Motorola Moto Buds+ review: universal TWS headphones with ANC and high-quality microphone

Motorola has released new TWS headphones Moto Buds+. Judging by the partnership with Bose, available features, and price tag, the fresh audio gadget is clearly aimed at competing with popular models from Apple, Samsung, Google, Oneplus, and others. We have already tested the novelty for some time, so we have our own opinion on the ability of Motorola Moto Buds+ to compete with the above-mentioned models. We will also share our impressions of the device, tell you about its features, etc.

Motorola Moto Buds+

Pluses:

design; versatile sound quality with soft bass and detail; ergonomics and «chew test»; battery life; ANC functions; microphone quality; moisture protection for headphones and case

Minuses:

branded case; sometimes slow switching between devices; for some people the bass will be too low; for some people the price will be too high

8.5/10

Rating ITC.ua

Motorola Moto Buds+ specifications

Packaging and equipment

Motorola Moto Buds+ come in a small blue box.

Inside are the headphones themselves and the case, a short USB-C cable, replaceable ear cushions, instructions and documentation.

Motorola Moto Buds+ design and ergonomics

Motorola Moto Buds+ has a rectangular case with rounded corners. The case is made of matte plastic. In the middle of the hinged lid we can see a large brand logo and the inscription Sound by BOSE.

The front end has a notch for easy opening of the case and an LED indicator. The back has a USB-C port for charging.

The inside of the case is also made of matte plastic. On the lid we see the Motorola inscription, and on the main part there are L and R inscriptions to indicate the headphones, as well as a physical function button.

The case can be opened easily with one hand, and the headphones are firmly held in its grooves. They don’t fall out even when you open the lid and shake them vigorously.

The headphones are in-ear, have a medium-length leg and a touch zone on it, mesh under which microphones, charging contacts, and a glossy strip are hidden.

The matte plastic is pleasant to the touch and a little rough. However, dust and fingerprints are clearly visible on it. But it’s also easy to wipe off.

Features of the Motorola Moto Buds+

The Motorola Moto Buds+ case is protected against dust and moisture according to the IPX4 standard. And the headphones have a little better protection and are IP54. This means that you can get caught in the rain and run with them because they are resistant to sweat. But you definitely shouldn’t swim or take a shower with headphones on.

TWS headphones are equipped with dual dynamic drivers. This is an 11 mm woofer + 6 mm tweeter. The audio device supports many popular codecs. Among them are SBC, AAC, AptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, aptX HD, aptX.

Connection, application, and management

Motorola Moto Buds+ support Bluetooth 5.3. The first connection is as follows. Open the case and press the function button inside for a few seconds. Then a window appears on the smartphone screen with a prompt to connect the headphones. They can connect to two devices simultaneously and quickly switch between them.

Before the first connection, I recommend that you first install the app Moto Buds. In this case, when the connection window appears, it immediately takes you to the application, where you can customize the headphones for yourself. Here you can change the active noise reduction and switch to «transparent» mode.

Through Moto Buds, you can check the charge of the case and headphones, activate the aforementioned dual-connect function, dig into the equalizer and select one of the ready-made presets, and turn on the game mode (the signal transmission delay is reduced, but the sound quality is not the best, but it is enough for gaming).

You can also activate the convenient in-ear detection function through the app. This is when you remove the earpiece and the music or video is paused automatically. There’s also a headphone search, firmware updates, and a function to check the right size of the ear cushions.

The standard touch control of Motorola Moto Buds+ looks like this:

• Double tap on any earbud — answer or end a call, play or pause music.
• Triple tap on the right earbud — next track, on the left earbud — previous track.
• Pressing for three seconds on any earbud cancels an incoming call and switches between noise canceling modes.

In the app, you can change the controls to suit your needs.

Motorola Moto Buds+ sound and microphone

Before testing Motorola Moto Buds+, for some reason I thought that these were more audiophile headphones with an emphasis on sound. But in fact — these are universal, and most importantly, high-quality TWS for everyone. They will probably appeal to the same audiophiles because they have a large number of popular and serious codecs. Mobile gamers will also like them because they have a game mode. And most importantly, Motorola Moto Buds+ will appeal to everyone else because they have a detailed rich sound with soft bass. Personally, I lacked the latter, so in the application settings I chose the mode with enhanced bass. But I’ve heard from others that the low frequencies are just right because they are clearly audible but don’t overwhelm the middle. This opinion is also valid.

You can listen to a variety of music genres on Motorola Moto Buds+, including classical music, metal, synthwave, or ambient. Depending on the style you choose, it is worth playing with the sound presets or equalizer, but in general, I would like to note the aforementioned sound detail once again.

Of course, this means that Motorola Moto Buds+ is great for watching YouTube videos or Netflix movies. The only thing I sometimes missed was the volume, and not in music, but in some YouTube videos. Perhaps this is due to the curved settings of the videos themselves because you watch a video and everything is fine, and then you switch to another, and it’s quiet, and the volume is almost maxed out.

I would like to mention the microphone and its quality. I wasn’t expecting anything special at all, but it turned out that Motorola Moto Buds+ is equipped with a good quality microphone. It distorts the voice a little bit because it has a noise reduction function, but otherwise the voice is clear, loud and of high quality.

The headphones can definitely be used for video conferencing, phone calls, and even recording videos on the street when you don’t have anything else at hand. It will definitely be better than the built-in microphone in your phone. At least in this case.

Autonomous operation of Motorola Moto Buds+

The manufacturer claims that Motorola Moto Buds+ will last up to 8 hours on a single charge without using ANC. If we take the charge of the headphones and the case, it will be enough for 38 hours of use without noise cancellation.

The wireless headphones support wired and wireless charging. In the first case, they charge in an hour, and in the second, it takes almost two. But it’s good that there is support for wireless charging at all. There is also fast charging — 10 minutes via cable gives three hours of operation.

In fact, I had the headphones for 8–9 hours in adaptive ANC mode. That is, it is more than stated. However, most of this time the volume was at 20-30% because the music was playing in the background while I was working. Therefore, the declared time is probably more than true, even if you use a higher volume. Also, with active ANC in full noise reduction mode, you can count on 5–6 hours.

User experience

Knowing the price tag of the Motorola Moto Buds+ and having tested various Motorola gadgets lately, I knew for sure that I would like these headphones. And I was not mistaken. As I wrote above, for some reason I thought it would be something like the latest Sennheiser or Technics TWS — that is, relatively affordable models for beginner audiophiles, but it turned out, quite logically, that this is an audio device for everyone.

I liked the compact case, but the headphones themselves are just ordinary in shape. If you need something other than black, they are available in another «sand» color, and I like it better.

You read about the good sound quality and the microphone above, so here I’ll talk about the ease of use and organic fit. Both the first and the second turned out to be the best. At least for me.

The latter fit well in my ears Gelius Incredible. They didn’t fall out at all, even when walking and playing sports, but they failed the «chewing test». But Motorola Moto Buds+ did. They merged so seamlessly with my ears that even eating lunch, dinner, or breakfast intensely did not prevent them from staying firmly in my ears. Moreover. I didn’t even have to adjust them. I don’t remember that for a long time.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that it will be the same in your case or any other, but the chances are high. Because usually, if headphones fall out, they fall out for many people, and if not, they don’t fall out for many people. And in the case of Motorola Moto Buds+, I’ve read a lot that they hold up great. But I didn’t think it was that good.

I liked the touch control. More precisely, I didn’t have any false taps while correcting at all. Partly because of the reason above, and partly because of the adequate placement of the touch panel almost in the middle, which allows you to easily grab the headphones by the leg, adjust or remove them.

It’s also good that there is a function to automatically stop or play a track or video if you take off or put on the headphones. It’s convenient, but if you don’t need it, you can turn it off in the app.

I like the active noise cancellation system. It’s one of the best I’ve tested recently. When it’s active, you can’t really hear anything except for very loud sharp sounds, which is done on purpose so that you don’t get stuck on the street, for example. I liked the adaptive mode, which adjusts the intensity of the muffling depending on the environment. Also, the adequate «transparent» mode is adequate. It’s easy to talk to someone without taking off the headphones.

You can find fault with the inability to change the intensity of ANC and transparent mode. But there are few places like this, so I won’t nitpick. It’s also not cool that dust and fingerprints quickly collect on the matte case. But the latter are less visible, and it’s easy to wipe off. Also, switching between the two devices was sometimes not as fast as I wanted.

Price and competitors

Motorola Moto Buds+ are sold at a price of 4699 UAH. For some people, this price tag will definitely be high, and that’s fine, but in its category and among competitors, the model has an adequate price. However, there are a lot of competitors here, and they are also well-known and popular. However, some of them are a bit pricier.

Pay attention to Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, Nothing Ear (2)  and OnePlus Buds Pro 2. There are also Google Pixel Buds 2  and Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro

8.5/10

Rating ITC.ua

Autonomy

8.5

Sufficient autonomy, especially with ANC.

Design, ergonomics

8.5

Nice design and ergonomics, but the matte plastic of the case collects dust and fingerprints

Features

9

It has a noise reduction mode, responds to taking off/putting on the headphone, and supports many codecs.

Price

8

Among competitors, the model has a good price tag, but it will definitely be expensive for some.

Sound quality

8.5

The sound is rich and voluminous, and most importantly, detailed. But sometimes there is not enough bass, or it is too soft.

Options

8.5

There is a cable and replaceable ear cushions.