If you want clear audio with powerful tones across all frequencies on a budget, ODDICT may just be the company to go with. The lifestyle brand has long been associated with great audio devices. And ODDICT TWIG, recently sent to Android Headlines for review, is the latest in its true wireless earbud line up.
Now, I set my expectations relatively high for these earbuds. Especially since they come with their own free-to-use equalizer app. And especially since they pack some fairly top-tier features such as both quick and wireless charging. They also come with an IPX4 rating, autoplay, auto-pause, and more all packed into a sleek metal and plastic round package. While the earbuds themselves are a silicone-tipped stick-style device with dual-12mm drivers and no wires.
But there’s more here than specs. So let’s dig in and take a closer look at these earbuds.
ODDICT hardware is well-balanced for minimal style and functionality
The first and most noteworthy hardware aspect when opening and unboxing ODDICT TWIG for this review was the weight. Or the lack of any real weight, to be more precise. The case for these earbuds fit neatly in my hand and its heft is barely noticeable at all.
The design, conversely, is unique among earbud cases. Although the earbuds themselves are a fairly standard stick-like design, the round carry/ charging case is not. ODDICT topped one side with metal and the other in plastic to allow wireless charging. There’s a shallow concave curve along the edge. And the lid is held in place by magnets, flipping out from that edge. Grooves help with one-handed operation, making these among the easiest I’ve ever used one-handed.
Opening the case up, the magnets holding the buds are strong but not so strong that it’s difficult to remove them. ODDICT mounted the charging contacts to the bottom of the stick. It tucked highly-responsive touch-zones along the outward-facing edge. The hinge is sturdy and the earbuds IPX4 rating makes them impervious to sweat, but not to heavy rain or submersion.
In terms of the outside of the earbuds, the solid plastic tip on ODDICT TWIG is unique too. Namely, because it’s wrapped in a rubber casing that makes them more comfortable to wear over time. At least compared to similarly-styled earbuds.
And, speaking of unique highlights, the carry case those earbuds slot into has an extra LED. ODDICT embedded a blinking LED to show when the earbuds themselves are charged. That’s in addition to four LEDs to indicate charging case power remaining. And that’s a big bonus. Or at least bigger than it might seem at first glance. As often as not, true wireless earbuds make it all but impossible to judge when the buds themselves are fueled up and ready to go.
ODDICT didn’t shirk when it comes to design on the buds either, with those proving surprisingly lightweight too under review. The coloration is flashy without being overstated as well, landing at a sophisticated balance between pomp and functionality.
Battery features are great, but battery life falls just short of great
Now, the average battery life for earbuds on the modern market typically falls between 4-hours and 8-hours. Or at least, for truly wireless earbuds in this price bracket. But these didn’t quite meet that expectation. That’s disappointing for reasons we’ll get to momentarily.
As noted above, ODDICT went a long way to improve certain battery features here. First, it includes an LED explicitly to indicate when the earbuds are charged up. It also ensures an hour of listening can be had from 10-minutes of charging, and there are three charges from the case. But it takes between 45-minutes to an hour to charge just the headphones themselves. And over two hours to charge up the earbuds and the case once those are drained.
Worse, at least for those who need all day earbuds, ODDICT TWIG only lasted 3-hours and 47-minutes during my review. That’s on a single charge at 80 percent volume with EQ and other advanced features running via the ODDICT app. And at a distance of around 15 feet on average. That’s going to be fine for some users but not for those who need these to last longer.
You’ll also want a secondary USB A to USB-C cable for charging. The one that’s included is only a few inches long, which is great for portability. But awful when you want to plug into a compatible 5V/1A wall adapter. Especially if the adapter needs to be placed behind or next to furniture.
Audio quality absolutely did not disappoint from ODDICT TWIG
Audio quality is, it must be said, subjective. Ears don’t all work the same, even when it’s two ears on the same person. But, for a pair of earbuds in the $150 range, ODDICT TWIG absolutely is fantastic.
The earbuds present highs clearly. With those notes cutting through despite pounding bass and mids are balanced throughout. That remained the case regardless of which media I was listening to. Or which genre.
Of course, ANC and other similar noise-canceling features are not present. ODDICT designed these in a style that simply doesn’t support that. Even with rubber-coated ear tips helping to keep sound trapped in the ear and aid with comfort. But that’s okay.
The 12mm dual carbon paper drivers offer powerful enough audio at levels under 50-percent so that external audio is mostly nonexistent anyway. And the fit was good enough, at least during my review of ODDICT TWIG, that it didn’t slip even when engaged in a workout. Or cycling, running, or during other vigorous activities.
TWIG doesn’t quite meet the standards to be termed “audiophile-ready” either. The buds keep distortions and artifacts to a minimum, I did note some fuzz in the playback during some songs on YouTube Music. That could easily have been the result of the app and file-format used. These earbuds only support SBC and AAC audio codec. The problem didn’t occur in other media apps. And it seemed to go away after a few minutes of listening or when I stopped and restarted the app.
But the earbuds deliver punch and depth to spare as well. So that shouldn’t be a problem for those who don’t want to buy a pricier listening device.
Connectivity and special features are respectable with these buds
Connections and audio with ODDICT TWIG are already solid thanks to powerful drivers and Bluetooth 5.0. I tested these at over 40-feet with no cutout or distortion. But the real headliner here is the ODDICT app, shipped for use with TWIG and used throughout my review.
The app lets you pair up the headphones with extra features including an equalizer, presets, autoplay, and a highly accurate battery readout. But it takes things a step further still to allow detection in case you lose your earbuds too. And that’s yet another feature that’s all-too-often missing. Especially for a device that’s as small and potentially as easy to lose as an earbud.
With the app installed and registered, for free, you can not only see where you last had a connection with your earbuds via a Find Me feature. You can also force the earbuds to put out a 2MHz tone that’s audible without wearing the buds. It’s loud enough, in fact, that you really shouldn’t test it while wearing the buds. So ODDICT made it easy to hunt down earbuds after they’ve been swallowed up by the couch or a seat in your car.
Should you buy ODDICT TWIG?
Summarily, ODDICT TWIG offers a powerful listening experience with one or two caveats. None of those is really a deal-breaker but the key headlining features are clear. Namely, these are likely the earbuds you’ll want to buy if you want a dedicated app with EQ settings, an accurate battery indication, and wireless charging. Especially if, like me, you hate not knowing when your earbuds have finished charging from the carry case.
They absolutely do not offer the best battery life on the market right now. But at under $150, and given their diminutive size and weight, that’s not necessarily a problem either. Easy-to-master touch controls, fast charging, and comfort all help to make up for that in this wearable. They aren’t quite good enough to make any list of top devices unless you’re looking for something super stylish. But most users are going to love what these earbuds offer for the money.