True wireless earbuds and electric cars have a surprising amount in common. Both offer unprecedented freedom: Electric cars free us from our reliance on oil, and true wireless earbuds free us from our reliance on wires. But both inventions even have inherent limitations: Electric cars have a maximum range that’s dictated by their battery capacities and therefore the same is true for a way long true wireless earbuds can deliver the tunes no end.
In both cases, the fear of running out of juice is often called range anxiety, provided you’re willing to equate miles driven with hours of playback. It’s this range of anxiety that creates the $100 Motorola Tech3 true wireless earbuds so interesting. With a literal plug-in hybrid design that allows you to convert them into a wired set of earbuds, they’re the right antidote to wireless range anxiety.
But do the advantages of the Tech3’s 3-in-1 design outweigh its disadvantages? Let’s take a better look.
Contents
Wrap your head around this design
You can tell the Tech3 aren’t like other true wireless earbuds the instant you set eyes on their charging case. it’s sort of a really big black yo-yo. That’s partially due to its squat, cylindrical shape, but the comparison becomes almost unavoidable thanks to the 2 sets of braided cords that wrap around its midsection.
Flip open the makeup-compact-style lid and you’ll find the earbuds neatly stowed in their charging nooks. Flipping up a second smaller lid within the most compartment reveals the ends of 1 of these braided cords. this is often the one you’ll use to physically connect the earbuds in their “sport loop” configuration.
The second cord — the one that magnetically attaches to the game loop for wired use — is accessed from rock bottom of the case. The arrangement jogs my memory of decades of attempts to neatly store wired earbuds by wrapping them around all types of objects. Those were nearly always a complete mess, but the Tech3 manages to bring order to the chaos because of one important difference: The braided cords don’t stretch or deform in the least, which suggests they wrap around their case and snap into their respective slots an equivalent way whenever. It just works.
The only problem with this design is its size. Unlike most of today’s truly wireless earbuds, you’ll not be ready to comfortably pocket the Tech3’s case. Some folks can also be annoyed by the micro-USB charging port, a format that has about disappeared from newer phones (including Motorola’s latest models, ironically). there’s a charging indicator light on the front, but it’s tiny and really difficult to ascertain.
Comfortable buds
When I first saw the press images of the Tech3, I feared that the power to connect the game loop cord would mean big, bulky earbuds. Amazingly, the buds aren’t any bigger or heavier than non-hybrid models, and they’re smaller than some
They’re also quite comfortable. I tend to possess good luck with the default medium-sized ear recommendations on most earbuds and therefore the Tech3 was no exception. I used to be ready to get them nestled firmly yet comfortably in my ear and that they stayed comfortable for several hours.
Even though you’ll connect the game loop without sacrificing size or comfort, there’s a reasonably major flaw within the design. The hard plastic plugs on the ends of the cord create a physical barrier to how deeply you’ll insert the earbuds into your ears. For me, this meant that the natural drag exerted by the cord over time attended loosen the buds.
There’s a reason virtually all neck-loop-based earbuds use some quite ear-hook or ear-fin — you would like to stabilize the earbuds against this tugging. Unfortunately, the Tech3 doesn’t accompany either built-in or the optional slip-on quite ear fins you discover on some models. This looks like an odd oversight for earbuds that are meant to be used tethered and through vigorous exercise. On the brilliant side, with IPX5 water resistance, they’ll be ready to affect the type of sweat that vigorous exercise tends to supply.
Decent sound
At $100, the Motorola Tech3 are at the high end of the affordable side of the truth wireless earbud market. Given its fancy hybrid design, you would possibly expect that some sacrifices were made within the audio department, and this is often true: they are doing not deliver an equivalent audio quality because of the similarly-priced 1More Stylish.
That said, they deliver excellent clarity and precision, with a surprisingly neutral EQ. during this price range, earbuds tend to overcompensate on bass, or they fail to deliver a satisfyingly full midrange. The Tech3 don’t suffer from any of those drawbacks, making them one among the higher choices for those that like their music presented with a minimum of sonic alteration. Vocals are especially well represented and albeit bass-heads will find themselves wishing for more low-end oomph, most genres enjoy the Tech3’s sound signature.
Light on features
Another area where the Tech3 cut a couple of corners is their features. You get the quality set of controls: Play/pause, track skip forward/back, and call answer/end. you’ll also access your phone’s assistant or ask Alexa if you put in the free Verve Life app by Hubble. This app also will allow you to track the last known whereabouts of the earbuds do you have to lose them.
