The Black Shark BS-T1 is the brand’s first TWS headphones, and it shows that they can still improve some details. The headphones and the box have a daring and original design, full of LEDs, reflections, and transparency. The headphones are very comfortable and have very low latency, thanks to their gaming mode. Its weakest point is its sound quality; the low frequencies run away without a spectacular kick.
Black Shark is Xiaomi’s gaming brand that has launched several mobile models on the market with exceptional performance. The company is satisfied with mobile phones and is now launching more products related to the gaming world. In this case, we are going to talk about the TWS Black Shark BS-T1 headphones.
| PROS | CONS |
| Light and comfortable | No volume control in Earbuds |
| Low latency gaming mode | Sound quality is ok |
| Good hands free | |
| Solid Bass response |
Specification
| Black Shark BS-T1 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Black Shark |
| Released | July 30, 2021 |
| Model | BLACK SHARK Lucifer T1 |
| Weight | 3.52 ounces |
| Dimension | 60 x 45 x 30 mm |
| Type | In-Ear |
| Colors | Black |
| Driver | 10 mm x 2 |
| ANC | No |
| Microphone | Yes |
| Music Controls | Yes |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Codec | SBC and AAC |
| Battery Life | Upto 30 hours |
Design
The Black Shark BS-T1 are in-ear headphones (the kind put in the ear) with a temple. Both the case and the headphones have elaborate designs and, from my point of view, they are pretty beautiful. Of course, they are pretty striking with so much led.
The box has 3 LEDs. One in the central external part and another two in the interior, although they are transparent because the lid is of a translucent black color. Each headset has an LED that can light up white or green depending on the connection status. The good thing is that when we have the headphones connected by Bluetooth, the LEDs turn off, so they become quite discreet. I also have to say that, although they have a temple, this is quite short, and the headphones are not bulky at all.
The case is made entirely of plastic with a matte black finish. The lid itself has two areas, like windows, of translucent plastic with the same matte finish. Build quality isn’t excellent, but it’s okay.
The headphones are also made of matte black plastic but have a small part of the earpiece made of glossy black plastic.
Thanks to that, the headphones are light, only 4.5 grams, while the set (headphones plus box) stays at 42 grams.
The headphones are medium-sized in the area placed in the ear and in the part that goes into the ear. The distribution of weights is well achieved, and they are well supported with ease. They do not move when running or exercising, something essential because the headphones have the IPX4 water resistance certificate, so they are resistant to sweat and rain.
The headphones come with 3 pairs of pads of different sizes to use the ones that best adapt to our ear.
On the outside of the headphones, we have the touch buttons that we use to control:
- Pause and play: one tap on any headset
- Skip to the next song: Press and hold the right earbud for 2 seconds
- Return to the previous song: press and hold the left earbud for 2 seconds
- Gaming mode: to switch between music mode and gaming mode, we must touch any headset 3 times
- Answer a call: we must tap on any headset while we are receiving a call. During the call, a touch will make us hang up.
Connectivity
The headphones feature Bluetooth 5.2 and are compatible with SBC and AAC codecs. They also work in the dual-host mode, so we can use one or both headphones automatically (without configuring anything on the mobile).
The Bluetooth connection is relatively stable, and I have not had cuts or interference at reasonable distances. The maximum range of these BS-T1s is medium, they allow me to move a couple of rooms away from my computer, but when I get to the kitchen, I lose signal (like most similar headphones).
In normal mode (music mode), there is a slight delay between the image and the sound while watching videos or playing video games, but when you activate the game mode, the image and sound are entirely synchronized.
Sound
The headphones are fitted with 10mm diameter dynamic drivers, more extensive than other similar headphones.
In terms of sound, the bass has body and strength, although, for my taste, it is too uncontrolled. They are not dry and defined; they reverberate a lot and can mess up the song’s melody a bit.
The media sounds reasonably good. They are adorable and warm, but they lack a bit of strength. They seem to always be behind a veil. Maybe it’s because of the bass. Instrument separation is suitable for this price range.
Even so, the general sound meets for a $50 headphone, but it is not anything to write home about either.
Each earphone has 2 built-in earphones to enhance audio recording and filter out background noise for accessible communication. And the truth is that I was very pleasantly surprised by their performance.
Making hands-free calls at my house, people haven’t even noticed that I was talking through the hands-free; they thought I was talking directly to the phone. The voice is heard clearly and powerfully.
In noisy environments, the headphones can focus on the voice while eliminating a bit of background noise, and while they don’t work miracles, they hold up much better than other headphones at this price point.
Battery Life
Each headset mounts a 40 mAh battery with which we can enjoy 7.5 hours of autonomy at medium volume. The box has a 400 mAh battery, allowing us to charge the headphones about 3.5 times, so the total battery life exceeds 30 hours.
The box is charged via a USB-C port located on the rear. And, no, it doesn’t have wireless charging. It also does not have the typical 4 LEDs that indicate the remaining battery level, but the front LED will blink 3 times every 5 seconds when the charge level of the box is low.
We can check the charge level of the headphones from the mobile’s Bluetooth settings, but they will also blink 2 times in green every 60 seconds when the charge level is low.
Conclusion!
In general, the Black Shark BS-T1 headphones are good for around $50 which is usually their current price.
It is a light, comfortable headset with a game mode and is perfect hands-free. In addition, its design is very daring and original. But its sound is dim, and the touch controls do not allow you to control the volume.
For 30 or 50 USD, if you like their design and you are going to use the gaming mode, they are a pretty good option. For 60 euros, there are better options. Still, for Black Shark’s first TWS earbuds.
