Anker — sorry, Zolo, which is outwardly a sub-brand of Anker — has a brand new pair of completely wi-fi, in-ear Bluetooth headphones. The Zolo Liberty works very similar to Apple’s AirPods, however has a way more compelling price ticket at $99.99.

Past the price-tag, the Zolo Liberty has rather a lot to shout about. Let’s begin with endurance, which is a significant space of concern for anybody on the lookout for a brand new pair of Bluetooth headphones.

The buds have a projected battery life of three.5 hours, which isn’t removed from dearer AirPods, which get 5 hours. In my expertise, the buds lasted a bit longer than marketed, which was definitely welcome.

When the Zolo runs out of juice, you possibly can drop them into its battery case, which recharges them rapidly.

Talking of which, you possibly can anticipate to get 24 hours out of the Zolo Liberty’s battery case. That’s sufficient to get you thru the day, though I have to admit, it’s considerably annoying having to cease listening to music to recharge the buds. That’s true of each system in its class although, and shouldn’t be interpreted as a criticism of the Zolo Liberty particularly.

Efficiency

A standard criticism of completely wi-fi headphones is that audio high quality tends to be mediocre. That’s the trade-off you make in alternate for ditching wires wholesale.

The Zolo Liberty didn’t actually blow me away. Audio high quality was strong, however that’s about as a lot as I can say for it. Mids have been loud and clear, which was nice for voice calls and podcasts. Highs have been strong, and didn’t really feel shrill or painful.

Nonetheless, bass felt just a little flat. This was significantly noticeable on songs with an unmistakable bassline, like U2’s With Or With out You, or among the louder tracks from Aussie folk-punk band Camp Cope.

Briefly, the Zolo Liberty is fairly middle-of-the-road.

Let’s speak about cellphone calls. You should utilize the Zolo Liberty like an strange Bluetooth headset (though you’ll look a tad insane, speaking to skinny air with no cellphone in sight).

General, I used to be glad. Microphone loudness could possibly be higher. Though just about everybody I referred to as with the buds may make out what I used to be saying, I needed to communicate louder than I in any other case would.

Seems and reliability

The place it actually comes into play is in portability and appears. They are saying magnificence is within the eye of the beholder. Personally talking, I dig the look of the Zolo Liberty greater than I do the AirPods.

For starters, there’s no bizarre dangly bits. The buds match snugly into the ear, and are barely seen from the surface. It is a stark distinction from the extra ostentatious AirPods.

I discovered them to be snug to put on, too. And I say that as somebody who doesn’t actually get pleasure from utilizing in-ear headphones.

My largest bug-bear is reliability. Sometimes, the left bud would minimize out. Typically, that is for just a few seconds. In that situation, the Zolo Liberty corrects itself and re-establishes the connection. No huge deal.

However typically, that doesn’t occur. Happily, that is simply mounted by positioned the earbuds into the battery case for just a few seconds to be able to drive a restart. It’s nonetheless fairly annoying although.

It’s price mentioning that cellphone calls undergo the appropriate bud, so the system’s occasional reliability points received’t get in the best way of your essential dialog.

From what I can inform by Amazon’s buyer opinions of the Zolo Liberty, that is an ongoing problem not restricted to the overview unit offered to me by Anker. That is price making an allowance for earlier than you drop $100 on them.

Who can purchase the Zolo Liberty?

So, the million (er, hundred) greenback query: Do you have to purchase the Zolo Liberty? Or do you have to fly Zolo? (Sorry.)

Regardless of the endemic reliability points to the system, I assumed the Zolo Liberty was a strong effort. By the requirements of completely-wireless headphones, audio high quality was respectable, and so they have been snug.

Battery life is respectable. With almost 4 hours of juice, the Zolo Liberty will cowl just about everybody’s commutes. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t rely upon them solely, and would at all times have a backup pair of typical headphones to cowl issues like listening to music whereas working, or taking an extended flight.

I can see these being favored by health fanatics. Along with being sweatproof, additionally they have a tendency to remain put, even when doing a little fairly vigorous motion.

When you’re on the lookout for one thing discreet, snug, and reasonably priced, the Zolo Liberty is your man. There are some flaws to miss, positive, however on the worth level, you’ll be onerous pressed to search out one thing higher. You should buy it on Amazon for $99.99.