Indian audio outfit Truke has added another product to its newly launched Open-ear Wireless Stereo Range. Truke Yoga Beat is priced at Rs 799, making it the most affordable OWS from the brand so far. Previously, we reviewed the Buds Freedom and the Buds Liberty OWS which proved to be worth their pricetags. The entry-level Yoga Beat OWS makes some tradeoffs to keep its price in check. It sports a neckband design, ditching the charging case for USB Type-C charging. Like any other Bluetooth neckband, the Yoga Beat has physical buttons for volume control and power. We used the Truke Yoga Beat as our primary headset for a week, here is our in-depth review of the OWS.
Read Also: How to get AI features on your old iPhone?
In This Article
Truke Yoga Beat Review: Design
Before we talk about the design, here’s what you get inside Truke Yoga Beat’s retail box.
- Wireless neckband
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- User manual
- Warranty card
Contrary to a regular neckband, the Yoga Beat wraps around the back of the head. In true OWS fashion, two earbuds hover over the ears instead of fitting in the concha and focusing the drivers on the auditory canal. A thin wire connects the earbuds. The Yoga Beat is available in a single-size option. While this is meant to be a one-size-fits-all product, we felt that the fit could have been a bit more snug. If you have a small head size, you should wear the headset and inspect its fit before buying it. If making an online purchase is your only option, Truke has a very handy 7-day return policy.
The Yoga Beat has a plastic build (apart from the titanium alloy flex wire), which is to be expected from a headset in this price range. We didn’t use the headset long enough to comment on the wire’s elasticity, but it feels like it can stand rigorous use. The plastic panels on the earbuds have a smooth texture and sport the Truke branding. The inner panels have a contrasting colour but the texture is less glossy. Both earbuds contain an individual microphone.
The right earbud houses the physical buttons for power, volume up, and volume down. The outer panels of both earbuds are touch-sensitive and can be used to toggle the media playback, answer/reject calls, and switch to gaming mode. These panels need better tuning as they struggle to register even the most basic touch gestures. The volume buttons work fine but they need to be long-pressed to toggle the volume.
Truke has not revealed the IP rating for the Yoga Beat headset so we’d advise against using it while it’s raining. We used it while working out and did not notice any damage caused by sweat. As we mentioned earlier, the fit around the head could have been a bit tighter, but overall, the Yoga Beat did not disappoint as a gym accessory. It is perhaps one of the lightest headsets we’ve ever worn. The ear fatigue caused by the earbuds after extended use is minimal.
Truke Yoga Beat Review: Performance
Delivering the audio output on the Truke Yoga Beat is a 14.2mm titanium driver on either earbud. The headset supports Bluetooth 5.4, which makes the pairing process uncomplicated and seamless. There’s voice assistant support onboard as well.
We listened to a wide range of music on the Yoga Beat and were satisfied by the quality of its audio output given its price tag. Of course, you’re not going to get a world-class soundstage on a product that costs Rs 800, but the Yoga Beat manages to deliver an enjoyable output. Being an OWS, the bass does not pop in the mix as much as it does on regular TWS products. The overall output is a little tinny but it does not diminish the music listening experience massively.
The mids and the highs in the mix are clear and distinct. If you don’t like the bass elements shrouding the other frequencies, you will like this headset. Being an open-ear wireless stereo headset, the Yoga Beat does leak some audio to its surroundings, but it isn’t significant enough to cause a nuisance in a public setting. On the flip side, the advantage of an open-ear design is that it doesn’t completely isolate the background sounds, allowing the user to be connected to their surroundings. If you like running outdoors, you will certainly appreciate this element of the headset.
The Yoga Beat offers a good calling experience in an indoor setting. The two microphones extract the voice of the speaker, suppress the background noise, and relay it to the listener perfectly. However, the call quality takes a significant hit in noisy, outdoor surroundings.
Truke Yoga Beat supports a multi-point connection, which is very rare to see on a headset in this price range. However, the implementation of this feature is a little shoddy. For starters, you need to disconnect the headset from the primary device to pair it with another device. Secondly, to switch playback between devices, you need to manually pause the media on the device that is currently in use. Even though we don’t mind this too much, the headset often struggles to play the media on the second device. It requires connecting the headset to the device again, which beats the point of this feature.
The headset is equipped with a 180mAh battery and promises to last up to 30 hours on a full charge. During the week-long review period, we used the Truke Yoga Beat for calling, listening to music, and even a bit of gaming. We were able to squeeze out 20 hours of playtime from the headset on a full charge. It takes 90 minutes to fully charge the open-ear headset. A quick 10-minute charge offers up to 4 hours of playtime.
Read Also: When will Apple release iOS 18? Check out the launch date
Verdict
For a headset priced at Rs 800, the Truke Yoga Beat ticks all the essential boxes. It produces a decent audio output that makes for a fun listening experience and offers a good battery life. However, Truke’s biggest achievement with the Yoga Beat is bringing a niche design to an ultra-affordable price category. The open-ear design of the headset ensures that you’re always aware of your surroundings while listening to music. The lack of passive noise cancellation means that you can wear the Yoga Beat on an outdoor run and always be aware of the incoming traffic. The touch controls on the headset leave more to be desired, but having physical buttons for volume control is a good addition.
Truke Yoga Beat: Pros
- Open-ear design
- Does not cause ear fatigue
- Very affordable
Truke Yoga Beat: Cons
- Touch controls need more tuning
- Does not switch playback automatically in multi-point connection mode
