Edifier NeoDots Earbuds Review | The Battery King?!
Here’s the second Edifier earbuds review following the Stax Spirit S10 yesterday. This time we’re looking at the cheaper NeoDots model, and these are interesting for having what might well be the best battery life on the market right now!
🔵 10 mm dynamic + balanced armature drivers 🔵 Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, Google Fast Pair 🔵 SBC/AAC/LDAC 🔵 3-mic + AI voice calls 🔵 ANC/Ambient Sound 🔵 17 h battery ANC off (56 h total with case) 🔵 Wireless charging + USB-C 🔵 Pinch controls + wearing detection 🔵 IP55 dust + water resistance 🔵 Game mode 🔵 ConneX app 🔵 $129 / £119
[Design] NeoDots look like a shorter version of the Stax Spirit S10 earbuds - complete with the same sparkly black/grey finish. They’re still slightly larger than average but have a decent build quality and offer a reasonably comfortable and secure fit in the ear. They’re a bit too bulky to fit into the ‘very comfortable’ category though. Once again, most people should find these stay secure during exercise. These are protected with an IP55 rating against dust and water. You get just the typical 3 sizes of ear tips here, not Edifier’s complete selection as with the Spirit S10. The charging case is a a little bulkier than most and not especially premium in build - but it does offer wireless charging!
[Controls] The controls are essentially the same as the S10, so these also use pinch controls which are okay. But their position is a little high up which can make them a bit tricky to use. Double and triple press can be especially cumbersome. You’ll likely want to increase the pinch sensitivity in the app, and you get good gesture customisation there. Wearing detection works quite well though.
[ANC/transparency] This is also like the S10 setup, you just don’t have an ‘adaptive’ option. Ambient sound is just a slider for sensitivity too - though that’s fine by me since the options for the S10 were overkill. A slider might even be useful for ANC as opposed to options like ‘Low, Medium and High’. The ANC performance is very disappointing though, far from that of the Spirit S10, let alone Edifier’s NeoBuds Pro 2. These are average at best in terms of noise cancellation even on the highest setting. It focusses mostly on low-end frequencies, but even then these underperform against the competition. The passive isolation was quite good for me, which helped alleviate this somewhat, but that’s no real excuse. The ambient sound (transparency) is slightly better than the Spirit S10 and offers good amplification of your surroundings without too much ‘hiss’.
[Mic quality/phone calls] The mic quality is fantastic, surprisingly good. It matches that of NeoBuds Pro 2, so it’s likely they have the same mic tech inside. They isolate your voice really well without being overly aggressive and keep it sounding loud and clear. These two break into the Top 10 for mic quality, and it’s a substantial step up vs other Edifier earbuds. It’s surprising that the mic quality can match NeoBuds pro 2 so closely, when the ANC trails far behind. But Edifier…why is this?!
[Battery/Connectivity] Battery life is the unexpectedly standout feature here. 17 hours on a single charge! That beats the M&D MW09 and I’ve not heard of anything better than this yet! You also get 56 hours total with the case, or 12/40 h with ANC ‘on’. Super impressive. A 15 min fast charge gives you 5 hours of play time too. The case also charges via USB-C or wireless charging. Faultless battery specs.
Connectivity is almost as good with the latest Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, Google Fast Pair and the high res LDAC codec. So not as many codecs as the Spirit S10, but a good selection still. The Game Mode here is pretty effective as well and noticeably lowers the latency. As always, it varies from device to device, but this is one of the better game modes.
[ConneX app] The ConneX app offers an almost identical feature set to the Spirit S10. 4 preset EQs and a 4-band custom one (with the confusing Q factor and frequency adjustments). Other settings include the controls and sensitivity, toggling wearing detection and multipoint, the prompt tones and a find my device (loud sound not GPS). The app is fine, but has some annoying quirks like a complicated layout and unnecessary sub menus for basic controls. You won’t likely need to revisit it often.
[Sound quality] The overall tone here is slightly warm, but these are a lot more balanced than previous Edifier entries. The problem is that they don’t offer as deep or powerful bass nor the crisp, detailed treble of the NeoBuds Pro 2. They’re a long way off, and a substantial step down from the flagship Stax Spirit S10 (as to be expected). But they even trail behind the older NeoBuds Pro and S models. Not to do the earbuds a disservice, the overall richness and clarity is still quite good and above average for this price point. It’s actually nice not having such an overly bass-heavy, muddy sound for once. But the competition is fierce and there are plenty of better sounding earbuds at this price point. The sound quality here is good, but ‘good’ just isn’t good enough these days.
Like the S10 earbuds, these are slightly lacking in max volume (though to a much lesser extent). I find the max level is uncomfortable, but i’d expect it to be ‘deafening’ in any pair of earbuds to ensure there’s sufficient volume range there. Some may find them too quiet still.
[Verdict] NeoDots slightly complicate the Edifier lineup. Whilst the Stax Spirit S10 are clearly the expensive flagship (much like their Stax over-ear headphones), it’s now confusing as to where NeoDots sit amongst the other earbuds like NeoBuds. They’re priced the same as the NeoBuds Pro 2…but those are much better all-round performers. For that reason alone, NeoDots become a tough sell. The battery life here is far better, but i’m not sure that alone is enough to justify buying them - the competition is just too strong at this price point.
It’s a shame because the mic quality and battery life are super impressive! NeoDots have a decent spec sheet and solid all-round performance…but in the end they’re still tough to recommend.
InsideTech
Edifier NeoDots Earbuds Review | The Battery King?!
Here’s the second Edifier earbuds review following the Stax Spirit S10 yesterday. This time we’re looking at the cheaper NeoDots model, and these are interesting for having what might well be the best battery life on the market right now!
🔵 10 mm dynamic + balanced armature drivers
🔵 Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, Google Fast Pair
🔵 SBC/AAC/LDAC
🔵 3-mic + AI voice calls
🔵 ANC/Ambient Sound
🔵 17 h battery ANC off (56 h total with case)
🔵 Wireless charging + USB-C
🔵 Pinch controls + wearing detection
🔵 IP55 dust + water resistance
🔵 Game mode
🔵 ConneX app
🔵 $129 / £119
[Design]
NeoDots look like a shorter version of the Stax Spirit S10 earbuds - complete with the same sparkly black/grey finish. They’re still slightly larger than average but have a decent build quality and offer a reasonably comfortable and secure fit in the ear. They’re a bit too bulky to fit into the ‘very comfortable’ category though. Once again, most people should find these stay secure during exercise. These are protected with an IP55 rating against dust and water. You get just the typical 3 sizes of ear tips here, not Edifier’s complete selection as with the Spirit S10. The charging case is a a little bulkier than most and not especially premium in build - but it does offer wireless charging!
[Controls]
The controls are essentially the same as the S10, so these also use pinch controls which are okay. But their position is a little high up which can make them a bit tricky to use. Double and triple press can be especially cumbersome. You’ll likely want to increase the pinch sensitivity in the app, and you get good gesture customisation there. Wearing detection works quite well though.
[ANC/transparency]
This is also like the S10 setup, you just don’t have an ‘adaptive’ option. Ambient sound is just a slider for sensitivity too - though that’s fine by me since the options for the S10 were overkill. A slider might even be useful for ANC as opposed to options like ‘Low, Medium and High’. The ANC performance is very disappointing though, far from that of the Spirit S10, let alone Edifier’s NeoBuds Pro 2. These are average at best in terms of noise cancellation even on the highest setting. It focusses mostly on low-end frequencies, but even then these underperform against the competition. The passive isolation was quite good for me, which helped alleviate this somewhat, but that’s no real excuse. The ambient sound (transparency) is slightly better than the Spirit S10 and offers good amplification of your surroundings without too much ‘hiss’.
[Mic quality/phone calls]
The mic quality is fantastic, surprisingly good. It matches that of NeoBuds Pro 2, so it’s likely they have the same mic tech inside. They isolate your voice really well without being overly aggressive and keep it sounding loud and clear. These two break into the Top 10 for mic quality, and it’s a substantial step up vs other Edifier earbuds. It’s surprising that the mic quality can match NeoBuds pro 2 so closely, when the ANC trails far behind. But Edifier…why is this?!
[Battery/Connectivity]
Battery life is the unexpectedly standout feature here. 17 hours on a single charge! That beats the M&D MW09 and I’ve not heard of anything better than this yet! You also get 56 hours total with the case, or 12/40 h with ANC ‘on’. Super impressive. A 15 min fast charge gives you 5 hours of play time too. The case also charges via USB-C or wireless charging. Faultless battery specs.
Connectivity is almost as good with the latest Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, Google Fast Pair and the high res LDAC codec. So not as many codecs as the Spirit S10, but a good selection still. The Game Mode here is pretty effective as well and noticeably lowers the latency. As always, it varies from device to device, but this is one of the better game modes.
[ConneX app]
The ConneX app offers an almost identical feature set to the Spirit S10. 4 preset EQs and a 4-band custom one (with the confusing Q factor and frequency adjustments). Other settings include the controls and sensitivity, toggling wearing detection and multipoint, the prompt tones and a find my device (loud sound not GPS). The app is fine, but has some annoying quirks like a complicated layout and unnecessary sub menus for basic controls. You won’t likely need to revisit it often.
[Sound quality]
The overall tone here is slightly warm, but these are a lot more balanced than previous Edifier entries. The problem is that they don’t offer as deep or powerful bass nor the crisp, detailed treble of the NeoBuds Pro 2. They’re a long way off, and a substantial step down from the flagship Stax Spirit S10 (as to be expected). But they even trail behind the older NeoBuds Pro and S models. Not to do the earbuds a disservice, the overall richness and clarity is still quite good and above average for this price point. It’s actually nice not having such an overly bass-heavy, muddy sound for once. But the competition is fierce and there are plenty of better sounding earbuds at this price point. The sound quality here is good, but ‘good’ just isn’t good enough these days.
Like the S10 earbuds, these are slightly lacking in max volume (though to a much lesser extent). I find the max level is uncomfortable, but i’d expect it to be ‘deafening’ in any pair of earbuds to ensure there’s sufficient volume range there. Some may find them too quiet still.
[Verdict]
NeoDots slightly complicate the Edifier lineup. Whilst the Stax Spirit S10 are clearly the expensive flagship (much like their Stax over-ear headphones), it’s now confusing as to where NeoDots sit amongst the other earbuds like NeoBuds. They’re priced the same as the NeoBuds Pro 2…but those are much better all-round performers. For that reason alone, NeoDots become a tough sell. The battery life here is far better, but i’m not sure that alone is enough to justify buying them - the competition is just too strong at this price point.
It’s a shame because the mic quality and battery life are super impressive! NeoDots have a decent spec sheet and solid all-round performance…but in the end they’re still tough to recommend.
8 months ago | [YT] | 18