Here we are with yet another true wireless stereo (TWS) Bluetooth headphones review! If it’s not apparent by now, TWS earbuds are quickly gaining in popularity due to the fact they are completely wire free. Our iTeknic TWS Bluetooth Earbuds review takes a look at yet another pair offering decent sound at a very affordable price. Read on for our full review!
Specifications
The iTeknic TWS Bluetooth Earbuds (BH004) have the following features and specifications:
- True Wireless & Bluetooth 5.0
- Precision-tuned Sound & Stereo Calling
- Charge on the Go & 24H Playtime
- Ergonomics Design & Comfy to Wear
- Advanced Touch Control
- Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.0
- Bluetooth range: 10m
- Battery life: up to 5.5 hours on a single charge, Up to 24 hours with the included case
- Charging voltage: DC 5V
- Charging current: ≤120mA
- Charging time: 2 hours
- Operating temperature: -10~40℃
- Waterproof rating: IPX5
- Product Size: 39 x 23 x 21mm
- Product weight: 9.18g
What’s in the box
- iTeknic IK-BH004 TWS Bluetooth Earbuds
- Charging Case
- 3 sizes eartips (S, M, L)
- Micro-USB charging cable
- User Manual
Design
The matte black iTeknic TWS Bluetooth Earbuds have what I call the stick design. The top of the earbud looks rather similar to wired or wireless earbuds. Featuring an angled cylinder, the actual earbud angles forward with the ear tip attached to the end for a nice ergonomic fit. These earbuds come with three different ear tip sizes so you shouldn’t have any issues with a proper fit.
The outer portion of the earbud is flat and features a round multi-function button. Grooved with concentric circles, the button also has a small LED near the top. The LED changes colour depending on the earbud status. They will blink white when connecting to your device and red when charging or the battery is low.
Hanging down from each earbud is the stick. Matte black as well, the iTeknic logo is printed in gloss black along this piece. IT’s subtle and doesn’t really stand out all that much. At the bottom of the stick is where you’ll find the charging contacts. On the inside of each stick, near the bottom, is an L or R to indicate which ear the earbud goes in.
As for the earbuds themselves, they are pretty comfortable and stay in place — once you have found the proper sized ear tip for your ears. Not only is the right size important for a proper and secure fit, but it also helps with the sound as we’ll discuss shortly.
As with any TWS earbud, the iTeknic BH004 earbuds come with a charging/carrying case. The case is rather small, roughly 2 1/8 x 1 7/8 x 1-inch. The top third is the lid and there is a small indent where you can grasp with your fingernail or skin to open it up easily. Underneath this are three LEDs which indicate the current battery life remaining in the case. Underneath the LEDs is the iTeknic logo debossed in gloss black. The right side of the case is where you’ll find the Micro-USB charging port.
Opening up the lid, you’ll see the top of the earbuds. Removing them will expose the long narrow receptacle on the bottom side of the case with a hollowed out area for the bottom half of the earbud. The underside of the lid is hollowed out in the shape of the top half of the earbud.
Ease of Use
To be honest, Bluetooth earbuds are pretty easy to use these days. In the case of the iTeknic model, pairing is easy, as is to be expected. Upon first pairing, however, the left earbud had no sound. If this happens, simply place both earbuds back in the case, wait for the red light to come on, remove them, and they should pair back up with no issues. Once I did that, the issue never cropped up again.
Once paired, the earbuds can be controlled using the multi-function buttons on each earbud. The presses to control your music, phone, and voice assistant are as follows:
- Double click L or R: pause or play current track
- Triple click L: previous track (cannot be used in mono mode)
- Triple click R: next track (cannot be used in mono mode)
- Hold R: increase volume
- Hold L: decrease volume
- Long press L or R for 2 seconds: launches voice assistant; hang up on a call
- Short press L or R: answer call; answer new call and hold previous call; switch between active calls
With regards to the multi-function button controls, given the size of the button area, I had no issues with any of the above functions.
In the button press list above, you may have noticed the phrase “cannot be used in mono mode.” As it suggests, these earbuds can be used independently from each other and you can use both or the right one to listen to music or take calls, or the left one to listen to music.
Sound Quality
Unfortunately, TWS earbuds are hit and miss when it comes to sound quality. That being said, the iTeknic TWS Bluetooth earbuds have pretty decent sound, especially given the price. Audio seems to be pretty balanced between lows, mids, and highs.
While there is a decent amount of bass, I did find that it came and went based on the fit of the earbuds. When I noticed the bass starting to lack a bit, a quick adjustment of the earbuds seemed to fix it. After doing this a few times, I switched the ear tips to one size larger and the better fit seemed to also provide a better and consistent bass sound.
Overall, these earbuds are crisp and clear with a fair amount of volume. They could definitely use a bit more volume and bass but overall, I think most people would be pleased with the sound quality here.
Reception
With Bluetooth 5.0 on board, the earbuds didn’t have any issues with pairing to my Pixel 3. Reception was decent enough but only lasted about 30 feet before starting to cut out. Personally, this isn’t a big issue for me as I mostly wear earbuds while close to my phone anyways.
Microphone/Call Quality
During our test call, I did find I had to speak a bit louder, but not too much so when speaking with the other party. When speaking at normal volumes, I was asked to repeat myself or speak up a bit. Once I did, there were no issues with the call.
Battery Life
iTeknic claims that you’ll get up to 5 1/2 hours on a single charge. During our testing, that held true and when used at about 75% volume, we actually got close to 6 hours on a couple of occasions. With TWS earbuds getting better at battery life, these ones are well above older versions which max out at about 3 hours but are on the slightly lower end of the new 8-hour average given some of our recent reviews.
When depleted, the earbuds take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to recharge from the 500mAh case. When the case is full, it can recharge the earbuds about 2 1/2 times which gives you a total of up to 19-20 hours before needing to recharge the case.
Price/Value
With an MSRP of US$49.99, the iTeknic TWS Earbuds are very reasonably priced for the sound quality and battery life.
Wrap-up
The iTeknic BH004 earbuds offer up pretty decent sound and battery life for those looking for an affordable pair of TWS earbuds. While there is room for improvement, overall they are a pretty decent option given the price.
*We were sent a sample of the iTeknic TWS Earbuds (BH004) for the purposes of this review. In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. Running a website does take money, along with time. Any purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
