Noise’s latest budget TWS offering cuts the bells and whistles to focus on the essentials – a comfortable form factor and an enjoyable soundstage. The Buds F1 are priced at Rs 1,099. A few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find a good pair of wireless earbuds in this price bracket. However, the rise of audio tech outfits like Noise, Truke, and boAt has rejuvenated the segment with exciting products that perform way above their pay grade. We used the Noise Buds F1 for a week, here is our review of the TWS.
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In This Article
Noise Buds F1 Review: Design
Here’s what you get inside the Noise Buds F1’s retail package:
- Charging case with earbuds inside
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- Extra eartips (S and L sizes)
- Free voucher from BookMyShow
- Stickers
- User manual and warranty registration booklet
The plastic charging case of the Noise Buds F1 has a matte finish, which gives it a nice in-hand feel. In contrast, its sides are glossy. The build quality is decent, and the case does not flex upon being pressed. The hinge does not inspire a lot of confidence in its strength, but it did not present any problems during the review period.
The notch below the lid makes it easy to pop open the case. A small LED notification light is placed below this notch. The USB Type-C charging port lies on the right edge of the case. The ‘Noise’ lettering is engraved on top of the lid. The case is compact and slides easily into small pockets. However, it can register minor scratches if you stash it alongside keys and loose change.
The earbuds follow the traditional in-ear design language. They are optimised to fit most ear sizes. There are 2 pairs of extra eartips, in small and large sizes, inside the retail box. We found the fit to be snug and comfortable. We did not experience ear fatigue after wearing these earbuds for multiple hours.
The stems of the earbuds have a matte finish while the inside panels are glossy. The upper ends of the stems are touch-sensitive. The touch-sensitive panels have a glossy finish, as it makes them easier to spot with your fingers. Inside either panel is a small LED indicator that starts blinking red when the battery hits a low threshold. The touch controls are tuned nicely, and accidental triggers are very rare.
The Noise Buds F1 is rated IPX5 for dust and water resistance. We wore the earbuds while working out and were pleased to see that their performance remained unaffected by excessive sweat. However, the fit suffered when the glossy inner panels came in contact with sweat.
Noise Buds F1 Review: Performance
The Noise Buds F1 use 11mm drivers to deliver the audio output. There’s support for Bluetooth 5.3 onboard. Pairing the earbuds to a smartphone is a seamless process, despite the lack of Google Fast Pair. The handy pairing button puts the TWS in discovery mode after a single press. There’s one audio codec on offer – SBC.
Noise Buds F1’s soundstage is surprisingly good for a budget TWS. The balanced output is a nice respite from the bass-driven sound profiles that dominate this segment. While the low-end frequencies enjoy ample representation in the soundstage, they don’t cloud over the mid and the highs. The audio output is a little boxy, but that’s something to be expected from every TWS in this price bracket.
We played a wide range of genres on the Noise Buds F1. The earbuds did justice to the crunching hard rock guitar riffs and glossy bubblegum pop basslines. However, pushing the volume past the 80% mark distorted the output by a significant factor. The lack of detail was very noticeable.
The calling experience on Noise Buds F1 is pretty standard. The quad mic setup does a passable job of suppressing the background noise and relaying the speaker’s voice to the other end. The sound quality is boxy and lacks details. If you’re taking a call indoors, these earbuds will do a good job. However, in outdoor conditions, we recommend sticking to your phone’s microphone.
Our biggest complaint with the Noise Buds F1 TWS is that it doesn’t have a companion app. This means that you cannot remap the touch controls or customise the equaliser. Features like active noise cancellation, in-ear detection, and multi-device connection are also missing from these earbuds. However, it does get a handy low-latency mode for gaming. This mode can be triggered by double-tapping and holding either earbud. The gameplay experience in low-latency mode is smooth and lag-free.
During the week-long review period, we used the Noise Buds F1 for an average of 2 hours per day. The earbuds offer a playtime of up to 8 hours on a single charge. The charging case offers an additional 42 hours. We weren’t able to exhaust the battery after a week of use. The downside of not having a companion app is that there’s no way to tell the battery level of the charging case. The only indicator of a low battery status is the LED notification light. A quick 10-minute charge offers 150 minutes of playtime.
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Verdict
The Noise Buds F1 is a no-nonsense TWS. Its soundstage punches above its weight and is comparable to earbuds priced twice as high. If you’re not fond of excessive bass notes, then you’ll like what this TWS has to offer. The ergonomic design of the earbuds offers a comfortable fit, and the sturdy charging case is built for rugged, everyday use. The 50-hour battery life is an added bonus. The lack of a companion app limits customisations, but it is a tradeoff we’re willing to make. For Rs 1,099, there aren’t many wireless earbuds in the market that can replicate the performance of the Noise Buds F1.
Pros
- Relatively balanced audio output
- Comfortable fit
- Low-latency mode
- Affordable
Cons
- No companion app
