Moto Buds+ gives you Bose audio at a budget while Moto Buds is about style and sound

The earphones offer a pretty good fit and are lightweight enough to wear for long hours. You forget these are in your ears in a few minutes. There are touch controls on the back of the earphones and they can be customised using the Moto Buds app. However, these work only on Android as there is no iOS app. So while it works with the iPhone I can’t recommend the Moto Buds+ for Apple users as you will be flying blind to a certain extent.

Chiragh by Ali Sethi and Nicolas Jar is not a regular composition. But it does test any earphone given the expanse of sounds it has on offer from the techno vibes to the Ali Sethi’s soulful vocals. The Moto Buds+ with its dual dynamic drivers managed to hold up well in the face of this and the experience was really good. Then with a Lo-Fi version of Intaha ho gayi, I got the sense that bass is also something these earphones can handle well, and that too without overwhelming the listener.

The noise cancellation is pretty good and the app lets you switch to adaptive and transparency modes which are differentiated experiences. Plus, you can play with the equaliser too, and choose from a limited range of presets or do your own thing in manual mode. The app also offers a fit test and a find my earphones feature.

Moto Buds app available exclusively for Android smartphones (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

I tried the earphones with my TV too and Dolby Atmos offers the cinematic experience your TV can’t offer especially early in the morning.

Listening to Skinny by Billie Eilish I got a faint sense of nostalgia of listening on a Bose headphone from the past. The base note in violin and cello reproduces the effect of a Bose. But this is not fully there yet and missing some of the sharpness and richness of a real Bose. But the audio tuning is what Bose would have approved of and offers access to their signature sounds to a mass base at a much lower price point. And Moto Buds+ does well at that.

My only issue with these earphones is that on calls this gives a sort of a stuffy feeling in the ears even though the audio is very clear. The battery life is good and lasts about 38 hours on a full charge and you have fast charging to quickly boost up as prepare for your early morning run.

At Rs 7,999, the Moto Buds+ is one of the best earphones at this price point and comes with the added advantage of Sound by Bose and Dolby Atmos. If you are hunting for new earphones in this range, this is certainly worth a look and the Bose edge might make your decision easier.

Moto Buds review

Buds offer features like active noise cancellation at an affordable price tag (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Moto Buds have a very different look and feel from the more expensive and capable Moto Buds+. It is both trendy and young in its design and looks like something younger users will enjoy flaunting. The unit I got for review was white and the earbuds on these have tapered edges that make gesture controls a bit easier.

Once you connect the Moto Buds to the app you realise the difference with the high-end end model. Since this has a single, but larger 12.4mm driver, it does not offer an equaliser setting. But you still get most of the other features and even find my buds as well as a gaming mode.

The noise cancelling is a bit muted in comparison to the Buds+. And as you move from transparent to adaptive from full noise cancellation you realise that the change is more subtle. But the noise cancellation is still good and sucks up most of the ambient noise in your office and home.

Listening to a Sushin Shyam playlist on Spotify I felt the Moto Buds offer a deep bass with a range of highs and lows that makes it a good option to listen to almost all genres of music. But remember there is no equaliser here and you will have to live with the elevated bass even if you are not a fan. A song like Kisa Paathiyil gave me a good idea of the range capable with the Buds, from sharp vocals to high background humming and percussion.

With Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child, I started liking these earphones even more. Because this is a very complex number with heavy electric guitar and a lot of vocals in between. But the Buds managed to hold up and convince me that for those who like bass, this is a new option in town.

At Rs 3,999, this is a good value-for-money option for those looking for a good pair of noise-cancelling earphones that can cater to their work and play needs. It comes with all the features users will love and an audio output that will keep youngsters particularly happy. The Moto Buds+ with Sound by Bose and Moto Buds together now offer Indian users new options to amp up their wireless audio game without breaking the bank.