Welcome to a review of the Bluedio T-Elf 2 TWS Earbuds. In the name of eco-friendly and advancement – Audio jacks, wired earpieces, and even chargers have somehow disappeared from “the essential smartphone package”. What’s left is consumers having to spend more to get things that should be provided in the first place.
But thankfully, there are many good and affordable alternatives these days. Forget about those expensive (half-eaten apple) toothbrushes for a moment, and take some time to consider the T-Elf instead – Read on!
THE OVERVIEW
Price | About USD $25.00 (As at the time of writing) |
Links | Official Website: Link Get from eBay: Click here |
Packaging | Minimal packaging, but includes everything. |
Build Quality | Solid plastics, zero cables. Difficult to damage. |
Functionality | Touch-sensitive earbuds with microphone. |
User Friendliness | Literally, just pick-up-and-use after pairing. |
Sound Quality | Overly pronounced clarity, but otherwise decent. |
Value | Good quality, excellent value-for-money. |
Overall | Audio quality is a tad bit meh, some small issues. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Packaging | Build & Design | Sound Quality |
Battery & Wireless | Summary | Verdict |
THE PACKAGING
Affordable headsets usually come in the form of a “minimal brown box” or “wrapping only”. But Bluedio has definitely stepped up on the packaging over the years.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Yep, a pretty slick-looking minimal box, security seal, and a working product verification code gave me some confidence in getting a quality product… Until I read what’s on the box and go – Still the same old bad translation, bad English. Doh.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
Simple, but has everything.
- The earbuds.
- 2 extra pairs of caps (different sizes).
- Charging case.
- Very short USB-C charging cable – Kind of useless, just use your own.
- Instruction manual in various languages.
BUILD & DESIGN
The packaging aside, the earbuds themselves are also actually pretty decent. Less a few small misses.
QUICK WALKTHROUGH
The “two dots” earbuds themselves, nothing much to see here… There are no hardware buttons, as the earbuds are touch-sensitive. A couple of small complaints though.
- The caps do fall off quite easily, something to watch out for.
- Touch-controls may sound cool, but it comes with its own problems – It is very easy to accidentally trigger play when wearing the earbuds, or even power off with an unintended long press.
The earbuds sit in the case nicely, and yes, the direction does matter. The left earbud has to sit in the left slot, the right earbud has to sit in the right slot… Or this box will not close. For the guys who are worried about losing the earbuds – Both the box and earbuds are magnetic.
So far, it has held up pretty well. The cover remains closed when the box is flipped upside-down, does not open with a few light taps. Even when the cover is opened upside-down, the earbuds are still “stuck” in the box.
SOUND QUALITY
The word “binaural” is specifically written on the box itself, and I somehow had a bad hunch on the first impression… It actually came true with some tests.
SOUND PROFILE
To best explain how the T-Elf sound in words:
- Lows – Actually pretty good deep bass notes.
- Mids – Not to the level of “vivid and luscious”, but “decently good”.
- Highs & Clarity – Ouch. Something about the T-Elf is trying too hard to push the clarity. Cymbals and strings may cause bleeding ears.
- Soundstage – Trying too hard to do that “binaural” and “ASMR” thing.
Overall, still not too bad. Might want to use an EQ to tone down on the highs though.
BATTERY & WIRELESS
For this last section, let us walk through the battery and wireless.
FUSS-FREE PAIRING, PICK-AND-GO.
The initial setup experience is a breeze. Just switch on Bluetooth on the smartphone, pair “as usual”, and that’s all. Once paired, it becomes totally fuss-free. Just take the earbuds out from the box, and it connects automatically within seconds.
As for the range coverage, I would say it’s “typical Bluetooth”. Works best in about 1 room distance (5m or 16feet), but of course, any walls or obstruction will block the signals.
BATTERY LIFE & CHARGING TIME
One thing that some people may not like is the battery life, it lasts 5-6 hours at best for music playback. But considering the very limited space in these tiny earbuds, I would say that is still very respectable. The box itself should also be able to fully charge the earbuds (from 0% to 100%) up to 4 times.
So yes, the T Elf is not something you can use for an entire day without stop. Expect a “charging downtime” of about 1 to 2 hours, but otherwise, the earbuds and box combo should last an entire day.
UPDATE – ISSUES WITH THE T ELF
After using the T-Elf for over a month, I started to notice some issues with it.
- The Bluetooth connection dropped a couple of times in the middle of music playback. AND that is not because I was standing too far away, the connection just dropped suddenly.
- The right earbud doesn’t quite seem to sit properly in the charging case. There are a few times I picked up the earbuds and the battery is flat.
Taking half a star off the ratings because of these issues.
THE SUMMARY
That’s all for this review, and here is a small section on some extras and links that may be useful to you.
TECHNICAL SPECS
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20KHz
- Play Time: About 6 hrs
- Continuous Talk Time: About 3 hrs
- Standby Time: About 40 hrs
- Charging Port: USB-C
- Case Charge: Able to charge the earbuds about 4 times
- Charging Time (earbuds): About 1.5 hrs
- Charging Time (case): About 3 hrs
THE GOOD
- Good build quality.
- Fuss-free pairing and operation.
- Pretty good battery life for something so small.
THE BAD
- Overly pronounced clarity.
- Touch-controls can go out-of-control while picking up the earbuds.
- As with every other TWS earbuds – Easy to lose these “tiny dots”.
- Bluetooth connection drops.
VERDICT
Sure thing, the T-Elf 2 is not the perfect earbud. It still has a few small hiccups everywhere. But given the price point and how well it works, it is a no-brainer good buy for people on a budget; I have no problems recommending this as a good consideration for affordable alternatives.
Thank you for reading, and we have come to the end of this review. I hope this has helped you, and if you have anything to share, please feel free to comment below. Good luck and may the cyber force be with you.
Good review & I’m a fan of my Bluedio T Elf 2 earbuds. Sound is now even better, punchier bass once I switched the included silicone eartips to my Skullcandy Dime medium silicone eartips which isolates the sound better in my ears with better passive noise cancellation. The Dime silicone eartips are cut slightly different than other more universal silicone eartips, FYI. Seriously, this silicone eartips switcheroo has enhance the sound & loving these even more now!