Nokia Mobile has announced three audio accessories to follow their latest affordable smartphones, namely Nokia G21, G11 and Nokia C21. The new audio accessories are Nokia WHP-101, Nokia HP-101 and Nokia TWS122. I already unboxed them, so check the box contents here.
The most interesting out of the three was Nokia Go Earbuds 2 + (TWS-122) because they are bringing the small pebble-like design of the charging case and a less intrusive earbud that fits comfortably in the earlobe and doesn’t have a silicone tip that clogs the ear canal.
However, after spending two days using them, I figured that these are only good for calls since they are featuring environmental noise cancellation, which is noise cancellation but just for calls. These earbuds are definitely not good for listening to music since they lack bass tones between 60 and 230 Hz. The mid-tones are set too high, and the 14 kHz tones are not pronounced enough.
If you planned to get these to cut the time while commuting, you’ll be disappointed with the sound quality. Rather get older Nokia Power Earbuds Lite.
My focus turned to classic headphones which Nokia announced as wired and wireless versions. The wired ones might be interesting for the folks that don’t want to spend a lot of money for the BT headphones, but whoever tuned these has a hearing impairment or the tuning job wasn’t paid enough. The sound quality is just terrible. Audi is muffled and bass tones are missing. I tried them on numerous phones, but they are just not good, so skip them.
My disappointment was large, especially when I remember Nokia teaming up with now late company Coloud and creating some good quality affordable headphones. I didn’t even want to try Bluetooth WHP-101, but since I had them here, I connected them quite quickly with Nokia 8.3 5G and played some tunes from Deezer.
The disappointment vanished quicker than I could say Nokia C2 2nd Edition. These simple Nokia BT headphones were a pleasant surprise. I have been using them now for over 10 days, connecting them to laptops, phones, TV, and Nokia T20, and the sound quality is surprisingly well. It is definitely richer than the TWS-122, with better bass, and mid and high tones. I would say that the sound quality is almost like the quality of Power Earbuds. I also did a few calls with them, and the other side told me that the sound is clear.
However, these are not as good as Sony WH-CH500 or the latest model CH510 which are just 10€ more expensive. Nokia WHP-101 can be found at various markets for about 39€ and for that money you are getting rather comfortable headphones with soft ear cushions that fit my ears perfectly. With times getting hotter, earpieces might get sweaty and artificial skin could start wearing off, but so far they are pretty durable and comfy. The best thing about these headphones is the super long-lasting 800 mAh battery which I still haven’t changed in 10 days of usage. WHP-101 are also equipped with BT5.1 connectivity and are quite easy to control.
With three plasticky buttons, you are controlling volume, playlist, answering calls or summoning the notorious Google Assistant. My biggest objection is that buttons are not easy to feel and there is a big chance you’ll be pressing the wrong one or trying hard to feel the middle one to answer a call.
These headphones can be folded by breaking them just above the 40mm drivers and that will make them a bit smaller. However, even folded, EHP-101 are a bit bulky, and bulkier even than my Sony WH-CH500.
Anyways, if you were thinking of getting headphones instead of pricier earbuds, Nokia WHP-101 are an excellent choice and they won’t set you back much.
Just a brief overview of the Nokia headphones:
- Nokia wireless headphones (WHP-101) – they get a GO from me. The best feature is BT5.1 connectivity, great battery life and simplicity of use. The only objection goes to not so well designed control buttons.
- Nokia wired headphones (HP-101) – skip these!
- Nokia Go Earbuds 2 + (TWS-122) – get them only if you need a hands free system while driving since you can use them separately. Consider something else if searching for good audio quality.
Source: https://nokiamob.net/2022/04/16/review-of-latest-affordable-nokia-audio-accessories/