Alright, audio enthusiasts (and budget-conscious music lovers!), let’s delve into the world of the Oraimo FreePods Lite. I’ve been using these earbuds for a while now, and they cater perfectly to a specific audience.
If you crave long battery life and a bass-heavy sound signature without breaking the bank, the FreePods Lite are strong contenders. Let’s explore their strengths and weaknesses to see if they fit your listening style.
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But before that, where in Oraimo’s product-line does this fall? For the price, these can be though to be in direct competition with the Oraimo Riff from a few years ago, but learns from the years of experience and user feedback to deliver a more superior product for the same price, sometimes less.
Look and Feel
The Freepods Lite adopt a playful, translucent look that we haven’t seen before in Oraimo’s product line but one that is slowly becoming a fad in mainstream tech with the Nothing Phones and more.
The case is made of translucent plastic allowing you to have a glimpse of the internals of the case. The buds too adopt a similar look allowing you to see the circuitry and battery of the buds. This is cool if you’re into that kind of vibe.
Sound Quality: A Bass Odyssey (with Caveats)
First up, the sound. As a self-proclaimed bass enthusiast, I was immediately drawn to the Oraimo’s signature sound. It leans heavily on the low-end, making genres like hip-hop and electronic music come alive. Basslines thumped with satisfying power, perfect for getting pumped during workouts or grooving to your favorite beats.
Oraimo’s HavyBass is something I have experienced in other buds like the Freepods 4 but this hits different on these buds. The bass is richer and deeper with little distortion.
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However, there’s a flip side to this bass emphasis. If you prefer a more neutral or balanced sound profile, you might find the mids and highs a little subdued. Instruments like guitars or vocals can sound slightly muffled compared to the prominent bass. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker for everyone, but audiophiles seeking pristine clarity might want to look elsewhere.
The Oraimo Sound App allows you to select from a few preinstalled EQs which can suit your needs. You might also want to create your own EQ that suits your particular taste and this is a feature that I absolutely love about these budget buds.
Environmental Noise Cancellation
Another factor to consider is the lack of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This means ambient noise can easily creep into your listening experience. While the earbuds themselves provide some passive noise isolation, it’s not enough to completely block out external sounds. Sitting in a noisy cafe or commuting on a busy matatu might require cranking up the volume to drown out the background noise, which can affect battery life and your ears.
The Oraimo FreePods Lite utilize 10mm dynamic drivers, a decent size for earbuds in this price range. They don’t offer the detailed soundstage of higher-end models, but they deliver a punchy and enjoyable listening experience, especially for bass lovers.
Fit and Comfort: Finding the Sweet Spot
The FreePods Lite come with a selection of ear tips in various sizes, allowing you to customize the fit for your ears. This is crucial because a good fit is essential for comfort and sound quality. Unfortunately, achieving that perfect fit might take some trial and error. During extended listening sessions, I did experience a bit of pressure building up in my ears, suggesting the design might not be ideal for everyone.
Battery Life: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Now let’s talk about the star of the show: battery life. This is where the Oraimo FreePods Lite truly shine. They boast a claimed 8 hours of playback on a single charge, which is already quite impressive. But the real magic lies in the charging case. It packs an additional 32 hours of juice, bringing the total playtime to a whopping 40 hours.
That’s right, you can listen to music for almost two full days without needing to recharge! This makes them perfect for long trips, vacations, or even music marathons. And if you’re ever caught with a low battery, the quick charge function delivers 120 minutes of playback time with just a 10-minute charge. This is a lifesaver for those moments when you need a quick boost before heading out the door.
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Call Quality: Making Your Voice Heard (Mostly)
The Oraimo FreePods Lite come equipped with two microphones and Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) technology. This is a welcome feature for making calls, as it aims to filter out background noise and improve call clarity. In my experience, the ENC did a decent job of reducing some ambient noise, but it wasn’t perfect. Call quality was generally acceptable, with my voice coming through clearly on the other end. However, during calls in particularly noisy environments, some background noise might still be noticeable.
Connectivity: A Stable Connection (Without the Bells and Whistles)
The Oraimo FreePods Lite utilize Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity. This offers a stable connection with a decent range, ensuring minimal dropouts or audio lag during music playback or calls. Pairing them to my phone was a breeze, following the standard Bluetooth pairing process.
However, unlike some higher-end models, the FreePods Lite don’t support high-quality audio codecs like aptX or LDAC. These codecs offer improved audio quality compared to the standard SBC codec, but their absence shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for most casual listeners.
Color Options
Additional Features: Packing a Punch
The Oraimo FreePods Lite offer some additional features that enhance the overall user experience. The touch controls on the earbuds allow you to perform basic functions like playback control, volume adjustment, and activating your voice assistant. This is a convenient way to control your music or access your phone’s functionalities without having to take out your phone.
The IPX4 water resistance rating makes them suitable for workouts or running in light rain. This means they can withstand sweat and splashes, giving you peace of mind during exercise sessions.
The Oraimo Sound App adds a touch of customization to your listening experience. While the app’s functionalities might be more limited compared to some competitors, it allows you to adjust the EQ settings to slightly tweak the sound signature. You can boost the treble a bit if you find the bass a little overwhelming, or create custom presets for different music genres.
Alternatives
Here’s a quick comparison to some similar earbuds in the same price range:
- JLab Go Air Pop: These offer a more balanced sound signature and a comfortable fit, but their battery life isn’t as impressive as the Oraimo FreePods Lite.
- Skullcandy Jib True: Another budget-friendly option with a fun, bass-boosted sound. However, the call quality might not be as good as the Oraimo FreePods Lite.
- Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2: These boast superior sound quality with ANC capabilities, but they come at a slightly higher price point.
Pricing and Availability
With just how desirable Oraimo products have become, it is easy for sellers to put impractical and unrealistic markups on these prices. You shouldn’t pay anything more that KES 2000 for the Oraimo Freepods Lite.
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There are official stores on Jumia and even Oraimo’s own eShop that will give you the RRP or at least close to it so start there while stocks last.