It is old news that the iPhone 7 dropped the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of wireless Bluetooth connectivity. That would be okay, except Apple has delayed the release of their AirPods Wireless Earbuds. Fear not, however, because the Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Bluetooth Earbuds with Portable Charger are available now! They are tiny and sound great.
The Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Bluetooth Earbuds with Portable Charger are tiny wireless earbuds that are marketed as the “smallest cordless hands-free mini earphones with microphone and noise reduction.” I honestly don’t know if they are the truly the “smallest” wireless Bluetooth earbuds, but I can’t imagine how they could actually be any smaller than they are. Honestly, the best way to describe these earbuds is to think of them as traditional in-ear buds that have simply had the wire clipped. Yes, they are that small.
TRULY WIRELESS STEREO PAIRING VIA BLUETOOTH 4.1: Pairing 2 truly cordless earbuds wirelessly is now possible, making it the smallest stereo Bluetooth headset on the market. Bluetooth 4.1 with advanced audio decode technology enables wireless connections to your smartphones and other Bluetooth devices and gives these ultra-small wireless stereo earbuds unparalleled sound quality.
Each earbud has its own connectivity and battery built into it. I understand the initial release of this headset saw them marketed as an individual earbud for calls etc.
From there the company found a way to let two individual earbuds work together as a stereo pair. To accomplish that one of the earbuds becomes the “slave” to the other. Getting them to work together was not intuitive but, after reading the manual and following the steps described there I was able to get them working in tandem. When they do it is pretty amazing! The two earbuds are in perfect sync and the sound is… well, we’ll come back to that in a bit.
Inside the package, you get two wireless earbuds, a charging case and a USB-to-microUSB cable for charging the case.
As I mentioned, the earbuds are no larger than most earbuds that come as part of a wired set. They are that small yet inside each is not only the speaker but also a wireless module, a battery, and a microphone so you can make and take calls and access Siri voice control. Because of their size, the earbuds don’t get mind-blowing battery life. You should see up to 3 hours of talk-time and up to 2 hours of music playback on a single charge. Considering the size that’s not bad. Still, it is far less than many wireless headsets that are currently available.
The small size of the earbuds also means there is no room for a microUSB charging port. Fortunately, Rowkin figured out an ingenious way to charge the earbuds that does even more than merely charge the earbuds.
LONG BATTERY LIFE WITH VERSATILE POWER BANK CHARGER: The rugged & compact dual-earbud conductive portable charging system available only with the Rowkin Bit Charge Bluetooth earbuds allows you to charge earbuds multiple times and serves as a power bank charger for your other mobile devices.
A unique charging case has a spot for each earbud. Bring the earbud close to the case and magnets take hold of the earbud and holds it in place. It is a strong enough connection that even when the case is shaken with force the earbuds don’t come loose.
That, however, is only part of what this case offers. When the earbuds are held in place there is an automatic connection created between the earbuds and the case. The case has a battery built into it and, once that connection is made the charge flows from the battery case into each earbud. And there’s more.
The flat end of the battery case has a microUSB port for charging and a full-size USB port . Plug your USB cable of choice into this port and the Rowkin charge case can also charge other mobile devices. No, the battery case doesn’t have a huge capacity battery built inside, but it is enough to keep the earbuds charged and top off your phone.
The amazing design of the earbuds doesn’t stop there. Microphones in each earbud let you take control of your mobile device. By tapping the main button on either earbud you can activate Siri and do whatever it is you want and need to do using Apple’s voice technology. As the company notes, “You never have to take your smartphone out of your pocket, giving you a genuine hands-free, wireless stereo experience.”
In addition, voice prompts for calls, pairing and caller ID are transmitted directly to the wireless headset so thee’s no guesswork involved.
And, there’s more…
The headsets also offer noise reduction and echo cancellation technology. These filter ambient noise and provide a better experience whether you are making a call or listening to music
And… there’s even more…
It should come as no surprise that wireless earbuds this smart also include smart multipoint connectivity. This multipoint technology starts with the ability to pair the two Rowkin Bit Charge Bluetooth stereo earphones with one another. This provides the stereo experience.
In single earbud mode, each wireless headset can connect with two Bluetooth source devices like your iPhone or Android phone, iPad, tablet, or laptop simultaneously. That means if you are streaming music from one device, and receive an incoming call on a second paired device, the wireless earphones will recognize this so you can to take the call effortlessly.
Rowkin isn’t just marketing this earbud to those of us who purchased the iPhone 7. No, they also want to make it clear that these earbuds will work well for people who love listening to music while working out. There are a few reasons why this is the case. First, there is the fit. The earbuds fit snugly in your ear once you determine which insert is the right size for you. And because they are small and light, they tend to stay put without the need for any additional stabilizers. Second, there is what the company calls “WaterSafe nano-coating technology.” This coating gives the earbuds an IPX5 rating and makes them sweat proof, water-resistant. This, in turn, makes them “perfect for the gym, running, biking, hiking, exercising, and any other activity.”
Finally, there is the sound. In his department, these technological wonders seal the deal. They sound fantastic. And, since they sit into your ear without the hassle of a cable or the bulk of an external battery, you may well forget you have earbuds in as you listen to your favorite tunes. Yeah… I am a huge fan of these earbuds and their related charging case.
So what argument would be made against purchasing these? There are a few factors. First, the actual battery life is close to what the company markets, but that still means these earbuds get less use per charge than many headphones currently on the market. Second, these earbuds are so small that they can easily be lost. That makes it important to make sure that whenever you are not using the earbuds you immediately place them back into the charging case. Third, the pairing process for having the two earbuds work together is not intuitive. You will want to read the manual. Finally, I have found some small issues with the Bluetooth connectivity which led one earbud to drop for a brief period of time. It has not been a huge or a frequent issue but I did feel I needed to mention it. Is it enough to keep me from recommending these earbuds? No way. In fact, I neglected to follow my “always pace them into the charging case when not in use” rule and thought I lost one of the earbuds. I like them enough that, until I found the missing one, I planned to purchase a new one. Check them out here.
The Rowkin Bit Charge has an MSRP of $259.99 but through this Amazon Affiliate Link they are just $129.99 .
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample of the Rowkin Bit Charge earbuds
What I Like: Small; No cable; Ingenious charging case that is also an external battery; Great sound; Packed with features
What Needs Improvement: Easy to lose; Short battery life; Some minor connectivity issues; You will definitely need to read the instruction manual the first time you use them