Not too long ago, ANC (active noise cancellation) was a feature reserved for premium TWS Bluetooth earbuds. That’s, however, not the scene today. Blame it on the proliferation of the category, most users are already on to their second or third set of Bluetooth earbuds and we’re not just talking about early adopters here. Vivo finally arrives to the ANC party with its first ever pair of TWS earbuds that offer noise cancellation. The Vivo TWS 2 ANC land in the sub-Rs 6,000 price band. Do these buds stand out in this cluttered space where consumers have multiple options including buds from OnePlus and Nothing?
Shine on
The first thing that is likely to catch your attention is the shiny case. We checked out the Starry Blue colour variant. The glossy, reflective case ensures these buds stand out in a crowd but the case is prone to smudges. We still prefer this shiny option over the sedate Moonlight White because of its unique colour and finish. The design of the case and the buds will remind you of the Apple AirPods Pro design except this case is more rounded, almost pebble shaped. The case is light and the earbuds feel weightless (just 4.7 gm each) in your ear.
Fuss-free performance
Set up is instant, especially on Android smartphones that support Google Fast Pair. I paired this with a Samsung device and an iPhone; it was seamless. You can use the Vivo TWS App on Android devices. It’s quite a bare-bones app that doesn’t offer much in terms of customisations aside from programming short cuts on the earbuds and toggling between ANC modes and transparency mode. You can get all this stuff done even with the earbuds by ‘pinching’ on the stems. These pressure controls are again similar to the AirPods Pro.
Sound that doesn’t disappoint
The USP of these earbuds is ANC and the Vivo TWS 2 ANC offers three levels of noise cancellation. It’s quite effective for a product at this price point. Vivo has built its acoustics pitch on the company’s proprietary Golden Ear Acoustics solution and what it calls Immersive Deep-HD audio. The 12.2 mm dynamic drivers deliver decent sound quality. It fares quite well when I took the volume levels above 70%. It’s not sound that will give you goosebumps but it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Call quality was quite good; I didn’t try these buds in noisy external environments but my callers could hear me clearly in indoor environments with background sounds. Vivo has packed these buds with three mics including two external beam foaming microphones.
Wrap up
Vivo’s TWS 2 ANC deliver bang for the buck. They don’t really stand out on any one feature vis-à-vis the competition but hold their own in the ANC and sound quality department. Battery life is pegged at 29 hours, is not a deal breaker while handy touches like an IPS54 splash and dust-resistant rating add to it’s appeal. The glossy design is likely to be a love or loathe thing and is one of the features that sets these buds apart.
The Vivo TWS 2 ANC costs Rs 5,999 and comes in Moonlight White and Starry Blue.
