Update 10/03/2017: Nuheara IQbuds now feature customizable touch sensors – giving them the freedom to program what gesture triggers what command. For previous users they won’t need purchase another pair, but simply update their firmware. If you’ve got a pair of IQbuds, click here to set-up your customized touch controls.
Nuheara IQbuds are quite the pair when it comes to truly wireless earbuds. Get all the details on how these babies fare in our “Nuheara IQbuds In-Depth Review.”
Nuheara IQbuds In-Depth Review
Build & Fit
Nuheara IQbuds have a really attractive look and feel to them. The earbud housings give me a “futuristic vibe” with their silver face plate built with touch sensors. More on those later. Each unit is essentially an earbud housing with a bud fixated at the end. Nuheara ships the IQ buds with round and oval-shaped tips ranging in sizes from small to x-large. I’ve got tiny ears so small round tips were a perfect fit to provide a solid seal. IQbud housings are ergonomically-shaped. By design, these buds are intended to lock inside the conch of your ear. And they do, surprisingly well. However, I have to point out that due to the minuscule nature of my ears I felt like the IQbuds were pushing up against them ever so slightly. As a result, once I removed the earbuds I felt a slight ache in my ears when I touched them. That only lasted for a few minutes.
Features
IQbuds are built with sensors rather than buttons. I like that the surface is rather hypersensitive so users don’t have to push onto the buds which are already wedged in the conch areas of our ears. That might be painful.
The touch sensors are used to enable basic functions like, pairing, taking calls, and playing your music. You’ll have to adjust the volume on your device. The sensor in the right earbud also enables SINC (super intelligent noise cancellation). Long taps toggle the pair between a few different hearing profiles: world off which tunes out your environment at maximum noise cancelling, home which allows some more of your environment in through your earbuds, restaurant which filters noise from your immediate environment through your earbuds as well as amplify voices around you, and driving which I couldn’t really tell the difference. But, TBH, I didn’t take the headphones for a spin because I live in New York City. One of my favorite profiles is “world off” because it does a great job of turning the volume down on my environment without making me feel sick, as other ANC devices do. I also really liked restaurant because this feature is advantageous when you’re dining out as well as in the office. It’s pretty seamless to switch back and forth between the various sound profiles. Oh, and there’s an app which allows for customizing more profiles and toggling between them all.
Battery life is actually decent on this pair of TWS earbuds. IQbuds provide about 4 hours of battery life while their competitors average around 2.5 hours. A portable charging case is included which stores 2 full charges at 8 hours each totaling 16 hours. The case has LED lights on the outside of the case to indicate how much charge is stored in the case. There are also LEDs on the inside to give you some insight on the battery life of the buds themselves.
The entire unit is also sweat and water resistant so feel free to work out in them or walk in the rain for a little while.
Sound
As for audio, these buds sound pretty good. There’s a good amount of bass without being too heavy. If you’re a bass head you may want more depth, but overall its a decent amount considering this is a wireless headphone. The mids are prominent and rich while the highs are nice and clear. Overall, the sound is great, but obviously not intended for audiophile-type use.
Nuheara IQbuds are a whopping $299, but they work, well! They’re loaded with a ton of features which makes sense considering the cost. There are other reviewers who believe the ANC isn’t the best, but I’d argue against that. I’m sensitive to ANC and these buds manage to tune the world out without making me feel sick – a true feat! I also like the customizability. That being said, I think they are worth the $300 price tag, but a smooth $250 wouldn’t hurt either. Grab them at Nuheara.com.
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