TOZO T10 Review

December 3, 2019 6:20 pm

Well folks, it’s that time again. Straight from the labyrinthine depths of the Amazon distribution center are another pair of true wireless earbuds. These run just 50 bucks, and with over 16,000 positive reviews on Amazon, they are probably too good to be true. Or are they? I dunno, here’s the TOZO T10 review.

TOZO T10 Review

Design

Packaging looks spiffy enough, complete with shiny reflective lettering and lightning graphics shooting from the charging case. Included are 3 extra pairs of ear tips, a micro-USB charging cable, and a lanyard for attaching to the charging case. You know, in case you want to re-live your Freshmen Year of College and twirl your earbuds out on the Quad.

The charging case, speaking of which, is ugly, plastic, and big. Just big enough to be uncomfortable sitting in my pocket. A look inside reveals mostly empty plastic space, which means the clunky size is a pointless design choice that can’t be forgiven. How dare you, TOZO.

Battery life clocks in around 3 hours, which is slightly below average. The waterproof rating however, is an impressive IPX8, which means 1 meter submergence for up to 30 minutes. This is probably overkill for a pair of sport earbuds, but TOZO does make the lovely suggestion of washing your earbuds in the sink like a newborn babe. You can do that if you want.

Fit

The earbuds sit nicely against my ears, and don’t stick out too much. But the fit remains loose, even after switching to the largest tips provided. In fact, any vigorous head-shaking or yawning was enough to knock them loose after a few minutes. Definitely wouldn’t recommend them for a workout. But there are 16,000 reviewers out there who disagree with me, so maybe my ears are just weird. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Functionality

In another great design twist by TOZO, there are almost no Bluetooth controls to speak of. Actually there are, but they all pertain to phone calls. The only musical control is play/pause. No way to adjust volume or skip tracks. Every other function will have you accidentally redialing your ex while you’re at work.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the button that covers the surface of the earbud is completely flat. You may be saying, “what’s so wrong with being flat, huh? The Earth is flat!” And you may be right, along with all those climate change deniers. But a flat button on the earbud means you have to push hard, and have nothing to brace against. This means that earbud goes straight into your ear canal. And means that pushing the button causes you unnecessary pain due to poor design. I think you’re 0 for 3, T10.

Sound

Is the sound the one redeeming quality that will save the T10 in this review? Well, almost. Like most other consumer grade audio gear, the T10 goes straight for the bass. The bass is bumping, and the buds are loud. But the bass boost doesn’t bloat into the midrange, which helps avoid that swollen feeling. But make no mistake, the bass is not tight, or controlled here. It’s just loud.

The vocal range and high-end actually receive some attention too, I will give TOZO credit there. The T10 is not as horrendously scooped as Ray J’s earbuds, but it still doesn’t oust my favorite cheap true wireless buds from GeeKee. In the end, the T10 have a slightly scooped sound with a strong bass and moderate high-mid vocal emphasis.

Conclusion

What does TOZO get right with these? The bass is thick enough to satisfy the bass-heads, and it’s nuanced enough to give room for the upper frequencies. So that’s good. The buds can also be submerged in water, which is good too (I guess?).

But what did they get wrong? Plenty. The controls are horrible, the battery life is unimpressive, the case is needlessly too big and the mids are scooped. There are so many better options out there for the same price. Those GeeKee buds I love so much do pretty much everything better except the pounding bass. The Strauss & Wagner TW401 is also a better option for $10 more.