Review: Boltune BH020 Wireless Earbuds

Truly wireless earbuds are not cheap. In fact, you can pay over $100 for them and still have bought a "budget" pair. So for Boltune to sell their truly wireless earbuds for under $50, they have to be pushing a bad product, right? I've had these headphones for a few days, and here is my Boltune BH020 review.

First off, let me start by making one thing clear: I never expected these to be top-tier performers with all that you get from premium models, but half the cost. Good thing, too, because they're not. They ARE, though, great earbuds that I absolutely recommend at this price point.

What's in the Box

You'll find:

• Two earbuds (yay!)
• Charging case
• 3 additional size earbud tips
• USB-C cable
• Instructions and Quick Start Guide
• Warranty card
• A voucher for a $20 Amazon Gift card if you write a review there and submit it. My guess is that anyone who buys from Amazon should get one.

What I like:

- Quality -

These are well-made earbuds, with a solid feel and nice buttons. The charging case doesn't feel premium, but it feels sturdy and long-lasting. It doesn't feel cheap, and I'm not afraid of breaking it or throwing it in an bag. The earbuds sit well into the charger, and the case seems to charge them quickly. The lid stays closed, too, so I don't worry about it opening up on its own and the buds falling out.

- Battery Life -
I will likely never be able to listen to these straight until they die and time how long it takes, but I use them off and on and never have had them die. Today I used them for well over 4 hrs and my phone still said I had 60% battery left. Granted, my volume was low, at times. Still, I couldn't be happier with battery life. It's comparable to the bluetooth buds with a wire between them. Nice thing to keep in mind, too: They're always charging when you put them away, so it really is a non-issue.

- Size -

The buds are small and the case is small. All good stuff.

- Available Controls -

Most earbuds at this price point have limited functions with their controls. Volume control usually is missing. These have full controls. Play/Pause, Skip, Voice Assistant, Answer/Hang Up, Volume, On/Off. The controls are also intuitive enough to get used to rather quickly. For example, the left earbud controls volume down and skipping back, and the right earbud controls volume up and skipping forward. Well done.

- USB-C -

This is huge. Everything should be USB-C now. Most any phone nowadays is, so are most laptops and tablets. I don't want to invest in new headphones that lock me into always needing to have a micro-USB cable around when every other device I own is USB-C. This just helps make it easier for me when I need to charge the case. USB-C is the new standard. Many other wireless earbuds are still micro-USB, some even costing 2-3 times as much. I don't get it. Good job, Boltune.

- Comfort and Fit -

 These are very comfortable. Partly, it's the nature of truly wireless earbuds as they have no weight to them. Still, these fit well in my ears and don't hurt after a while. I forget I'm wearing them, to be honest. They fit well enough. They'll fall out if you try hard enough, but you've really gotta be throwing your head around, and that will make you look weird. So don't do that.

- Mics -

People hear me just fine during a phone call, as does Google Assistant when I use voice commands.

- Sound Quality -

These sound great for the price and functions/features that come with it. It's a full package. I'm not an audiophile, but I don't hear any distortion, and I hear every instrument well enough. Highs and lows are all there, and I consistently enjoy what I hear.

- Price -

Simply put, the price is right. I'd be a little disappointed if I paid $80, but I love what I'm getting for my money at this price point.

What I Don't Like

- Sound Quality -

Wait, what? Yeah, I just said that I like it, and that's because nothing is bad about it. Still, I've had cheap bluetooth headphones that might sound better. I wish these supported APTX. They do support AAC, but I don't think that helps much. I just wish the sound was... fuller? I think that makes sense. I will say this, I don't think the bass response is as good as everyone on Amazon says it is. I never listen to music with these and think, "Wow, that sounds bad." I also never think, "Wow, that sounds good." So the sound is in every way good, but I do know that it could be better, and it's one place where the low price begins to show up.

- Buttons -

While the buttons have a nice, satisfying click, they're still buttons. To interact with the headphones, you have to press the button directly behind the speaker. So clicking the button jams the earbud into my ear. This makes me click them with reservation, which means that I might not click twice, but only once. Now the song pauses instead of volume going up. Worse is when I want to access Google, because I have to press it into my ear and hold it there. Solutions? I don't know. Touch controls are obviously the right choice here, but not at this price point. Maybe buttons that click easier. Still, the buds are comfortable, so it isn't really too bad pressing them into your ear. Just awkward and another place where the price shows itself.

- Control Response -

This means that when I want to lower the volume significantly, I need to click twice, wait, click twice, wait, click twice, wait, and then click twice. It takes forever.

- Noise Isolation -

Good, not great. It's important to make sure you try the different buds that come along with these earbuds and find your best fit.

Last Words

So these are obviously not perfect. But you can easily pay noticeably more money and get:

 - No USB-C

 - Worse battery life

 - Larger case

 - Limiting controls

 - Marginally better sound

  

In my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons. Listen, nothing has everything and everything costs something. I fully recommend these headphones.