After a long time, I am trying Boat TWS earbuds, again. These are the new boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus, which are budget-friendly TWS earbuds with a price tag of Rs 1299. This is a straightforward review, with pros and cons, and no extra fluff because we purchase products and review them. So, there’s no need to lie.
Box Content
- Earbuds
- USB Type-C Charging Cable
- Eartips
- Paperwork
Design, Build & Comfort
From a design standpoint, the Boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus look quite simple. But this simple design seems nice, nothing overpowered like most budget earbuds. I am reviewing the black colour variant, though you also have blue and grey colour options.
One thing I like about these earbuds is the compact and lightweight charging case. It’s not very common to find round earbuds with such a compact case, so carrying them in your jeans pocket is quite convenient. The build quality is average, not the best, but we can’t complain too much at this price point.
The earbuds themselves follow the same design. They are big and round, which might seem a bit out of date compared to the stem design, which is generally more comfortable. Still, some people prefer the round shape.
In terms of comfort, the Boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus are average; you won’t be able to call them super comfortable, but you should be able to use them for around 1-2 hours continuously without any issues. You have to accept that round-shaped TWS usually require some compromise on comfort.
However, Airdopes 121 v2 Plus offers a secure and tight fit, which makes them popular for gym use, sports activities, or bike riding. Because of the secure fit, the noise isolation is also quite good, and there’s no problem with noise leaking. The earbuds are IPX4 waterproof-rated, so you don’t have to worry about sweat or light rain.
Talking about the user experience, the top part of the earbuds serves as touch controls. There’s plenty of space, so using the touch control is easy.
Connectivity
Pairing the Boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus is very easy with the latest Bluetooth 5.3 support. I didn’t find any connectivity or range-related problems in these earbuds.
Of course, features like Google Fast Pair, dual connectivity, touch control customization, or app support are not present. The other brands like Realme and Redmi offer these features in this price range, but this one is not.
Other features include a low latency ‘beast mode’ that promises up to 50 ms latency, but honestly, it isn’t that low, which is true for most budget earbuds. There is some latency, and you can feel it, but it’s still a bit better in beast mode than normal, and for watching videos and casual gaming, it will be helpful.
Battery
The battery backup is decent. The Boat promises up to 50 hours of playback at 60% volume, but remember when they say “up to,” it doesn’t usually reach that. However, based on my day of testing and the 350mAh battery capacity of the charging case, you might get around 25 hours of playback time, and roughly 4 hours from a single earbud charge, which are not bad numbers for this price range. Charging the case takes about 2 hours, which is standard.
Sound Quality
Finally, let’s talk about the sound quality. The Boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus has a 10mm driver. The sound quality is similar to what you usually get with boAt TWS. There’s a strong bass presence, but the sub-bass isn’t very prominent or deep, it’s just average. If you’re a bass lover, then maybe you will like this tuning.
However, as with other boAt earbuds, the strong bass tends to overwhelm the vocals, leaving them feeling a bit narrow. High frequencies or treble aren’t very strong either. A stronger mid-high would have balanced the heavy bass a bit, but that’s not with these Boat earbuds.
Final Words
So, considering the price, we can call the sound quality decent. It might be liked by those who prefer strong bass, but if you’re looking for clear and balanced tuning, this isn’t for you. In this price range, you can consider the Realme Techlife T100 or if you can increase your budget slightly, I would recommend the Oppo Enco Buds 2 or Realme Buds T300 instead.
Overall, the Boat Airdopes 121 v2 Plus isn’t bad for the price. But while it’s not bad, it’s also not the best. There are better options available in this price range. If you need help choosing TWS earbuds, feel free to ask in the comment section below or check out the list of best TWS earbuds under 5000, 2000, or 1000 INR on Geekman to make selecting the latest and best earbuds easier for you.
