Blue Ant Pump Air 2

Decent sound in an average package.

The Pump Air 2s are certainly some of the smallest earbuds we’ve tried, and their sound quality is fairly decent in spite of this, but unfortunately they suffer in a few other areas. They are relatively affordable for true wireless ‘buds, and this is certainly one of their more redeeming qualities, but that low price is felt when it comes to the cheap-feeling charging case, its micro-USB port and poor battery life.

The four-hour playtime on the units themselves can be forgiven considering their diminutive size, but for the bulky and awkward charging case to only contain an extra 11 hours of juice in total is disappointing.

As mentioned earlier, the audio is punchy and wellbalanced, with solid bass and no signs of distortion at higher volumes. In fact, we’d be hard-pressed to find better fidelity in the true wireless market at this price, although if you don’t mind a neckband, there are plenty of alternatives that top their performance. The connectivity, unfortunately, is another sore point for the Pump Air 2, with dropouts experienced on one or both of the ‘buds all too often. They arrive with the choice of seven different silicon eartips, and their sweatproofing (IP54) combined with a very compact, lightweight (4g each) design lends them well to workouts. If you’re prioritising audio quality above stability and are looking for a budget pair of true wireless ‘buds, the Pump Air 2 are worthy of your consideration, but their weak battery life, poor charging case, and frequent signal dropouts make them hard to recommend as an everyday pair.

Verdict

Almost there, but niggling issues remain.