Motorola moto buds+ has many interesting highlights. In addition to the tuning in cooperation with Bose, there are also coaxial dual-unit acoustic system, Hi-Res certification, LHDC encoding, AI dynamic ANC and so on.
Motorola Moto Buds+ specs and features:
- Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC/AAC/LHDC codec
- Multipoint connection & Qi Wireless charging
- 4 – 8 hours playback of per charge (AAC+ANC on/off)
- Charging case can charge earbuds fully 3 times
- IPX4 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
- $150 – Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Appearance Design and Comfort
The moto buds+ charging case has a rough matte texture and a raised granular feel, which is not easy to leave fingerprints and can also play a good anti-slip role. The case is compact and easy to carry and store.
There is a groove in the middle of the front of the charging case, which is convenient for opening the lid. Below the groove, there is an LED indicator to display the pairing status, etc. The back of the case is equipped with a USB-C charging port, and the hinge part is made of metal. Plus, there is a multi-function button inside the charging case.
Moto Buds+ earbuds adopt an in-ear design and use a variety of materials. The transition from the cavity to the earbud-stem is a large-angle bend, and the material is similar to the charging case. There is a pressure relief hole on the outside of the earbud-stem, and the touch control area is below. The inner side of the cavity is close to the ear, and a smooth material with a skin-like texture is used, which is very comfortable to wear.
The earbud cavity curve fits the auricle curve, the earbud-stem is short, and a single earbud weighs only 4.2g. It is very comfortable to wear and there is no obvious discomfort after using it for 1 hour. There is no looseness or displacement when walking and jogging, and it can maintain a relatively stable state. Plus, the moto buds+ supports wearing detection and IPX4 waterproof rating.
Connectivity, App Support and Controls
The earbuds use Bluetooth 5.3 technology and support SBC/AAC/LHDC codec. Open the charging case and press and hold the multi-function button for 2 seconds, after the LED indicator flashes blue, you can click “moto buds+” in the bluetooth list of the mobile phone to connect.
Also, the Moto Buds+ supports multipoint connection, meaning you can connect it to two devices at the same time. Note that you need to turn on the dual-device connection function in the app.
The buds+ supports the Moto Buds App for Android and iOS – once you install and open the app, it will automatically connect to the earphones. Once connected, you can see the remaining battery life of the earbuds and the charging case in the app. In noise control, you can easily switch to different noise cancelling modes, including off, transparency mode, automatic adjustment, and noise cancelling.
In the sound interface, you can choose preset sound effects, including bright treble, bass boost, vocal boost, and balanced mode. If you are not satisfied, you can also customize the equalizer with rich adjustment options. You can also turn on the game mode or Hi-Res mode in the app to get a better sound experience.
Without the app, you can also use the touch control area of the earbuds to achieve basic control schemes. Double-tap the earbuds to play/pause music or answer/end call. Triple-tap the right earbud to play the next song, and triple-tap the left earbud to play the previous song. Long press the earbud for 3s to switch between different noise cancelling modes. Unfortunately, the volume cannot be adjusted through the earbuds.
Battery Life, Games and Video Playback
The Moto Buds+ plays videos without issues on both Android and iPhone. There’s lipsync performance in video apps like YouTube and Apple TV.
The Buds+ also has a dedicated low-latency game mode you can activate from the Android and iPhone app. This helps to synchronize the sound effects with the action on your screen.
With ANC off, the battery life is up to 8 hours for per charge and up to 38 hours total. With ANC on, the battery life is up to 4 hours. The LHDC on will further reduce the battery life. Plus, the moto buds+ supports fast charging – charge for 10 minutes and listen to music for 3 hours. The case charges using USB-C or Qi wireless charging.
ANC Noise Cancelling of Moto Buds+
The main control chip of Moto Buds+ is BES2600YUC, which is mostly used in mid-range TWS earbuds. The buds+ supports AI dynamic Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), but no specific noise cancelling parameters were found. You can switch between off, transparency mode, automatic adjustment and noise cancelling.
In automatic adjustment mode, the sound of air conditioners and keyboards in the office can be significantly reduced, and the sound of nearby conversations can also be effectively reduced, but some noise can still be heard. The noise cancelling mode will filter the noise more thoroughly (not 100%), so if you need a quieter environment, you can turn on this mode.
The transparency mode on Moto Buds+ will pick up brighter ambient noise when you need it, allowing you to hear the surrounding environment. With transparency mode turned on, you can communicate normally with people nearby – provided that the music is turned off.
Plus, a single earbud has 3 built-in microphones and supports AI call noise cancelling. But, I didn’t test it here.
Acoustic Configuration and Sound Quality
Moto Buds+ is jointly tuned by moto and Bose, equipped with a coaxial dual-unit (11mm dynamic unit + 6mm micro-plane tweeter) acoustic system. It is Hi-Res certified and supports LHDC codec.
Disappointingly, their sound quality isn’t very good. The bass is adequate, but messy and loose. The vocals are huddled together without any beauty. They benefit from a separate tweeter to avoid being harsh.
Also, Dolby head tracking and LE Audio (LC3) protocols are supported. Please note that they can only be used after subsequent OTA upgrades, and head tracking is only supported on some Motorola phones.
Conclusion
The Moto Buds+ has obvious advantages in workmanship and wearing, and also supports wireless charging. The disadvantages are that the sound quality and battery life are not good, and the noise cancelling ability is also mediocre, so the overall product strength is very average.
Check Motorola Moto Buds+ price:
- Check latest price on Amazon US
- Check latest price on Amazon Germany
- Check latest price on other Amazon countries
