Review – Edifier W293BT
Edifier W293BT
RM 249.00
Pros
- Good build quality
- Decent accessories selection
- Good sound quality
- Great battery life (8 hours)
- Great value
Cons
- Stiff buttons
- Questionable button controls
- Sub-par microphone
Bluetooth earphones are gaining popularity, whether if you absolutely hate dealing with cables or because you’re forced into the ecosystem with the death of 3.5 mm audio jack. Putting that aside, Bluetooth earphones are definitely here to stay especially within the fitness conscious crowds who relies on music during their gym sessions. That being said, today we will be looking at the Edifier W293BT Bluetooth earphones and we shall find out what kind of experience you would get at the price of RM 249.
Edifier W293BT Specifications
| Edifier W293BT | |
| Driver Unit | 6 mm |
| Impedance | 24 Ohms |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz (±12 dB) |
| Supported Profiles | A2DP, AVRCP,HSP,HFP |
| Bluetooth version | 4.1 |
Unboxing
- Edifier W293BT
- Different sizes of earbuds and wingtips
- Cable hook
- Micro USB cable
- Carrying pouch
- User manual
Build Quality & Design
Okay, fine, this is unlike the Apple AirPods or the Samsung Gear IconX which don’t have a cable dangling around the neck. Then again, over 90% of the Bluetooth earphones out there are having this classic design so I don’t really think it matters that much as of now.
According to Edifier, the design for W293BT is heavily inspired by the look of an oxygen tank. But why oxygen tank? Not that I know the exact reason and what came across the designer’s mind during the product brain-storming session, what I know is that the “tank” houses the battery that could last the pair over 8 hours of music playback.
The rest of the earbuds are pretty standard and there are 3 sets of different earbud sizes and wingtips respectively. Wingtips are great for those who wear earphones during workout session as they help to keep the buds in place.
In-line Controller
Moving on to the inline controller on the cable, and we can see the polished surface has the text “OXYGEN” on it. Turns out, this pair of earphones are sold in China as Edifier Oxygen, meanwhile W293BT for worldwide. Interestingly, when you try to pair it, your phone would detect it as “Edifier Oxygen” instead.
Now, here’s the problem, even I am one of the victims of this confusing name because the packaging and the documentation never explicitly mention the name apart from the printed Oxygen text on the inline controller.
The small hole on the controller is where the microphone resides. The sound quality from the microphone is average, if not, slightly lower than my expectations. For some reason, my voice would sound muffled as described by the other party.
The controller has 3 buttons on it and the control scheme is somehow not my favourite. A single press on the + and – button would increase or decrease the volume respectively, and you have to long press them to either skip the track or rewind the track. I would rather have double press because it is just way more easy to control rather than having to press and hold. If you’re an iOS user, it gets a bit complicated as activating Siri would impose a challenge of pressing both + and – buttons at the same time, on top of the already-stiff buttons.
Charging the earphone is done through the micro USB port at the side of the controller. Not sure if this only affects my unit, but for some reason, the rubber cap is not flush with the controller when it is closed. Something to take note of since the water resistant feature is pretty important for some users. So far, I have not experienced anything negative from this aspect yet.
Sound Signature
OK, now the most important question – how does it sound? I’m not a real expert in describing sound through words but I’ll say it sounds pretty satisfying. The W293BT is leaning towards the bassy side of the sound spectrum. It is not something I would say overwhelming but at least the bass is very well controlled. At least it will be very useful during your cardio sessions. Treble is not so pronounced which is kind of a bummer, personal thoughts. Truth be told, I think there are plenty of users out there couldn’t care less about treble. Overall, the sound signature will suit the general consumer’s taste.
I know there are plenty of Qualcomm aptX capable phones and earphones in the market but yet again, I want to point out the fact that many other Bluetooth earphones in this price range usually don’t support it. That includes the use of official Bluetooth module that received official Bluetooth certification. Does it really matter? Well, at least we know Edifier has legit internal components instead of random el-cheapo Bluetooth module. You can learn more about the certification here.
Final Words
Overall, if you’re looking for a sports wireless earphones that are below RM300, the Edifier W293BT definitely will fit into your requirements nicely if you can live with the aforementioned cons. The pricing is just right, the sound quality is good and would satisfy most of the user’s preference.
If you decided to pick up an Edifier sports wireless earphones but have different price preference, perhaps you can refer to Gadget Guide’s article on wireless sports earphones.
