Truly wireless earbuds are more popular than ever, and just about everyone makes their own set. Sometimes they're pretty good, and sometimes they're not, but there are no shortage of options.
So today we're testing out Mobvoi's TicPods 2 Pro, their latest entry into the wireless headphone game that want to beat out Apple's AirPods, Samsung's Galaxy Buds, and whatever Anker's selling right now. It's tough competition, but let's see how they stack up in our TicPods 2 Pro review.
Mobvoi TicPods 2 Pro review
The newest headphones from Mobvoi come in the TicPods 2 and TicPods 2 Pro flavor, and both of them are available in navy, ice, and blossom colors. We're checking out the blossom colored Pro variant, which run $139 MSRP. They offer some slick improvements over the non-Pro models, including voice recognition, gesture commands, and dual microphones for noise cancelation, but trade a little bit of battery life in the process.
Design
They, uh, really look like AirPods. In fact, I'm very confident that you could fool many people if you got the ice color since the design is so similar.
When you get close to them you notice some differences, like how the TicPods 2 Pro are a little more squared off with some cuts and angles to give them a shape that makes sense with touch controls, but they are very similar. This might be a problem if you're the type that hates plastic earbuds and prefers the squishy tips on the Galaxy Buds, but that's going to come down to preference. You will lose some noise isolation on the TicPods, but we'll talk about that in a bit.
The charging case that they come in is fantastic. It's pill shaped like the Galaxy Buds, but significantly slimmer and easier to fit in your pocket. The earbuds and stems puzzle in nicely together to keep the size down, and the case snaps shut with less wiggle than the Galaxy Buds. Plus, the TicPods 2 Pro has a magnetic snap when you place the earbuds in the case, which I'm a big fan of. It's the little things that add some polish.
They charge with a USB-C port (but you cannot use a C to C cable to charge them, which I thought was odd) and have a nice grippy texture on top of the lid. If you're a fan of the AirPods design, you're going to find a lot to like here.
Sound and experience
The TicPods 2 Pro sound good, but not great. They're pretty in line with the AirPods, so they do get the job done (and do it well) although you expect a little bit more out of $140 headphones, which is a very similar criticism for Apple's headphones. I wish the highs were a little more pronounced, but midrange response is very good. The low-end is nearly nonexistent, which is largely due to the design of the TicPods 2 Pro. It's very hard to get good bass response when you're working with earbuds that can't seal in your ear, and since these are all plastic that's just not going to happen.
You might be able to solve this like with the AirPods by buying some third-party fitted tips, but then you open the can of worms of trying to make them fit in the case and carrying them around and whatever else. Generally not something I recommend.
The design also means that you won't get a ton of outside noise cancelation, which is good and bad. I like the open design that allows me to hear what's going on around me, especially while on phone calls. It's not great if you're in a crowded environment and want to block out some of that noise. I wore them while typing up my review, and they didn't block much if at all of the typing sounds from my keyboard, for example.
The microphones work extremely well, though. Phone calls were clear, and I never had issues with the other party hearing me or picking up too much background noise, within reason.
The TicPods 2 Pro support Qualcomm aptX audio for low latency, and they're a Bluetooth 5.0 headset. You can tweak some EQ settings in the companion app for these to change up the sound, but the lack of a customizable EQ is really a bummer. Seems like something that could be added in an app update, though.
Everything else
There are some genuinely cool things about the TicPods 2 Pro that make them a solid pair of headphones, but it doesn't mean they aren't a little weird, too.
The TicPods 2 Pro will allow you to summon up your default voice assistant, but you use a “Hey Tico” command. No, Mobvoi doesn't have its own voice assistant, and yes, you're gonna get weird looks if you start talking to “Tico” out in public. But it works well, so 8/10?
You can also use some pretty nice touch controls. Mobvoi calls these “Tickle” touch controls, and boy, I do not like thinking that I'm tickling my headphones to change the volume. That is just not good.
Weird name aside, the controls do work well. You slide your finger up and down on the earbuds to change the volume, which is why the flattened angle I mentioned earlier makes sense for these, and a long-press will call up your voice assistant if you and Tico aren't on speaking terms. A double tap will answer the phone, too.
Additionally, these headphones actually recognize what your head is doing, so you can nod twice to answer the phone if your hands aren't free. That's actually really cool and unique, so props to Mobvoi for adding a standout feature to a pair of headphones.
Lastly, they're IPX4 certified, last about 4 hours on a single charge with up to 20 hours including the case, and 5 minutes of charging will get you about an hour of playback thanks to some quick charging features. There's honestly very little that these headphones don't do, even compared to heavy hitters from other brands.
Worth it?
Honestly, yeah. If you like AirPods but want something that works better with an Android phone, get these. If you like AirPods and wish they just had more features, also get these.
Their only drawback is the middling sound quality, but again, since their closest competitor is the AirPods, it's hard for me to knock them too much since they do still sound okay. Someone that's purely chasing music playback quality might still want to look at the Galaxy Buds, though.
But Mobvoi has managed to make their headphones smarter than Samsung's, and with a case that's easier to pocket. I also kind of like the pink blossom color, although there's still plain white and navy to pick from if you want something a little more neutral. Seriously, check these guys out.
TicPods 2 Pro | $139 | Amazon, Mobvoi
