boAt is a powerful name in the Indian audio market and has enough strength to give a head to head to its senior competitors. Last Sunday, it placed its new Airdopes 171 for sale on Amazon.in and become sold out within around a day.
As the product was coming at just ₹1,799, we were curious if the Indian brand is providing the same overall quality this time too, even after this price point or not. We already get our answer and now sharing it with you.
Specifications & Variants:
- General
- 5 x 3.8 x 3 cm product dimensions
- 50g item weight
- Multifunction buttons
- IPX4 Rating
- Voice Assistant Support
- Audio
- 20Hz to 20kHz Frequency
- 6mm Audio Driver
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 10m Range
- AAC
- Battery
- 43mAh Battery in each bud
- 380mAh Battery in the Charging Case
- 70h Standby Time
- Up to 3h Playback time for Buds
- Up to 10h with Charging Case
- 2h Charging time
- MicroUSB port in the case for charging
- Variants
- Rose Gold
- Mysterious Blue
- Active Black
In the Box:
There is lots of things inside the small box. Here is the list –
- One pair of the earbuds
- One Charging Case
- One MicroUSB Cable
- Two pair of extra Ear Caps
- 1 Year Warranty Card
- User Manual
Design & Build Quality:
The Charging Case comes with an oval-shaped matt finish texture that feels premium from the very first touch. There is a boAt branding on the top, a hidden tri-color LED at the front for charging, and battery level indications. The MicroUSB port is placed at the back. A short model description is also there at the back surface.
Each of the earbuds is also shaped almost a look-alike of the charging case, in terms of design, but obviously in a smaller size. There are also hidden LEDs in the Multifunction Buttons. The mics are placed at the bottom of each one (The bottom part you get after wearing).
The build quality is great and the matt finish on its top enhances the premium feel further. Holding it in the hands is very comfortable and gives a premium feel as well.
Comfort & Usage:
The buds are very light in weight and fit perfectly, not tight but keep steady at their proper place even after getting a good jerk. I used the buds over 4 to 5 hours long and didn’t feel uncomfortable for a single time. The charging case size is enough to carry in your pocket easily and can tolerate little pressures, thanks to the build quality.
boAt is providing Bluetooth 5.0 with this product. So, fast connectivity is quite obvious. For the first time, you have to pair it with your smartphone or PC or Tab. Generally, when you will take out the buds from the case, they will turn on automatically. But I had to turn those on manually once.
The user manual says the Airdopes 171 has a transmission range of 10 meters but it disconnected after 2.5 meters only. Within that range, everything is well and good.
Along with all these, the voice assistant support will make your hands-free experience a lot better. If you are wondering about the latency, let you know it’s very less.
Audio Quality:
Now the most important part started. Airdopes 171 has a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz and has 6mm audio driver. Besides it also has Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) digital audio compression support.
At the volume range of 40% to 70%, the sound feels very much soft, sweet, and doesn’t sting to me. Over that, it is very much loud, like very loud, much like most of the boAt audio products.
Two negative feedback from my side is first, the bass is almost negligible. If you are a fan of high bass, this Airdopes 171 is not for you. The second one is the audio becomes silent at 20% or less volume and there’s no difference between 10% of volume and 0%. Overall, at its price, the sound is justified and is good enough for normal usage.
Microphone:
I attended a lot of calls while using it and I got no one complaints about poor audio or connectivity issues as such. This means, despite being far away position from the mouth, microphones received my words clearly and easily. The good response of my Google Assistant is another proof of it. So, no complaints regarding mic quality at all.
Functionality:
Just making a variation of the press-time duration of the Multi-Function Buttons (MFB), you can do multiple things. There is also a double-tap functionality. The MFBs are soft enough and you need not press hard.
- Press MFB for 2 seconds: Activate your Voice Assistant/Reject call
- Press MFB for 3 seconds: On the Buds manually
- Press MFB for 5 seconds: Off the Buds manually
- Press MFB for 10 seconds: Perform Factory Reset
- Single press on any of the MFBs: Pause or Play music/Receive call
- Double press on Right MFB: Next Track/Switch between an active call and held call
- Double press on Left MFB: Previous Track/Switch between an active call and held call
If you use a single bud at a time, in the case, the track skip or return function will not work.
Battery Backup:
The only thing that surprised me is the battery backup. Each bud is holding 43mAh batteries inside and the charging case with MicroUSB post has 380mAh battery. The company claims a total to 13 hours of playback time including 3 times charging through the case, 3 hours of playback time for each bud, and a total of 70 hours standby time.
Firstly, following the instructions by boAt, I charged the total set for 2 hours using a 5V/2A adapter. After that currently, I’m using it for 17 hours long and still has a 70% charge in the buds. A single bud with a full charge is running for around 5 hours and I charged the buds three times already. Still, it can charge the buds, to get fully charged in the case, the buds are taking around 1.5 hours.
Point to note, I kept the volume at 60% all the time, and the time duration, I provided, is the playback time, not the standby time.
Pros & Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Premium Build Quality | Less Bass |
| Great Battery Life | Lower transmission range |
| Soft and Sweet Audio Quality | |
| Low Latency | |
| Good Microphone Reception |
Verdict:
At the pricepoint of ₹1,799, boAt’s new Airdope 171 is one of the best options. Its premium build quality, great audio, the latest Bluetooth version, and the long battery life are more than enough to become someone’s favourite daily use audio device. The only thing you have to compromise is the bass. But, you can’t ignore the pros for just one major con, I personally have no complaint regarding this, keeping in mind the price tag only.
If your heart wants this boAt Airdopes 171 after going through this entire review, you should undoubtedly go for it, also see our review of the Redmi Earbud S and Realme Buds Q, to see the differences. You are just one click away to reach your favourite TWS earphone with your favourite colour among Rose Gold, Mysterious Blue, and Active Black. Reach links are given below, go and order one.
Rose Gold: https://amzn.to/3gMTBnL
Mysterious Blue: https://amzn.to/2DseR3J
Active Black: https://amzn.to/3gGCuUw
Do Check Out 👇🏼
does it pain in ears after long usage?
I used this earbud around 4 to 5 hours long multiple times, didn’t feel any pain.
Bro pls tell me how to use pls they are not wotking tell me now
1) make sure your unit has enough charge to power on
2) in case the earbuds didn’t turn on automatically when you take out them from the case, you need to do that manually. Press the buttons of each one for 3 seconds until you hear a tune.
can i charge the case while the earbuds are in them?
Yah
Can you post a video on factory reset
Sorry, I can’t. Press the buttons of each bud for around 10 seconds. That will reset the Airdopes 171.
The charging case led lights are not working what to do?
Please contact boAt.
what does orange light indicate???
Charging and the battery level is less than 60%
How to charge the device
Put both the earbuds into the case, insert the charger into the MicroUSB port at the back of the charging case. Lastly, switch on the power supply.
Vary bad product
Main lekr pachta raha hu
Abhi return ki request dali hai
Maybe you receive a defective product.
How to understand battery percentage based on LED?
For the case, yah. For the buds, the % will be visible on your smartphone when you pair those.
How to turn on auto disconnect mode? Actually Bluetooth on hote hue bhi earbuds case me rkhte hi disconnect ho k charging mode me chle ja rhe the, bt ab wo automatically off ni ho the, Bluetooth off krne k baad bhi
When you put the buds into the case, the Bluetooth will automatically go off and resume charging. It’s common for almost all TWS. There is no way to change this.
Bro my buds are not charging.. What should i do.. But in the case it is showing green indicator
Contact boAt
Hi, can the case be charged without buds inside? Like Im using the buds and keep the case for charging so that I can have the case charged for back up when I am on the move? Or the case should always be charged with buds inside it?
Yah, it’s possible. But not sure whether this process is good for the product’s health or not.
My left bud is not connecting I have tried lot of time but it is nt connecting.
Reset the bud and try again.
My pod case shows red BLINKING light while charging.What does that indicate?
Charging
How to reset the bud, my right bud is not working.
Press the multi-function button for 10 seconds.
When connected to mobile network wokrs perfectly when connected to wifi my wifi stops working why is there is any solution??
I’m replying, but unfortunately, I don’t know the solution. Probably it’s not the problem of the buds, your smartphone is malfunctioning.
User manual don’t say anything about orange light. What does it mean?
The orange light indicates the battery level is <60%.
Reply if u know the solution??
Can we get a cover of this airdopes 171
There is no cover of the charging case.
My right one gets disconnected as soon as I take it out of the box
Please contact the boAt customer support.
Not charging in buds what is the issue
Suddenly its happened but I am putting charge case that’s working now case led is white color blinking.but not charging in headsets.
Make sure when you put back the buds into the case, the LEDs (of the buds not of the case) light up. If not, contact the boAt customer support.
When bud put in case left bud shows red indicator awake…after reset still show red
That means the bud is charging. It will become green after sometime and later turn off. Don’t worry
What if the charging case id always in red led light on even with connected to power for charging.(mine is showing red leght on without charging)
Hi Kevin
While charging if the case LED is red, it’s normal. But it should turn into green & white respectively after around 45 to 60 minutes. Otherwise there is something wrong.
If the LED remains red after removing the case from charge, then definitely the unit is malfunctioning.
Please consult with the boAt team once
I have charged the whole set for about 4 hours but the light on the case is not changing from red to white. What should I do?
Please contact to boAt Customer Care
The volume of the left bud is very low even if the the volume of my phone is full.. nd the voice of left bud can be heard to someone sitting next to me.. but i cannot hear properly from left bud..
Even after putting the left air bud in the case led doesn’t show any colour. When trying to switch left bud on it says battery low. It’s been only a week of purchase. Kindly help
Please make sure the case has enough charge. Switch off both of your buds, put them in the charging case, and then put the case on charge. If the LED of the case shows red, wait till it becomes white and stop blinking.
Brother How can we increase or Decrease the Volume level by using these airdopes..
Also Can we redail a Number by using them
Pls help me by replying 🙏
What does green light indicates in the case?
Battery level is in between 60% to 95%