Sandberg Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank – Hardware Review
Even though we are more familiar with Sandberg’s eSports product line, we do try out a few of their other products from time to time when we find them interesting for our readers. Over the course of the years, we have reviewed a lot of premium-priced wireless earbuds, and while these often proved to be very good, these products are not affordable for everyone. This brings us to Sandberg, who has been provided budget-friendly hardware solutions for quite some time now, and we were lucky enough to be able to try out their Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank. This small package promised to do great things, but did it deliver?
Design
Sandberg’s 2-in-1 device has a fairly simple design. The case has a basic rectangular shape with a see-through lid. There’s a modest Sandberg logo and brand name on the top, and that’s basically it for the exterior features. The earbuds themselves also come with very few bells and whistles, making them look rather classy. The shape differs from more traditional designs. The interesting features come from the inside of the case, where you’ll have a small display that shows you the battery life of each earbud, as well as the battery percentage of the case itself. We loved the bright display, and it was probably the most standout feature for Sandberg’s Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank.
Comfort
All in all, Sandberg’s earbuds are quite comfortable. The earbuds are light, they come with different ear-tips, and they are ergonomically shaped. As the design is slightly different from other brands, it did take a few moments to get used to these earbuds, but all in all, we didn’t notice any discomfort during longer music-listening sessions.
The case has a small dust cover that covers up the Micro USB input and the USB output. This is certainly a plus, but the cover did feel a bit flimsy. Even so, it’s always nice if you’re able to keep your ports clean. We would have loved a USB-C input rather than the Micro USB one, as it feels dated and pretty much all other similar products on the market have been using USB-C for several years now. The charging cable that comes with the device feels very cheap and clumsy, as it’s only 20 cm long.
Specs
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Up to 10 m wireless range
- True Wireless Stereo Music Playback
- Frequency range of speakers: 20 Hz-20 kHz
- Support Multi-point
- Earphone battery: 50 mAh
- Talk time: up to 6 hours
- Standby time: up to 280 hours
- Powerbank (2000 mAh, Input voltage: 5 V, Output voltage: 5 V / 0.5A)
Overview
In terms of functionalities, there’s really not that much to say. The earbuds are easily paired with your device of choice, and in mere seconds you’ll be listening to your favorite tunes. The earbuds pretty much work like similar products, which means that you’ll control most functions by tapping on the sides of the earbuds. You’ll be able to pick up calls, end calls, skip music tracks, play music, pause, and so on. The touch controls are responsive, and everything works as it should.
The sound quality is decent, but it’s of course not on the same level as premium devices. Your music or calls will sound fairly clear, but these earbuds are best used for music or media purposes only. Due to a lack of noise-canceling, calls can be a bit trickier or even unpleasant in more crowded areas. We also noticed that the earbuds do sound a bit flat, as there’s hardly any noticeable bass.
Even though we quite enjoyed using the earbuds for our normal commutes, we did find the powerbank functionalities to be a bit useless. Sure, a 2000 mAh powerbank may provide a tiny bit of juice for your phone if it’s almost out of battery, but that’s about it. We would have loved to see a slightly bigger output for this one, as in its current state it feels like a gimmick to draw in potential buyers with the promise of having a ‘powerbank’ at the ready when they need it. When we were actively charging our smartphone with the powerbank, we could see the overall battery life of the case decrease with every few seconds that passed. The case would be depleted in mere minutes when using it as a powerbank during our testing period.
Conclusion
Sandberg’s Bluetooth Earbuds + Powerbank is an affordable product for daily commuters who are looking for a budget-friendly audio solution. The build quality is decent, the audio quality is equally decent, and the overall battery life is adequate. We only found the powerbank functionalities to be a bit useless, and we would have loved a USB-C connection to charge the device. That being said, however, this product is worth checking out if you’re looking for an affordable pair of earbuds.
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