Boult has just launched its latest TWS earbuds in the budget segment in India, the Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods, and this is the product we will review in this article. The earbuds offer the Active Noise Cancellation feature, and they carry a price tag of Rs. 2,999. If you want to purchase this product, then you can visit Flipkart.com, and you might be able to get this product for less owing to various offers. So let us not waste any time and check whether the Boult Audio Soulpods are the best budget earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation or not?
We are saying this primarily because getting earbuds with the ANC feature is quite rare in this price segment, and there are only about 3 to 4 earbuds in this segment that offer the ANC feature. Out of these, only a couple of earbuds offer premium build quality and great audio quality. The Realme Buds Air 2 and Realme Buds Q2 are such earbuds, and we recently reviewed them on our channel. So can the Bould Audio AirBass Soulpods compete with the current best earbuds? Let’s find that out.
Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods Box Content
- User manual and warranty card
- USB Type-C Cable
- Two different size eartips
- Earbuds
Design, Build & Sound Quality
Our first impression of the Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods was quite good, and we were really impressed with the overall design and build quality. Generally, you do not get to see such a decent build quality in most of the products in this price segment. The charging case and the earbuds feature a pretty simple and straightforward design that looks good. It also provides the Boult Audio Soulpads with that premium look. Boult has not only worked on the looks, but it has also worked on the overall build quality of the earbuds. The earbuds feel premium in terms of the in-hand experience, and if the branding was a bit less, then the looks would have been even better.
One of the major highlights of the Boult Audio Soulpods is its compact size and lightweight design, thanks to which carrying it in your pockets is not a difficult task. There is a small LED light on the front end that is not that bright. The brightness is not an issue as it does not interfere with the premium looks of the earbuds. You also get a small button on the inside that is mainly for resetting purposes.
Let’s now talk about the main highlight of the product: the earbuds themselves. The earbuds not only look good, but they also have that premium feel to them. The earbuds are as comfortable as they can be, and their lightweight design plays an important part in this reason. We used these earbuds for about 2 to 3 hours without a break, and we found them to be really comfortable. Additionally, the earbuds cup your ears really well, so you do not feel that the earbuds would fall when doing any physical activity. The earbuds also feature the IPX5 rating, and you need not worry about those accidental spills and splashes.
Connectivity
Talking about connectivity, the earbuds arrive with Bluetooth v5.0, making pairing it with Android and iOS devices a breeze. The pairing process is quite fast, and you also get essential features like Auto Connect/Auto Disconnect. All you need to do is open the charging case lid, and the earbuds would be paired automatically if your phone has the Bluetooth feature turned on. Additionally, the earbuds would get disconnected automatically as soon as you place them back in the charging box.
Controls & ANC
The Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods also comes with Touch Controls that are quite responsive, and they work really well. You can not customize the touch controls, but you can answer calls, adjust volume, control the voice assistant and play/pause the musical tracks. The control settings on the left earbud are for controlling the ANC. The Soulpads feature three levels of ANC: an Ambient mode, a Normal mode, and the ANC mode. All you need to do is to tap on the left earbud three times, and you will be able to switch between the ANC modes.
We tried these modes and found the Ambient and the ANC mode to be quite average or decent. We used them in traffic within our car and under a fan in our room, and it worked pretty decently. Although the ANC is not the best when considering some expensive earbuds, it works really well given the price segment. After all, we cannot complain much since it’s a budget offering.
Battery Backup
Let’s now have a look at the battery backup offered by the Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods. According to Boult, the earbuds have a combined battery life of about 24 hours, with the earbuds having a battery life of about 6 hours on its own. However, if you have the ANC feature turned on, the battery life drops to about 4.5 hours which is decent enough. We have been using these earbuds for nearly three days, and we got a battery life of about 20 hours. However, if you have the ANC feature turned on at all times, you can expect a drop of about 4 to 5 hours.
The numbers are quite good in this price segment, and a majority of earbuds offer a similar battery life, and it is more than enough for a regular user. The case also supports fast charging, allowing the battery to be charged again in just about an hour. This is the reason why battery life should not be a problem for you.
Microphone
Coming to microphone quality, the earbuds really surprised me with their performance here. The mic picks up sound well and produces natural-sounding voices during calls with minimal distortion. This is possibly due to the long stem design of the earbuds and the lower positioning of the mics. You won’t have any problem making calls with these buds. If you want to know more about microphones, please watch our review video for the microphone audio demo.
Sound Quality
Finally, let’s discuss the most important factor, the sound quality of these earbuds. The sound output is quite loud due to the powerful 10mm drivers that are not too loud or too low. Even when you use the earbuds at full volume, you wouldn’t find the audio muffled, which is a good thing.
If you are a basshead user, then you would enjoy the bass output on this one. However, if you think that Boult has gone overboard with the bass, you might be wrong because the bass is not overpowered at all. The bass is quite good, but it does try to overpower other sound notes. The vocals appear to be quite clear, and the treble is also decent enough. The only thing which I felt to be missing was the depth in the audio quality. This might be a downside, but it is in no way a dealbreaker, as it’s a budget-oriented earbud, and we will have to compromise somewhere. For more info please check Boult Audio AirBass SoulPods full review on our youtube channel Geekman.
Boult Audio Soulpods: Buy or Not?
Overall, the Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods appears to be a decent product, and our first impression about the same was quite good. The Boult Audio Soulpods ticks almost every category, including battery life, looks, and audio quality. Yes, the earbuds lack the support for APTX, and expecting this feature in this price segment would not be fair.Â
Overall, if you are looking for an earbud for your regular purposes like attending meetings, taking calls, and even casual gaming, the Soulpods can be a great option. The audio quality is quite good, and you wouldn’t be disappointed with the same. The bass response is quite good, the ANC works decently well, the earbuds look good, they feel premium, and the microphone quality is quite good. Many earbuds do not offer these combinations in this segment, and the Soulpads is a good value for money option, in our opinion. Thus, if you are planning to buy the Boult Audio AirBass Soulpods, you can buy them without any second thoughts.Â
