Earfun has been a brand to watch for years, and it’s back again with its latest true wireless earbuds with the Earfun Air S. Coming in at $69.99, they fall in the middle of the pricing spectrum but offer premium features like active noise cancellation and a low latency gaming mode. We’ll also be looking at the company’s new Bluetooth speaker, the UBOOM L, which was tuned by famed audio YouTuber, Olaf (Oluv) Lubanski. It comes to the market at $79.99 and promises superior sound quality, stereo mode support, and IP67 waterproofing.
There’s still summer left, so should the Earfun Air S and UBOOM L be making their way onto your wishlist? Find out in our review!
Specifications
Earfun Air S
- Current Price:
- Key Features
- Personalize Your Buds with EarFun Audio App
- All-new Multi-device Connectivity
- Build-in Qualcomm® QCC3046 SoC with aptX™ Audio Tech
- Latest cVc™ 8.0 tech for Superior Clarity Call Quality
- Bluetooth 5.2 + TrueWireless™ tech offers stable transmission and Smooth Single Earbud Use
- Balanced Immersive Sound with 10mm Wool Composite Drivers
- 100ms Low Latency Mode for Better Video & Gaming Experience
- IPX5 Sweat & Water Resistant
- 30-hour Playtime: 6 Hours + 24Hours with Charging Case
- Fast Charging, 10 Min Charging = 2 Hours Playtime
- Wireless Charging Compatible
- Intuitive Touch Control
- Bluetooth Version: 5.2
- Bluetooth Range: 15m
- Bluetooth Codec: aptX, AAC, SBC
- Battery Capacity: 40mAh x 2(earbuds); 500mAh(charging case)
- Play Time:
- ANC OFF - Up to 6 hours, Totally 30 hours with the charging case (varies by volume level and audio content)
- ANC ON - Up to 5 hours, Totally 25 hours with the charging case (varies by volume level and audio content)
- Charging Time:
- 1 hour (for earbuds), 2 hours (for charging case via USB-C)
- 3.5 hours (for charging case via wireless charger)
- Input: DC 5V/1A
- Dimensions: 56mm x 65mm x 31mm
- Weight: 52g
Earfun UBOOM L
- Current Price:
- Key Features
- Oluv Tuned Premium Natural Sound
- Dynamic Bass Boost Drivers and Dual Passive Radiators Enhances Sound Quality and Power
- Boost Your Music with two speakers Stereo Pairing
- Play it loud and immersive with Indoor, Outdoor and Video Mode
- IP67 Dustproof & Waterproof Design
- Up To 16 Hours Of Battery Life with Efficiently USB-C Charge
- Convenient Hands-Free Calling
- Easy Bluetooth 5.0 Connectivity
- USB-C Charging
- Bluetooth Version: 5.0
- Bluetooth Range: 15m
- Transducer: 2 x 55mm
- Output Power: 2 x 14W
- Battery Capacity: 7.4V, 2 x 2600mAh
- Play Time: Up to 16 hours
- Charging Time: About 4 hours
- Input: 5V/3A
- Dimensions: 78mm x 210mm x 72mm
- Weight: 650g
Earfun Air S Review
The Earfun Air S is the latest in Earfun’s line of EarPod-like true wireless earbuds. They feature the same “bud and stem” design as the Earpods and offer premium features like active noise cancellation, but are much cheaper and more accessible to your average consumer. We won’t bury the lede: at $69.99, these are a solid buy and are even better if you can find them on sale.
The design of the earbuds is very familiar by now. It features the typical bud with the stem that sticks out from the ears. Earfun includes a selection of silicone tips to help you find a secure fit. Though some users have reported issues with the buds feeling loose, that wasn’t at all the case for us. The bud fit comfortably and securely, even while exercising.
Inside the shells, they feature big 10mm dynamic drivers. These drivers use Earfun’s wool diaphragms and are rather unique. We’ve seen them in past models and they’ve delivered impressive performance for the price in the past. The buds are powered by Qualcomm’s QCC3046 Bluetooth chip, which allows for Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and high resolution aptX audio.
The buds themselves are made of lightweight plastic, which is to be expected, and feel appropriately sturdy for their price. I wouldn’t drop them, but they should last with care. The case, on the other hand, is pretty bulky and lightweight. It stays closed well in the pocket but it didn’t take long to show little scuffs.
The sonic performance of the earbuds is good for the price. The out of the box tuning is V-shaped with plentiful bass and a rise in the treble to bring out details. I found it to be a good fit for mainstream pop and even metal music. The bass does have a tendency to bleed into the already recessed mids, which can make vocals and guitars sound quieter than they do on the Earfun Air Pros.
Thankfully, the Air S has full app support and can be tuned with custom bass, mid, and treble sliders. There are also presets for more or less bass and treble. Choosing the reduced bass preset instantly cleared up the sound for me.
Active Noise Cancellation is also decent for the price. It won’t compete with Sony or Samsung, but does a good job of cutting out low frequency noise, like engines and spinning PC fans.
For gaming, the buds include an easy-to-access low latency mode. It works remarkably well, making first-person shooters playable over Bluetooth. Enabling this feature dramatically lowers the range of the earbuds, however, so you’ll need to say seated at your PC or console while using them.
Overall, the Earfun Air S is a solid performer at the price. It won’t win awards for its sound quality or ANC, but remains a great option at the $70 price point.
Earfun UBoom L Review
Moving onto the next product on the review desk, we have the UBOOM L, Earfun’s latest Bluetooth speaker. This is a particularly interesting product, as it was tuned by popular YouTuber, Oluv of Oluv’s Gadgets. These collaborations are becoming increasingly common, but they usually take place with in-ear headphones. This is the first Bluetooth speaker collaboration we’ve seen, but the results in the in-ear sector have been so positive that we were excited to try the UBOOM L for ourselves.
The UBOOM features a simple, typical design for a Bluetooth speaker. It’s an 8x3 inch rectangle, trimmed in woven fabric to hide the drivers. The left and right sides are closed with silicone bass radiators. It’s IP67 rated, which makes it fully waterproof, and is designed to float if dropped in a pool or from a canoe. Around the back is an aux input to connect a smartphone or other source, as well as a USB Type-C charging port, hidden behind a rubber plug to seal out moisture.
Inside all of that trim, it features a pair of large 55mm drivers. These transducers produce a powerful, room-filling sound for its small size. Each driver takes up to 14 watts of power, so a big sound is to be expected.
What’s more important is how they sound. Out of the box, it’s… good. Not great, but good for the price. With a little bit of research, we discovered that Oluv had released a firmware update to bring the speaker to its final tuning. The process of applying the update isn’t difficult but it’s not user friendly for people who just want to connect their speaker and go. It is absolutely worth taking the time to apply the update. It noticeably enhances the sound right away.
With the firmware applied, we found the UBOOM L to deliver outstanding audio performance for its price. It delivers a full, bass-rich sound that doesn’t lose detail in the mids and highs. The bass performance is fast and tight. Before this test, we had used the Anker Soundcore Motion+, which remains about $25 more expensive as of this writing. The UBOOM L is more responsive and more well balanced, with less peaks and valleys in the sound profile.
The amount of sound it’s able to produce is also remarkable. We use speakers like this for multiple purposes. Outdoor listening, sure, but also connecting to screens and phones for quick access to big sound for music and movies inside the house. The UBOOM L can easily replace a set of speaker for a computer or enhance the sound of a television, though its diminutive size does decrease the soundstage when used as such.
For that type of use, it also features a low latency mode (akin to the Earfun Air S reviewed above). Enabling this feature instantly reduces audio-visual lag, so what you’re hearing lines up with what you’re seeing on the screen. Even without this feature, major streaming services like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix all feature auto-compensation that works well with the speaker.
Final Thoughts
Both the Earfun Air S and UBOOM L deliver impressive performance for the money. The UBOOM L stood out most to us due to its excellent tuning and balanced sound. If you’re in the market for either a new pair of affordable Bluetooth earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker that can double as a sound system for your PC, these are well worth considering.
Earfun Air S Score: 7
Earfun UBOOM L Score: 8
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
