For most people open ear earbuds are not ideal for usage, if you’re part of these people the TOZO OpenEgo might change your mind. Extensive usage of this open-ear earbud has exposed me to a new style of listening and this article will cover everything concerning this product. With this product, TOZO proves that you can get great sound quality in a fancy package while shopping on a budget.
Unlike the TOZO Tonal Fits we previously covered, the OpenEgo takes a different turn in its design. This pair of earbuds has proved to be more comfortable to use than most other affordable earbuds that I’ve tried out. Let’s delve into everything concerning this pair of open-ear earbuds to find out if it’s a great choice for you.
Basis specifications of the TOZO OpenEgo
- Headphone Type: Open-ear headphones.
- Number of Drivers: 2
- Driver Type: 16.2 mm Large Drivers
- Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
- Connection Range: Up to 10 meters
- Noise Cancellation: Dual-microphone noise cancellation
- Impedance: 16 Ohms
- Frequency range: 20 Hz-20 kHz
- Personalization: TOZO App
- Audio enhancement: TOZO OrigX Acoustics
- Protection: IPX5 sweat resistance
- Charging Port: USB-C
- Charging Time: 2.5 hours
- Play Time: 30 hours
- Battery Capacity: 600 mAh
Positioning and Pricing
For this product’s pricing, it retails for $49.99 on the TOZO official website. Considering the amount of features that users get this pricing can be considered a steal. Similar earbuds to this entry retail above the $50 price tag while offering very similar features to the OpenEgo pair of earbuds.
The earbuds themselves come with a very solid feel to ensure that you get the best quality for your money. This product goes up against brands like Anker Soundcore and it holds its end. During my usage of this product, I was impressed by a ton of things, however, there are a few things that I really wish were done differently.
Read also: Review of TOZO Tonal Fits T21 earbuds: An impressive blend of sound quality and style for a low cost
What’s in the package
The TOZO OpenEgo comes with a very simple package that houses the earbuds that sit in the charging case. Opening up the box, you’ll be greeted by a few pieces of paperwork that include the wearing guide, quick guide, and the user manual. All this paperwork is neatly tucked away in a sleeve that you’ll need to remove to access the charging case, earbuds, and accessories.
TOZO did well to cushion the OpenEgo inside a foam-like material to protect it from any damage during shipping. The accessories box holds the charging cable as well as some silicon tips that we’ll soon talk about. Packaging of the TOZO OpenEgo is rather simple but in this article, our main focus is the products themselves.
Construction, design, material, and build quality
For the design of the charging case, TOZO added some texture to the finish. This makes the case nice to the touch and also prevents it from slipping around if you’re handling it with wet hands. The case opens up to reveal a pair of earbuds as well as a display that you might not notice at a glance.
Yes, the charging case of the TOZO OpenEgo comes with a display that displays the battery percentage. The battery of the case itself is shown in the middle of the display with digits. As for the battery capacity of the earbuds inside the case, they are displayed as bars beside the case’s battery indicator.
The display also indicates which bar represents which case by using L to identify the left earbud and R to identify the right earbud. TOZO uses a glossy finish for the display and it runs around the charging case. Opening up the charging case you’ll find that the textured finish continues even inside the charging case.
Taking out the earbuds, you’ll notice the use of silicon on major parts of the earbuds. The textured finish is only present on two areas of the earbuds, the first being the area that sits over your ears, and the second is the area that sits behind your ear. Connecting the area that sits over your ear and behind your ear is a stem.
It’s really impressive to see how solid this stem is as it doesn’t bend under pressure but springs back to its original position. There are magnets inside the case and on the earbuds to help attach them both in place firmly. The cover of the charging case is also impressive as it features very strong hinges to spring it open and snap the case close before or after usage
TOZO placed the USB-C charging port at the back of the charging case just under the hinge. Flipping open the charging case will turn on the LED screen that displays the battery percentage. The TOZO logo sits at the centre of the charging case’s cover as well as on the part of the earbuds that sit over your ears.
Experience using the TOZO OpenEgo
After getting my hands on the TOZO OpenEgo I immediately started putting it to use. The first thing I noticed was how easy it is to slide this earbud on your ear. All you need to do is place the lower part of the earbuds behind your ears and twist them clockwise and voila, it fits.
If you need more grip during usage you can make use of the silicon tips we spoke about earlier. These tips are attached to the lower part of the earbuds that go behind your ear. By making use of these tips the earbuds get a bit firmer grip on your ear and they also prevent them from falling out (I found these tips very useful when heading out for my evening jogs).
Overall the TOZO OpenEgo is comfortable to use as you go about your daily activities. But how does this earbud stack up when it comes to audio performance? From my usage, I can say that I was surprised by the audio quality of this earbud for a few reasons.
Being a budget-level open-ear earbud, I expected to get noise from my environment distorting the audio delivery. Well, I was in for a big shock as TOZO found a way to even out the noise distractions hence providing seamless audio delivery. While this product doesn’t have Active Noise Cancellation, it does a great job of blocking out surrounding sounds or distractions.
While in use on the go, you’ll find that the TOZO OpenEgo has enough transparency to keep you aware of your surrounding environment. If you don’t like the default audio setting of this product you can make some adjustments using the TOZO app. Now let’s turn our attention to the audio and battery performance of this pair of earbuds from TOZO.
Audio quality and battery life
For the audio quality of this product, TOZO brings their OrigX technology to the drawing board. This helps with the TOZO OpenEgo directional sound production which helps to keep sound leakage to the minimum. What this means is that the TOZO OpenEgo delivers audio directly to your ears while keeping the sound away from others around you.
While this technology works fine in lower volumes you find that it struggles at higher volumes. However, the audio spill at higher volumes is not significant as you get quality audio but those around you get only faint sounds of what you’re listening to. At the asking price of this product, I can comfortably give TOZO a thumbs up for the execution of this feature.
For calls, this product turns on its dual-mic noise cancellation system to keep your calls private. As for its battery life, I can also say that the 600mAh available on the charging case is okay for everyday usage. On a single charge, the TOZO OpenEgo takes me for the entire day without any need for a recharge.
The battery life of this product will also depend on your usage, heavy users might see that they might need to charge up after over 15 hours of usage. You can also keep track of the earbud’s battery life using the charging case’s LED screen. For audio and battery performance, this pair of earbuds are great for everyday usage.
Controls
Now this is an area that I really wished was better for certain reasons. Before we delve into my issue with the controls of this earbud, let’s take a look at all the controls. Opening the charging case of the TOZO OpenEgo activates the Bluetooth pairing feature, all if already activated.
To activate or turn on this earbud, you’ll need to press and hold down on the surface of the area that sits above your ear for about 3 seconds. Once active, the basic controls are double tap on either ear twice to shuffle forward or backwards through tracks. Holding either ear down increases or reduces the volume, tapping either ear once pauses or plays what you’re listening to.
Holding down either ear when you get a call rejects or ends it, tapping once takes the call, and lastly tapping either ear three times activates Google Assistant or Siri. Now that we’re through with all the controls there are, let’s take a look at a few issues I encountered with the controls. Considering that this is an open ear earbud the touch sensors are meant to be very responsive.
Sometimes I find myself struggling to register a touch command at a single try, but have to try more than once. It’s like you need to find the right place to touch to register a command and if you don’t get the spot, you’ll need to try again. You might find yourself struggling with this as well, but after using the TOZO OpenEgo for a while you get those taps right.
Conclusion and final verdict
In my time putting this earbud through rigorous usage I found it to be very comfortable and impressive considering its price point. The TOZO OpenEgo retails for just $49.99 yet can compete with some of the top open-ear earbuds available for purchase. Unlike regular earbuds, I find that this form-factor TOZO went for on this product is more stable while in use on the go.
This in addition to TOZO’s fit and finish of this product make it an impressive choice for buyers. So if you’re out shopping for a new pair of wireless earbuds and don’t want to break the bank you can consider the TOZO OpenEgo.
Where to buy
Read also:
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