HomeReviews The panorama of true wireless earphones is now particularly crowded and there are no longer the protagonists within this sector. The struggle between the various brands to conquer an exceptional place in this field also passes through the mid-range, the one that tries to offer excellent value for money. In this race we certainly put 1MORE, which with its 1MORE PistonBuds Pro certainly manage to do well. Here is our field test.
Historically, 1MORE products, although not technically a part of the Xiaomi ecosystem, have always been associated with the Chinese brand, because the Xiaomi spirit has always been appreciated within them. The company was founded by three former managers of Foxconn, the company that builds a large portion of Apple products. After all, 1More CEO Gary Hsieh was the Foxconn manager who managed the agreement between Apple and Foxconn for the construction of the first iPod.
The packaging
As is always the case within this price range, manufacturers aim more for substance than form. 1MORE also chose to focus on the quality of the earphones themselves, rather than spending part of the budget on the packaging.
It is a simple cardboard box, certainly resistant, but not too neat. Inside the case that already houses the earphones, the classic rubber pads of different sizes, to better adapt the earphone to the ear, and the USB-C charging cable to recharge the case and, consequently, the earphones themselves. Therefore, there is everything you need to use the earphones right away, nothing more, nothing less.
How they are made
Let's start with the charging case, which is the first element you come into contact with when opening the sales package. Well done, small and easily transportable, not too original anyway. On the upper part, on a more glossy surface, the 1MORE logo stands out, while the lower part is in matt black plastic. We put it to the test over the weeks of use, carrying it in pockets, bags and backpacks: the result is that the plastic obviously suffers micro scratches, but overall the case survived the transport test well.
The earphones are very small, and therefore will be a great choice for those who love practically invisible solutions. These are button earphones, in the true sense of the word, therefore without the AirPods style rods. Very simple to the eye, they only enjoy the 1MORE logo printed on each pavilion, which in addition to the aesthetic side, also has a simple but important functionality: the shape of the logo helps to always put the headset inside correctly, at first glance. of the charging case, acting almost as a guide.
The earphones wear very well, are comfortable in the ear, and after finding the silicone rubber of the right size, they isolate from the surrounding environment very well. During our rehearsals we wore them for a long time, both on the plane and on the trains, and we never felt the need to take them off due to discomfort or pain.
The button shape helps to easily extract them from the charging case, as well as easy to store them too. They are not earphones with fins, so it is difficult to recommend them for jogging, although in fact we have tried to wear them while running outdoors with sufficient results.
Instead, we feel more comfortable to advise them during walks, when traveling on vehicles or staying at the desk: in these contexts they do not seem to sport at all from the auricle, and during our tests they never fell from the ear.
As for control, the 1MORE PistonBuds Pro opt for soft touch controls. Considering that the surface on which the finger rests is completely linear, the types are simple and always precise. It is possible through the app to customize the controls, choosing different inputs for double tap and triple tap. It should be noted that it is possible through soft commands to activate the ANC and Transparency modes, which can also be activated from the app.
To do this, simply keep the finger pressure on the right (transparency and off) or left (ANC) pavilion. Only from the app, however, you can also activate the low latency option, which allows you to reduce input lag for games. We noticed that it works discreetly, even if a micro lag remains, which is also noticeable for example in vlogs or live streams, when the speaker is in the foreground.
What we really didn't like about the app is the soothing sounds section. The idea is really nice, being able to listen to white noises from the app, selecting between wind, storms, fire, and more. Too bad that the realization is bad: the sounds are audio files of a few seconds, which are repeated in a loop, with a gap between the end of the sound and the beginning of the same. More than relaxing, they are unnerving. Unusable.
How they work
Let's answer the question right away. Definitely good. Clean, enveloping and warm sound, with the bass that are heard, especially using the equalizer present within the app, where it is possible to select an option for the bass booster.
Absolutely enjoyable any type of music, and even the voice is highlighted, again thanks to the possibility of selecting a special playback mode through the equalizer present inside the application.
The headphones offer a warm and enveloping tone, which is accentuated even more in the event that noise cancellation is activated. Speaking of this technology, for what they cost these 1MORE PistonBuds Pro is among the best. The normal ANC works very well, so much so that on the plane or on the trains, we were able to completely isolate ourselves, and not hear the sound of the engines, or the rails, obviously also thanks to the background music at full volume. It must be said, however, that even with the music off, the ANC is absolutely heard, and manages by itself to attenuate much of the noise on the vehicles.
Likewise, the transparency mode is equally enjoyable. This allows you to greatly amplify the background noises, even if by increasing the volume to the maximum you will hardly be able to perceive the external voices clearly. What is certain is that, with the music off, the transparency mode allows you to talk to someone, without having to remove the headphones.
Call quality
Also excellent in this. The 1MORE PistonBuds Pro allowed us to make hands-free calls without any problem, and with a FFP2 mask worn. Important, especially in this period. With these earphones, therefore, it is possible to face conversations of medium to long duration, receiving a crystalline voice from our interlocutor, who always listens to us clearly, even if on some occasions our voice was perceived slightly cold.
Autonomy and recharge
The manufacturer claims 7.5 hours of playback on a single charge, which seems a bit too optimistic to us, especially if you overdo it with the volume and ANC mode. In any case, after using them for a whole weekend in a particularly intensive way, we were left with 60% of residual charge in the case, and headphones practically always 100% charged.
Conclusions
If we look at the current price of 59 euros, these headphones are certainly worth promoting. True, the mid-range now starts at 39 euros, but these 1MORE PistonBuds Pro offer a truly usable and functional ANC mode. They wear well, they sound good, there is no reason not to choose them.
These 1MORE PistonBuds Pro are yet another example of how nowadays you can buy good earphones without spending much higher amounts.
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AGAINST
Price and availability
The price list is 59.99 euros, you can buy them in black or white directly at this address and pay them only 54 euros thanks to the discount code MACITYNET5 .
