Amazfit PowerBuds Pro Review

I think that after many reviews of Amazfit fitness trackers, we are convinced that devices from a well-known manufacturer are quite worthy, functional, they can adequately compete with products from other manufacturers. It's time to get to know the company's TWS headphones, fortunately, in November, a rather curious Amazfit PowerBuds Pro model was released, which pleasantly surprised during testing.

Appearance, ergonomics

In a white cardboard box, the package neatly and compactly fits, simple and standard for modern TWS models: a case with headphones, charging cable, additional nozzles of four different sizes in a separate box (size M is set by default) and a user manual. If you do not store boxes from gadgets after purchase, then you can leave only the inner envelope, it will not take up much space, but nothing will scatter around the box. Design:

• TWS. The first thing I noticed is a light and small case, it is not fat and does not take up as much space as the bulkier and plump versions of other TWS models. For this form factor, it is important that the charging case is not too large because it is constantly in a jacket pocket. The size and weight of the case are also essential in the context of a sports model, a large and noticeably heavy accessory when doing sports (for example, jogging) will only interfere.
• Design. The design of the Amazfit PowerBuds Pro case is minimalistic: only the name of the manufacturer is applied to the white matte plastic, there are no other inscriptions, in my opinion, this is a plus. On the body of the case are an LED charge indicator, a button for switching to pairing mode and a Type-C connector for charging. The lid closes firmly, magnetic fastening does not allow accidentally opening it even with strong shaking of the case. There is no critical backlash and creaking when the lid is shifted to the side, the assembly of the case is at a good level. Dust on the body is not collected and is removed almost instantly.
• How to get them. The headphones sit firmly in the case, it may happen that with long nails it will not be so easy to get them, you have to contrive to pry off the headphones. The grooves for the “stems” of the headphones are closer to the center of the case, therefore, when removing from the ears, the headphones need to be rotated and only then can they be inserted into the case. It seems to be a trifle, but it draws attention after using other models that you can get / remove without looking.
• Appearance. Now, about the appearance of the headphones themselves. Many people remember the unusual sporty design of the predecessor of the hero of the review, the Amazfit PowerBuds model, unusual, but comfortable to use, albeit not for everyone. In the model with the Pro prefix, it was decided to return to a more established design, except that the body is visually a little larger and thicker. So such a model will be 100% universal: both for the office and for leisure time, including for training.
• Weight. For owners of small ears, Amazfit PowerBuds Pro may seem large, in fact, even under a hat, they do not interfere at all. The light weight of the headphones helps you quickly forget that they are generally in the ears, and thanks to the compensation holes, there is no feeling of constriction and congestion of the auricle. This feature will appeal to those who seem to need noise reduction, but when using models with it, there are unpleasant sensations at the physiological level.

Other:

• IP55. There is an interesting design feature at the place where the silicone tips are attached. For a more confident fastening of the nozzles, solid ribs are used here, duplicated by grooves in the nozzle. So, you can be sure that from an awkward movement, the nozzle will not fly off and will not be lost. The mesh of the headphones is unusually close to the edge of the nozzle, so you have to clean it more often. It's nice to see the protection of the headphones according to the IP55 standard: rain, melted snow and sweat will not get inside the case.
• Indicator. If you look at the outer surface of the headphones, then on the right we will see a red dot, on the left – a gray dot. There are two explanations for this: so that the user does not confuse the headphones. And also a red dot indicates the presence of a pulse-tracking sensor in the right PPG earpiece, it is located on the sound duct where the nozzle is attached. The image shows a branch with a sensor in the second picture on the left.
• Zepp. On the bottom of each earbud we see optical sensors, a customizable option in the Zepp app allows you to pause music when you remove the earpiece from your ear, which is convenient. Each earbud has three microphones, one for noise reduction in conversations, two for noise reduction when listening to music.

General impressions in terms of ergonomics are excellent, the Amazfit PowerBuds Pro are worn very comfortably, without causing absolutely any discomfort, the ears do not hurt, nothing presses or rubs. As with all TWS models, I advise you to choose the size of the tips for a perfect fit in the ear. The headphones are only available in white, I would prefer the black version.

Connection and control

The first pairing with an Android device takes literally two seconds thanks to Google Fast Pair support. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone, open the lid – and almost instantly a notification pops up to add Amazfit PowerBuds Pro to the list of devices for subsequent automatic connection. What's more, you'll be prompted to add your headphones to your Google account right away, so you don't have to add your headphones again when switching to a new device. Zepp:

• Bluetooth. Of course, you can go to the Bluetooth menu in the old-fashioned way, as well as use the Zepp application, it is available both on Android, and on iOS. By tradition, when you first connect to the application in the interface, you can get acquainted with the basic capabilities of the model. Update the software, reset the settings to factory settings, and, of course, configure the Amazfit PowerBuds Pro settings. So, in this case, there is the option to enable optical sensors already mentioned above (called “wearing sensitivity”), a choice between. One of four noise reduction modes, a great option with an equalizer setting, as well as several interesting features that we'll talk about in the next section.
• Control. Headphones can be controlled both from the phone and via touch buttons. It is worth dwelling on them separately because. Their implementation in the model is rather peculiar. The location of the touch button on both earphones is marked by a small tactile insert on each earpiece. The location, frankly, is peculiar, you need to get used to it and practice, it’s not for nothing that this feature is placed in the slides in the menu of getting to know the device.
• Use. It turns out that to control playback or one of the functions configured for one, two or three touches of the touch button, you need to squeeze the bow with two fingers, and otherwise the button will not work. To understand whether the button has worked, a sound notification in the form of a click helps. In general, you can get used to, but it may be inconvenient when using headphones with large earrings or similar accessories.
• Concept. The control concept is unusual and requires habit and time to train, during testing I never got used to it and used my phone to switch tracks. At work, I often have it, if not in my hands, then in front of my eyes on a stand on the desktop.

Additional Functions

The Zepp application has numerous additional options that distinguish the model from similar solutions. Firstly, this is, of course, the definition of the pulse. As in the previous model, it works exclusively in training mode, the headphones “can” independently determine the start of a workout, followed by activation of heart rate measurement. Frankly, I hoped that the option would be taken to a separate one so that you could measure the pulse at any time, but this did not happen. Functions:

1. Trick. It is clear that Amazfit PowerBuds did not get worse from this, especially since that with an excessive level of heart rate, the headphones will notify the owner about this, another additional “trick”. The item about the health of hearing also belongs to the care of the health of the owner when the setting is activated.  The headphones monitor the volume level and the time of use in real time, bringing these parameters to the standards.
2. Protection. This includes the protection of the spine, more precisely, its cervical region. After turning on the slider in a separate menu and calibrating the sitting position, the headphones will begin to analyze the position of the head and neck using built-in sensors, possibly pressure sensors. If excessive pressure is detected, when the reminder is turned on, the headphones will beep to prompt the owner of the Amazfit PowerBuds Pro to change the fit or warm up. For sedentary work, the thing is very useful, once every couple of hours it reminds of itself.
3. HR. Another interesting mode – boosting low frequencies during training, which increases the clarity of the music, giving dynamism to the training process. During sports, a touch on the headphones will send to the application the current indicators of the body – speed, heart rate and training parameters. By the way, auto-exercise detection mode can also enable connection to a third-party app, such as Strava and similar services for runners.

Sound and noise reduction, autonomy

According to my musical preferences, I often listen to “which is heavier” and Amazfit PowerBuds Pro did not give in to alternative genres. The readability of the instruments is at a good level, the sound volume is felt. There are no complaints about the bass at all, they are pronounced, but only where necessary, nothing mumbles. It's clear that EDM and other genres with a lesser concentration of instrumental parts and an emphasis on vocals will not be a problem either, especially if you tweak the equalizer to suit your preferences. Sound:

• Hi-Res. The flexibility of the ANC modes is also pleasing, you can adjust them to the current situation, the commands to change modes were much easier for me because there you need to hold the button for a long time. Double and triple clicks never entered my everyday life during the testing of the model. About what – then, advanced codecs are out of the question, so I advise the audience to look for something with aptX and Hi-Res support. For an undemanding user, the sound characteristics of the model are enough for the eyes.
• 40 decibels. The combination of active and passive noise reduction together provides background noise rejection in the range up to 40 decibels. As with many models, this does not mean absolute silence, in the same subway the low-frequency rumble is noticeably reduced, it is almost inaudible, but station announcements are stably distinguishable. Turn off noise-canceling and the difference immediately becomes obvious, in the same subway, I can’t imagine how you can do without ANC. For sound and high-quality noise reduction, from me personally, a solid four with a plus, and if you remember the price positioning, then it’s completely excellent.
• ANC. I used Amazfit PowerBuds Pro exclusively in ANC enabled mode, autonomy indicators in this mode almost coincided with those declared by the manufacturer: about 5 and a half hours from a single charge and the total operating time with a full charge of the case is about 19 hours. Without ANC, these figures will rise to 9 and 30 hours, respectively, so you can play with noise reduction modes if you wish and increase the overall operating time.
• From 0 to 100%. From 0 to 100%, the headphones are charged in an hour and a half, 15 minutes of charging will give 2.5 hours of work, which is generally standard for the segment. The case fully charges in 2.5 hours, which is not fast.

Amazfit PowerBuds Pro VS Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro

Impressions and conclusions

Amazfit PowerBuds Pro was the best during testing, I liked using them, the impressions are mostly positive, from a slender and light case to high-quality sound with a confident cut-off of external noise. The design is universal, the ergonomics are verified, everything is as it should be. Yes, I never got used to the intricate touch controls, even though it didn't break my scripts, I can't help but note this point. Released for $150, the model brings a number of useful health-conscious innovations to potential use cases.