I’ve reviewed a wide range of audio products from Edifier. From their e255 surround sound system to their V4 gaming headset and every time I’m impressed with what their products deliver. This time I’m giving the Edifier TWS5 true wireless earbuds the FULLSYNC treatment, which you may recognise as they’re the prize up for grab in March’s giveaway.

BUILD QUALITY & DESIGN – 4.7/5

If you’ve seen any of the TWS range from Edifier you’ll notice they all share a similar design really. They may come in different colours, but the differences tend to be upgraded in terms of features etc. And it’s the same for the Edifier TWS5 true wireless earbuds.

They are small in design, but they’re still quite chunky to an extent. The shape of them is quite difficult to describe, imagine the shape of a J. The bottom of the J is where the earbud is, it then almost curves around to the rest of the casing of the earbud which as stated, is quite chunky. But for everything they’re packing, it has to go somewhere so it’s understandable.

The chunkier part of the Edifier TWS5 on the outside then has a small circle with the Edifier logo on. This is how you control your speakers, as it is touch-sensitive. Although looking at it, you would never know. Beneath the controls, you then have an LED that tells you the status of the earbuds as to whether they’re connected or in pairing mode and so on.

In terms of build quality, it’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from Edifier. They feel quality, and although the chunkiness can be a bit annoying, it adds a little weight to them so they don’t feel like they will break if you dropped them. The case for charging them however is a little more lightweight and could feel more sturdy, but it does the job it is supposed to.

COMFORT – 4.4/5

Earphones aren’t for everyone. Some people have sensitive ears and sticking things inside them doesn’t always work well. As such, true wireless earbuds like the Edifier TWS5 will be bought down to your individual taste. Personally, I don’t mind them as they’re less noticeable than wearing big massive headphones on your head.

But even though I use them on a regular basis, they can irritate my ears too. Fortunately, like most earphones nowadays, you’re given a few of the rubber buds that go into your ear, with different sizes included. This means that if you stick them in from the off and they don’t feel quite right. Mix them up as you’ll normally find one that is better fitting.

This was the situation with me and once you get them right and figure out how they sit in your ear, they’re quite comfortable. Because the bulky bit is most moulded to fit flush against the Helix region of your ear (if that’s wrong blame my Mum who works in audiology as I asked her). Still, after prolonged use, I did begin to get a bit of an ache but nothing too bad as I don’t usually wear them for that length of time.

AUDIO & MICROPHONE – 4/5

The important question. How do the Edifier TWS5 true wireless earbuds actually sound? Well, they’re pretty good. Having given them a run for their money, I’ve listened to a variety of genres of music, from Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album to the folk music of Trixie Mattel (Brian Firkus) from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Don’t judge, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine.

Audio is always clear no matter what I listen to, even as you turn the volume up. That’s probably in part thanks to Edifier upgrading their tech to TrueWireless Stereo Plus and Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX. These upgrades are designed to offer a faster sound response and better quality.

Whilst they were clear, they did lack that punch when listening to music that has plenty of bass, and sometimes it seemed to lose depth too. So heavier music or things that have a lot of range lose that little bit of magic you still capture using proper headphones. But having said that, songs still sound nice, they’re just not mind-blowingly good.

The Edifier TWS5 stand up pretty well when used for calls too. Everyone I spoke to whilst using them I could hear clearly. And vice versa, bar two people. However, during those conversations, I was in the middle of nowhere in North Wales so it’s likely that was a signal issue. But otherwise, the microphone worked really well and even managed to focus on my voice and minimise any background noise due to the cVc mic technology.

FUNCTIONALITY – 4.3/5

I’m really impressed with the Edifier TWS5’s features and how well they work. Everything has been thought about, down to the finer details. I mentioned the touch controls above, but with only two surfaces and a limited number of commands to choose from, they’ve kept things simple like how to switch the TWS5 on and off. Taking them out of the case switches them on in pairing mode, whilst putting them back turns them off and charges them.

This makes connectivity easy as pie, and once you’ve connected once, they pretty much pair instantly every other time in the future. Although, the connection did drop out occasionally if I was just using one of the earbuds. Whether I was confusing it with one being on and the other off I don’t know, but it was only a minor issue.

Whilst the touch controls don’t switch the earbuds on and off, they do have plenty of other uses, allowing you to answer your phone without having to get it out of your pocket, as well as pausing and resuming music. And they’re not even affected when wearing them out in the rain as they’re splashproof, with controls staying just as responsive. But I wouldn’t quite go so far as wearing them in the bath.

Battery life is decent too. Edifier state there is up to 32 hours of playback, although that is only 8 hours in the actual earbuds, with the other 24 hours being stored in the charging case which uses magnetic wireless technology to feed the TWS5’s need for juice. Still, it’s a pretty impressive amount of time, with over a day worth of power to keep you going. And the case itself charges back up pretty quickly once drained.

VALUE FOR MONEY – 4.8/5

Sometimes Edifier’s speakers can seem a little on the expensive side. And they do cost 6x that of the Bluedio Hi TWS Earphones we reviewed. However, the Edifier TWS5 are actually incredible value for money. Comparing features and battery-life to Apple’s AirPods for example, even their most expensive model with charging case, they blow them out of the water. And they cost almost 3x less.

Soundwise, there could be improvements but again I say they are better than Apple’s alternative. However, I do admit, that having tried my brother’s Powerbeats Pro which is the most expensive of the three mentioned, their sound quality does trump the other two. But if you’re spending nearly 4x the amount, you’d expect nothing less. And I don’t think I could justify spending that much for the jump in quality.

Edifier TWS5 Overall Score – 4.4/5

Well, it’s another great product from Edifier. Designwise they look great if a little chunky, but the quality of them really shows and they’re comfortable to wear. Audio quality could be improved slightly for me personally, but they do compete well with more expensive alternatives on the market. Mainly because you’re paying for a name with some products. Add to that the features packed inside, these really are worth considering if you’re on the lookout for some true wireless earbuds.

You can get the Edifier TWS5 true wireless earbuds now, available on sites like Amazon. If you’d like more info on the specs of the earphones, you can find them by clicking HERE which will take you to the official Edifier website.

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