Dudios has proved that innovation is vital for a thriving business in this stagnant industry. This brings me to their latest and top of the tier earbuds, the Dudios Dubuds. At roughly 50$, Dubuds pack everything that you can ask for in earbuds PLUS A POWERBANK TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE. Shocked, aren’t you? I was too when I heard it for the first time. I know it’s not groundbreaking but it is something new. This will be a hands-on review where I will go over all its features and my personal opinion on the quality in every department.
UNBOXING, BUILD QUALITY and COMFORT
The package comes in with a charging case that holds the earbuds, a USB to USB Type C cable, and the manual. As I mentioned earlier that the charging case for Dubuds can be used to charge the phone, it is quite bigger compared to the traditional size of charging cases for earbuds. Its weight, however, gives it sturdiness and it’s size also makes it hard to get lost.
The case features a nice matte black finish to it and the same goes for the earbuds. The case has a magnet mechanism that keeps the lid shut tightly. The Dubuds sports a modern look which enhances the premium feel to them and the user-friendly design makes the multifunction button much easier to interact with. I have used and reviewed plenty of earbuds and one of my complaints has been the obscure placement and design of the multifunction(MF) button. Most of my time would be spent on figuring out where the MF button is, so thanks to Dudios for also upgrading to this design.
The next part I would like to talk about is the design of the diaphragm (the end of earbuds that goes in your ears). Dubuds have a flat style diaphragm that delivers audio to your ears. Although these ensure you have a proper fit in your ears, the fact that this flat style doesn’t support rubber cushions/pads makes it hard to wear for a longer period of time. Personally, I prefer the round diaphragm over the flat ones as I have been used to them but other users might have a different opinion about them. On the backside, the Dubuds have their logo printed on the MF button and right below it has an LED that is responsible for notifications.
SOUND
Before I dive into the audio part, I need to talk about something important. In all my previous earbud reviews, I have mentioned how Bluetooth earbuds for me have felt quiet like they weren’t that loud enough. But after some digging, I found out that this is due to a default android setting that can be found under Bluetooth settings. So, if you are facing the same issue, head over to Settings/Bluetooth/Advanced and turn on the ‘Media volume sync’ option. I do have to warn you that it will get quite loud so make sure to turn your volume down a bit.
I must say the Dudios Dubuds is an audio upgrade over the Dudios Tic. It supports SBC and AAC audio codecs and the larger 14.2 mm audio driver helps it delivers a deep Bass and a good balance between mids and highs. I also find the vocals to be a lot clearer on them. In the beginning, I felt the sound coming out of the earbuds to be hollow/echoing like you are in an auditorium but it just me being used to listening through round diagrams. After a while, I got used to the flat diaphragm and then I experienced the true audio quality on Dubuds. I would truly recommend this to anyone who is looking for anything that sounds great but doesn’t break your bank. I have also tried using these with my PC but I feel they sound much better with my phone.
Let’s talk about the built-in microphone on the Dubuds. I have tested it with multiple apps like Wechat, Whatsapp and during regular phone calls and everyone on the other end told me that I don’t sound that clear and loud. In general, I have experienced the mic quality on wireless earbuds or even a mic on a high-end gaming headset to sound okayish. So, I didn’t have many expectations on the Dubuds either. It does the job of allowing you to talk over the phone and there’s that.
CONNECTIVITY and CONTROLS
Dubuds packs Bluetooth 5.0 which has become the new standard for wireless connectivity. It ensures super quick pairing, low latency, and a greater range. This also allows you to connect it to any Bluetooth enabled devices like smartphones and PCs. I think its an android thing, but once connected, you can actually see the battery percentage for Dudus in the Bluetooth Panel on your device. A lot of information on the Dubuds is communicated via audio effects and aural feedback(voice) for ex. Paired, Connecting, Disconnected, etc.
Pairing on Dububs is quite easy. For the first time, just remove the earbuds from the case and put them in your ear. Turn on the Bluetooth on your phone and then press the MF button for 1.5 seconds on both earbuds and this will turn them on. Now, head over to your Bluetooth settings and find the device named Dudios Dubus and then tap to connect, viola! Don’t worry, you won’t have to pair them every time as Dubuds remembers previously connected devices. There are a lot of cool commands supported by the MF button and some of which are increasing and decreasing volume, activating voice assistant, and switching between two active calls. I have only listed the commands that I find to be exclusive to Dubuds and which I haven’t seen on other earbuds so far. You can find the entire list of commands in the instruction manual.
Although you can’t see the notification LEDs on the earbuds while you are wearing them, I find them most useful while turning the earbuds on/off and while charging them. Likewise, the charging case also has 4 LEDs in the front, each of which represents a part of the total battery percentage for the case.
BATTERY
Here comes the innovation that I was talking about at the beginning of this post, a whopping 2600mAh battery on the charging case. But you might say, that doesn’t sound a lot, on paper yes because it’s a charging case for EARBUDS. So hear me out. This massive battery can charge your earbuds for almost 20 times which is absolutely insane. I doubt anyone will ever charge their earbuds that many times on a single charge of the case or maybe the battery will discharge on its own if not used for long but 20 times is still insane.
I feel where this feature really shines is the ability to charge your phone with it. Now, this capacity does make the case bigger and somewhat heavier but it’s still mobile. Instead of carrying a bulky power bank in your pocket or carrying a separate bag for the power bank while going outside, you can just carry this charging case which will do the job of both. Not only does it fit in your pocket and doesn’t drag your pants down but it also lets you LISTEN TO MUSIC, CHARGE YOUR PHONE and CHARGE YOUR EARBUDS too. Right now, it’s not perfect but I feel this is the right step towards innovating in the earbuds market. Nowadays most of the phones have at least a 3000mah battery which means you won’t be able to completely charge your phone to the fullest but it will still be a lifesaver. One thing I would like to see in the future is the quick charge support to and from the charging case.
Dudios claims that Dubuds can play for 4 hours on a single charge and I have verified this claim to be true. This will be affected by how loud the music is being played as well. But give or take, it will be around 4 hours. The earbuds take around 1.5 hours to get charged and the case takes about 3 hours. This is acceptable considering the battery life on both the earbuds and the case.
VERDICT
Thanks to innovators and startup companies like Dudios, the Price to Feature ratio has gone down significantly. Competition and Innovation are good for customers as they are the ones that benefit the most. This is my second review on a product by Dudios and I am must say I am quite impressed; they are heading in the right direction with their quality, branding, and technology. One such great outcome is their Dudios Dubuds which appeals to me a lot especially at this price point. There’s always room for improvement and I am pretty sure the next iteration/product would take some of the suggestions/criticism I have listed in this post and hopefully come up with another banger. For me, the Dudios Dubuds are outstanding an deserves a 9.5/10. Now, if you are impressed after reading my review, click here to visit the product on the Amazon page. They are going on for 49.99$ at the moment and you can get them for 10$ less if you add a new payment method on Amazon.