Blaupunkt BTW100: Budget-Friendly True Wireless Earphones Offering Solid Sound and Style

While Blaupunkt is predominantly recognized for its contributions to automotive audio, it has carved a niche for itself in the personal and home audio market over recent years. The company’s offerings now encompass soundbars, wireless speakers, speaker systems, as well as headphones and earphones, many of which are affordably priced and primarily available online in India. One of its latest products is the BTW100 true wireless headset, which aims to provide a solid budget-friendly experience with a focus on sound performance.

Featuring environmental noise cancellation, touch controls, and USB Type-C charging for the case, the Blaupunkt BTW100 checks all the essential boxes at a competitive price of Rs. 1,299 in India. Is this the best budget true wireless headset currently available? Read on to find out.

The Blaupunkt BTW100 lacks active noise cancellation, yet supports the AAC Bluetooth codec

Design and Specifications of Blaupunkt BTW100

The Blaupunkt BTW100 offers an attractive design that belies its affordable price point. These true wireless earphones feature a sleek in-canal fit and elongated stems. Chrome accents and prominent Blaupunkt logos adorn the earpieces along the length of the stems, along with indicator lights positioned at the top. Charging contacts are located on the inner side of the stem, while microphones are placed at the bottom of the earpieces.

The Blaupunkt BTW100 is available in two color choices — black and white. The black version I received resisted grime and fingerprints well, and I found the fit pleasant even during extended listening sessions. The touch-sensitive outer sides of the earpieces facilitate controls, but the absence of app support means these touch functions cannot be customized.

A single tap on either earpiece will play or pause music, a double tap skips to the next or previous track, while a triple tap adjusts the volume. Holding down the touch area activates the default voice assistant on your connected smartphone. There were instances when taps didn’t register accurately; a double or triple tap sometimes counted as a single tap, requiring a degree of care in executing these gestures to ensure proper functioning of the controls.

The charging case for the Blaupunkt BTW100 is straightforward, has a clamshell design, and is compact and lightweight enough to fit into a pocket or bag. The front features three indicator lights for battery status, and the rear has the USB Type-C charging port. The earpieces attach to the lid securely through magnets.

Despite being an economical true wireless headset, the Blaupunkt BTW100 boasts commendable specifications and features. The earphones employ Bluetooth 5.1 for connectivity and support both SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. Environmental noise cancellation is also included, enhancing call quality. The earpieces are rated IPX5 for water resistance.

Environmental noise cancellation is available for calls on the Blaupunkt BTW100 earphones

The Blaupunkt BTW100 also features 80ms low-latency support, but since there’s no option to enable this through the headset, it’s assumed that the earphones are perpetually in low-latency mode during use. The headset contains 10mm dynamic drivers, and the retail package includes three pairs of silicone ear tips as well as a short charging cable.

Performance and Battery Life of Blaupunkt BTW100

While true wireless earphones with features like active noise cancellation and app support can be found for around the Rs. 2,000 price mark, more budget-friendly models tend to be more straightforward in operation. The Blaupunkt BTW100 may lack a plethora of features, but it performs well in its primary functions, and most importantly, the sound quality is satisfactory for the price.

Notably, the Blaupunkt BTW100 supports the AAC Bluetooth codec along with SBC, which enhances overall sound quality. Listening to «Back To Life» by Croatia Squad, the earphones displayed a clear low-end emphasis in their sound profile. The audio was punchy and impactful, making the beats of this progressive house track stand out; electronic and pop music enthusiasts will likely appreciate the strong bass response.

Although this can sometimes feel overwhelming, the sound never crossed into muddiness. Listening to «24K Magic» by Bruno Mars, despite the robust hip-hop beats, the vocals and synth-pop elements managed to shine through, resulting in a lively soundscape with fairly good spatial awareness.

The battery life is satisfactory for its price, offering a total of 23 hours of playback time per charge cycle on the Blaupunkt BTW100

There’s a good level of separation in the audio, although it’s important to note that the Blaupunkt BTW100 doesn’t yield high levels of detail, reflecting its budget nature. The strong bass can sometimes overshadow finer nuances in tracks, but there remains some clarity in softer elements, especially in the mid and high frequencies.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that prolonged high-volume listening sessions may lead to listener fatigue due to the bass-heavy sound. At lower volumes, the Blaupunkt BTW100 felt more comfortable, although with significantly less excitement.

Call quality was average with these earphones and suitable for brief indoor conversations. While the environmental noise cancellation appeared to enhance voice clarity, background noise still managed to seep in when using them outdoors. Connection stability was commendable, with the Blaupunkt BTW100 maintaining a solid link to the paired device even at distances up to 3m.

The battery performance of the Blaupunkt BTW100 stands out for a budget headset. Each earpiece provided just under four hours of playback on a single charge, complemented by the case that brought the total listening time to around 23 hours per charge cycle at moderate to high volumes. This figure is noticeably lower than the manufacturer’s claim of 40 hours, yet it remains a commendable performance considering the price point of the BTW100 earphones.

Conclusion