Are they worth the price? Ashish Narsale finds out.
The pTron, a subsidiary of Indian tech company Palred Technologies Ltd, has just launched the pTron Bassbuds Vista True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds.
Priced at Rs 1,299, it is cheaper than premium TWS earbuds and comes with a 5W Qi wireless charger.
But is it worth the price? Let's find out.
Build and Design
The Bassbuds Vista are nested in a rectangular casing with rounded edges.
The casing, which is also a charging base, is embedded with a 400 mAh battery.
The plastic built casing has a premium look and a matt rubberized finish. Unfortunately, this makes it a fingerprint magnet.
There is a battery indicator at the base, which is armed with four white LEDs. They light up in sequence to indicate the level of the battery charge at 0%, 25%, 75% and 100% respectively.
While my review pair was black, these earbuds come in blue, white and grey as well.
They come with IPX4 rating for protection against sweat.
The buds rest inside the casing, but there is no magnet inside for them to cling onto. Instead, you just need to slide the buds inside the slots provided.
There is no R/L indicator engraved or printed on the right and left buds. It is difficult to know which will go in which ear for a proper fit unless you get used to it.
Else you have to rely on the casing on which R/L is engraved; each bud fits only in the slot provided as the buds are designed for an ergonomic fit.
Fit
The pair comes with extra silicon tips.
Handy tip: Always try on the extra silicon tips provided to experience the sound of your liking and fit.
The buds are quite lightweight and ergonomically designed so they fit perfectly in the ear, creating passive noise cancellation to avoid ambient sounds.
Control
Each bud has an MFB (multi-function button) to power on/off, control playback, call receive/reject and activate voice assistants.
I would have liked to have volume control function on the buds as well; instead, you have to control the volume through your phone.
Sound
As the name suggests, the buds deliver bass-heavy output; those who like softer sound should look out for other options.
To test the pTron Bassbuds Vista, I listened to Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack. The bass had good punch but was little harsh for my taste.
To test the depth (the distance of spacing between the instruments played in the orchestra) and transparency (the clarity and crispness in the music), I listened to a live orchestra version of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly theme song, the Axel F -- Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack by Harold Faltermeyer, the live Eagles version of Hotel California and Teri mitti from Kesari. The vocals were clear and crisp.
The instruments and vocals were well separated, creating a 3D virtual depth in the music.
Range and Connectivity
The range of the buds is well over 10 metres without any drop in connectivity.
The good thing is that they use Bluetooth 5.1 and there is negligible latency or delay in the audio-video synchronisation while watching videos.
Both the buds sync well with each other to give a great stereo experience.
I found little latency in sound sync while playing games like Shadow Fight 3 and Asphalt 9: Legends -- Epic Car Racing.
Call quality
The call quality is fair; I could hear the person calling clearly, but my voice to the receiver was a little suppressed.
Battery
The Bassbuds Vista's battery has good standby time. After charging the case and the buds, I had used them after a week and still it had 90 per cent charge left in the buds.
The casing takes approximately two hours to charge its 400 mAh inbuilt battery from 0 to 100 per cent.
The buds also take approximately two hours to charge in the case for their 40 mAh battery.
The earbuds, once charged, can last up to four hours or more of continuous use, depending on the volume you choose (during my testing, I had kept the volume at 40 per cent).
I wish they had included a fast charging feature for quick use on the go.
You can charge buds and the case using the micro-USB B port or the 5W Qi wireless charging pad supplied in the box.
The Qi wireless charger is the real USP here.
Verdict
If you are looking for a TWS with a Qi wireless charger, high bass and good battery life without making a dent your pocket, then you can certainly try the pTron Bassbuds Vista.
Watch the unboxing!
