The iTel T1 Neo earbud launched in August is a good budget option for people who want to purchase true wireless earphones at an affordable price. The market is changing, and more customers are embracing wireless audio devices.
Are itel earbuds good? iTel T1 Neo earbud is one of the cheapest True Wireless (TWS) earbuds currently available in the market. In 2020, we published a review of the itel ITW-60 true wireless earbud and it is good to know itel has launched another amazing and affordable earbud for the Nigerian market. Yes, itel earbuds are good but can’t be compared to other brands such as Oraimo, OPPO, Redmi offering better options in the market right now.
Today we review the iTel T1 Neo Earbuds, which are manufactured by itel, a brand making affordable smartphones and Africa’s number one smartphone brand under 100 dollars.
Let us find out in the review whether the itel T1 Neo earbuds tick all the right boxes or not. What is the performance, sound quality, design and battery life like?
What’s in the Box?
The packaging contents of the eabuds T1 Neo:
- 1 True wireless half in-ear earbuds
- 1 Charging Case
- 1 Type-C charging cable
iTel T1 Neo Specifications
- Bluetooth: Version 5.1
- Talk range: 10m/3.3ft
- Weight: 3g (each earbud): 29g (charging case)
- Music Play time: up to 4 hours
- Talk time: Up to 4 hours
- 18-hour total playback
- 13mm bass boost driver
- Earbud Battery Capacity: 25mAh (each earbud)
- Charging Case Battery Capacity: 300mAh
- Charging time for the Case: Approximately 3 Hours
- IPX5 Water Resistant
- Smart Touch Controls
- Intelligent Call Noise Cancellation
Design and Build
At first glance, T1 Neo earbuds appear like any other earbuds charging case that is available in the market. Nothing new in terms of design and build.
The T1 Neo earbuds are available in two colour options; black and White. We got the black colour for review. The matte black finish charging case has an oval shape with the itel logo engraved in white colour and above it is a tiny LED indicator that blinks when the earbud or case is charging. At the bottom of the case, we have the type-C charging port. Inside the case, there are two true wireless half-in-ear earbuds. Along with a touch control button, each earbud has a LED indicator at the tail end, which blinks red or green when in use. The touch controls of the earbuds are very responsive and answer its command at every click.
The design and build of the itel T1 Neo earbuds are basic, it doesn’t feel premium but it features something extra which is the half In-ear design.
Sound quality and Performance
At first, we had kept our expectations low in terms of sound quality and performance of the itel T1 Neo because of the pricing. But after the review, we noticed that the performance wasn’t that bad and the sound quality was fairly decent. Listening to afrobeat and hip hop music sounds perfectly well even if you can’t really feel the bass. Playing music such as Terminator, pallazo, Buga sounded very clear and comfortable to my ears. The absence of noise cancellation feature is a bit disappointing for me because in Lagos the environment is always noisy. I get to hear sounds from the car passing, and voices from other people talking. Although, It does come with noise isolation when in an environment with very less noise or while indoors.
In terms of calling, the connectivity is great and you can easily hear what the other person is saying. According to itel, the T1 Neo earbuds feature DSP technology for a clear voice that meticulously filters out the noise on the caller’s end for improved sound clarity at the receiver’s end. When receiving calls in a crowded place still, there was a little difference in the sound because of the call noise cancellation feature.
Pairing your Earbuds
- Earbuds will turn on and enter pairing mode automatically when taken out of the charging case
- A paring window will pop up at the first time of connection
- Make sure the distance between the earbuds and your device is less than 10m o 3.3 feet at the first time of connection
- Earbuds will automatically connect to the last connected device when turned on. The pop-up window will show the earbud’s power status.
- Under any abnormal condition, return the earbuds to the charging case and then take out again
- The earbuds turn off automatically when placed back into the charging case
- The earbuds will automatically turn off after 3 minutes if no device is connected
Earbud Status Indicator
- Steady green light for 1 second indicates power on
- Flashing green and red simultaneously on both earbuds indicates true wireless (TWS) pairing
- Flashing green and red once and their lights off indicates connected to a device
Key Controls
- To play/pause music, click the “MFB” button
- Tap and hold on the left earbud for 1.5 seconds for the previous track
- Tap and hold on the right earbud for 1.5 seconds for the next track
- Tap on the left earbud three times to reduce the volume
- Tap on the right earbud three times to increase the volume
- To answer a call, press the “MFB” button once
- To end a call, press the “MFB” button once
- To reject a call, press and hold the “MFB” button for 1 second
- With the earbuds standby mode, long press the “MFB” button fo about 3 seconds and release it to activate the voice assistant
- With the earbuds power on, and without any devices connected, press the “MFB” button three times to clear the pairing list, earbuds will be powered off automatically
- Long press MFB for about 2 seconds to manually power on
- Long press MFB for about 5 seconds to manually power off
Battery Life
For each earbud, the battery capacity is 25mAh while for the charging case it is 300mAh. According to itel, the earbud offers 4 hours of playtime or 3 hours and 3 minutes of talk time while the case provides up to 4 hours and 3 minutes at full charge. It also comes with 18-hour battery life charging case
We love the fact that the T1 Neo eabuds has a type-C charging port and you get a type-C cable to charge the case. Charging the earbuds and case was very fast. Within 15 minutes you can charge the case to 100% while the eabuds took about 10 – 20 minutes to fully charge each earbud.
Charging the Earbuds
Earbuds will automatically charge when they are returned to the charging case. A steady red on the earbud indicates being charged and light offs means it is fully charged.
A steady green light on the case indicates charging the earbuds and lights off means the earbuds are fully charged.
Charging the Case
Running lamp first then the lights will turn on based on the case power level to indicate that it is being charged. When the red light is always on then the case is fully charged while the green light flashes indicating low battery.
Note
- Use the included Type-C USB charging cable to charge the case
- The product should only be connected to a USB interface of version 2.0
- To preserve battery lifespan, fully charge at least once every 45 days
- Risk of explosion if an incorrect type replaces the battery
- Disposed of used batteries according to the instructions in the manual
- The wireless transmission range or connectivity could be affected by low battery power. In that case, please recharge immediately.
- Each earbud and charging case is IPX5 Water-Resistant but you should avoid frequent water splashes, rain or dipping it in water for too long.
iTel T1 Neo Earbuds Price
iTel T1 Neo earbuds price in Nigeria is ₦6,000 on AliExpress or Konga and are available at authorized stores nationwide. You can also send a direct message to Yinksmedia on Twitter or Instagram to make a purchase. For more information, please visit itel official website.
Verdict
The itel T1 Neo might be a basic wireless earbud for music lovers and experts, people who might be considering the switch from wired headphones to truly wireless earbuds should surely consider these eabuds. It comes with great connectivity with all types of devices, decent sound, long-lasting battery life, and fits the ears easily and pockets easily. Overall, the earbud is budget friendly for all.
The T1 Neo doesn’t come with extra ear tips in different sizes. You should also consider this before buying.
Finally, if you are looking for an affordable earbud for yourself, friends, a colleague at work family or as a gift option this Christmas season then the itel T1 Neo earbud is a good option. However, if you can spend some more, there are better options available from the brands like OPPO, Oraimo, Redmi, etc.
Note: This review was not sponsored by itel.
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