Aukey EP-T21 is yet another pair of TWS earphones, an acronym for True Wireless Stereo to indicate that they work without any wired connection. No lanyard then, like the sports earphones that allow them to hang from the neck when they are temporarily removed from the ears, but the same in conception as the AirPods, one of Apple's most successful products in recent years.
They differ from the crowd mainly for the tapered, simple and elegant design, and for the good audio quality, all clearly compared to the selling price, a fraction if you look at that of the AirPods or the solutions of the most popular brands.
How they are made
The shape recalls that of Apple's TWS earphones: the part that fits into the ears is rounded, but differs in the type of earphone, in the case of the Aukey EP-T21 in-ear type complete with a rubber pad to offer greater soundproofing and better stability within the ear cavity.
Like the AirPods Pro to understand, but the latter are clearly not to be taken as a reference point for an audio comparison since they offer technologies well above those available to Aukey's earphones. In fact, they ecstatically resemble the first and second generation AirPods more due to the elongated shaft that allows the microphone to be closer to the mouth.
The small hole that accompanies the latter is clearly visible on the bottom, while a second microphone is found in the internal area that touches the ear and is probably used by the audio system to detect the echo effect and optimize the performance of the soundproofing system.
Of the other parts that make up the earphones we find the two metal contacts, visible on the inside of each rod, which allow you to recharge the internal battery when they are placed in the case.
Then, as mentioned, there is the in-ear rubber, while for the driver coverage we find a simple silicone membrane, less attractive and probably also less performing from the point of view of durability compared to the metal grids that we usually find in some competing earphones.
The most interesting feature of the Aukey EP-T21 is that there are no buttons for controlling the music playback: to manage this and the phone calls it will be necessary to touch the external surface, characterized precisely by a touch system.
The case is very compact: the earphones are not inserted inside it as happens with the AirPods but must be placed in their respective slots. In fact, the cover develops in width instead of height, but all in all it changes little for the purposes of pocketing or usability: for the first, in fact, the dimensions are minimal while for the second, there is a magnetic system that helps to correct the insertion of the two earphones to ensure correct charging when they are placed inside.
How are they doing
The audio quality of the Aukey EP-T21 is very good. That is, it is in line with the selling price and therefore you shouldn't have big claims if you were to choose to buy them. The yield is good and the reproduction of the various frequencies is quite faithful, with a sound that comes out almost always slightly muffled and with basses that do not impress either for power or immersion.
In short, they are not headphones for audiophiles but they work well enough for listening to some music in the downtime, perhaps between one trip and another on the tram, or for occasional workouts in the gym.
On the other hand, they are excellent for phone calls: they can also be used in mono and the microphones work really well, managing to pick up the wearer's voice well even in rather noisy environments and thus guaranteeing a call quality that can be superimposed on that which you would have by placing the phone. ear.
The weak point lies in the touch system: the idea behind it, that is to eliminate the physical button to maximize durability over time thanks to the absence of mechanical parts, is certainly noble, but the low purchase price has forced the company to fall back on a system that is not perfectly reliable.
In fact, there are not a few cases in which touches are not recognized, just as many are misinterpreted, with the result that you risk hanging up on a phone call or skipping or interrupting music playback when you are simply arranging the position of the earphone in the ear. From this point of view, if you have the possibility, it is much better to control everything from the paired phone.
Conclusions
Aukey EP-T21 are a good compromise between technology and price: they are in fact still TWS earphones that work quite well for occasional music listening and much better for managing wireless phone calls, especially from the autonomy front.
Each headset, which as we said can also be used in mono, guarantees an autonomy of 4 hours, so 8 in all, which should please most of the people who use the phone for work massively.
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Cons
Retail price
The Aukey EP-T21 earphones are on sale on Amazon at a price of 29.99 euros.