Moto Buds Plus Review: Comfortable earbuds with bass-rich audio

Motorola, the leading smartphone brand, has boldly moved to disrupt the TWS Buds market in India. To provide an enhanced audio experience to its users, the brand has collaborated with renowned audio company Bose and launched two headphones – Moto Buds and Moto Buds+.

While Motorola has previously ventured into the TWS Buds segment, this time, they have upped their game with the Moto Buds+, which offers a premium design, durable build, long-lasting battery life, and ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), among other features. The question is whether Motorola’s endeavor will yield positive results. Can Moto Buds+ genuinely make a significant impact in the competitive TWS market? Let’s delve deeper to find out.

Moto Buds+ Review

Smartprix Score 3.8/5

Pros

• Premium design & build
• Long battery life
• Audio quality is ok
• Decent ANC mode

Cons

• The firmware update gets stuck
• No iOS support
• Loudness is missing

Moto Buds+ Review: Design and Fit

The design of the buds and the case are among the most vital aspects of the Moto Buds+. It comes in two shades- Forest Grey and Beach Sand- and I received the latter variant for review purposes. As soon as I unboxed the device and laid my hands on the case, I was delighted as it wasn’t just named Beach Sand but looked and felt like it, too.

The case has a grippy, textured finish, which made it feel like I was holding sand in my fist. The color looks mature, pleasing to the eyes, and different from all the TWS buds I have encountered to date, which gives it a unique look.

Moreover, the textured sandstone-like finish ensures the case doesn’t catch smudges or fingerprints. The charging case is compact and lightweight, which makes it easy to slip into pockets without even feeling one has something in there.

Talking about functionality, the case has a Motorola logo and ‘Sound by Bose’ branding at the top. An indicator light is given at the front, which shows the pairing status and battery levels. At the back side is the USB-C port for charging, while inside the case, between the buds, is a button that can be pressed for pairing mode or reset options. The case snaps shut with a click sound and keeps buds safe inside it so that they don’t fall out.

At the back side is the USB-C port for charging, while inside the case, between the buds, is a button that can be pressed for pairing mode or reset options. The case snaps shut with a click sound and keeps buds safe inside it so that they don’t fall out.

Let’s talk about the earbuds now. The buds have air-pods pro-like shape and are lightweight and comfortable to wear for long durations. The buds come with one ear tip installed while the other two sizes are inside the box, so the user can customize the experience according to their ear size.

The buds won’t make you feel uncomfortable, even when you wear them for long hours. They come with an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, so they are able to handle splashes of rain and sweaty workouts alike.

All in all, Moto Buds+ gives no reasons to complain in terms of design or fit.

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Moto Buds+ Review: Connectivity, Control & Features

The Moto Buds+ supports the Moto Buds app, that can be installed from Google Play Store. The app has a clean and minimalistic UI. The app allows you to switch to gaming mode manually to improve latency and show various gestures for performing actions.

In-ear detection can be enabled using the app along with features like ringing to find lost earbuds, a fit test to find out if you are wearing the correct sized tip, any firmware updates, and more. The dual connection can also be switched on using the app. Noise control features only work when you insert both buds into your ears, which annoys users like me, who only love using one earbud at a time.

Also, downloading firmware updates is troublesome as it kept showing ‘case should be open with buds inside it,’ even when it was. I had to disconnect and reconnect the buds 3-4 times before the update started downloading. As soon as you begin using buds, the app shows battery levels for each bud and case separately.

There are 3 noise control options available- Transparency, Adaptive, and Noise Cancellation. The Noise Cancellation mode is most effective as it blurs out the sound of even the AC and fan in my room. Adaptive is balanced, ensuring I can focus on the task at hand, but noises around me are still audible. 

As for transparency, it felt like the sounds around me had increased even more, which made it less useful. I liked the Noise Cancellation mode the best, although some sounds were still audible even when this mode was enabled.

The LED light on the front side of the case shows the charging and pairing status. It is green when battery levels are high, red when they are low, and white when buds are inserted back into the case for charging.

Gesture control is also available on Moto Buds+. You can double-tap to answer or end a call, triple-tap to go back, and tap and hold for noise control. These can be customized using the app.

The Buds support the LHDC codec, but the app only plays audio with AAC. Future updates for Android users may unlock the LHDC potential. The Buds support Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

Moto Buds+ Review: Sound & ANC

The most important aspect of a TWS wearable device is audio quality. The Moto Buds+ sounds great, but to hear the audio clearly, you must use it above 60% volume levels. It lacks loudness; thus, someone like me, who normally listens at a 40% volume level, had to go above 60% with this one. Moreover, when the volume level is increased above 85%, the clarity of the vocals starts fading away, and the audio sounds somewhat distorted. The loudness might seem adequate, but the audio loses its character.

Buds Plus offers plenty of low-end frequencies for those who like bass, even on a Flat audio profile. It is bass-heavy with strong highs and mids, all thanks to sound by Bose. Party numbers like Laal Peeli Akhiyaan and TBMAUJ title track sound groovy, while light soulful songs like ‘O Sajne Re’ also feel pleasing.

As for ANC, Moto Buds+ offers 48dB of Active Noise Cancellation on paper. The buds come with 4 modes of ANC- -off, Transparency, Adaptive, and Noise Cancellation. The isolation is not top-notch but can drown some noise when in a noisy environment. There is also Dolby Atmos, which has head-tracking capability and works fine. Hi-res mode can be enabled to slightly improve the audio quality. For gamers, there is a dedicated game mode that reduces latency.

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Moto Buds+ Review: Battery Life & Charging

The Moto Buds+ has a long battery life. When ANC was turned on, they lasted 6-7 hours on a single charge. When I turned the ANC off, it easily stayed for 8-9 hours, which is decent. The case gives 38-40 hours of playback time on a single charge, so I didn’t need to recharge it for around 2-3 days. Quick charging is also available as a 10-minute charge gives almost 2.5 hours of listening time. Charging can be done via a USB-C port, and wireless charging is also available.

Review Verdict: Should you buy Moto Buds+?

The Moto Buds+ is one of Motorola’s early attempts in the TWS segment. It is a decent option to consider if you want to buy headphones under 12,000 that come with bass-heavy audio, long battery life, scratch-resistant design, ANC, portable, and more. Moreover, these are backed by Motorola and Bose, known for their audio products. Although there are niggles like limited options in the app, lack of loudness and clarity in audio, and no iOS support, still Moto Buds+ is a solid option in the under 10k segment.