Revolutionizing Audio: A Deep Dive into the Noise IntelliBuds Smart Features and Performance

Noise has swiftly established itself as a key player in the affordable gadget market in India, particularly in the realm of smartwatches and true wireless earphones. While many of the company’s offerings are attractively priced, its latest introduction in the TWS category marks a significant shift — revealing a clear ambition to elevate its average product pricing. The Noise IntelliBuds stands out as one of the company’s most sophisticated and promising true wireless earphones to date.

With a price tag of Rs. 4,999, the Noise IntelliBuds were co-developed with Bragi, a brand known for pioneering true wireless earphones in 2015. This device is marketed as a ‘smart’ headset, featuring head gesture controls, voice activation, and extensive customization options via a specially designed app. Is this the most intelligent true wireless headset under Rs. 5,000 available today? Discover the answer in this review.

The Noise IntelliBuds features a USB Type-C charging port and offers good battery longevity.

Design and Features of Noise IntelliBuds

Although the IntelliBuds are the priciest true wireless earphones in Noise’s lineup, they remain reasonably priced compared to many competitors at Rs. 4,999. Predictably, they present a fairly standard aesthetic, lacking noteworthy design elements or a smaller size profile. The earpieces and charging case of the Noise IntelliBuds are somewhat large and bulky, but still manageable.

The IntelliBuds offer a secure in-ear fit, with elongated stems and a touch-sensitive surface emblazoned with the brand logo. They come in two shades: black and white; while I have no issues with the white review unit I tested, I personally think the black variant looks more appealing.

The earpieces carry an IPX5 water resistance rating, weighing 5.4g each, while the charging case tips the scales at 45g. It’s not particularly compact, but it should fit comfortably in your pocket when not in use.

Unlike the majority of options in the same price bracket, the Noise IntelliBuds lack active noise cancellation (ANC). This may surprise some users, but the brand promotes the IntelliBuds as a ‘smart’ choice, encouraging consumers to look past the absence of features like ANC. Nevertheless, the snug in-canal fit affords decent passive noise isolation, and a transparency mode is also available.

The ‘smart’ functionalities of the Noise IntelliBuds offer an intriguing experience for numerous reasons. The headset is packed with features intended to enhance user interaction, including hot voice commands and head tracking gestures, along with comprehensive app-based controls. For those who prefer a traditional earphone usage approach, standard touch controls are also available.

App and Specifications of Noise IntelliBuds

The collaboration with Bragi significantly influences what the Noise IntelliBuds bring to the table. Powered by ‘Bragi OS’, it is essential to clarify that this isn’t an ‘operating system’ in the traditional sense, like that found in smartphones, media players, or smartwatches. Rather, Bragi OS facilitates additional ‘smart’ capabilities such as voice controls and head gesture tracking on the Noise IntelliBuds.

This functionality operates via the Noise IntelliBuds (NoiseFit smart) app, which is exclusively available for Android at the time of this review. The app allows users to set up and fine-tune these features, which then function independently on the earphones without relying on a smartphone connection or the Internet.

Currently, the app for the Noise IntelliBuds is only accessible on Android.

Additionally, the app enables users to check battery levels, customize touch controls, and modify equalizer settings. The app’s user interface is well-designed and user-friendly, although I found the touch control configuration somewhat complex. I did encounter occasional connectivity issues, such as inaccurate battery indicators and instances where the interface failed to load despite a connection to the earphones.

The Noise IntelliBuds true wireless headset is equipped with 6mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5 for connectivity, and supports both SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. The retail package includes three pairs of silicone ear tips and a short charging cable.

Performance and Battery Life of Noise IntelliBuds

Despite recent impressive growth in sales figures, Noise is often seen as a budget specialist in the true wireless segment. This places considerable expectations on the Noise IntelliBuds, given their Rs. 4,999 price and promises of premium performance. Overall, my experience was quite favorable, although certain features felt hasty and not fully realized, and the sound quality didn’t entirely align with competitors within the same price bracket.

I began by testing the unique features introduced through the collaboration with Bragi — hot voice commands and head gestures. The voice activation performed admirably, with the earphones frequently recognizing the wake command and generally comprehending specific commands issued right after.

I was able to use voice commands to manage playback, volume, toggle transparency mode, and take calls. Interestingly, this operates without an Internet connection, unlike using voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri; all functionality occurs natively on the IntelliBuds once configured. Of course, for more comprehensive features, users can still utilize their smartphone’s default voice assistant.

Although the Noise IntelliBuds lack active noise cancellation (ANC), the in-ear fit provides adequate passive noise isolation.

Conversely, the head-tracking gestures did not perform very well. Even after several calibration attempts, minor head movements tended to trigger unintended responses on the Noise IntelliBuds. Holding my head in specific positions caused unexpected volume adjustments and other undesired actions. I found it most effective to disable this feature.

While the features and specifications appear solid for a headset in this price range, the overall sound quality of the Noise IntelliBuds is somewhat disappointing. I wouldn’t label the sound as unpleasant, but there was nothing remarkable about it. At higher volumes, the headset felt restricted, with its tuning seeming lazy and unrefined.

Listening to «New To You» by Calvin Harris yielded a reasonable level of comfort during extended listening, but the overall presentation lacked true energy or impact. The opening violin section and electronic rhythms felt muted, with the Noise IntelliBuds failing to provide emphasis across the frequency spectrum. While the highs became slightly more pronounced during parts of the house-pop track, the bass came off as uninspiring.

Even with more lively and vibrant tracks like «Tokyo Night Train» (Claes Rosen Remix) by The Midnight, the Noise IntelliBuds felt limited and somewhat character-deficient. The bland sonic signature might have been more forgivable had there been a reasonable level of detail to appreciate, but unfortunately, that was lacking as well. Nonetheless, listeners will likely not find the sound off-putting; however, the intended enhancement of the audio experience is somewhat compromised with the Noise IntelliBuds.

The transparency mode does adequately enhance ambient awareness without disrupting audio playback, albeit sounding slightly artificially amplified to my taste. Call quality is satisfactory indoors, yet the lack of active noise cancellation impacted my focus during calls in even relatively quiet outdoor settings. I experienced no issues with connection stability, as the Noise IntelliBuds functioned well at distances up to 3m from the paired smartphone.

Battery longevity is commendable, with the earpieces lasting around seven hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels. The charging case provides an additional three charges, totaling approximately 28 hours of use per charge cycle. Fast charging is available, allowing the earpieces to fully charge in up to 30 minutes, though it took me around two hours to charge both the case and earpieces completely.

Conclusion

Noise has traditionally thrived in the budget arena of true wireless earphones, but the IntelliBuds signal a bold move from the Indian company. This direction is technology-focused and aims to enhance the user experience rather than relying on often unnecessary specifications. It’s a daring approach, especially given the absence of ANC while still being the company’s most expensive true wireless headset to date.

Regrettably, the Noise IntelliBuds fall short of expectations with what appears to be an unrefined and somewhat incomplete overall experience. Gesture controls did not perform well for me, and the sound quality was uninspired and lackluster. While I anticipate what Noise’s upcoming innovations will be, at present, the IntelliBuds don’t merit a strong recommendation at this price point; alternatives like the OnePlus Buds Z2 or Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro may serve you better within this budget.