PLAYGO T44 strive to be like AirPods but miss the mark, admirably

The wave that Apple Airpods set in 2016 has caused a situation where every second brand wants to have a pie of the wireless audio market. The latest entrant is Gurgaon-based startup called PLAY, who are selling a range of products ranging from neckbands, headphones in their audio segment and they also cater to the fitness freaks with affordable fitness bands as well as smartwatches. The PLAYGO T44 happens to be their debutant in the true wireless segment. It has a half in-ear style stem design not too dissimilar from the Apple AirPods. It is accompanied by a charging case that also packs a battery 400mAh that is said to offer 5-hour playtime and last you for 20 hours when used in tandem with the case. The box contains a type-C interface, which is an icing on the cake considering the price range. Will be available in black and white colour variants.

What’s warped

1. Play T44 True wireless earbuds are super affordable at Rs 2999 and it supports 5.0 Bluetooth for connectivity with a 10-meter range. These earbuds automatically connect with the paired devices when you dock the earpieces back into its charging case pod, the case houses a LED light that indicates the battery status of the earbuds. It is quite straightforward which is as it should be.
2. The T44 earbuds weigh in around 3.5 grams making them fleetingly light. It also gets a mirror design to boot. At this cut price, you even get an IPX4 rating, making it sweat-proof. What more would one want? Even the AirPods aren’t sweat proof.
3. These earbuds also come packed with noise reduction and echo cancellation to improve your audio outcome while on the go. Don’t get confused as this is a passive system, a function of the design, not the electronics. It also features a 10mm driver that enhances the bass and loudness as the company likes to call it EBEL(Enhanced Bass Extra Loud). The end result is a surprisingly decent quality of audio for music and even calls.
4. They get a capacitive touch (Long press rejects the calls and controls music, while the double-tap is used to answer calls or play/pause music, a triple tap will launch Google/Siri assistant) buttons to control your call, music functionality. This is a feature that is not there on many true wireless earphones. And it does this, all with a single tap. It also has a built-in microphone which allows you to control your incoming calls. These beauties also support your voice assistant on Android and IOS.

What’s not

1. There are connectivity issues while you are lying down and enjoying your calls or multitasking on other apps. There is some latency, and suffice to say, you do get the feeling that you’re using something that’s not exactly cutting edge.
2. The mic isn’t as receptive in capturing audio on times especially when on calls.
3. There is no auto-pause function when you remove one bud from your ear. This is a highly irritating thing.
4. For whatever joy, the audio quality is not great when used with laptops or PCs — I don’t know why, but it is what it is.

Should you buy it?

As a product from a brand new start-up, the PLAYGO T44 performs admirably. They are more than decent, though they face stiff competition from the Redmi Earbuds which are superior on balance, in fit and finish and polish of the experience. That being said, those who love flashing a stem earbud on their ears, this is the answer to your budget prayers. The PLAYGO T44 is available on all online portals as well as on PLAY e-store.