When I was offered the TOZO Open Buds TWS headset for review, I was 100% sure that it was a bone conduction model. Which always means certain advantages, which I appreciate very much. However, after examining the model in more detail – I realised my mistake. And it’s been a long time since I was so happy that I was wrong.
Because TOZO Open Buds turned out to be one of the best headsets I’ve used in my entire life. Why? I’ll tell you why!
Market positioning
And the price of the headset is far from flagship. At the time of writing the review, the product cost $70, but that’s with a discount. Without discount – $100. But honestly, even $100 for such a headset is not a pittance.
UPD: on Amazon and the official shop, the price is now $55. And the discount comes exactly from $70, so focus on it.
Complete set
I’m not showing the box because I received the headset as a review sample with just the case, the headphones themselves, and the Type-C cable. The box was lost somewhere on its way to me. The package additionally comes with two instructions, a short one and a long one, and that’s basically it. No spare ear cushions, no stickers – nothing like that.
External appearance
As you can see, visually TOZO Open Buds looks like very little. At least when you look at the TWS-segment analogues. Each of the two individual headphones consists of a rounded-rectangular base and a flexible silicone over-ear hooks. The hooks has two degrees of free movement, not counting its “silicone” flexibility.
It all fits into a frankly gigantic, but beautifully designed case. It’s almost as wide and long as two of the usual compact headphones, but relatively small in height. It’s made of plastic, so it’s lightweight, opens 100 degrees and locks very securely.
I’ll even say more – TOZO Open Buds pass the AirPods test, that is, you can open the case and put the headphones in your ears even with one hand! Which I personally did not expect at all. As well as IPX6 protection, although only for headphones.
Each includes a directional speaker without any silicone stopper, as well as charging pins and microphones. The case, in addition to a finger cutout for easier opening and a charging indicator next to it, has a nameplate on the bottom and a Type-C port on the back. And the case itself contains a reset button.
The specifications here are amazing. Speakers – 14.2 mm directional, frequency response from 20 to 20 000 Hz, support for codecs – AAC and SBC. Bluetooth, for a minute, version 5.3, with an effective range of up to 10 metres. Which, strangely enough, is not the maximum for Bluetooth headsets, there are more “long-range”.
Noise cancellation is present in TOZO Open Buds, but only for phone calls. There is also no wireless charging, only Type-C. However, one of the coolest advantages of the headset starts here. At a volume of 50%, the manufacturer guarantees autonomy of up to 12 hours on a single charge! This is helped by a fresh version of Bluetooth and 70 mAh batteries for each of the headphones.
Unfortunately, it is not known whether they are lithium-polymer. But the case, for example, has a capacity of 600 mAh, so it’s not surprising that with it the headphones can work up to 42 hours. Both the case and the headphones charge completely in 90 minutes, with 5 minutes of charging the headphones enough for an hour of music playback.
The TOZO Open Buds are controlled via a touchpad on the outside of the plastic base. And the control scheme would be flawless, if it were not for the pause and playback by a single touch. Why exactly – I will explain later.
But with a double, triple and long tap on the touch area, you can also change the sound, change the song, call the assistant, answer the call and hang up.
Read also: TOZO Golden X1 review: cool hybrid TWS earbuds for music lovers
Operational experience
I’ll start with the positives. TOZO Open Buds is the first headset with over-ear hooks that I am not unhappy using. Despite the fact that I started with such wireless headsets, my first one was Trust Urban Senfus, which I reviewed more than 6 years ago.
From the modern ones – I have Knowledge Zenith Zenith ZSN Pro lying idle, a complete set, including Bluetooth module. And despite the absolutely audiophile sound, which I am not the first to point out, I can’t use them precisely because of the uncomfortable over-ear hooks.
My point is that hooks are not the same as braces, and TOZO Open Buds do not suffer from any of the problems I described. Of course, they do take some getting used to, but they will be much easier to get used to than any other similar model.
The fit of the TOZO Open Buds in the ear is generally unusual, they should be angled about 30 degrees upwards, and slightly curved towards the ear drum. So that they sort of rest on the anti-coccygeal, almost without pushing it in. And the position of each headset will have to be re-adjusted each time, because they are put into the case only when they are returned to the standard view.
This, however, speeds up getting used to it, and after half a day I could adjust each of the headphones with one hand almost flawlessly. And then it’s great. Even better than I expected. The weight of each of the headphones is about 11g, and thanks to the earpieces distributing it all over your ear from above, you’ll feel almost no discomfort.
Of course, the nuance is that although the hooks are silicone, they are plastic and still press on your ears. I felt it too, but then I got used to it. And the process of getting used to it will be simplified by the fact that TOZO Open Buds support dual Bluetooth connection. Not sequential, like, say, Huawei FreeLace Pro, but simultaneous, like Sony or Sennheiser overhead models.
That is, you don’t have to switch manually – as soon as sound comes from one source, the other source is paused. And this, unlike, say, some Huawei TWS models, works with all smartphones, not only with Huawei. I would like to mention here that the headset also supports the proprietary software, but there, in fact, there are only EQ settings.
Sound quality and convenience
Since we are dealing with open-type speakers without any isolation at all, the sound feels like two small speakers leaning against your ears as much as possible. From the expected – don’t expect any soundproofing, TOZO Open Buds don’t block your environment, but become part of it.
With this in mind, don’t be surprised by the average bass level and rather dry midrange frequencies. Also – at a volume of more than 50% your music will be heard, because let me remind you, there is no sound isolation here. The speakers don’t go into your ear, they are on the outside. There is also no noise modifier for audio here, only for calls.
For all the reasons described above, TOZO Open Buds don’t guarantee you’re exercising at the level of in-canal headphones, where you completely isolate yourself from the world and move into your own. But that’s in the gym. Outdoors, you’ll hear cars perfectly well when you’re being called out, or when a siren is screaming.
Where does the headset really shine? In terms of comfort. You forget you’re wearing it, almost immediately. The overall acoustic stage is absolutely wonderful. The headphones themselves hardly pull on your ears, they don’t need charging for a long time and thanks to the dual connection you don’t have to take them off even when you’re connected to your PC but going out with your smartphone.
TOZO Open Buds will disconnect itself. If the PC is switched on when returning, you will have to connect back manually. If. Even sleeping with the headphones is SIGNIFICANTLY more comfortable than I thought. Since there’s no silicone here, there’s no constant clicking from poor quality ear cushions. Plus, the headphones are guaranteed to last all night.
Read also: Defunc True ANC TWS in-canal headphones review
Disadvantages
They all stem from the form factor. There’s no active noise modifier – because it wouldn’t work. There’s no wireless charging by the case, even though it’s due to the price. The headset sits perfectly on your head during active workouts, but for that you need to set it up and not touch it, either while changing clothes or accidentally with your hands.
Because of the number of degrees of freedom, TOZO Open Buds are very difficult to set up in the same way, so that both left and right earphones are in the same place. For one thing, not all people even have symmetrical ears, and for another, your acoustic centre will almost always be shifted either to the left or right.
Also – when connected to a PC, the headset is VERY flawless. The latency is about 50 ms, which seems to be not much, but it is not suitable for cyber sports projects. On the other hand, the headset will allow you to play, for example, Battlefield 2042 with bots without any problems. Only it will be necessary to switch off its microphone. Because the sound quality will be terrible. This is a Windows problem, not a headset problem, but a problem nonetheless.
There they are in terms of autonomy – because TOZO Open Buds take out only 7-8 hours even at the promised volume of 50% and very quickly discharge themselves. Perhaps this is a shortcoming of the battery of my sample exactly.
What bothers me considerably more is that the headphones occasionally refuse to keep contact with the charging pins. That is, you put the earphone in the case, close it, and the earphone inside does not charge. And when you opened the case, you got a discharged earphone. I’ve had this happen to a lot of even new and fresh Chinese headsets, and what the problem is – I have no idea.
Read also: Haylou X1 2023 TWS headphones review: high quality for a low price
Summary
This is one of the best headsets for pragmatic work. For working on yourself, for physical work, heavy or light. TOZO Open Buds fits into your daily routine without dragging your attention and becomes almost a part of you. The headset has many of the advantages of classic TWS models and some of the advantages of bone-conductive ones.
Do Tozo Open Buds take some getting used to? Yes, definitely, and the form factor won’t suit everyone. But the combination of well-made over-ear hooks, outstanding autonomy, dual connectivity, good acoustics and, in general, a reasonable price, earn TOZO Open Buds my recommendation.
Read also: Haylou S35 ANC review: Incredibly cool headphones at an incredibly low price
Video review of TOZO Open Buds
You can take a look at the headset here:
https://youtu.be/ZZDGRT9OuhQ
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Where to buy