Hey guys, it’s Greg with Apple Explained and today we’re gonna take a look at these
tws-i9 earbuds, they’re essentially knockoffs of the AirPods, and I was given this pair
by my friends at Knockies and lucky for you guys they sent me three extras to give away.
So if you want a chance win a pair make sure you’re subscribed and leave a comment on
the video.
And even if you don’t win, Knockies is offering a 10%-off coupon code just for you guys.
Now you might remember a previous video I made about the TWS-i7s which is an older generation
of these earbuds and I wasn’t so excited about them, but I’m pleased to report that
these new i9s are a huge improvement.
So first, we’ll begin with an unboxing and review, second, we’ll compare them to the
i7s and the official AirPods, and lastly I’ll give you guys my final thoughts so you can
decide whether or not these earphones are right for you.
Now these TWS-i9s are $39.99 from Knockies website and they’re available in white,
just like the AirPods.
When you order these things they arrive in this nice little box that’s not too different
from the AirPods, with a picture of the earbuds on the front, model name on either side, headlining
features on the bottom like its built-in battery, calling capabilities, audio quality, built-in
microphones, and wireless technology.
And on the back we have a picture of the earbuds in their charging case and detailed specifications
like its model number, battery capacity, and more.
Now the box is sealed by these two circular pieces of tape on either side, and after those
have been broken we can go ahead and lift the lid which slides off very similarly to
the AirPods but with less resistance.
Now once inside, we’re immediately greeted by the i9s charging case which sits front
and center.
We can go ahead and easily lift the case out of the box and right off the bat you’ll
notice how tiny this case is compared to the previous i7s, but we’ll take a closer look
at that in a minute.
For now, let’s see what else is in the box.
After lifting out the plastic tray we find something that’s new to this generation
of earphones, a white silicon case complete with a safety hook to easily attach the charging
case to your belt hook or backpack.
This isn’t something I used but it could be very convenient for hikers or travelers.
Next we find a micro USB cable to power the charging case and a manual to help us pair
these things with our phone or other device.
So that’s everything included in the box, now let’s take a closer look at the TWS-i9
earbuds themselves.
The charging case is the exact same size as the AirPods which is a huge improvement from
the previous generation.
And it has the same rounded design as well.
The lid is magnetic and very easy to open one handed which allows us to access the earbuds
much quicker than before.
On the back you’ll find a silver hinge that looks almost exactly like the AirPods and
a Micro USB port on the bottom with a nice silver accent that matches the hinge.
And although the earbuds shake a little bit when the case is open, they're nice and compact
and very easy to remove from the case.
Now I should mention that just like the AirPods, these TWS-i9 earbuds cannot be charged individually.
So if you lose the charging case, the earbuds will become useless.
Now wearing these things in your ears is very comfortable and secure, which is a huge improvement
from the previous i7s.
And keep in mind that these i9 earbuds are the same size as the AirPods so you can expect
the same level of comfort.
Now these earbuds charge up in about 45 minutes and provide three hours of music playback
or talk time, which is more than enough for most users.
And the charging case provides about three recharges to the earbuds before running out
of power.
So these earbuds have blue and red LEDs that are used to indicate pairing and charging
status.
While pairing, the earbuds flash blue and red which means they’re ready to be discovered
by your device.
And while charging, they shine red inside the case and turn off once fully charged.
As for the charging case itself, it also has a red LED that turns on while charging and
also turns off when fully powered.
Now while in use, the only way to check the battery life on these things is directly from
your device.
So let’s go through the pairing process and connect these earbuds to our device.
Now I have an iPhone 7 here, but these are bluetooth enabled with means they can be used
with any bluetooth device.
So the first thing we have to do is take the earbuds out of their charging case and find
the multi-function button on the back, we hold down on both buttons for about three
seconds, or until the LEDs begin to flash.
And if we look in our bluetooth settings we’ll find the earbuds listed under TWS-i9 and all
we have to do is tap on them to connect.
Now I didn’t have any connectivity issues with these things since they have Bluetooth
4.1 and there wasn’t any lag in music playback thanks to its EDR or enhanced data rate technology.
Now let’s get into a little more detail about music playback with these earbuds starting
with sound quality.
While they aren’t at the same level as the AirPods in this respect, they do sound much
better than the previous generation TWS-i7s.
Music still sounds a little tinny but I was definitely able to enjoy the songs since the
quality is more than passable.
As for controlling music playback, the multifunction buttons are able to pause and play your music
with a single press, but double pressing actually initiates a call to your most recent contact.
And while we’re on the subject of phone calls, let’s discuss call quality on these
things.
Right off the bat I noticed that call audio only played through the right earbud.
And that’s not uncommon with third party wireless earbuds since audio from phone calls
are mono instead of stereo.
Now there’s a microphone at the end of each of these earbuds that picks up your voice
quite well and makes phone calls much more convenient considering you can go completely
hands free.
So now let’s talk about how these TWS-i9s stack up against their predecessor the TWS-i7s.
Lets start off with the most obvious difference: their design.
With the i7s, everything was bigger.
The charging case, the earbuds themselves, the packaging.
This meant carrying the charging case in your pocket was pretty inconvenient and uncomfortable
but now that isn’t a problem thanks to the i9s compact size.
Also, the smaller earbuds fit much more comfortably in your ear and are more secure compared to
the larger i7s.
Even something as simple as opening the charging case has been improved drastically.
The magnetic lid on the i9s can be opened effortlessly one-handed and closed with a
satisfying snap.
But the lid on the i7s has a lot of resistance to it and requires quite a bit of effort to
get open.
They both have a MicroUSB port for charging, but as you can see, the newer i9 case has
nice silver accents whereas the i7 case does not.
It’s also much easier to insert and remove the earbuds from the i9s case since there’s
not a pin that you have to push the earbuds onto.
Another difference between these two models are their packaging.
Once you open their boxes it’s pretty easy to see which one is more appealing.
The TWS-i9s are presented beautifully without any plastic bags or clumsy cardboard inserts.
This may not be a big deal for most people, but I value a nice unboxing experience since
it’s the first interaction a user has with any new product.
Now lets talk about sound quality.
This is another area where the i9s have improved considerably since I can actually enjoy listening
to music with these things.
And if you remember what I said about the sound quality of the i7s, you’ll know that
I didn’t recommend them for music playback since the sound quality was so thin and tinny.
So the battery life of these two models is about the same which is pretty impressive
considering the compact size of the i9s.
But what’s more important is how these earbuds charge.
The older i7s have to be pushed down onto charging pins inside the case which becomes
pretty annoying after you’ve done it a hundred times, while the new i9s fall right into the
case without any effort at all thanks to the contact chargers that connect to the earbuds
after you’d closed the lid.
Now let’s talk about how these new TWS-i9s compare to the official Apple AirPods.
But I want to make it clear that these i9s are $40 earbuds compared to the 159 dollar
AirPods.
So the packaging is pretty similar although no one can deny that Apple provides the best
unboxing experience of any company on earth.
The plastic tray that presents the i9s does a great job framing the product but things
get a little messy underneath.
The audio quality of the i9s are a big improvement over the i7s, but still not on same level
as the AirPods.
One area where the i9s really impress is with design.
It’s the same exact size as the AirPods which is a pretty amazing accomplishment and
that means the earbuds are just as comfortable and secure in your ear.
The i9s also have something the AirPods don’t and that’s the multifunction button on each
earbud.
These buttons make it easy to play and pause music and answer calls, although they don’t
activate Siri like the AirPods can.
And finally we have to keep in mind that the AirPods do play phone call audio through both
earbuds whereas the i9s only play call audio through the right earbud.
And the beam-forming microphones on the AirPods are more advanced than the standard microphones
on the i9s, but they still do a great job of picking up your voice clearly.
Now let me give you my final thoughts on these TWS-i9 earbuds.
They’re an enormous improvement over the previous TWS-i7 model, without a huge increase
in cost.
So if you already own a pair of i7s and are looking to upgrade, I think the i9s new design
and increased performance definitely justifies making the jump to this new model.
And if you’re someone who has always wanted a pair of AirPods for the convenience and
comfort, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet because of the high price, then you should
take a serious look at the i9s.
They’re a really fantastic alternative to the AirPods at a quarter of the cost.
And while battery life may be a problem if you listen to music for hours at time, I don’t
think it’s a dealbreaker since they do charge back up pretty quickly.
So that is the unboxing and review of the TWS-i9 wireless earbuds, if you want to check
them out for yourself go ahead and click the link in the description and don’t forget
to use the 10%-off coupon code if you decide to buy them.
And if you want a chance to win a free pair, make sure you’re subscribed and leave a
comment down below so I know you’re interested.
Alright guys, thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.