Audio brand 1More never seems to sit still, and its latest release to hit my test bench is the ColorBuds true wireless in-ear headphones. While the company puts out a lot of higher-end earbuds, it also offers options that combine affordability, capability and a focus on style. Last year, it was the 1More Stylish earbuds (still available at a discounted price). This year, 1More has the ColorBuds. They offer a more streamlined and ergonomic design, 6-hour battery life, IPX5 water resistance, USB-C charging for the charge case — and a choice of four stylish colors.
Comfortable and Stylish
1more has shaved the size and optimized the shape of the ColorBuds to the point where a fin is no longer needed to keep the buds in place. They’re light, ergonomic and don’t stick far out of your ears. There are an additional three pairs of color-matched silicone ear tips in the box to ensure everyone gets a good fit. Most earbuds come in a single color (most often black or white); as their name suggests, the ColorBuds come in a choice of colors.
And yes, one of those is black (Midnight Black, to be specific) if you prefer a traditional look. Because, as you will discover, the colorful appearance is far from the only reason to consider the ColorBuds.
Actions are controlled via taps on the touch control pads, so you don’t need to worry about pushing a button and jamming the buds further into your ears. Tap three times, and you can invoke your favorite personal digital assistant. Remove the buds and the music automatically pauses. Once you’ve paired the buds with your phone the first time, they automatically connect whenever you open the charge case lid.
They don’t just fit comfortably and look stylish, the ColorBuds also get IPX5 water resistance. So you can wear them to the gym or even in the rain.
Decent Battery Life
The battery life on the ColorBuds is actually slightly less than than last years Stylish earbuds, at 6 hours compared to 6.5 hours — assuming reasonable volume. That’s not bad for true wireless earbuds in 2020, but not great.
The charge case gets an upgrade to USB-C. It can charge the buds almost three times over (the total for the buds + case is about 22 hours of play time). Fast charge support means you get two hours of playback from 15 minutes in the charge case. The charge case itself takes roughly an hour and a half to fully charge.
Better Sound Than You’d Expect for Under $100
I have been reviewing 1More earbuds and headphones for five years now (here’s a link to my first if you’re interested, which gives a bit of a backgrounder on the company). A consistent theme with its releases has been audio performance that’s far better than you would expect for the price.
The ColorBuds continue that legacy. Generally speaking, earbuds that come in under $100 — especially true wireless earbuds in that price range — offer underwhelming sound. Not so with the ColorBuds. There’s decent low end and crisp highs. They aren’t overly energetic, but that means much of the detail of music is preserved. Thank a number of factors for the good showing, including the full range balanced armature with custom tuning, a good fit, and support for AAC and aptX. You aren’t going to mistake the ColorBuds for audiophile earbuds, but on the other hand, true wireless earbuds at this price have no business sounding as good as they do.
If you use your smartphone to actually talk to people, the ColorBuds are each equipped with dual ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) microphones. They use the two mics to minimize ambient noise to keep your voice clear.
ColorBuds Key Specs:
- True wireless earbuds
- Full range balanced armatures
- Bluetooth 5 with AAC and aptX codec support
- Dual ENC microphones
- Touch controls (including support for invoking digital assistants)
- Each earbud weighs 0.14 ounces
- Fast-charge case 2.4-inches long, weighs 1.1 ounces, USB-C charging
- 6-hour playtime, 22 hours total with charge case
- IPX5 water and sweat resistant
- Available in Midnight Black, Twilight Gold, Spearmint Green and Sakura Pink
- Includes USB-C cable, three extra sets of silicone ear tips
- MSRP $99.99
Firmware Update
1More often announces firmware updates for its earbuds. To some people, having to download a firmware update for a product is a hassle. I’m in the camp that supports firmware updates — this is a great way for companies to extend the capabilities of their products after the initial rollout. In this case, 1More’s ColorBud update (downloaded via the iOS/Android mobile app) gives the ability to customize the ColorBuds’s tap control function, with the options including: pause/play, track control, volume control, and voice control.
The company posted detailed instructions for updating the firmware, and it’s a pretty straightforward process. A few minutes of effort for enhanced functionality is a tradeoff I’m more than happy to make.
Recommendation
If you want to buy a new set of true wireless earbuds without spending a lot of cash, the 1More ColorBuds are a no-brainer recommendation. They sound better than they should, they’re stylish, comfortable, water resistant, and offer decent battery life. You really can’t ask for more, especially at this price.
My review units came in Sakura Pink. With the color, compact size, and impressive audio performance, my 20 year-old daughter glommed onto them pretty quickly…
With a $99.99 price, ColorBuds are considerably less expensive than Apple’s cheapest AirPods. That’s something to consider if you pick up a new — no EarPods included in the box — iPhone 12.
Disclosure: 1More provided a ColorBuds for evaluation but had no input into this review.
