Moto Buds+ review: compact, comfortable, competent

The Moto Buds+ was launched in India in May this year after it was first launched globally in April alongside the Moto Buds. As the moniker suggests, Moto Buds+ is the most expensive variant of the truly wireless stereo (TWS) headphones in the newly launched line. They offer a battery life of up to 38 hours, support Dolby Head Tracking and Hi-Res Audio certification, and provide an enhanced music experience with “Sound by Bose” technology. I’ve spent the last few days using the Moto Buds+, so let’s discuss the pros and cons.

Moto Buds+ review: design and features

Moto Buds+ have a curved in-ear design with rounded stems and silicone ear tips. The ear tips are available in three sizes – S, M and L, of which the medium size (M) suits me best. Additional ear tips, a USB Type A to USB Type C cable and an information leaflet/manual are included with the headphones and charging case in the box.

The elegant Moto Buds+ charging case is lightweight and compact

The overall fit of the Moto Buds+ means comfort. Even though the charging pins of the headphones are located on the inside of the headphones, which are in direct contact with the skin, this did not cause any functional problems for me. For a long time, it was easy to forget I was wearing an accessory. The balanced sound powered by Dolby Atmos also ensured that there were no jarring sound sensations that made us painfully aware that we were wearing it. We’ll talk more about sound later in the review.

The Moto Buds+ have a matte finish and a single shiny ring-like element on the earbuds. The sleek charging case also features a matte finish and a stylized “M” company logo on the top followed by a “Sound by Bose” tag. The USB Type-C charging port is located at the top of the charging case, while at the bottom there is an LED that informs us about the battery/charging status of the headphones.

The Moto Buds+ charging case measures 59.87 x 48.97 x 24.84 mm and weighs 42.8 g together with the headphones, which means it is compact and lightweight. Easily slips into jeans/pants pockets or phone/keychain pockets in handbags. They are available in the country in two color versions – Beach Sand and Forest Gray.

Moto Buds+ Review: App and Specs

Moto Buds+ support customizable equalization (EQ) settings and other personalization options via the Moto Buds companion app. Currently, the app is only available for Android smartphones, but the company has confirmed that it is working on an iOS version of the app, so it should be available soon.

The Moto Buds app has an easy-to-use layout

The app is rudimentary, making it simple to understand and easy to navigate. After connecting Moto Buds+ to your smartphone, a window will appear with the option to download the Moto Buds application. Once downloaded and opened, you can see the battery level of both headphones, as well as the noise control presets i.e. off, transparent, adaptive and active. Additionally, you have the option of “sound” exploration, which allows you to adjust equalizer settings and/or change delay modes.

You can also go to “gestures” and select, assign and edit touch-controlled gesture functions on each handset. You can assign three gestures to the right and left earbuds – double tap, triple tap and touch and hold. For my own convenience, I recreated the settings of both headphones. The app also offers the option to turn on and off dual connectivity and detection features on the earbuds with simple switches.

The Moto Buds app’s customizable equalizer includes several intuitive, preset modes – Treble Boost, Bass Boost, Vocal Boost and Flat. Another setting offered in the app is a fully customizable option that allows users to completely personalize the equalizer settings as they wish, beyond the limits of the presets.

Moto Buds+ are equipped with dual dynamic drivers, including an 11mm woofer and a 6mm tweeter. They support active noise cancellation (ANC) up to 46 dB and come with three preset modes – transparent, adaptive and noise reduction. The headphones also support Dolby Head Tracking technology, which adjusts the sound based on head movements. In addition to the “Sound by Bose” label, they are also Hi-Res Audio certified. They feature a triple microphone system with integrated ambient noise cancellation (ENC) to help you make clear calls.

Moto Buds+ headphones provide a comfortable fit

The Moto Buds+ earbuds are rated IP54 for dust and splash resistance, and each comes with a 42 mAh battery. The charging case, in turn, has an IPX4 protection rating and is equipped with a 510 mAh battery. Connectivity options include dual-device connection and Bluetooth 5.3 that supports SBC, AAC, and LHDC codecs.

Moto Buds+ review: Performance and battery life

As mentioned earlier, the Moto Buds app allows Moto Bud+ users to manually adjust equalizers, but it also includes some basic presets. Manual settings allow listeners to experiment with sounds they experience more often and leave room for multiple trials and therefore unlimited personalization.

For the purpose of this review, we will discuss the presets offered in the Moto Buds app. First on the list is Brilliant Treble mode. As the name suggests, it adjusts playback in a way that enhances the treble or higher notes in a song or composition. While listening to The Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco, in this setting, the melody of the xylophone, marimba and similar metallophones used in the arrangement is clear, but not in a piercing, piercing way. Rather, it is a more pleasant, almost radiant sound.

For example, with the bass boost setting, a song like Pictures of Home by Deep Purple was an absolutely delightful experience. You can take any number of classic rock songs with lots of bass and the results (given you play a decent mix of the song) will be similar. You get a significant amount of boom without disturbing the sound. And if you could excuse the accidental pun, I’d like to talk about testing the vocal gain preset with some Muddy Waters songs. Well, I did it. Probably the best thing I did all week. The American blues singer’s soulful voice is sure to lift your spirits, but the preset helps emphasize the brightness and clarity of his voice, without compromising the sound quality in any way.

The noise canceling feature of Moto Buds+ covers most ambient sounds in rooms

It is also worth paying attention to the clarity of conversations on these headphones, which, in one word, is good. The voice received using the Moto Buds+ headphones was clear and had minimal distortion. Thanks to the ambient noise cancellation function, even the voice heard on the other side was clearly clear and with a stable network, without any interference.

The noise canceling feature on Moto Buds+ also provides decent range. The ANC function drowns out almost all common room disturbances, such as the whir of a fan/air conditioner, TV/chatter from the next room, and even the annoying squeaking of doors. Adaptive mode also does a decent job of drowning out occasional ambient noise, although not as thoroughly as ANC mode.

Even connecting two devices with Moto Buds+ worked quite seamlessly for me. Most of the time in any given day, they were paired with my smartphone and laptop. The headphones’ LHDC support also translates into the sound experience they offer. Low Latency Game Mode also provides a near-lag-free experience, even in heavier games like Call of Duty: Mobile.

Without noise cancellation enabled, Moto Buds+ (when using the LHDC codec) provide a total battery life of up to 38 hours. At 60 percent volume, the total battery life of the headphones and charging case drops to 30 hours with adaptive or active noise cancellation turned on. Only headphones with ANC turned off are rated to deliver a playback time of up to eight hours on a single full charge, or up to three hours on a 10-minute charge. Thanks to adaptive or active noise cancellation, the headphones offer a playback time of up to six hours on a single charge and just over an hour and a half after 10 minutes of charging.

The Moto Buds+ charging case supports both wired and wireless charging. Thanks to the USB Type-C cable, the case will charge from zero to 100 percent in just about an hour, the company claims. Throughout the entire review period, I was only able to wirelessly charge the case once. With a 15W Qi-certified wireless charger, the case will charge from zero to 100 percent in 113 minutes.

Verdict

There is little that doesn’t work with the Moto Buds+. They are a good investment if you want TWS headphones priced around Rs. 10,000. These are sold in India at a price of Rs. There are currently 9,999 units available and they offer some of the best features in this segment. From design to audio experience and connectivity, there’s more to enjoy than you care to enjoy. The product meets the expectations associated with the “Sound by Bose” label.

There’s no companion app support for iOS users yet, but if you can give that up and forgive, the Moto Buds+ should serve you well. You can also check out the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 (review) priced at Rs. 11,999, especially if you own a OnePlus or Oppo smartphone. You can also check out the Nothing Ear (Review) TWS earphones that were launched earlier this year with up to 40.5 hours of battery life and ChatGPT integration, priced at Rs. 11,999.

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