boAt is one of the most familiar names in the consumer audio segment in India. The audio tech outfit has an impressive portfolio of affordable TWS products that cater to audiophiles and gamers alike. The newly launched boAt Airdopes 800 seeks to bring the best of both worlds with its 10mm titanium drivers and ultra-low latency of 50ms. Priced at Rs 1,799, the Airdopes 800 is one of the more affordable TWS products around. We have been using the earbuds for the last three days. Here is our review of the boAt Airdopes 800.

Read Also: Vivo Y200 Pro 5G with Snapdragon 695 SoC launched in India

boAt Airdopes 800 Review: Design

Here’s what you get inside the boAt Airdopes 800 retail package:

• Charging case with earbuds inside
• Extra ear tips
• USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable
• Warranty Card
• Smart Guide
• Stickers

There are four colour variants on offer: Interstellar Black, Interstellar Blue, Interstellar Green, and Interstellar White. The Airdopes 800 is not the most compact TWS we’ve seen in this price range. The charging case has a briefcase-like design and is easy to open with just one finger. However, it makes its presence felt when placed inside a pocket. Since it is made out of plastic, it does not have a lot of weight, but we preferred keeping it in our bag instead of pockets due to its relatively larger size.

The quality of the material used on this device is impeccable. The plastic does not feel flimsy at all and the matte-like finish keeps it from accumulating smudges and fingerprints. The hinge feels strong and has a very snappy response. The top lid has a character line running through the middle in the shape of a wave. The boAt and ‘Dolby Atmos’ branding can be found on either side of this line.

The indentation on the front side of the lid ensures you can open the charging case with just one finger. Right below this indentation is the LED notification light. On the right side of the case lies the USB Type-C charging port.

The wireless earbuds are nestled inside glossy cutouts in the charging case. The rest of the inner panel has a matte texture. The pairing button sits plush between the two cutouts. There are some similarities in the design of the earbuds and the charging case. The wave-shaped character line can be found on the outer panel of the two earbuds. Each earbud has a notification light and two mics as well. The in-ear design of the earbuds facilitates a comfortable and fatigue-free fit.

The stems on the two earbuds are longer than the standard size. We like this because it gives the user a larger gripping surface to adjust the earbuds, thereby reducing the accidental triggers caused by touching the control section. The touch controls on the earbuds work smoothly and can be customised using the boAt Hearables app (more on that later).

The two earbuds are rated IPX5 for dust and water resistance. We wore them while working and are happy to report that they hold up well. We did not face any issues with the fit when things got sweaty and the performance of the earbuds remained unfazed.

boAt Airdopes 800 Review: Performance

Relaying the audio output on the boAt Airdopes 800 are two high-fidelity 10mm titanium drivers. The Airdopes 800 is also the first TWS in India to be powered by Dolby Atmos. With Bluetooth 5.3 onboard, connecting the TWS to a smartphone or PC is as easy as it gets.

The soundstage of boAt Airdopes 800 is heavily dominated by the bass. This is pretty standard for wireless earbuds in this price range. However, despite the blanket of bass, the Airdopes 800 impressed us with the clarity of audio output. Even in higher volumes, the audio did not suffer from distortion. The mid and high frequencies did not feel like they were shrouded by the bass and the overall listening experience was quite rich. If you like a bass-driven sound, you will certainly enjoy the Airdopes 800.

The boAt Hearables app offers a decent set of features to customise the audio output. To begin with, you can set up an Adaptive EQ that creates a unique Hearing ID for you and tailors the audio to your needs. On top of that, there are five equalier presets to choose from – Balanced, Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Club. The Hearables app does not offer the option to customise the equaliser yet.

There are two profiles for Dolby Audio as well – Natural and Movie. Initially, the app wasn’t able to switch between the two profiles, but the issue was fixed with a firmware update. The Hearables app lets you customise the touch controls for the two earbuds as well. The only thing we don’t like about boAt’s companion app is that it requires the user to sign up using their email.

The Airdopes 800 can reach a low latency rate of 50ms, making it ideal for gaming. We played titles like Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI while wearing the Airdopes and were pleased by the lack of any noticeable audio lag. The crispness of the audio enhanced the gaming experience. Even the sound of faint footsteps, which doesn’t get relayed as well through smartphone speakers, was delivered expertly by the Airdopes 800.

The calling experience offered by the boAt Airdopes 800 struggles with the clarity issues plaguing this segment. In an indoor setting, the earbuds do a good job of extracting the voice of the speaker from the surrounding noise and relaying it to the recipient. However, in outdoor conditions, the call quality takes a significant hit. On the bright side, the Airdopes 800 TWS offers a multi-point connection, which is a nice feature to have in this price range. You can connect the TWS to two devices simultaneously and seamlessly switch between them.

The charging case packs a 400mAh battery unit and either earbud holds 35mAh of charge. boAt claims a total of 40 hours of playtime at a 40% volume level. With fast charging on board, the TWS can provide 100 minutes of playback after a 5-minute charge.

Read Also: How to disable Copilot and Recall on Windows 11?

Verdict

We’ve reviewed a lot of entry-level and affordable TWS over the years, but the boAt Airdopes 800 stands out because of its lush audio output and clean design. Sure, the charging case could have been more compact, but its build quality is superior to its peers. The bass-driven audio output is far from neutral but it is immensely enjoyable. Dolby Atmos support plays its part in creating a strong soundstage. The presence of multi-point connectivity squeezes the maximum value out of the Rs 1,799 price tag.

boAt Airdopes 800: Pros

• Good audio output
• Strong build quality
• Dolby Atmos support
• Multi-point connectivity

boAt Airdopes 800: Cons

• Slightly bulky

The post boAt Airdopes 800 Review: Do they float your boat? appeared first on Gadget Bridge by Utkarsh Joshi.