As Bluetooth headphones, the SoundPEATS Q25 pairs with most smartphones, tablets and laptops. Indeed, you can pair two devices at once, and with the on-ear controller it is possible to use your smartphone hands free. (See also: 20 best headphones 2017 UK | Best wireless, in-ear headphones and more.)
SoundPEATS Q25 Wireless Sports Headphones review: price and value
We found the SoundPEATS Q25 retailing in the US for $37.59, and in the UK for £29, although at the time of writing UK stock was low. This puts these headphones at the bargain basement end of wireless audio devices. Cheaper even than £50 products such as the Urbanista Boston, and in a different league to the standard decent quality products such as the Sennheiser OCX 686i Sports and Philips SHQ6500CL, both of which fit around the £70 mark. More usual is to spend a three-figure sum on wireless headphones, especially those designed for sports. So it would be tempting to consider the SoundPEATS Q25 as something of a bargain. That is not far from the truth, but it is certainly not that simple. Generally speaking in the world of audio you get what you pay for. Let’s take a look at the quality of the SoundPEATS Q25 before we make a verdict. For more on budget earphones, see our best cheap headphones chart.
SoundPEATS Q25 Wireless Sports Headphones review: build quality, comfort, and design
No real problems here. The ear piece of the SoundPEATS Q25 is constructed principally of what feels like hard-wearing plastic. Two-tone black and silver, these aren’t the smallest or the prettiest earbuds, but combined with the rubber neck strap they fit snugly and securely in my generally loose lug holes. There are – as you might expect – silicon tips of various sizes, so you should be able to find a decent fit. Our only real quibble in terms of comfort is that on occasion we find they cause a slightly achy feeling after wearing the SoundPEATS Q25 for a while. It’s not an entirely fair criticism, but the struggle is real, reader.
As to the build quality we have no complaints. We’ve been using the Q25 for a couple of weeks, running and cycling every day, as well as around the house and on the train. This necessitates the SoundPEATS Q25 being slung in a bag more often than not. And to date there is not a mark on them. More importantly they are pretty compact and feel solid, so it feels like nothing much can go wrong. There is a little rubber door for the USB port that we have our eye on, but as yet it is in decent shape.
SoundPEATS Q25 Wireless Sports Headphones review: in use
Setting up and pairing the SoundPEATS Q25 is simple and straightforward. You hold down the multipurpose button and search for it on your Bluetooth enabled device. Standard stuff. We’ve had no problem pairing these earphones with several Android and iOS devices, and even used it simultaneously paired to both our Sony Xperia Z5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones. I’m not sure how often you would want to do this, but it works well enough. The SoundPEATS Q25 uses Bluetooth 4.1. As such its range is quoted as 10m, but we found we could stretch that to 15- or even 20m without losing contact. The SoundPEATS Q25 works perfectly well as a handsfree headset for your phone, if that is your thing. To answer a call you tap the multifunction button, which as the middle of three on your right earpiece is pretty easy to find. One minor gripe is that the action to reject a call is also to hold down the same button, but for longer. Two seconds is a long hold, but we still managed to accidentally reject a call or two. Our only major pain point was fairly frequent connection interference. It seems to happen principally when running or cycling vigorously, although I can think of no technical reason why this would be. But the effect is like a record jumping or a CD skipping. Irritating in the extreme. It’s possible this is a minor fault with my phone, but it is worth mentioning none the less. SoundPEATS quotes a seven-hour battery life in use, and we couldn’t argue with that in our testing. It does take over an hour to fully charge from dead, however. A red LED comes on when the battery is low, but it is easy to miss toucked away on your right ear. (See also: Best cheap Bluetooth speaker | 20 best budget Bluetooth speakers 2017 UK.)
SoundPEATS Q25 Wireless Sports Headphones review: sound quality
At this price you are not getting audiophile quality, and the SoundPEATS Q25 are definitely at the budget end of the range. It features aptX lossless audio and CVC noise reduction. For spoken word podcasts we like the audio quality. Unlike early iterations of Bluetooth audio the sound is rich and warm. When we get into music, however, the results aren’t great – although they are by no means terrible. Just don’t expect lots of detail at the high end or much punch in the bass. Reverb heavy acoustic guitar music, indie rock and folk are okay. That warmth helps here. But heavy metal suffers from a lack of top end, and hip hop or drum n bass feels a tad weedy. The bass is there, just not hugely clear. Overall this is exactly what you expect at this price. For most listeners to digital audio music the experience will be fine, just not great. Matt Egan is Global Editorial Director of IDG, publisher of Tech Advisor, and a passionate technology fan who writes on subjects as diverse as smartphones, internet security, social media and Windows.
