Wireless Bluetooth earbuds and headphones have become the new ground when it comes to audio given manufacturers have started to, in most cases, remove the 3.5mm audio jackpots from devices and this is only set to continue.
So when Motorola launched the Moto Buds last year, with the company stating at the time that the Buds featuring Hi-Res Audio and Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) all wrapped up in a modern, water-repellent design, we wanted to see how these buds go with the review of the Motorola Edge 50 and Edge 50 (yet to come).
So can the Moto Buds stand up to the hype and a typical Ausdroid review?
What’s in the box
In the box you get the Earbuds in their case, x2 additional size rubber tips for fit adjustments with the earbuds, a short USB-A to USB-C cable and some additional warranty and instruction booklets.
The design
The outside of the earbuds case is made of a matte coloured polymer plastic which in the case was white. The sides of the slightly oblong shape are rounded and do make a good fit when placed in the hand.
The side back of the case houses the USB-C charging port whilst the inside of the case is a black colour in this instance and I do like the colour contrast as I find cases with the same colour can be a bit boring.
There is also a single LED flashlight that charges colour to depict the charge status of the case, when the earbuds are Green inside or outside and connected or Blue when pairing the earbuds to your device or Red for battery charge low.
When taking the earbuds out of the case to charge, which are done via the two copper prongs sticking out of the case and connects to the side of the earbuds which is something I haven’t seen much of as other earbuds I have reviewed have normally used the bottom tips of the earbuds to charge them with the case.
Inside the case you will also find the pairing button where when pairing to your device for the first time you will need to keep the earbuds in the case. The single LED flashlight at the front side of the case will flash blue and then go green once connected.
The earbuds themselves are as well made from a polymer plastic and have more shine to them then the case with a flat edge side on the outside which can help with the hand controls to control the following:
Left hand side:
- Double Tap – Play/Pause
- Triple Tap – Previous track
- Tap and Hold – Voice assistant
Right hand side:
- Double Tap – Play/Pause
- Triple Tap – Next track
- Tap and Hold – Noise Control
You can change these within the Moto Buds app and can include these gestures for other features such as volume up or down or switch them around.
The earbuds also have triple microphones which not only help to get rid of background noise but also become somewhat adaptive to the environment you’re in and assist with hearing clarity both during phone calls and when playing your music or movies etc.
In the earbuds themselves are dual dynamic drivers (11mm woofer + 6mm tweeter) which certainly helps pump out the beats when listening to music although the higher the bass, the earbuds can struggle.
What they do well
The Moto buds come with Dolby Atmos which when using Spatial Audio does give the sense at least for me that you’re in a concert hall listening to live music.
The buds also have Hi-Res Audio and Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), though there were a couple of occasions taking the train where the guards announcement could be heard, granted I did have the volume lower than normal and the guard was shouting a little but I did notice it does cut out at least about 95%-98% of background noise but not completely.
There is also an app called Moto Buds which you can download from the Google Play store for free. The app enables you to be able to control the audio settings such as turning on and off Active noise cancelling, Transparency; or Adaptive, set sound preferences such as extra bass, treble, vocal and more.
The fit test the app gets you to complete allows you to ensure the earbuds have the right fit and helps with getting the best experience out of the
The App can also help with delivering software updates, connect to a second device with the earbuds, apply a widget to your Home Screen for quick access to some features.
The app also allows you to find your earbuds if you lose them and they are not in the case by clicking on find my earbuds and a small beep which progressively gets louder until you find them but you will need to cancel the beeping from within the app itself.
You can also within the app do a fit test which will help the earbuds adapt to fit of the earbuds within your ears and may recommend that you change the tips if the fit isn’t great. There is also adaptive hearing which can also be done as part of the fit test and will adapt the earbuds to the environment and fit of the earbuds.
What they don’t do well
So the one big catch here is that Spatial Audio is only limited to Motorola Devices that support it which is a bit disappointing. Having tried to connect to my Galaxy S24 Ultra which does support Spatial Audio, despite the setting being grayed out in the app when I selected it I got a notification stating that this device isn’t supported for Spatial Audio, I think this is a huge disappointment.
Should you replace your Motorola device, yes you can still use the earbuds on other Android devices, but sadly the Spatial Audio setting will not be available to you. I am hoping Motorola might be able to fix this but I doubt it will occur.
Furthermore, if you want to use this on an Apple device, there is no app available in the App Store which is understandable, as this is for Android and specifically Motorola devices. Granted you can still connect them to your Apple device which I did to my iPad Pro, but sadly there is no app to control any of the settings manually.
Sadly, the Moto Buds don’t come with any sort of IP water rating. Motorola does state there is “water repellent” available but honestly I feel that some sort of IP rating which is becoming more popular even on budget earbuds such as the Soundcore have an IPX4 which at least can withstand some rain and sweat.
Whereas the Moto Buds I refused to even try to use in the rain a few times here in Sydney for the fear they would stop working. I am hoping for their next earbuds Motorola might add some sort of IP rating.
ANC or active noise cancelling does work, except for a couple of occasions taking the train where the guards announcement could be heard, granted I did have the volume lower than normal and the guard was shouting a little but I did notice it does cut out at least about 95%-98% of background noise but not completely.
Should you consider buying one?
So this is where I am left conflicted as I would say – if you have a Motorola Edge or a Motorola RAZR or a Motorola G device launched this year then yes I would definitely recommend these earbuds.
However, for other Android devices – I hate to say this but you might want to look elsewhere at other options, mainly becasue some features aren’t available. Despite this, they do warrant some attention for the low cost and great colours: The Moto Buds can be purchased from the Motorola website in either Beach Sand or Forest Grey for $98
