After the furious start of 1More this year, we now have a latecomer from 2021 in the house. Soundpeats is probably unknown to most people, but the Chinese manufacturer has a wide range of headphones on offer.Â
1More ColorBuds 2Â true wireless earbuds are the successors of the ColorBuds 1, which presented themselves well for their price range.Â
With the Soundpeats Mini, the company released attractive true wireless earbuds for little money. Of course, the name Mini has a specific program on the agenda. In today’s comparision, we check whether there is an alternative, primarily to other small earbuds, such as the 1More Colorbuds 2 or the Redmi Airdots 3.
Pros and Cons
| SoundPEATS Mini | 1MORE ColorBuds 2 |
| Good wearing comfort | Strong and balanced sound |
| IPX5 rating | IPX5 rating |
| Good call quality | Good battery life |
| Battery performance just average | Good microphone |
| Flimsy case | Limited on-ear controls |
The Soundpeat Mini packaging includes:
- Charging station (400 mAh / 5V)
- Multilingual operating instructions (including German, English, Spanish)
- USB Type-C to USB-A cable (20 cm)
- 3 pairs of attachments (S, M, L)
The 1More ColorBuds 2Â packaging includes:
- Charging station (410 mAh / 5V)
- Type-C to USB-A cable (50 cm)
- Multilingual user manual
- 4 pairs of attachments (XS, S, M, L)
- 1More Bear Stickers
- Warranty card (English, Chinese)
Specification
| SoundPEATS Mini | 1MORE ColorBuds 2 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Model | Mini | ColorBuds 2 |
| Brand | SoundPEATS | 1MORE |
| Released | May 7, 2021 | July 13, 2021 |
| Type | Earbuds | Earbuds |
| Foldable | No | No |
| Frequency Response | 20-20000Hz | 20-20000Hz |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Controls | Yes | Yes |
Design
Soundpeat Mini- Small earbuds are excellent because many users don’t want big, flashy headphones but rather something more subtle. This is precisely where the Soundpeats Mini comes in. So let’s look at size first because that’s what gives the name “Mini” the most traction. 21 x 18 x 17 mm (H x L x W) is really small.
The situation is similar at the station. With 54 x 23 x 39 mm (L x W x H) , the dimensions are manageable. Apart from the pure size relationships, the Soundpeats Mini are quite standardized true wireless earbuds.
The large touch surface, decorated with the company logo, is lovely. A slightly triangular shape is chosen as the basis to appear as ergonomic as possible. Sound is obtained through the 5 mm diameter speaker output, protected by a close-meshed plastic mesh.
A small letter above the speaker output indicates whether you are holding the left or right earbud and the charging contacts are on the inside. Of course, the Soundpeats Mini also has microphones. And even if the positioning will not move mountains due to the small dimensions, it has been strategically and cleverly placed at the lower end of the “triangle”.
The shape of the station is a bit unfortunate. We are already familiar with ellipses for charging stations, but a flat base is usually used so that the device can stand. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Soundpeats Mini. Instead, the station is rounded off completely. Patient contemporaries still manage to put them upright, but this is not practical.
Soundpeats places the USB Type-C connection on the back. Interestingly, the station stands better when a stiff cable is connected due to its lightweight. Nevertheless, this all seems a bit unfavorable.
The opening is also disadvantageous. The lid gets a kind of snap-in point when it’s closed, but not when it’s fully open, which means that it keeps falling by itself. The built-in magnet is also relatively weak.
There is enough space inside the charging box to conveniently insert or remove the earbuds. A status LED is placed on the front in the middle under the logo and is only visible when it is activated, which is the case, for example, by opening the lid. Soundpeats Mini and the associated station entirely dispense with buttons.
As far as the quality is concerned, it is not bad, but it does not have exceptionally high standards. You can see the seams of the individual parts everywhere, and even if these have been smoothed out as far as possible, the transitions on the earbuds are negative and challenging. The lid with its plastic joint also looks a bit flimsy on its own. There are two standard colors to choose from, black and white, although white is at least pretty up a bit with blue accents.
1More ColorBuds 2- Visually, not much has changed on the 1More ColorBuds 2 . Design and layout are mainly identical to the ColorBuds 1. This applies equally to the earbuds and the station. This means that the size of the earbuds remains at 27 x 21 x 20 mm. The dimensions of the station are still 60 x 30 x 38 mm.
The similarity even goes so far that the contacts for the charging surfaces are identical, and both earbuds can be charged in the charging station of the other. Nothing has changed on the hinges or the strength of the magnet either. The former is still made of plastic, and the magnet closes reliably. A snap point at the maximum opening is still missing.
Of course, the Type-C connection on the back also remains. Rubber as a base prevents it from slipping and a lonely status LED on the front shows the charging status of the station.
Then there is a difference. While the ColorBuds 1 were indeed colorfully available in green and pink, the ColorBuds 2’s palette is noticeably shrinking. The choices are Midnight Black, Frost White, and Twilight Gold. At least something, but it has nothing to do with many color choices.
The ColorBuds 1 was criticized for not having the best rubber attachments. Here 1More has taken care of the matter. The new plugs are slightly wider, have a larger hole, a flatter shape, and feel stiffer. More on that in the comfort section.
Otherwise, you can’t complain. The design is identical but still handsome, and the 1More ColorBuds 2 is small. As far as processing is concerned, it is still very high.
Comfort
If the Soundpeats Mini has to pass in any category, this is it. Due to the small size and the weight, which is also 5 grams lower, the TWS also fits into smaller ears. The Soundpeats Mini also sits comfortably. So you are prepared for longer sessions with the earbuds. Comfort can be improved even further by using molded foam earplugs.
What the station lacks when standing on the table makes it easy to handle in the bag. The manageable weight of 25 grams can also be used as a strength, while the shape ensures that the device fits nicely into the pocket.
A certain degree of water protection for earbuds has become almost the standard. So while the Soundpeats Mini headphones can fall back on IPX5, the station, as always, has to do without water protection.
1More ColorBuds 2- Since not much has changed with the ColorBuds, the wearing comfort remains just as good. The earbuds still only weigh 4.1 grams, which is hardly noticeable. Furthermore, thanks to the ergonomic design, you have a good fit, which delays ear fatigue correctly.
When it comes to sports activities, you are well positioned with the ColorBuds 2. These earbuds may not be the right choice for extreme situations, but they are sufficient for everyday sports and stay firmly in place.
Of course, the new plugs deserve special mention. These fit much better than those of the first generation and seal better. A small change, but necessary as the original essays were far from ideal.
Little has changed at the station. This still weighs 31 grams. A weight that is hardly noticeable. As with the ColorBuds 1, the flat shape and construction make it easy to carry in most pockets.
A water protection seal has also made it onto the ColorBuds 2. However, it remains at IPX5. However, there is still no water protection for the station. So be careful with wet earbuds.
Sound
Soundpeat Mini- Cheap earbuds don’t have to sound bad. We always had models that could convince us even for little money. With a list price of $40, the range of possible configurations is relatively tiny, but Soundpeats still uses a Bluetooth 5.2 chip. But this chip is already everything that is advertised.Â
We then take the SBC and AACÂ codecs from the smartphone.
A driver’s diameter is not specified. In return, AI noise-canceling floats through the room repeatedly, which, however, relates quite clearly to telephone calls and less to sound transmission. So we’ll get to that. However, the table with the data is relatively sparsely filled this time.
1More ColorBuds 2- does product maintenance; on the other hand, one can at least speak of “visible” improvements. But let’s start with the point that has remained the same. CVC 8.0Â is also used in the ColorBuds 2 and will improve the call quality again.
However, the driver is new, which has been replaced by a relatively small 7 mm dynamic graph driver. In addition, the ColorBuds 2 have been upgraded to Bluetooth 5.2, and instead of aptX, aptX adaptive is now used.
On the software side, something has happened. Sonarworks and Luca Bignardi have created several sound profiles together, which you could already see with the 1More ComfoBuds 2 . There is now a feature that is intended to adapt the tuning directly to the listener’s preferences.
Last but not least, the 1More ColorBuds 2 now offer a proprietary ANC technology. This technology is called QuietMax and should, among other things, allow you to switch seamlessly between two ANC profiles. However, this is not something new, not even at 1More itself, so the technology is only given a marketing name here. We will clarify in a moment how this will affect the real world.
Controls
We are now writing for the year 2022. The pairing is usually mature even in the lower price range. good for complete dropouts are relatively rare, which also applies to the Soundpeats Mini.
Opening the charging case puts the earbuds into pairing mode. The host device then finds the earbuds and can be paired without any buttons or other gimmicks.
The connection is confirmed by beeps, as well as other inputs. There is one slight inconsistency. The right earbud always connects first and serves as the master. If you now move too far away from the host device with the host device, the link loses the connection to the host completely but reconnects itself after a few seconds. It’s not the prettiest way, but it’s just about bearable.
In return, Soundpeats implements a decent control that covers all the basics, which is not always the case with many more expensive models.
- Tap L once: decrease volume
- Tap R once: Increase volume
- Press and hold R for 2 seconds: next track
- Double-tap L/R: Pause / Play
- Triple tap L/R: voice assistant
- Tap L/R twice when calling: Answer/Hang-up
- Press and hold L/R for 2 seconds when calling: Reject
- Place earbuds in the charging case, press and hold for 10 seconds: reset
Anyone who has read carefully at this point will notice that although you can switch tracks, the headphones lack the function to switch back to a previous way—an extraordinary decision not to implement both. At least one has but also a rudimentary call control. There is no app, despite the numerous earbuds in the range. The control is fixed and cannot be adjusted.
1More ColorBuds 2- As usual these days, pairing is completed quickly and easily. If you open the charging box – and remove the stickers from the contacts – the earbuds are activated and can be found immediately in the Bluetooth device list. A tap on the buds pairs them with the host device, confirmed by beeps.
If you also use the app, a pop-up appears in which the charge status of all three components is displayed, while you briefly have the opportunity to switch directly to the app.
Without the app, the controls are very modest and, in my opinion, unusable. It works as follows:
- Press R/L twice: Pause / Play
- Press R/L three times: voice assistant
- Press R/L twice when there is a call: answer / hang up
That’s all. Not exactly extensive, and pause/play is assigned twice since the proximity sensor also covers the function. Fortunately, you can customize the key mapping for double and triple presses in the app. Right and left are constantly reconfigured together. If right is set to volume up, left is automatically assigned volume down, and so on. Controls are not customizable for calls.
BatteryÂ
Soundpeats doesn’t reveal much about the Mini. At least the data for the battery is available. An earbud comes to 40 mAh and the charging station to 400 mAh. Relatively low values, but the headphones and station are not significant, making this bearable.
However, the specified playing time of 7 hours cannot be kept by far. Neither at average volume 60-80% nor at the otherwise 50%. While you get almost 5 hours with the latter, you have to accept more significant losses at the specified higher volumes and end up with 3.5 to 4 hours. No brilliant performance.
A total of 27 hours is given, corresponding to about four charges, which are also achieved. The earbuds are then charged from 0 to 100% in about 1 hour, while the station needs more than two hours. Inductive charging is not intended for the Soundpeats Mini.
Good news for fans of inductive charging, as this is supported by the ColorBuds 2, even according to the Qi Wireless Charging Standard. Thus, the 410 mAh of the station is filled in about 3 hours, while it takes about 80 minutes with the cable.
Charging the earbuds with 55 mAh each is significantly faster. After 15-20 minutes, you have enough energy for 2 hours of music at medium volume. After about 50 minutes, the earbuds are fully charged and last 6 hours at the same volume .
If you activate ANC, the performance is reduced by about an hour. Higher volumes use up the reserves of the ColorBuds 2. But even at 80% it stays at around 5 hours without ANC. A permanent volume of 50% is also quite unrealistic with the ColorBuds 2 unless the environment is quiet.
Conclusion!
We could see Soundpeats more often in the future because the minis are not bad headphones, and the company still has a few models up its sleeve. However, you can tell that compromises have been made here and there for the low price point of $40.
These cuts are in the right places, which shows the small things in the processing or the mediocre, but only secondary voice quality. In return, you get a pair of good-sounding earbuds and excellent wearing comfort for your money, paired with easy-to-handle touch controls. You can’t give an unreserved purchase recommendation for the Mini. Still, they are at least a good price/performance tip for the performance offered, especially if the earbuds must be as small as possible.
The ColorBuds 2 earbuds have far better controls ( although the competition often does even better ) and excellent balanced sound that’s easy to customize to your preferences. In addition, there is still a usable voice quality for telephone calls. With aptX adaptive, you also implement a high-quality codec, and the included equipment is also suitable.
The price for the ColorBuds 2 is currently around $65. In return, you get successful all-around equipment in all areas and, above all, an excellent sound.Â
