The attractive pricing raises a lot of questions like: how is the audio quality, what features does it have, and how do all these features perform in the real world.
We have been using the Airdopes 800 for the past few weeks and here are our thoughts on it.
But, before moving on to the review, here are a few things you should know about AirDrops 800.
Apart from the affordable price, the specifications of the Airdopes 800 are also impressive on paper. For instance, it comes with a 10mm driver, supports Boat Hearables app, 40 hours of battery life With fast charging support, and most importantly Dolby Audio Support,
Not only that, the earbuds also support multipoint connection and this is not a common thing at this price point.
Now that the specification sheet of the Airdopes 800 is impressive, let’s talk about the build quality to answer all the questions mentioned above.
design
Boat’s branding and Dolby Audio are highlighted on the top of the case and these are the first two things you’ll notice as soon as you open the earbuds. Other than that, you’ll find a large case that has a relatively large footprint – that’s because of the large battery.
Moving on, the case is made entirely of plastic but it feels well made, is smooth and the matte finish makes it even more attractive. The hinges are also plastic but feel good overall and the opening and closing mechanism is smooth too.
The magnetic effect and the closing feel are so satisfying that it became our go-to fidget spinner. We closed and opened it almost continuously for hours and we never felt it would fall apart.
Talking about the ports, the case has a Type-C port on the right side and an LED light on the front that acts as a tell-tale light for multiple functions like pairing, charging indicator, etc.
Talking about the earbuds, the case design language continues on the earbuds as well. The same matte-finish design with a black-out dual-tone treatment in a glossy finish looks premium. However, the stem has a black matte finish and this not only enhances the feel but also helps with grip.
Comfort-wise, they are just fine, the familiar stem design feels at home and it fits well in the ear canal too. Boat has also included two extra sets of ear tips – small and large as well as the medium that come with the earbuds. We would have appreciated an extra set of small eartips here.
What we have is that it is very comfortable to wear. The lightweight design helps with long hours of usage and this is something we appreciated a lot about the Airdopes 800.
Audio Performance
Boat is known for delivering a bass-heavy sound signature and the Airdopes 800 is no different. The good thing is that this time, they have managed to give users more granular control with the help of the hearables app. We will discuss this later.
Before that, let’s talk about the pairing and getting started part. So, as soon as we took the earbuds out of the case, we managed to pair them. Also, it supports Google account, which means you can save it with your Google account and use it with different devices registered to the same Google account.
Once that’s done. The Hearables app recognized the earbuds in real-time — no lag or delay. Talking about the app, setting it up is a bit more frustrating than expected. Users first have to log in using their phone number and OTP and then it again asks to create an account using an email address or sign up using a Google account. It’s a bit complicated and tedious too.
However, once we went through that process, the app is quite useful and the options are laid out properly and in such a way that anyone can use it without needing additional guidance.
The app also comes with an Adaptive EQ feature, which allows the user to customize the audio according to their listening preferences. Apart from this, there is also a built-in equalizer. Apart from this, there are also Dolby audio modes – Neutral and Movie.
We tested the Movie mode while watching movies and shows on Netflix and it works flawlessly and improves the listening experience significantly compared to the regular mode.
The adaptive EQ also works well. However, we noticed that the earbuds take a little time to switch audio settings – though this isn’t a big deal – especially at this price.
Overall the audio quality is good. There is a lot of bass, no doubt about that. But you can choose from different EQ modes to make it more personal. Treble and mids are also fine.
It has a Beast Mode that reduces latency by up to 50ms which comes in handy while playing games, listening to music, or even watching movies and shows.
Battery
The Boat Airdopes 800 are rated to deliver 40 hours of battery life on a single charge. We managed to get about 35 hours of battery life on a single charge which is impressive. Also, the earbuds support fast charging which gives about 90 minutes of listening time in just 5 minutes of charge.
Decision
The Boat Airdopes 800 offers an attractive package for its Rs 1,799 price tag. With impressive features like 10mm drivers, Dolby audio support, and 40 hours of battery life, it stands out in the budget TWS market. The sound quality is bass-heavy but customisable via the Boat Hearables app, making it versatile for different listening preferences. The design is durable with satisfactory build quality, though the setup process thanks to the app could be streamlined. Overall, the Airdopes 800 offers excellent value, making it a solid choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for both performance and affordability.
