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EVER since Apple decided that wires were a no-no and we should all connect headphones to our phones via bluetooth, the market for wireless headphones has boomed.
Apple’s own AirPods set the scene – a charging box with two earbuds that charged up when you slotted them inside. But they are expensive – and naturally other manufacturers have stepped in to make products that do the same thing for a lot less.
Now there are so many of them, it’s hard to see the wood for the trees. If you are in the market for a pair, you could do an awful lot worse than these beauties from Umi, Amazon’s own brand of basics.
The earbuds cost just £39.99, and are compatible with any device that has Bluetooth. For that money you get two small earbuds that sit nicely in your ear once teamed up with the right-sized rubber tip (three different sizes are offered).
Pairing is simple, but you do have to be sure both are out of the case and near your phone when you pair, otherwise you might find yourself with one paired and the other not!
Each bud has a clickable button on the side (which is far too easy to click by mistake), and with those buttons you can stop and start tracks, adjust volume, and answer calls.
Sound quality is surprisingly good at the price – it would be unrealistic to expect anything spectacular, but if you get them in the right spot in your ear, even the bass is solid.
They’re also IPX7 water resistant, and stay in place pretty well – so good for running and workouts, too.
The earbuds run for six hours on one charge and can be charged up three or four times in the case before that needs recharging (which is done via the included micro USB cable). The case itself is metal, very sturdy and comes in three colours – grey, red and gold.
The Bluetooth 5.0 technology means a solid connection to your phone (they say up to 33 feet away), and the fast speed of data transfer means signal drop-outs are rare.
All told, there’s not much to be negative about, especially at the price. ■ Visit amazon.co.uk/umi for more details and to buy.