Nu Republic Starbuds 4 Review: A lot more polish needed

The market of the true wireless earphones is on its peak currently and you can say there is no effect of the global pandemic in this market. All the companies are trying to provide the best quality service at a great price.

If you analyze past records, there are plenty of examples where brands with lesser attention provide a better product than the popular companies. Believing in these records, I decided to try the new Starbuds 4 by Nu Republic. It comes at Rs. 1,299 and is available on the company’s official website. Here is my full experience.

Specifications:

• General
  • 6.8 x 3.9 x 2.8 cm dimensions
  • 40.8g item weight
  • Multifunction buttons
  • Voice Assistant support
• Audio
  • 20Hz to 20kHz frequency
  • 6mm dynamic drivers
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • 10m range
• Battery
  • 20h average battery life
  • 2h charging time

In the Box:

The small box is carrying –

• One pair of earbuds
• One charging case
• One MicroUSB cable
• Two pair of ear caps
• User manual
• Warranty Card

Design & Build Quality:

There is only one variant available for this Starbuds 4 and that’s the Black and Red combination. The charging case is fully black with a slight matt finish and the lid is of transparent plastic material. A Nu Republic logo is placed on the lid and four white LED light indicators at the front of the case.

The buds are round-shaped and look glossy. The buttons also have the company branding and that is surrounded by a red circle, it’s actually the LED for several indications.

The company added a button inside the charging case, just in the middle of the two buds’ holes. You can use it to stop the buds to take charge from the case or to start charging inside the case.

Overall, at this price range, the build quality and the design is good enough. Only the buttons on the earbuds are a little hard for me, but it’s compromisable.

Comfort & Use:

The buds fit well in the ears and feels comfortable enough. It’s not tight but keeps with you while you are on the move. The size of the case is also average and you can easily carry it in your pocket.

I didn’t face any connectivity issues with it. Thanks to the latest Bluetooth 5.0. To pair the buds with your device, you have to take out the buds from their case and it will automatically pair with the last connected device. To disconnect it, just put back those into the case, that’s all.

As per the company, the connection stays within 10m of range. But the reality is the connectivity remains for around 3 meters. But even after staying in range, I noticed a huge latency.

Point to note, there is no water or dust proofing certification. So, be careful while using it in gym or during work out.

Audio Quality:

This is the part where you really need to look at, it’s an audio device after all. Starbuds 4 has the frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz and equipped with 6mm dynamic drivers.

The only good thing is the audio is very loud. As I don’t have a habit to listen tracks loud, I tested it keeping the volume level at around 50%. The bass is ok. Unfortunately, here all the good quality ends and the listing of the bad experienced started.

For all earphones or headphones, product makers tuned the audio in such a way that it feels the track is playing at the center or just behind you. But in this case, the balancing is shifted at left and this is the most annoying thing for me. You have to train your brain to enjoy any track if you use Nu Republic Starbuds 4 as your audio device. The latency issue is also there on the top of it.

Microphone:

The microphones are placed on the buds as usual. These are sensitive enough to catch your voice with average volume. During a telephonic conversation, the person at another end gets my clear voice. So there is nothing disappointing.

Functionality:

• Single Press – Pause/Play track, Receive/Cut call
• Double Press – Skip track/back to the previous track
• Press for a shorter time – Activate voice assistant
• Press for a long time – On/Off the buds individually

Battery Backup:

Nu Republic claims for 20 hours of long backup, which is quite impressive, and the upper range TWS earphones generally provide this much backup. So the testing becomes necessary. The Buds provide 5 hours of service and the case is capable to recharge them three times.

Just after the unboxing, I put the buds on charge along with the case for two hours. After that, the test begins. The buds run for around 4 hours long which is good as compare to the official announcement. The left bud drains the charge a bit quicker than the right one.

Instead of three times, I get only two times of recharge with the case. Though at the second time the case charges the buds 80% and that runs for around 3 hours.

So in total, I got 11 hours of backup. Truly saying, it’s not surprising for me.

Pros & Cons:

Verdict:

Though there are so many pros like build quality, Bluetooth version, battery backup, and more, the main audio part is very much disappointing. For any of the consumers, it can’t compromisable I believe. So, I’m not recommending this Nu Republic Starbuds 4 to anyone. If your budget doesn’t permit to go for some other TWS earphones, I will suggest to try wireless neckband or wait for offers.

If you are still interested or want to try Starbuds 4 by spending ₹1,299, in that case click here. Or if you have ₹500 more to spend, you can go for recently launched boAt Airdopes 171. The review link of that is given below.

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