The world of true wireless earbuds is ever expanding. After a rocky start, the technology has finally come far enough where we’re seeing better, more affordable options than ever before. This is exactly the case with 1MORE’s latest, the Stylish True Wireless In-Ear Headphones. Coming in at only $99, they’re not only accessibly priced but have sound good enough to rival options triple their price while still offering some major feature improvements. If you’re in the market for a pair of true wireless headphones, this is a review you won’t want to miss.
Specifications
- Current Price: $99.99
- Model: E1026BT - I
- Color Options: Black, Gold, Green, Pink
- Impedance: 16 Ohms
- Wireless Range: 10m
- Bluetooth Codex: aptX/AAC/SBC
- Bluetooth Version: 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocol: HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
- Headphone Battery Capacity (Single) 55 mAh
- Case Battery Capacity: 410 mAh
- Fast Charging: Yes (15 minutes = 3 hours of use)
- Headphone Charging Time: 85 mins
- Case Charging Time: 85 Mins
- Battery Life: 6.5 hours (talk/music at 50% volume)
- Battery Life (including case recharges): 24 hours (talk/music at 50% volume)
- Headphone Size: 27x27x23mm
- Case Size: 68x40x38mm
- Headphone Weight (Single): 6.2g
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If you’ve followed the headphone industry outside of gaming, you probably already know 1MORE. The company has been on the rise the last several years thanks to their unique balance of premium quality, style, presentation, and - most important - sound quality. As a reviewer and budding audiophile, they first caught my attention last year as their triple-driver over-ear headphones began making the rounds on review sites and forums, seeming to earn praise across the board. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to review several of their headphones myself and have been impressed; though each is tuned differently and built to cater to a different audience, they’ve all offered great sound and features that extend well beyond the asking price.
1MORE’s entry into the TWS (True Wireless Stereo) market comes as no surprise but that they’ve managed to produce the best-value headphone in its class their first time out of the gate definitely is. They have a wealth of experience, so perhaps I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am, but having tested many TWS headphones, believe me when I say, it’s pretty darn common that “first tries” in this space have some kind of problem. With the Stylish True Wireless, they just work, exactly as you would expect them to and that’s saying something.
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If you’ve never unboxed a 1MORE product before, you’re in for a treat. Their presentation is the hands-down best for the money. The Stylish arrive in a hard cardboard box that opens like a book to greet you with design sketches from the product’s development. On the other side are the headphones and charging case, presented in a display window. It’s classy and feels far more high-end than you would expect for $99. Inside you receive the headphones and case, a micro-USB charging cable, a travel bag, S/M/L silicone ear tips, two pairs of ear hooks, and some documentation, as well as a 1MORE sticker.
The headphones themselves are small, which is refreshing to see. Some TWS headphones are bulky and poke out of your ears and look somewhat goofy. The Stylish headphones fit right in, visible but slight compared to something like the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless.
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Amazingly, despite their small size, they manage to pack an impressive 6.5 hour battery life at 50% volume. I tend to listen to my music and audiobooks at closer to 80% and found that life to be a bit over five hours, so their estimate seems accurate. The charging case is good for an additional three charges for about 24 total hours (20 in my case) before the case needs to be recharged. It also supports fast charging, so placing the buds in the case for as little as 15 minutes will get you three solid hours of use. Placing them in the case overnight would usually be enough to get me through the next day but that rapid fast charge means that simply putting them away when I’m not using them will guarantee I make it through the day. If you take them to the gym, throw them in you bag to charge on the way and you’ll have enough juice for even a lengthy workout.
Perhaps more than any other type of headphone, finding the right fit is important. I was late to jump on the true wireless bandwagon because I was worried one would fall out and get lost or damaged. The selection of tips included allowed me to find a perfect fit. They have a nice grippiness without being uncomfortable or turning inside out when removed and the different sized ear hooks keep them anchored in my ears, even through vigorous exercise or impromptu wrestling with my kids.These things are secure, plain and simple.
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The only thing I wish is that the hooks were a little tighter on the buds themselves. They’ve been secure through the testing but where they attach is already a bit loose.
One thing the Stylish lack, however, is “Find my Earbud” functionality, so if you do lose one you’re stuck searching the old fashioned way. The 1MORE Assistant offers some other functions like the ability to “smart burn-in” your headphones with a white noise loop, play music, and apply different equalizer settings. It could use a bit more explanation but offers a decent selection of features.
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Each earbud has a single button that can be used to control your media, answer calls, and activate your voice assistant. Tapping the right earbud, for example, will play and pause music. Double clicking the left earbud activates Siri or Google Assistant. The mics also work for voice activation of assistants as well. I appreciate that they’re easy to press and don’t force the bud into your ear when you want to press the button.
Usage Impressions for the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless
Let’s get right down to it: what’s it like to actually use these things? Let’s start with comfort. I’m someone who inserts and removes his earbuds many times a day. When I’m home, I’ll often leave one in for hours at a time. I’ve never once had my ears become sore, which isn’t something I can say about most true wireless earbuds (or even others in 1MORE’s own line). They’re lightweight and designed to fit without applying too much pressure on any one spot, which makes them one of the best sets of in-ears I’ve ever used for long listening sessions.
The Stylish use Bluetooth 5.0 and a custom LDS antenna to help maintain a strong, interference-free connection. Over the last three weeks using the headphones, I’ve found that the distance I can walk from my phone is about the same as Bluetooth 4.0 headphones but the Stylish offer a much more consistent connection between buds. My RHA TrueConnects, for example, which retail for about $70 more than the Stylish, would often lose sync for half a second depending on my surroundings. It was a small issue but annoying nonetheless and is fairly common among true wireless headphones. Likewise, if you were to cup your hand around the left bud, that bud would lose signal within seconds. Both of those issues are completely solved. The 1MORE’s have delivered a solid, reliable connection consistently within about 40 feet of my phone.
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The earbuds are also built with the latest Qualcomm chip. This is important, especially if you’re like me and often like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks with a single earbud. The Qualcomm chip allows either bud to become the “master,” so you’re not force to always listen from a single ear. Often, this type of headphone uses the right ear to establish the connection to your smartphone, so if you put that away, the left earbud goes quiet and turns off. With the Stylish, if you take both out, whichever has the most battery is made the master. If you take only out, it will work exactly as you expect it to.
When it comes to sound, these headphones definitely have a fun tuning. 1MORE has opted for a bass-rich sound profile, dropping down the mids and highs. Though they’re lessened, the dynamics between the frequencies have been tuned to still provide a clear and detailed soundscape. The headphones support hi-res codecs like aptX, so I was happy to see they didn’t go head to head with Beats By Dre here. Instead, you get that full, pumping sound that gets your blood going at the gym and lets movies and games feel cinematic.
The soundstage is small, as you would expect from an in-ear headphone, but the separation and positioning are excellent. I used these with my Ryzen PC as a wireless headphone and found they worked great for shooters like Battlefield V. I was able to clearly discern where shots and footsteps were coming from without any kind of surround sound, which was a surprise to me. In between matches when the uncompressed soundtrack would kick in, that full, weighty sound made for an excellent cap to an intense match.
These are a lifestyle headphone, however, so you’ll find the most pleasure using them for music. I’m a rock and metal guy, and listening to tracks with heavy double-bass like Atreyu’s Bleeding Mascara were a lot of fun. I’ve been on a PVRIS kick, though, and songs like What’s Wrong maintain their many-layered texture. They’re also great for EDM and hip-hop, but I wouldn’t turn to these for any kind of analytical listening without playing around with an external EQ.
Final Thoughts
As a first entry in a new product category, the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless headphones are so good. Remarkably good, in fact, when you consider that they’re priced 2-3 times cheaper than competitors like Sennheiser or Jabra. Make no mistake, these headphones are worth every penny. There were small sacrifices here, like the use of micro-USB instead of Type-C, but it’s a reasonable trade-off when you consider the dollars saved and other features you get instead: excellent battery life, rapid fast charging, aptX, the Qualcomm chip, Bluetooth 5.0… the list goes on. If you’re in the market for true wireless headphones, these are absolutely a pair you should consider. For $100, they’re the hands-down best choice on the market today.
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Pros
- Affordably price
- Great sound with lots of bass
- Lots of color options
- Bluetooth 5.0, Qualcomm chip
- Comfortable over long periods of use
- Great battery life
Cons
- Micro-USB
- Ear hooks may need to be replaced over time
The product described in this review was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
