India has seen a radical growth in the audio product market in the last decade. We have seen numerous audio tech brands and even smartphone OEMs introducing new wired and wireless headphones, speakers, and TWS earbuds. Of course, the market is all hype with the fully wireless earbuds or TWS products. Lava, the homegrown tech brand has been fairly active from the beginning of this year and has launched a new range of smartphones as well as TWS earbuds.
For the audience demanding quality TWS earbuds at budget prices, Lava had released the Probuds TWS earbuds series earlier. The Probuds 21 has been introduced as the latest wireless earbuds in this lineup with modern features such as Google Assistant support, sound isolation, and noise reduction technology.
The Lava Probuds 21 comes in India at an asking price of around Rs. 1,399. You can buy this budget wireless TWS earbuds via major online and offline retail stores in the country. But should you be investing in this budget TWS earbud? How good is its audio performance and battery backup? This review article will clear all your doubts and help you select the next best budget buy in the TWS segment.
Pros And Cons
Pros:
- Budget price point
- USB Type-C port and fast charging support
- Decent audio feedback
Cons:
- Bit bulky earbuds
- Audio not clear at peak levels
Lava Probuds 21 Review: How Well Is It Designed?
The Lava Probuds 21 TWS earbuds have a slightly bigger case and earbuds compared to the last year’s ProBuds 2 wireless earbuds. The oval-shaped case with a flat edge bottom adds to the classic appeal and also helps with its placement on the tabletop or any flat surface. You don’t have to worry about the case rolling down. Besides, the matte surface of the case feels premium to touch.
Flip open the case to see the large earbuds Contrary to a tiny or compact design, the earbuds are bulky with a big stem. Now, if you are a fan of audio accessories that aren’t prominently visible while using them then the Lava Probuds 21 might not be appealing to you. But if you are okay with a large-sized earbud and find them easy to wear then this could be a decent pair to consider.
The earbuds do offer a snug-fit form factor, but you’ll feel the heft while wearing them. That’s with the default eartips size. The Probuds 21 TWS earbuds retail box ships with additional ear tips and a USB Type-C cable. This budget TWS earbud also offers touch controls for power on/off, volume, and audio playback control.
It might take a while to get a hang of all the gestures, but the touch controls are not gimmicky. We found the Lava Probuds 21 TWS earbuds design to be practical for daily usage. However, the wearing comfort isn’t super great for prolonged usage. Lastly, the Probuds 21 TWS earbuds feature IPX7 certification that protects it from splash and dust.
Lava Probuds 21 Review: Audio Performance
Lava has packed the Probuds 21 TWS earbuds with 12mm dynamic drivers that produces ample punch in the audio. We have tested several budget TWS earbuds and the Probuds 21 seems to be a decent pair out of all. The audio delivery is fairly well here. While it’s not the most balanced sounding earbuds, the audio aspects doesn’t mismatch either.
You wouldn’t be disappointed if you are planning to buy the Probuds 21 solely for your daily music playback. The loud audio levels make it a perfect pair for the commute. But you might not be impressed with the clarity levels when you play audio at the loudest volumes. We found the sound output to be optimum at 60 – 70 percent.
The Lava Probuds 21 doesn’t come with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). However, this budget TWS earbud is integrated with in-house sound isolation and noise reduction technology that aids with passive noise cancellation. Besides, the snug fit rubber eartips also play a vital role in blocking the outside noises during music or audio playback.
What else impressed us? Well, that’s the minimum audio leak at peak levels. You can turn up the volume to the max without thinking twice if the person next to you might also jam along. That said for the music playback. Our experience using the Lava Probuds 21 TWS with gaming has been good. The Probuds 21 offers 75ms ultra-low latency for better audio feedback with gaming.
Lava Probuds 21 TWS Review: Pairing, Battery, Other Features
The Lava Probuds 21 TWS earbuds is equipped with Bluetooth v5.1 technology. This allows the earbuds to pair wirelessly with smartphones and other compatible devices such as laptops, tablets, PCs, and also smart TVs. The connectivity and pairing experience has been good. The pairing process is hassle-free. You don’t need to press any pairing key separately to initiate the connectivity processor.
Just take out the earbuds and you will see the LEDs blinking. That’s the indication that earbuds are in pairing mode. We experienced no issues while pairing the budget Lava earbuds with smartphones. The Bluetooth playback experience is also good. No intermittent audio while media playback.
Lava has used a 60mAh battery unit to drive the Probuds 21 TWS earbuds. The company claims an approx backup of up to 9 hours on a single charge. That’s with the extra juice offered by the charging case. Thankfully, the Lava Probuds TWS comes with fast charging support that refills the battery quickly. The Lava Probuds TWS earbuds also come with Google Assistant support which you can summon using the touch gesture on the earbuds.
Lava Probuds 21 TWS Final Verdict: Hit Or A Miss?
The Lava Probuds 21 TWS earbuds justify its budget price tag with their modern features such as Google Assistant support, fast charging, and touch-sensitive earbuds. This budget earbuds can easily beat the competition with its practical approach. It is designed practically in all aspects that will fit all your requirements at a budget price point.
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