True wireless headphones are no longer uncommon. These days, there are dozens of true wireless headphones models on the market, and they’re often inexpensive and affordable. One of the newest models, however, seems to be even cheaper than the rest. The SoundPeats TrueFree headphones have a price of a measly $35.99, which is pretty impressive for a pair of headphones that would have been revolutionary if launched five years ago.
But what are the compromises made to get these headphones to such an inexpensive level? Are they worth buying, or should you look elsewhere? We put the SoundPeats TrueFree headphones to the test to find out.
Design
The SoundPeats TrueFree true wireless headphones look decent, but they’re a little boring overall. Both the earbuds and the charging case feature an all-black color-scheme, with the SoundPeats logo featuring on each piece.
The earbuds aren’t overly big, which is nice to see — and will likely play into comfort level a little later. They’re not as small as some true wireless headphones we’ve seen, but they’re still pretty small.
On each earbud, you’ll find a button, with the buttons being used to control playback, volume, and so on. Pressing the buttons requires pushing — of course — but because of the placement of the buttons you’ll also be pushing the earbuds deeper into your ears, which can be a little uncomfortable.
The charging case charges through a MicroUSB cable. We wish SoundPeats would have used a USB-C connector, but didn’t expect that considering the price range. Also in the box, you’ll find three extra pairs of ear tips, and it’s worth experimenting with them to find the right size.
The headphones generally look good, but they’re a little boring — and there are a few quirks to consider.
Comfort
Because of the fact that the headphones are relatively small and light, we actually found that they were pretty comfortable during use. Any in-ear headphones are going to have some level of discomfort, but we found that these headphones generally avoided comfort issues that other true wireless headphones run into.
The headphones were also actually pretty good at staying in the ears. These headphones simply aren’t built for sports or running, so if you use them for that, don’t be surprised when they fall out. That said, during normal use, they should stay in your ears decently well.
Sound
Ultimately, sound quality is the area that many cheap headphones compromise on — but thankfully, the SoundPeats TrueFree headphones actually don’t sound all that bad for the price. Sure, they’re not audiophile-grade headphones — but they’re not terrible either.
Let’s start with the bass, which is relatively deep and powerful given the headphones’ size and price range. Kick drums are able to punch through a mix decently well, despite the fact that the bass extension isn’t all that great.
The mid range, as you might expect, is a little all over the place, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Low mids are decently warm, but they’re overshadowed a bit by the boosted high mids, which can sound a little shrill at times.
The highs sound fine, but they’re not nearly as present as we would have liked. Music is decently detailed for this price range, but it’s far from perfect.
Performance
The SoundPeats TrueFree headphones connect to your listening device through Bluetooth 5.0, and we found that they were pretty good at retaining that connection. We never really ran into any skips or jumps during playback, and had no trouble initially pairing the headphones.
The battery life on the headphones sits in at 3.5 hours, which isn’t great. That said, the charging case will get you a total of 15 hours of use, so if you don’t think you’ll be using the headphones for more than a few hours at a time, then the 3.5-hour battery life of the individual buds should be enough for most.
Conclusions
The SoundPeats TrueFree headphones aren’t perfect, but for the price they actually have a ton to offer. The design might be a little boring, but they certainly don’t sound bad. They’re also pretty comfortable, and sound good given their price.
But are they the best option in their price range? Well, so far, we think they’re pretty close. If you can spend an extra $15, then the JLab Audio JBuds are a little better, but if $50 is a little much, then these are an excellent option.
Given their excellent value for money, we’re awarding the SoundPeats TrueFree headphones the Headphone Review Bronze Medal.