Motorola Verve Ones+ totally wireless earbuds review
Motorola VerveOnes+
£229.99Pros
- Totally wireless
- Extremely portable
- Clever charging case
- In-built tracking
- Sound good
Cons
- App has had teething problems
- Lag with video
- Price
Earphones like the Motorola Verve Ones+ have remained science fiction or in the kit bags of the likes of James Bond or Agents of Shield. Using totally wireless, tiny in-ear earphones is now an option for everyone, not just covert operatives.
Wireless earbuds have been in development for a while now and Samsung has also joined in the fun. But, the Motorola (or Binatone licensing the Motorola name) got there first with its Verve Ones+ headphones.
I’ve been wearing these in between my other review headphones since getting them at launch, so a couple of months.
Verve Ones+ design
OK, these aren’t tiny, tiny. But they do fit nicely in your ears.
They stand about 1cm proud of my lug-holes but I have long hair so no one can see them. Even though they are bright orange.
Saying that though, the orange bit will be in your ears. The outside world will see mostly black and an orange ring.
I like how they look and, thanks to the range of rubbery tips (three with a double-flange design) they fit snugly.
They are comfortable and not too heavy. They stay stuck in too, even when jogging or jumping around.
They’re rugged, too. IP57 rating means they can be immersed in 1m of water for 30 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend going swimming with them, but a bit of rain or sweat won’t hurt.
Verve Ones+ performance
The first thing I will say is that the freedom that these wireless in-ears provides is almost like when you go from glasses to contact lenses. It’s a familiar yet slightly odd feeling.
Soon you will get used to the fact that you no longer have to live in fear of having your ears yanked off by a passing commuter. Putting bags on your shoulders or zipping up a jacket doesn’t require a cable check fiest.
The case they come in handles charging as well as safe storage when they’re not shoved in your ears.
Every time you put the buds back in the case, they get a top-up via the neat connectors on their underside.
A fully-charged case is claimed to be good enough to provide charge for up to 12 hours, and I can confirm this is about right.
In use
Connecting the Verve Ones+ to your smartphone or laptop is straightforward enough. Just take the buds out of their case and they’ll immediately activate, searching for a nearby host. Flick on your Bluetooth and you’ll be hooked up in seconds.
Things started off a little bit… bitty when I was first getting to grips with the ‘Hubble Connect for VerveLife’ app though.
The app adjusts the sound with various EQ presets, and toggles the ‘pass-through’ feature. The latter option is for those who want to hear more of the outside world – cyclists, and the like.
I do dig the in-built locator that shows where the buds were last registered. Handy should you misplace the little blighters.
Even though I realise that the Hubble app was/is brand new(ish) there were connectivity issues. I experienced most of those at the start of my testing, and it seems to be more stable now. For the most part. The good thing is that this doesn’t effect the Bluetooth connection.
Also, you can cycle through the EQ presets by holding down a button on the buds themselves, which also handles play and pause functions.
Sound quality
There are six presets – these generally tweak bass or treble.
I find the sound quality pretty good to be honest. I am not generally and ear-buds man but these I really enjoy.
They are not too bass heavy, as is the usual way for most ‘urban’ ‘phones. Nor is the treble hissy and horrible.
I had them set on the most balanced EQ but, as I’ve said, there are options if you favour bass in your face. As these fit really well in my head I got quite a decent dynamic range from these tiny noise makers.
On odd occasions I have had one of the buds drop out for a second. This is due to the left one being the master and the right the slave. That means that your phone connects to the left first, and the left then connects to the right. Normally, all is well as they connect and chat to each other without any latency issues. But the right does seem to be the one that goes quite more, which leads me to think that I have a thick skull. This doesn’t happen every time and I have actually got used to it.
I wouldn’t use these when watching videos on the go though because the lip sync, or lack there of, does become annoying. Music only for these little buds, but that’s what they’ve been designed for.
Verve Ones+ review conclusion
Feeling like a cross between a special agent and Pinocchio, I really do enjoy having no strings to hold me down. True, if you haven’t got a secure fit then you’ll be scrabbling around for your errant bud. But, apart from that, I can’t see a downside to the Verve Ones+. Well, perhaps the price.
I am not saying that they’re perfect, but their quality, fit and concept outweighs their little foibles.
Jogging without having large, branded ‘Mug Me Quick’ cans, using weights or treadmills without the fear of entanglement. These are the domains of the Verve Ones+. Not to mention covert music listening when at work… well, if you have long hair.
Update 01/09/2016
Binatone, the official licensee of Motorola Mobility, has been committed to making sure it is providing its customers with an outstanding earphone experience – and has now introduced a free update to its operating system for its truly wireless VerveOnes and VerveOnes+ earbuds.
David Harris, Vice President of Global Product Development commented of the now enhanced listening experience users will be able to benefit:
This major update has enabled us to significantly reduce sound dropouts for more continuous streaming of music, phone call clarity and voice command performance. The connectivity update is the next step in providing consumers with the best listening experience within the new ground breaking True Wireless audio category”.
For more information on how to perform the update, review FAQs and for other tips on how to get the most out of your VerveOnes please visit http://verve.life/uk/
Verve Ones+ price and availability
You can buy the Verve Ones+ direct from the VerveLife website for £229.99. You can get the VerveOnes (No +, all black and no IP rating) for £199.99.
