Funcl W1, Apple Airpods, Beats Solo 3 Wireless - Review comparison
Funcl W1 is priced at just $19.99, comparable to a pair of basic earbuds. They are powered by Bluetooth 5.0 and deliver features found on wireless headphones that cost $100 or more:
- 18-hour Battery Life: Funcl W1 lasts 4.5 hours on a full charge, and the charging case provides another three charges for a total of 18.5 hours.
- Easy Touch Controls: Funcl W1 turns on and connects to devices automatically, and buttons on the headphones allow users to easily control music and phone calls.
- Sound Quality: Audio engineering supports AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and uses the Realtek 8763B chipset for high quality sound.
- Premium Design: Funcl WI is designed for a comfortable fit on the inside and aesthetic appeal on the outside.
During this review stage I took it a step further and compared them to Apple Airpods, and Beat Solo 3 wireless. Many others on my team also reviewed the Funcl Product line. But I was curious how these would compare up against the Apple Airpods and Beat Solo 3 wireless in day to day usage as well as working out.
Most people focused on health and fitness are always looking for the latest tech to accompany them to the gym, but many earbuds or over the ear headphones these days sound great in the gym, but get annoying and cumbersome when, well, working out.
First let’s start off with initial impression of the Funcl W1 -
Packaging is simple and to the point, upon opening the box, you are greeted with a short micro usb cable used for charging the earbuds case.
Setup documentation is included, which is very simple to understand and reference if needed at a later time.
The earbuds are housed in a simple, almost Apple like case, smooth yet shiny finish, which would be scratch prone after only a few uses. The earbuds have a small connector housed on the lower half of the earbud. This connector is vital for charging via the included battery case. There is no other option to charge these if you lose the case, so work of caution. The Earbuds snap into the case via magnetic connectors for a secure fit. Upon connecting the LED’s will glow a subtle red to give a charging status. After about 1 hour mine showed a complete charge status of solid green LED.
Charging time per the specs:
Head Phones - 50 minutes
Charging Case - 70 minutes
Setup was very simple. Open the case, place earbuds in your ears, open Bluetooth connection settings and pair, it’s that simple. From this point forward, once they are taken out and placed in your ears they will connect to that device.
Fit and comfort -
The standard ear insert “gel” installed fit my ear like a glove, though they do include larger sizes to accommodate. When inserted, they sit in your ear canal snug, with most earbuds the initial fear is falling out. Not the case with these. At only 4.4 grams, one can now understand why they don’t fall out, instead of feeling like a boat anchor on the side of your head.
Shaking my head from side to side, up and down, and running in place resulted in no movement. +1 already
Independent sound test -
I loaded up some playlists for the gym to test. Upon hitting the play button I was blown away, not just the sound quality, but for a $19 sound quality!! Upon mixing up different music, checking highs and lows. I was very pleased with the output. Loud and crisp. As I started my workout and loaded up some plates on bar rack. I was astounded by how much background noise was blocked. Normally I hear banging of plates and metal clanging. I then turned off the music to see how truly the outside noise was being blocked. It was much lower than I expected, even with music now off. I think this result is due to the design of the insert into the ear. Funcl W1 do not claim to be noise cancelling earbuds, but they definitely accomplished noise reduction, even if it was not planned.
Battery life and Range -
As mentioned earlier I did I full charge on these prior to testing. Funcl W1 claims 18h battery life (with battery case) but normal listening time is 4.5 of in the ear listening. Funcl W1, does not list a range of operation, yet I was able to stay connected in a range of 25’-30’ until the connection started to try and drop. Upon a dropped connection, re-connection was seamless once I got closer.
Touch Controls -
Funcl W1 gives offers full control with the on-board touch buttons. The touch buttons on the headphones allow you to control the music and answer/reject calls with a simple touch and immediate response. I completed a few test calls incoming and outgoing and was able to answer with a simple touch action. When removing the earbuds I noticed it caused the music to pause before completely removing them, which would pause the music anyways. But I believe this was caused from me hitting the outside touch button.
Sweat and Rain -
As I mentioned during my initial impressions so far, I was at the gym. If you are not sweating at the gym, you are not working out or you are dehydrated. The Funcl W1 offers IPX5 rating.
What is an IP rating?
IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and measures how well a device is protected from both solid objects and liquids.
With all that industry verbiage aside, you won’t have any issues with these in the gym or being caught in a storm, running. Just run faster to get home!
Funcl W1 vs Apple Airpods vs Beats Solo3 Wireless -
With everything that we covered under my initial impressions, now let’s put the Funcl W1 up against some big players in a sound quality comparison test.
- As mentioned before the Funcl W1 at $19 for some really good acoustic output.
- The Apple Airpods will run you $159 MSRP
- The Beats Solo 3 Wireless will cost you $299 MSRP
During testing audio I used the same track, same volume level and completed the same exercises. Bent over rows, Bench Press, and running.
The Funcl W1 performed without any issues, great acoustics throughout, in addition; no movement of the device in my ears through all exercises.
The Apple Airpods, I was able to hear a decent amount of background noise, weights banging around in the gym, but the music output was just as good as the Funcl W1, but with the additional background sounds. I believe this issue can be resolved by using third party gels to create more of a sealed solution for the Airpods. Final testing of the Airpods, there was no movement in the ear, normally a common complaint from users when running. Since owning Airpods I never had a fit issue, nor would I expect to have one during this comparison.
Beats Solo 3 Wireless now on deck for the final comparison. I have loved the comfort of these over the ear, earphones. The hug your head like a pillow, while helping block out background noise. Overall sound quality is top above the Airpods and Funcl W1, the low are more bassy and highs sound more crisp. I am sure all this is due to better and larger driver in the speakers. Bigger is better right?
One issue I did have with the Beats was, laying flat on the bench for bench press. This issue has been quite common for me, as these are always my go to headphones at the gym. When laying flat gravity is against me at that point. The top band slides backwards off my head. This is at the smallest setting on the adjustment also. But as most people who work out, a break in concentration can be serious, result in injury, and affect your overall workout. Now I am sure this is partially my own fault, as I have had a close buzz haircut going on 4-5 years, so sweat, skin on the smooth silicone headband of the Beats doesn’t create much grip, so those with a lot of hair, more likely would not see this as a issue.
Conclusion of testing -
Look, let's be honest here, if you want a good quality of headphones and have the money to spend, then buy a set of Apple Airpods, or Beats. But in all honesty, for $19 out the door for a quality pair of earbuds that you can toss in your gym bag, back seat of the car and not have to be concerned with losing a $100+ pair of headphones, the Funcl W1 is a great choice. The sound great, they are lightweight, seriously you almost forget they are even in your ears at times. If you break one, or lose one, or lose the charging case. It’s $19 for another pair. That is nowadays two starbucks coffees and change.
Don’t forget to click the secret link below guys to get a special price just for Mona members!
Following is the price options on the Indiegogo page.
Funcl W1 : $19
Funcl AI: $54(readers could get it for $49 through the secret perk, limited to 100pcs)
Funcl W1 * 1PCS + Funcl AI * 1 PCS: $72
Funcl W1 * 2PCS + Funcl AI * 2 PCS: $139
Mona Secret Link
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