Do you know the catch? I wrote this review without knowing how much the Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro cost. And this was a big problem, since I always think about the price first. Price is the deciding factor between a bad and an amazing product.
Market positioning
The price problem was compounded by the fact that the first version, the Blackview AirBuds 1, arrived in… March 2021. Three months ago. In any case, the first reviews of this model appeared exactly in March, and after that there was silence.
The Blackview Airbuds 5 Pro was sent to us just a couple of weeks ago, and I did not find this model on sale either on Ali, or GearBest, or anywhere. I didn’t find it on the official website either. What’s happening? What is this?
I have no idea, but the earphones are in my hands (in my ears), and of course I will write a review.
UPDATE:
What’s in the box
The box with the headset itself contains a set of FOUR pairs of replacement silicone ear tips in different sizes, from XS to XL, as well as documentation and a short Type-C cable.
Case
The Blackview Airbuds 5 Pro has a pretty case – it’s snow-white, with moderately unusual shape. Immediately I note a small barely protruding rim above and below.
Above we also have a mirrored company logo.
There is also a cutout in the front center for easier opening.
On the back is a charging indicator, next to USB Type-C.
The lid of the case opens 90 degrees, and the earphones themselves are hidden under it, as well as the connection indicator and a small but very nice button.
The build quality excellent: nothing creaks, although the lid is kinda flimsy. The build quality of the lid is very pleasant, but the buds themselves raise questions.
Fortunately, Blackview is not a brand with a rich history, like some.
Plus, the earbuds are IPX7 waterproof, making them ideal for indoor and outdoor workouts in any weather.
Earphones
The shape of the earphones themselves is to my liking. A half-cylinder “leg”, a rounded earpiece, a metal circle on the outside… unfortunately, it doesn’t have a functional role. But it is aesthetically pleasing at least.
There are several microphones on the body, plus a black dot of the proximity sensor. And the contacts for charging, next to the letters L/R.
The Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro are a great fit for my ears, the profile is low, you can sleep with them with no issues.
To use the connection mode, you need to open the case and hold down the button for 2 seconds. After that, find the headset in the list of available Bluetooth devices.
Specs
The Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4G frequency with GFSK, π/4-DQPSK and 8DPSK modulations. First time I’m seeing words like that in my life, and I would never have thought that I would learn them in the review of a model like this.
The earphone driver is dynamic, 7 mm in diameter, with a frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. Both SBC and AAC codec are supported, so the connection with the iPhone should be decent.
Earphones in action
And now for the good and bad.
Sound
The sound quality is excellent. I didn’t expect how great it would be! The model does not set records, of course, and cannot be compared with Hi-Fi devices, but taking into account both juicy bass and high-quality voice transmission, I am quite satisfied. Suitable for music fans and podcast fiends alike.
The sound is almost completely in front, in a semicircle in front of you, and the stage itself is far from wide, but the spacing of the instruments is very detailed, clear, and correct.
Puscifier’s Momma Sed remixed by Tandimonium at 2:43 brings backing vocals perfectly left and right to center. In Wellerman by The Longest Johns each vocalist stands in his place, separate from the others, and is heard in such a way that you can point your finger at them! So yeah, well-mastered songs sound amazing when using the Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro.
Read also: Huawei FreeBuds 4 review: Improved TWS earbuds with familiar design
Controls
And right there, in contrast, everything is disgusting. Even the label in the instructions looks like it’s a rough draft, and all those N/A’s in obscene amounts are a big red flag. Will it be fixed? No, don’t expect any patches.
And yes, the English translation is clumsy and plain bad. Controlling these buds is a pain. You can neither cancel the call, nor select the previous track. From a pause, the track can be started with a double tap, but you can’t pause it in any way. The left bud is responsible only for one function, and the right one for five or six of them! Moreover, the tapping detection leaves much to be desired.
And here is another plus for you: the sensors on the inner casing work can be used for… auto-pause when you take the buds out of your ears! I had very few models with this feature, and I was very pleased to see it here.
Active noise control
But then comes a pros, which I did not expect at all – the Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro supports active noise control! Moreover, it is not that bad at all. The function completely cut off the rain noise for me, and considering that I live right under the roof, the rain was quite loud.
The sound of the bus is easily cut off, the sound of the subway chokes almost completely. And, what’s cool, unlike my Huawei FreeLace Pro, the noise control setting is SAVED when you put the earphones in the case. This is really cool.
Connection
And here a huge disadvantage – the stability of the signal. At first I was angry. The Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro seemed to be awful at preserving connection and interruptions happened all the time, even when I turned my head a bit too fast.
But I remembered in time that I have, forgive my Esoteric, the most powerful kind of aura, which, believe it or not, gives strong interference to all wireless devices. Even my current model, not TWS, occasionally catches interference. By the way, the delays when watching videos on YouTube are practically absent.
Headset function
By the way, the quality of the microphones is not bad. And there are actually 6 of them. Each earbud has two external microphones (for voice and basic noise control) and one internal one to enhance your voice transmission.The voice is not super-clear, but at the level of the best Chinese models.
Battery life
The battery capacity of the charging case is 480 mAh. Charging time is about an hour, and the earphones are charged in 40 min to 90%, and up to 100% in an hour. The good news is that with the charging case, the Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro should last 24 hours.
The bad news is that at maximum volume and with noise control the battery life is just over two and a half hours (!). But the more common use case, 60% of the volume, allows for up to 4 hours with noise control and about 5 hours without it. This is below average at best, and after 18 hours of the FreeLace Pro it’s downright pathetic. But at the end, there is good news – the case supports wireless charging!
Verdict
The price of these headphones is $90. And if you do not take into account my personal problems with connection, then they have only one huge drawback, controls, which just… suck. Imagine that there’s no navigation at all, only an ANC toggle.
Otherwise, the Blackview AirBuds 5 Pro is chock-full of features that are not found in many more expensive models. If you don’t care about good controls that much, this pair of earphones is a must-buy.
Where to buy
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