Bose Soundsport Free: Your workout companion with great battery life

The premium earphones from Bose are your workout companion, but little else

Wireless may be the future, but it’s not there yet. The technology is going through some necessary rounds of evolution. Even the best earphones leak sound, let in more ambient noise than ideal, do not speak well through their microphones, come off unnoticed sometimes, and generally do not deal well with water, sweat and dust. The Bose Soundsport Free does better on some counts and messes up a few basics. It’s not the ideal pair but might just be what you should use till a better one comes along.
 
Design (3/5)
 
The SoundSport Free is bigger and heavier than most popular fully wireless pairs. It is bright orange in its most popular version and there’s nothing subtle about that. There’s also blue and brown for the less exhibitionistic.
 
The pair is part of active wear and has an IPX4 rating, which means it can handle a lot of sweat, water splashes and light rain. But I wouldn’t shower wearing them and certainly not swim.
 
The Jabra Elite Active 65t (Rs 11,999), for instance, has an IP56 rating, which means it can handle dust, high-pressure water sprays and even pouring rain. Still no swimming, though, but the pair is good enough for most outdoor activities.
 
The SoundSport Free earphones adhere to the ears well, even though they are deliberately designed to let some ambient noise seep in. They are great for outdoor use but less than ideal at an infamously loud Delhi gym (you are forced to pump up the volume, sometimes to the point that you stop enjoying the music). On the up side, they are loud enough for those who complain that Apple AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds are not powerful enough. Take your pick.
 
As far as fit goes, it’s important that one goes through the box and chooses the right earplugs and wing tips for a perfect fit. I did not have any problems with the fitting during my outdoor runs. And I don’t mind the eye-popping orange pieces jutting out of my ears so long as they sound all right and don’t come off. These are good on both counts.
 

Performance (4/5)
 
Bose just does not falter when it comes to sound. Its premium truly wireless pair treats music better than most in its category. It’s loud but the highs are not screechy and it has a bass than you can actually feel — a rarity among wireless pairs. The microphone is also a lot better than many of the popular pairs.
 
If you don’t mind carrying a slightly bigger case (I don’t), the battery of the SoundSport Free is excellent. Along with the case, the not-so-little pieces pack about 15 hours of battery. A single charge lasts for about five hours.
 
Verdict (3.5/5)
 
For a pair that is tailor-made for workouts, the dust- and water-resistance is not up to the mark and the Bluetooth connection can be patchy sometimes. The hard-press buttons also take some getting used to. That said, the pair is sturdy, has Bose’s excellent sound, a great battery life and a decent fit. The SoundSport Free, for Rs 18,990, is great for workouts that last an hour or two, but it’s not a pair that you wouldn’t want to take off.