The Moto Buds+ were introduced in India in May this year after being first unveiled globally in April alongside the Moto Buds. As the name suggests, the Moto Buds+ is the premium version of the truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones in the newly launched lineup. They offer up to 38 hours of battery life, support Dolby head tracking technology and Hi-Res Audio certification, and provide an enhanced music experience with ‘Sound by Bose’. I’ve been using the Moto Buds+ for the past few days, so let me tell you about the good and the bad.
Moto Buds+ review: Design and features
The Moto Buds+ come with a curved in-ear design with rounded stems and silicone ear tips. The ear tips come in three sizes – S, M, and L – with the medium (M) size fitting me best. Extra ear tips, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and information/instructions are included inside the box along with the earbuds and charging case.
The Moto Buds+ sleek charging case is lightweight and compact
The overall fit of the Moto Buds+ speaks volumes about their comfort. The charging pins of the earbuds are placed inside the earbuds, where they come into direct contact with the skin, but this did not cause any functional issues for me. Even after extended use, I would forget I was wearing the accessory. The well-balanced Dolby Atmos-enabled sound meant that there were no sudden sound experiences that made me painfully aware that it was a wearable. More on the sound later in this review.
The Moto Buds+ earbuds have a matte finish with a single shiny ring-like design element on the earbuds. The sleek charging case also has a matte finish and features the company’s stylized “M” branding on the top with a “Sound by Bose” tag below. The USB Type-C charging port is located at the top of the charging case, while the bottom has an indicator LED light that lets you know the battery/charging status of the earbuds.
The charging case for Moto Buds+ measures 59.87 x 48.97 x 24.84mm and weighs 42.8g with the earbuds, making it compact and lightweight for your convenience. It can easily be placed in a jeans or trouser pocket, or in the phone or keychain slot of a handbag. Available in two colors in Japan: Beach Sand and Forest Gray.
Moto Buds+ review: Apps and specs
The Moto Buds+ support customizable equalization (EQ) settings and other personalization through the Moto Buds companion app, which is currently only available for Android phones, but the company has confirmed that an iOS version of the app is in the works, so it should be available soon.
The Moto Buds app has an easy-to-navigate layout
The application is basic, easy to understand and navigate. Once you connect the Moto Buds+ to your smartphone, a window pops up with the option to download the Moto Buds application. Once downloaded and opened, it shows the battery level of both earbuds, as well as the noise control presets (Off, Transparent, Adaptive, Active). Additionally, you have the option to explore “Sound”, customize the equalizer settings, change the latency mode, and more.
You can also go to “Gestures” to select, assign and edit the functionality of touch control gestures for each earbud. You can assign three gestures to both the right and left earbuds – double tap, triple tap and tap and hold. To make it easier, we have mirrored the settings for both earbuds. The app also gives you the option to enable or disable the dual connection and in-ear detection features for your earbuds with a simple toggle.
The customizable equalizer in the Moto Buds app offers a few easy to understand preset modes like Treble Boost, Bass Boost, Vocal Boost, Flat, etc. Another setting offered in the application is a fully manual customizable option, allowing users to go outside of the presets and fully personalize the equalizer settings as per their preference.
Moto Buds+ features dual dynamic drivers including an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. It supports Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) up to 46dB and comes with three preset modes – Transparency, Adaptive, and Noise Cancellation. The earphones also support Dolby Head Tracking technology that adjusts the audio based on your head movements. Apart from the “Sound by Bose” tag, they are also Hi-Res Audio certified. They feature a triple microphone system with integrated Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) feature for crystal clear calls.
Moto Buds+ provide a comfortable fit
The Moto Buds+ earbuds are IP54-rated for dust and water resistance and each have a 42mAh battery, while the charging case is IPX4-rated and packs a 510mAh battery. Connectivity options include dual-device connectivity as well as Bluetooth 5.3 with support for SBC, AAC and LHDC codecs.
Moto Buds+ review: Performance and battery life
As mentioned above, the Moto Buds app allows Moto Bud+ users to manually customize the equalizer, but it also comes with basic presets. The manual settings allow listeners to experience more sound and leave more room for experimentation, allowing for limitless personalization.
For this review, we’ll be talking about the presets offered within the Moto Buds app. First on the list is the Brilliant Treble mode. As the name suggests, this adjusts the playback to boost the higher or treble notes of a song or piece of music. Listening to The Ballad Of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco on this setting brings out the xylophone, marimba, and similar glockenspiel melodies used in the arrangement, but they don’t sound shrill or harsh. Instead, they sound more pleasant, almost sparkling.
For example, the Bass boost preset made listening to a track like Pictures of Home by Deep Purple a truly enjoyable experience. No matter how many bass-heavy classic rock songs you listen to, the result (assuming you play the right mix of the track) is the same: you get some serious bass boom without making it sound muddy. If you’ll pardon the accidental pun, I’ll also tell you about testing the Vocal boost preset with some Muddy Waters tracks. I did, and it was hands-down the best thing I’ve done this week. The American blues singer’s soulful voice is sure to lift your spirits in any situation, and this preset helps accentuate the brightness and clarity of his voice without compromising on sound quality whatsoever.
The noise cancelling feature on the Moto Buds+ covers up most indoor ambient noise.
We should also mention the clarity of calls made with these earphones, which in one word is good. The audio received on the Moto Buds+ was crisp with minimal distortion. The audio heard on the other end was also crystal clear thanks to the environmental noise cancellation feature, and the network was stable and uninterrupted.
The noise cancellation on the Moto Buds+ also offers decent coverage. The ANC feature drowns out almost all common indoor noises, like humming fans and air conditioners, the TV or chatter from the next room, and even that annoying creaking door. The Adaptive mode, while not as thorough as the ANC mode, does a good job of drowning out the occasional ambient noise.
Dual-device connectivity on the Moto Buds+ also worked quite seamlessly for me. I had them paired with my smartphone and laptop for most of the day. The LHDC support on the earphones also reflects in the audio experience they offer. The low-latency gaming mode provides a near-lag-free experience even in heavy games like Call of Duty: Mobile.
Without noise cancellation turned on, the Moto Buds+ (when used with the LHDC codec) have a battery life of up to 38 hours. At 60% volume, with adaptive or active noise cancellation turned on, the earbuds and charging case have a combined battery life of up to 30 hours. For just the earbuds with ANC turned off, the earbuds are said to get up to 8 hours of playback on a single full charge, or up to 3 hours on a 10-minute charge. With adaptive or active noise cancellation support, the earbuds can get up to 6 hours of playback on a single charge, or just over an hour and a half on a 10-minute charge.
The Moto Buds+ charging case supports both wired and wireless charging. Using a USB Type-C cable, the case charged from 0 to 100 percent in just over an hour, as the company claims. During the review period, we were only able to charge the case wirelessly once. Using a Qi-certified 15W wireless charging pad, the case charged from 0 to 100 percent in 113 minutes.
verdict
There are very few issues with the Moto Buds+. If you are looking for a pair of TWS earphones in the Rs 10,000 range, this is a good investment. Currently priced at Rs 9,999 in India, it offers some of the best features in the segment. From the design to the sound experience to connectivity, there is more to like than dislike. The product truly lives up to the tagline “Sound by Bose”.
There’s no companion app support for iOS users yet, but if you can live with that, the Moto Buds+ should perform well.You could also consider the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 ( review ) for Rs 11,999, especially if you have a OnePlus or Oppo smartphone.You could also check out the Nothing Ear ( review ) TWS earphones for Rs 11,999, which were launched earlier this year and offer up to 40.5 hours of battery life and ChatGPT integration.