boAt Airdopes 161 ANC Earbuds - Is it really worth it?
Earbuds have become a part of everybody's life, and brands are coming up with new earbuds with some cool and amazing features making it difficult for people to choose the best one for them. In this blog post, we will discuss the features of the newly launched boAt Airdopes 161 ANC Earbuds, and see if these are to be considered or not.
Unboxing - Inside the Box
boAt Airdopes 161 ANC TWS box comes with the following items:
Warranty Card
User Manual
Boat Sticker
Type C cable
Extra Earcups
Earbuds
Design and Build Quality
The boAt earbuds come in a compact oval-shaped case with a combination of matte and glossiness. There is a boAt branding on the front along with a battery indicator light, and a charging port at the bottom side. There is no such button provided in the case to reset the earbuds. Overall, you get a decent build-quality case.
The earbuds are held tightly inside the case by proper magnets and they do not fall off from the case. With a combination of matte and glossy finish, you get classic-looking earbuds.
The earbuds provide a secure and comfortable fit making them a suitable option if you wish to wear them for long hours. With the IPX5 water and splash-resistant feature, you can easily use it while working out without the fear of getting your earbuds damaged. IPX5 features along with the secured fit make it a great companion for your workouts.
Connectivity
boAt airdopes 161 ANC comes with the latest Bluetooth version 5.3 which ensures a secure connection. Along with this, it has Instant Wake and Pair Technology, which establishes an instant connection with the last paired device in a fraction of a seconds once you open the lid. The IWP feature works pretty smoothly.
Battery Life
boAt 161 TWS comes with a decent battery life as compared to other earbuds under 1500/- range which provides an impressive battery life. These earbuds come with 5 to 6 hours of playback time on a single charge, depending on the usage of ANC mode, and a total of about 24 to 28 hours using the charging case.
In a hurry and your earbuds have no charge? Do not worry. The Instant ASAP charge feature of the earbuds provides a total of 150 minutes of playback time with just 10 minutes of charge.
Touch Controls
boAt 161 ANC earbuds come with almost fully equipped touch controls starting from playing/pausing music to the gaming mode, accepting/rejecting the call to the next/previous track, and much more. The drawback of this earbud is that you cannot increase / decrease the volume and also you cannot access the voice assistant feature.
You can understand the complete workings of the touch controls in our YouTube video - here.
ANC Mode
Nowadays, most of the earbuds being launched have an Active Noise Cancellation feature, and so does this boAt earbuds. With 32 dB noise cancellation, it cancels most of the background noise for an immersed music experience. Overall, the ANC mode works pretty decent keeping in mind the price point it comes in.
Gaming Test
With a dedicated gaming mode - Beast Mode, the brand claims to have 50 ms of low latency, we were impressed with the gaming experience of the earbuds and you can definitely consider this earbud for gaming purposes. We tried a BGMI game test and we can say the stereo separation and in-audio experience were pretty impressive, you can easily identify if the enemy is coming from left or right. The loudness was adequate, which could have been improved.
Sound Quality
boAt 161 ANC earbuds come with 10 mm dynamic drivers with SBC / AAC codec support. These earbuds come with dual Equalizer modes:
Balanced - The balanced mode of the earbuds is highly disappointing. The bass is reduced to 0 and trebles are also reduced. There is only a focus on vocals in the balanced mode.
Signature - The signature mode works better than the balanced mode. The vocals and trebles are decent, and you get good bass effects but the boAt signature music and thumpy bass is missing in the earbuds.
The sound output of the earbuds has been compromised, and as a music lover, you are not gonna love this earbud.
Calling Experience
Quad Microphone setup with Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) technology provides an amazing calling experience. In indoor conditions the call experience is superb, and in outdoor conditions, the calling experience is pretty good. The vocals were focused upon and most of the background activities were cancelled out. So, if you are doing work from home or into regular meetings and calls, then you can consider this earbud.
Ratings
Sound Quality: 7 / 10
Bass Quality: 7 / 10
Gaming Experience: 8.5 / 10
ANC Mode: 8.5 / 10
Calling Experience: 8 / 10
Conclusion
Overall, boAt 161 ANC earbuds come with a lot of features, but the sound output has been compromised. The ANC mode works pretty well but as a music lover, you are gonna be disappointed. You can look for other earbuds with impressive sound output and features in this range.
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Watch the full review here.