When it comes to audio, ‘budget’ is almost always synonymous with ‘low quality.’ Which is why even though the market is packed with TWS that will set you back by less than Rs 1,000, most of these come with largely forgettable sound quality in particular and performance in general, although some of them sport very snazzy designs.
There are a few aberrations, though, and one of these is the Soundcore R50i VI, which manages to deliver rock solid audio basics at a price that is generally in the region of Rs 1,200, and which often dips below Rs 1,000 with special offers and during online and offline shopping festivals.
Don’t look like budget TWS, and come with a handy lanyard
Soundcore has a reputation for coming out with well-designed earbuds that do not cost a bomb and the Soundcore R50i follow this tradition. The buds come in a square case with round corners, and in a very snazzy touch, with a lanyard attached to them right out of the box, The lanyard can be removed, but we found it to be actually handy (no pun intended).
The buds themselves are made of plastic and come with very pronounced stems and tips. (Express Photo)
The buds come in dark blue, black and white options and we got the black one. Were it not for the lanyard, the Soundcore R50i case would not stand out in a crowd, but it cuts a smart figure and definitely cannot be mistaken for a cheap TWS.
The buds themselves are made of plastic and come with very pronounced stems and tips that go right into your ear. There are three pairs of eartips in all in the package and the TWS come with the medium sized eartips installed by default. Each buds is about 5 grams in weight and along with the case, the entire package comes to about 55-60 grams, making it very easy to carry around.
Each buds is about 5 grams in weight. (Express Photo)
The buds are very comfortable to wear and while they will fall out of your ear from time, they will not do so very often. They stayed firmly in place during our runs and workout sessions, although they did drop out once while we were strolling and on a call. While on the subject of runs and workouts, the buds come with IPX5 water resistance, which makes them splash resistant and gym-friendly!
Easy to use, with good (slightly bassy) sound and very good battery
The Soundcore R50i are easy to use. Pairing is as easy as taking the buds out of the case, and pressing the touch area on the top of the stem, which puts them in pairing mode. Controls are simple – double tapping on the right bud pauses and plays track, while tapping and holding it takes you to the next track, tapping twice on the left bud on the other hand summons Siri (or Gemini depending on your device), while tapping and holding takes you to the previous track.
The controls are responsive and totally customisable through the Soundcore app, which is available for both Android and iOS, and you can even control volume from the buds if you wish.
Double tapping on the right bud pauses and plays track. (Express Photo)
The Soundcore R50i VI come with 10mm drivers that claim to deliver “big bass,” and serve up impressive volumes without too much distortion at high volume levels (we would recommend keeping the volume at 60-80 per cent for best results).
Notwithstanding the claims of ‘big bass,’ the Soundcore 50i are not overly-bassy, especially when compared to other budget TWS in the market, which are literally deluged in bass. The bass is stressed here, but not overly so, making these very good for listening to mainstream music, and clarity levels are good enough for using them while watching films and listening to podcasts.
You are not going to get mind blowing audio here (instrument separation is not the greatest), but the quality is very good for the price of the Soundcore R50i, and easily the best in its segment. The Soundcore app also gives one access to more than a dozen equaliser settings, and although the bass-stress remains present in all of them, they are good options to have, and there is even a gaming mode to reduce latency.
The buds come with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. (Express Photo)
The Soundcore V50is can last for up to ten hours on a single charge and the case adds another twenty hours, making it thirty hours in all, which is impressive at this price. There is even a special charging mode, where charging the buds for ten minutes gives you about two hours of listening time.
The buds come with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity (again rare at this price) and connectivity is very good – we were able to access calls and audio on our phone from a distance of 10-15 feet in the same room, without any effect on performance.
Superb value for not too much money
It is not all roses with the Soundcore R50i, though. The buds do not have any ANC at all (the snug fit does keep a lot of noise out, though), and are frankly very hit and miss when it comes to handling calls, in spite of a much-hyped AI algorithm – the people we were speaking to often could not hear our voices when we spoke from relatively loud surroundings.
The buds do not have any ANC at all. (Express Photo)
Also while many will like the slightly bass accented sound, it is not quite the best for listening to classical and jazz tracks, and there is no multi-device connectivity.
But those are very minor quibbles when you factor in what these TWS deliver – decent sound with lots of preset options, good and sturdy design, ease of use and super battery life. All of which make the Soundcore R50i VI perhaps the best TWS you can get in the market for about a thousand Rupees, or even lesser, if you play your deal cards right.
Soundcore R50i VI. Image used for representational purposes only. (Express Photo) 
The buds themselves are made of plastic and come with very pronounced stems and tips. (Express Photo)
Each buds is about 5 grams in weight. (Express Photo)
Double tapping on the right bud pauses and plays track. (Express Photo)
The buds come with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. (Express Photo)
The buds do not have any ANC at all. (Express Photo)
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