 for the last few days. Here is our in-depth Lava Probuds 22 TWS review.
Read Also: How to acquire information about the Hindu heritage and know more using Google Search?
In This Article
Lava Probuds 22 review: Design
Inside the Lava Probuds 22, you’ll find the charging case with earbuds inside, two pairs of extra ear tips, a USB charging cable, a quick start guide, a warranty card, and some stickers. The Probuds 22 are available in two colour options – Space Black and Frost White.
As far as design goes, Lava has kept things simple and practical. The plastic charging case sports a standard lunchbox design. The ‘Probuds by Lava’ branding can be found on top of the lid. A small LED notification light sits right below this lid. The USB Type-C slot is positioned under the hinge. After a week of rugged use, this charging case did not register any major scratches even after being kept in pockets with keys and loose change. The strength of the hinge is acceptable, although it is not the most versatile unit we’ve seen in this segment. The compactness and light weight of the case works in its favour.
The earbuds feature the standard in-ear design. The stem is a bit longer than what we’re used to, but it doesn’t present any functional issues. There are four mics on either earbud, along with an LED indicator that lets you know the charge status. Made entirely out of plastic, these earbuds are very light and do not cause any fatigue to the ear. Even though they have a glossy finish, the earbuds have a snug fit.
What the Lava Probuds 22 get dead right are the touch-based controls. In this price range, you won’t find a better touch-sensitive panel on any other TWS. A lot of times, these controls prove to be a big annoyance due to accidental touches while adjusting the earbuds. This wasn’t the case with Probuds 22. The long stem plays a big role in providing an ample gripping surface to adjust the buds.
Lava Probuds 22 are rated IPX4 for dust and water resistance. This means you don’t have to worry about any damage due to sweat, minor water splashes, or light rain. We used the Probuds while working out and can confirm that they remained unaffected by sweat.
Lava Probuds 22 review: Performance
Delivering the audio output on the Lava Probuds 22 are two 12mm drivers. The TWS supports Bluetooth 5.3 and has a functional range of up to 10 metres. There’s support for Google Assistant and Siri as well.
The most important part of any TWS product is its audio profile. While most budget TWS play it safe with a bass-heavy output, Lava Probuds 22 surprised us with a well-balanced soundstage. There is a very prominent bassy element in the undertones, but it doesn’t ruin the mids and the highs. Instead, the higher frequencies are very well represented on the soundstage.
We used the Probuds 22 to listen to a variety of genres, and it delivered a good performance every single time. The detail in the mix is quite satisfactory and we didn’t once feel that any integral element was missing. Our only minor gripe is that the output gets a little screechy when listening to music at the highest possible volume. For the ideal listening experience, you need to stick within the 40-80% range.
With Quad Mic ENC onboard, the Lava Probuds 22 do a solid job of extracting the caller’s video from the background noise and relaying it effectively to the receiver. We were happy with the call clarity in an indoor setting. Outdoors, the audio takes a hit when there’s a lot of noise flowing into the earbuds. This is pretty standard for the TWS in this price range.
There is no app support for Lava’s TWS products yet. This means there is no way to customise the touch controls or set up a personalised equaliser setting. The Probuds offer a low latency mode for gaming, but it can only be enabled using the touch controls. The gaming mode is a good feature to have, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the dedicated gaming earbuds in this category. We faced minor audio delays in certain patches of gameplay while playing COD Mobile.
Lava claims 7 hours of continuous playtime on a single charge, with 50 hours of additional charge in the case. We got up to 6.5 hours of playtime while reviewing the Lava Probuds 22. The charge on the case lasted for almost 10 days. Our daily usage did not exceed more than 5-6 hours. It took us an hour to fully charge the case using a USB Type-C cable. A quick 10-minute is enough to power the earbuds for up to 2 hours.
Read Also: How to find downloaded songs and playlists on Amazon Music?
Verdict
Priced at Rs 1,399 the Lava Probuds 22 are one of the best TWS wireless earbuds in their segment. If a bass-heavy audio output has kept you away from entry-level TWS so far, these earbuds could potentially change your mind. We were impressed by the balanced sound output and the adequate representation of the mid and high frequencies on the soundstage. The lack of app support is a significant drawback, but it isn’t something that we would consider a dealbreaker.
Lava Probuds 22: Pros
- Good fit
- Nicely tuned touch controls
- Well balanced audio output
Lava Probuds 22: Cons
- No app support
