MIVI THUNDERBEATS REVIEW

REVIEW OF MIVI THUNDERBEATS WIRELESS EARPHONE

Best budget wireless bluetooth earphone under Rs. 2000 of 2019 you can buy?

With the 3.5mm headphones socket disappearing from smartphones, we have seen Bluetooth headsets gain popularity. Reviewing Bluetooth earphones is a task unlike any other. Earphones and headphones have long since crossed the point where audio quality was the most important metric to judge them by. There are simply too many things to consider, the price, the build quality, whether they’re comfortable enough, the battery life, and how easy they are to carry taking the fore-front. So when I bought the Mivi ThunderBeats Bluetooth earphones (Rs. 1697) I quickly dived into all of these aspects. Having used these earphones extensively and as my go-to pair of earphones (letting my personal favorite Sennheiser CX180 stay hidden in my bag) for the last couple of weeks, I have formed some really strong opinions about them. So let's find out if this Bluetooth headset is worth your money or not.

What is inside of the Box?

Here’s everything you get inside the box:

1. The Mivi ThunderBeats Earphones

2. A Mivi branded hard-shell carrying case 

3. 2 extra pairs of earbuds

4. 3 extra pairs of earhooks

5. MicroUSB charging cable

6. Manual, but who cares.

About The Product:

The Mivi ThunderBeats are a mixed bag when it comes to the design and build. For one, the earphones have a really sturdy build, with metal casing on the earpieces themselves, and a plastic casing for the driver compartment that fortunately doesn’t feel like cheap quality plastic. The cable itself is a flat cable which I like as it doesn’t tangle at all and since there’s no neckband, there isn’t the usual issue of the earphones feeling heavy around the neck. The earpieces are way too big for their own good, and they constantly feel like they’re putting a lot of pressure on the ears. Needless to say the earphones feel heavy and uncomfortable to wear for long hours.

The inline controls, on the other hand, are a stark contrast to the earpieces themselves. The small plastic bit that houses the controls and the charging port is extremely lightweight, the buttons are tactile, but even though Mivi has engraved a plus, minus, and circle symbol into the buttons to make for easy differentiation between the three. The control unit has three buttons, a microphone, an LED light, and a Micro-USB port to charge the device through. The port has a rubber flap which makes it resistant to sweat and water, to some extent.

Key Functions:

 There are a few features which are quite useful, such as the double connection mode that allows the headphones to be paired to two devices at a time. You can press the volume up and down buttons simultaneously to switch between paired devices. Mivi calls the center button a multifunction button and it is quite handy. Apart from pressing it to answer and disconnect a call as usual, you can double-press it to switch audio between the phone and headset. You also have the option to mute an ongoing calling by pressing the volume up and down buttons simultaneously.
The Mivi Thunderbeats fit well in the ears, and the hooks ensure that they do fall out easily. If you are looking for a Bluetooth headset to use while running this would be a good choice. The ear tips fit well and block out noise to some extent, so you won't need to crank the volume too high. Also, the volume can get really loud and we had to keep it at 80 percent or lower most of the time.

 Sound Test:

Sound quality is one of the most important metrics about a pair of earphones, and while that is less true than usual these days, the Mivi ThunderBeats definitely have a sound that I crave for. I personally prefer bass heavy headphones and for me the it is the clear winner.

The sound quality on the Mivi ThunderBeats is well beyond the reach of any other earphones I’ve tried in a long time. The bass is exquisite, but the earphones don’t shy away on the highs and the mids either. I tried listening to a wide variety of Bollywood songs on these earphones, as you know I am a Bollywood guy. However, I did notice that at maximum volume the bass sometimes overpowers the highs and the mids which can quickly get to nausea-inducing levels. Besides at a higher volume the sound started to leak.To be fair though, these earphones get so inhumanly loud that you’ll probably keep them at around 70-80% volume, and at that level, everything sounds perfectly amazing.

Connectivity Test:

Speaking of connectivity and sound, the Mivi Thunderbeats come with Qualcomm's cVc Noise Cancellation which helps clear up audio during phone calls , however in my usage I noticed little to no difference in the audio quality when taking calls on the earphones .

It is an in-ear canalphone-style pair of Bluetooth headphones with a frequency response range of 20Hz - 20,000Hz. Both earpieces have 13.5mm audio drivers with an impedance of 16 Ohms. Mivi claims a connection range of 30 feet, which is approximately 9 meters, and that doesn’t hold true in real life. To their credit though, it comes quite close. I was able to reliably use the earphones even at a distance of around 6-7 meters, and sometimes even 8 meters depending on the obstacles in the way. However, for most situations I found that staying within a 5 meter radius will be your best bet for completely uninterrupted connection.

Battery Test:

The headphones ran for a little over 7 hours in our battery life test, which is on par with what Mivi claims. I am a casual user and I often use it. I always keep it off when not in use. So in my usage it always gives me almost 2 days of battery  backup. I have never use it over the 70% of volume level as it get to much loud, so I don't know and can't say how much the battery last in higher volume. For charging  it  takes 1.43 hours (0-100%) exactly and can be done using any smartphone charger.

Verdict:

To conclude, the Mivi ThunderBeats have the  makings of an excellent pair of Bluetooth earphones, and for Rs. 1999 the sound almost makes them punch above their weight. It is a decent entry-level Bluetooth headset. For Rs 1,999 it offers decent quality sound output, along with support for aptX which is rare at this price point. However, the design of the earbuds, and the fact that they get really uncomfortable sometimes is a huge let down that makes me unable to recommend them off the top of my head. The magnets help a lot when in use and for storage.  While I would have preferred a more neutral sound signature, a lot of people do like exaggerated bass. If I was to sum these earphones up in one sentence, I’d say “get them for the sound, leave them for the comfort.”  If this works for you, the Mivi Thunderbeats offers good value for money.

Pros:

1. Excellent sound quality with thumping bass

2. Very loud

3. Great battery life

4. Support for aptX codec

5. In-line audio controls

6. Magnetic earpieces

7. Carry case included

Cons:

1. Bass is overpowering

2. Mids could be stronger

3. Feel heavy on the ears

4. Fit isn’t nearly as good as it should be

5. Uncomfortable without the earhooks

#BKHRating: 3.5/5