Review of the TECNO wireless headphone line in 2024: True 1 Air, Buds 4 and Buds 4 Air

As we know very well, modern smartphones are a little older than the basic ones – they all lack an analog headphone jack. This means that the user almost necessarily has to buy a wireless headset (or struggle with adapters from a digital to analog connector). Taking another logical step, we get an excellent market for any smartphone manufacturer. Previously populated by specialty brands, today the headphone market offers almost the same set of names as the phone market. No, Sennhaiser or Audio Technica have not gone away, they have simply moved into the segment for special connoisseurs.

But in the mass segment, brands familiar to us from the main gadgets of our time reign – and recently (two years ago the TECNO Buds 1 TWS headset was released), TECNO has been included in this number. She even managed to surprise with unusual headphones that can be used both with ear pads and without – Sonic 1. In this article we will talk about more or less standard TWS headphones, aimed at the budget segment, but at the same time very interesting – first of all combination of price and characteristics.

The oldest of the three models is TECNO True 1 Air.

They immediately attract attention with the unusual design of the case, made in the form of a slider with a sliding lid. In a world of complete unification with “egg-shaped” cases with “magnetic” lids, such a solution looks downright bold. It is implemented with high quality – the lid is equipped with closers and magnets, it is pleasant to interact with the case. But the headphones, which are placed horizontally in the case, do not always fit well into the groove, and in this case it is easy to confuse the left with the right; sometimes you have to spend extra seconds on their placement.

On the case we see a USB Type-C connector for the power cable, a status indicator and a forced synchronization button via Bluetooth (but I didn’t have to use it; pairing is activated as soon as you open the lid).

The headphones are available in two colors: “elegant black” and “cream white”. They received IPX5 water protection, and, alas, I had to test them in extreme conditions – a child threw the headphones (without a case) into a bucket of water. They lay there for about 5 seconds and survived without losing their consumer properties.

The headphones themselves are of a traditional design, with a closed design and replaceable silicone ear pads. Their feature is not only comfortable wearing in the ear canal, which provides a high level of passive noise insulation, but also active noise reduction – the system allegedly filters ambient noise up to 42 dB. I checked – outside noise is effectively cut off, you can even listen to podcasts not at maximum volume.

There is also noise reduction for microphones – there are three of them in each earbud. Moreover, you can communicate while listening to music: when the user speaks, noise reduction is automatically turned off, and the music volume is reduced without the need to remove the headphones.

The 840 mAh battery built into the case allows you to count on 50 hours of operation of the headphones, taking into account their recharging in the case. Each earphone has a built-in 55 mAh battery, which provides them with up to 8.5 hours of battery life. Both figures take into account noise reduction disabled, but still impressive.

The next highest-ranking model is TECNO Buds 4.

These are one of the most inexpensive active noise canceling wireless headphones on the market (not from a noname brand). It is not as effective as on the True 1 Air – it cuts out noise with a volume of up to 25 dB, but this level allows you to count on them not only on the street, but also in transport (however, the volume will have to be turned up closer to the maximum).

Each earphone has two built-in microphones, and there is also noise reduction that works during conversations.

The case here has a classic design – but with a twist in the form of a translucent lid through which the headphones can be seen.

There are already three colors here: blue, black and white. We also note that on the stem of the headphones, like the True 1 Air, there is a touch surface that allows you to control volume, playback and noise reduction (turn it on, turn it off and activate the “transparency mode” with amplification of external sounds).

Without using noise cancellation, TECNO Buds 4 can work up to 28 hours with charging from the case and up to 5 hours without it.

The youngest model in the line is TECNO Buds 4 Air.

These headphones are close in characteristics, and even in appearance, to the Buds 4, but they are already devoid of noise reduction (when listening to music; the microphones here are also noise-canceling).

The case is simpler – without a transparent lid, but there are also three colors – white, black and blue. An important feature is the very small size of the case; you won’t feel it in your pocket at all.

An interesting feature of TECNO Buds 4 Air is that each earbud, like the case, has an LED indicator. Another feature is splash protection according to the IPX4 standard; despite their initial status, these headphones can also be used not only in good weather.

The battery life of Tecno Buds 4 Air is up to 22 hours taking into account the resource of the case and up to 5.5 hours without it.

The recommended retail price for TECNO True 1 Air is 5,690 rubles, Buds 4 – 2,190 rubles, Buds 4 Air – 1,690 rubles.