TECNO Sonic 1 And Watch 2 Review: Great Wearables For A Song
We were recently impressed by the TECNO brand at the Hipertestu office, so when we were offered a look at the brand's two new accessories, we jumped at the chance.
The accessories mentioned are TECNO Sonic 1 Active True Wireless Headphones and TECNO Watch 2. These products are priced at R1,499 and R999 (R899 via Vodacom) for a good price. We admit that wireless headphones are cheaper, but the Sonic 1 has many advantages, one of which is the 800 mAh battery inside the charger.
We're moving on, so let's get down to business, starting with the headphones.
Sonic 1 is expensive but well thought out
The Sonic 1 Carrying and Charging Case contains an 800 mAh battery. Each earbud has a 45mAh battery. Outside of the case, you can listen to audio for up to seven hours until the battery dies. Charging takes about 45 minutes, depending on how low the battery level was when you started charging.
All in all, you can expect around 50 hours of battery life from these headphones before needing to be connected to a USB Type-C charger.
The sound profile without EQ favors higher frequencies. For pop music fans, this is great, but if you like something with a bigger bass line, you need to equalize with your favorite app or AudPub for Android. This is the recommended TECNO app for Sonic Level 1.
After installing the app, you will be prompted to audition Smart EQ. A series of frequencies will be played here and you will be asked to answer how many times, if any, you have heard the sound. The app will create a custom equalizer for you which, when activated, will apply to all sounds coming from your phone.
The test uses your hearing to create a pretty accurate equalizer, and we can't believe it took so long to implement it into a product. It's very good, but the app only works on TECNO True 1 and Sonic 1.
Regardless of the EQ used, these headphones are very responsive and provide the dynamic range we usually find in more premium brands. Whether you want high or low frequencies, Sonic 1 will give you pleasure.
But there is more to these headphones.
One of the worst parts of inspecting headphones is removing the rubber caps. This can be a frustrating experience and we tend to adapt to the default bells and whistles that are sent to our ears.
TECNO decided it didn't like the practice either, and fitted Sonic 1 with magnetic spikes. Simply press the tip and the magnet will release, allowing you to change domes at will. Plus, since the case has magnetic mounts for these domes, you can take two different sizes with you. Interestingly, even without the earcups, they held firmly in our ears as we walked and played overhead.
Our only concern is that the touch controls are too sensitive and we wish we could turn it off, but that's not possible with AudPub either. If you tend to comb your long hair behind your ears, you will accidentally touch these controls quite often.
However, we can safely recommend these headphones due to the excellent sound they offer.
Watch 2 - cheap, cheerful and very good
At $999, we didn't expect much from the Watch 2, but it exceeded our expectations.
For that price, you can get notifications, track nine different workouts, monitor your heart rate, monitor your blood oxygen levels, and go three weeks without breaking a sweat. It would actually last longer if we didn't get rid of that worry and plug it into a charger for an hour to charge it up to 100 percent.
The Watch 2 has a 1.69-inch 240x280p screen.
While you can interact directly with the Watch 2, you will use the My Health app for many things, including screen customization, activity tracking, and firmware updates.
With this app, you can also choose which apps send notifications to your wearables and receive call notifications on your watch. To be clear, you can't answer or receive calls on the watch, but you can end a call and turn off the notification on wearables.
How accurate are the sensors? We're not entirely sure, but we noted an average resting heart rate of 71 bpm and an active heart rate of 101-110 bpm, which is in line with what we typically see in devices of this caliber.
As for the blood oxygen sensor, as a smoker, I would expect it to be below the 99 percent that we've been quoted several times, so we'd take that with a grain of salt.
However, the R999 Watch 2 is a decent device for monitoring your health and motivating you to reach your daily step goal. The wearable device can remind you to get up and drink water. The technology is very helpful and we couldn't ask for more.
We are very impressed with TECNO's offerings. The Sonic 1 offers a premium experience, while the Watch 2 is so good we can't believe it's priced in the triple digits.
In general, if you see such accessories in the store, you will not be disappointed by trying them.
TECNO Watch 2 FINAL RATE: 9 out of 10 .
TECHNO SONIC 1 FINAL RATE: 9 out of 10 .