QCY T13 Bluetooth 5.1 IPX5 Waterproof Stereo Earphones in-Ear Built-in Mic Headset
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Model: QCY T13
Price: MSRP Approx $24.99
Website: QCY Store
Review Reference: RC058
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, English & Chinese
3 x Pairs Eartips
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the (belated) Regancipher review of one of the most popular earbuds on the market today, the QCY T13.
QCY's glut of releases this year has been frenetic - almost impossible to keep pace with! Having reviewed the T16 and T17 in the last month, I was urged to give the T13 a try, and they don't disappoint, once again doing the basics superbly as well as adding some high end features at a budget price.
The T13 essentially replaces the T5 as the mainstream, stem-based in-ear offering - there are no dual-drivers like the T11, no aptx support like the T11S, just solid performance and high build quality at a highly affordable price tag.
Unboxing - 7/10
Inside, the earbuds slot into a plastic crate, along with the usual charge cable, tips and manual. The manual, whilst a little flimsy, tells you everything you need to know, and QCY have improved the content by adding more diagrams to it in order to demonstrate their points. Really, we know the TWS vendors want you to use the online manual within the app, but it's one area I feel QCY will need to brush up on if they want to make that jump to the next tier of vendor, in the same way Tronsmart did with their 2020 releases. They've still missed some basic stuff out like what the LED's denote - an area of improvement for sure.
The Case - 8.5/10
The T13 case is, like the T16, more premium-feeling than the usual generic, matte finish cases we typically see in this price range. The QCY logo sits atop a glossy-finished lid, and it has shown no sign of degradation or scuff despite being in the bottom of my bag for the last two weeks.
The case has a similar feel to the SoundPEATS T3, with a similar flip-top design, and the buds nestling in tip-down, with the pogo pins resting horizontally against the cockpit.
Against a darker background you see the pairing/reset button in the centre, a suitably-weighted and proportioned hinge, and what you don't see is a nice, powder matte finish to the cockpit, which contrasts well with the rest of the case.
On the front is a single LED denoting charge status. When you put the case on charge, it turns red, then green when the case is fully charged. The pairing/reset button in the case also acts as a battery-level indicator, showing blue when between 50 and 90%, green when above 90%, and red when below 50%. Whilst it sounds awkward, in practice it is far better than waiting around for the lid to close - you just flip the case open with your left hand, tilt the cockpit to face you and touch the button with your right hand. Whilst it doesn't facilitate easy single handed use, that's the price you pay for improved build quality.
The off-centre USB port is on the right hand side, so a 90 degree USB-C cable would have been the icing on the cake, albeit not expected.
With a weight of 48g, the case is neither excessively heavy nor light - it is perfectly proportioned, highly portable, well-finished, provides an additional 3 full charges and supports quick charge feature, which gives you an hour of playtime from just 5 minutes charge.
It is really a quite impressive case that, had it featured wireless charging, would have given you everything you could possibly want from a case - good ergonomics, good function - top job!
Ergonomics - 8.5/10
The stem-based design of the T13 isn't revolutionary in any way, but it doesn't need to be - they've got the fit spot on as usual, with a good balance of comfort, passive noise isolation and a high quality finish.
The design is fairly similar to the T11 with some notable exceptions. The outer shape is more 'lollipop' than 'matchstick' with a rounded edge facilitating better usability of the touch controls. Like the T11, there is an LED on the outside, although on this model, the LED only shows when charging - red when under 100%, blue when complete.
Like the T11, there is a fairly wide bore, supporting the 7.2mm dynamic driver, and a pressure release vent close to the feedthrough mic and L/R symbol which references which ear it corresponds to. The battery connectors are on the inside of the stem as opposed to the bottom of it.
At 4.25g the are once again neither heavy nor light, neither long nor short (stem length is albeit on the shorter end of the spectrum at 29mm). However you get the picture - they're comfy, well proportioned, well finished and certainly feel more impressive than their price tag.
The only negative is a lack of official IPX rating, but the build looks to me like it will stand up to a bit of sweat and rain - IPX certification adds extra layers of cost, so QCY are cutting their cloth accordingly here.
Audio - 8.5/10 (for the price paid), 7.5/10 (raw score)
The T13 are often mentioned by reviewers as one of the best sounding budget buds on the market, and when we take a look at the frequency response chart (green), it isn't altogether surprising given the tuning, which complements the single dynamic driver well.
The majority of the competition favours an aggressive lower frequency response, shouty upper mids and harsh trebles. QCY have been in the game a long time, and have adjusted their house sound accordingly, and it works - the lower frequencies are still boosted (albeit smoother), the midrange is a still a little recessed, and the trebles are tuned to roll off without losing all texture and coarseness to cymbals, which can sometimes feel that way with the G1 (red - see diagram at the bottom of this section). It makes for a nicely elastic soundstage that can sound warm and intimate on baritone, soul tracks, and expansive and airy on tracks which are orchestrally appropriate. Importantly, they avoid the congestion you hear on many budget earbuds, and the trebles lack the metallic sound synonymous with cheap earbuds.
'Crazy' demonstrates the soundstage nicely as Seal's haunting vocals echo around a distant percussion and throaty wah-wah pedal guitar from Kenji Suzuki. Simply Red's rendition of Barry White's 'It's Only Love' shows the trebles aren't ignored as the kick and percussion have bite and presence, and separate nicely from the Chad Jackson-inspired synths and Mick Hucknall's wide vocal range. There is definitely a more laid-back feel to shakers and tams, especially when you compare to some of the more archetypal budget offerings on the market today, but this adds balance and warmth and complements the sound well.
House tracks like Oliver Helden's 'Gecko' can often sound recessed when the drop and vocal arrive on budget TWS - this is definitely less of a problem with the T13, which retain energy with good vocal representation, also ensuring sufficient clarity and separation given the price and technology constraints.
The performance, considering the relatively small 7.2mm Woai Audio dynamic drivers, is very respectable. Don't expect $100 audio, but for around $30 it's more than acceptable, and the T13 punch above their weight, giving a more enjoyable experience than many more expensive buds that promise much and offer relatively little.
You can see the evolution in QCY's sound signature above, with a comparison of several of their recent releases. If you like a slightly darker tone and timbre to your music, the T13 are a better pick than something like the T17 or HT05, which are brighter and more natural sounding, respectively.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 8/10
Call quality on the T13 is good enough. Whilst your voice can sound a little thin on cell calls, and the conversation as a whole sound a little over-processed, this is only really the case indoors when the acoustics in the room are sufficiently open.
Outdoors the performance is only just behind the surprise star-performers, the T16, with solid noise reduction elevating your voice clearly over nearby splashes and wooshes from traffic. They featured in my YouTube test of 28 different sets of TWS in December 2021 and were one of the star performers:
Mics have also been a focus for earbud vendors this year, with elevoc algorithms and accelerometers creeping onto specification sheets, and whilst the T13 can't boast any of those features, call quality is good enough for the average user who isn't expecting to livestream their YouTube videos and get similar performance to a USB-mic (top tip - no earbuds are there yet!)
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 7/10
QCY often take a no-frills approach to their releases, limiting the number of needless features in favour of a lower price tag, but the T13 have a few strings to their bow that put the competition to shame.
Firstly, whilst the controls don't allow you to change the volume, this can and will be able to be customised via the QCY app. Out of the box, double taps play/pause and answer/end calls, holding left and right skips track back and forward respectively (and ignores call). Triple left tap hails voice assistant, and right tap gaming mode, which brings latency down even further - you can expect lipsync on YouTube, especially as AAC is the focus codec here, and gaming isn't terrible either.
One of the corners that QCY cut is voice prompts - instead of an American-sounding female voice (used by Tronsmart), an associated sound-effect (1More) or kinda creepy voice balanced with ASMR-friendly clicks (Elevoc), you get a selection of beeps - at least on this model (the HT03 being the exception.) These beeps which tell you your 'taps' are doing something are not quite as palatable as the T16, although the touch area is enlarged compared to the T11 - a nice feature that combines good design and nice aesthetics.
Using the Jieli AD6976D chip, the Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity is pretty stable and the distance good. In the same week as I tested the choppy and flakey Elevoc Clear, the T13 stood up to strenuous testing, only dropping out at beyond the marketed 10m. Quick charge is a great feature - 1 hour from 5 minutes of juice.
The QCY app is discussed in previous reviews (see the bottom of the review) but a welcome addition at this price point.
Battery Life - 8.5/10
One of the best in class TWS, and a very strong performer at this price point. The buds are capable of just under 8 hours on 50-60% volume, music only. This drops to around 6-6.5 hours 'real-world' - i.e. occasionally increasing the volume and spending a good amount of that time on calls, which is more battery-intensive for any earbuds. Whilst not quite at the mammoth 10 hours of the ZMI PurPods or SoundPEATS Sonic, total playtime extends to a very respectable 40 hours with the case, and given the quick charge feature described above, it is highly unlikely you're going to run out of battery with the T13.
Final Comments
It is very rare I'm playing catchup with TWS, usually trying to review on release rather than a good few months later. When I do, I'm usually lamenting their lack of *insert new innovative feature here*, but that wasn't the case with the T13. Like with the T16 and T17, you're now getting very consistent, solid performance in every category from buds which are typically available for under $20 - a remarkable indicator of progress for both QCY and the TWS market in general.
QCY have included all the basic features and more here, and whilst there is no ANC or wireless charging, considering the price, you're getting superb bang for buck once again.
QCY will naturally move into the higher performance market at some point, but for now they've owned the 'good enough' section where consumers on a budget want a brand and a product they can rely on. Before they do, I'd just like to see slightly improved instruction manuals - larger text, and preferably more reliance on visuals, will open them up to other, non-English speaking markets, and give them the icing on the cake at this price point.
Price Weighted Score: 88%
Raw Score: 83%
QCY Review Inventory:
HT07 Arcbuds
HT05 Melobuds ANC
T20 Ailypods
T18
G1
T17
T16
T13
HT03
T12
T11
About QCY:
Whilst not quite a household name outside of China yet, QCY are well-renowned in the budget TWS space for developing extraordinarily low cost earbuds that, whilst perhaps lacking some of the bells and whistles of the more expensive brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', with solid reliability and tremendous value for money.
Part of the Hele Electronics Group, as well as designing their own products, they also OEM product for other vendors (Aukey, for example rebrand the T5), with three of their major customers being brands you will certainly recognise and in the global top 10 of the TWS market in 2019. In 2020, market research indicated they were the 4th biggest TWS vendor worldwide - no mean feat.
Despite a close relationship with SoC manufactuer Zhuhai Jieli, QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their target market. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T17S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T17, and differentiating with the use of the Qualcomm QCC3040 SoC, to support customers who require the added lower latency enabled by the aptX codecs that the Qualcomm chips support. They did a similar thing with the very popular T5, T8 and T9 - nice to see a vendor using an easy to follow naming convention! The G1 use the newest Pixart chip in order to reduce latency - horses for courses!
The QCY mission seems to be bringing music to the masses at a very affordable price - they are unlikely to top the charts for sound quality or features any time soon, but I think that's how they prefer it - their bang for buck is often unparalleled, with customers knowing they are getting value from a brand they can trust.
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YouTube: regancipher
Squiglink: regancipher
Socials: Biolink
Model: QCY T13
Price: MSRP Approx $24.99
Website: QCY Store
Review Reference: RC058
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: QCY
- Model: T13 / BH20T13A
- Driver: 7.2mm Dynamic Driver
- Chipset: Jieli AD6976D
- Mic: 4, ENC noise reduction, mic amplification and echo cancellation
- ANC: No
- Volume Control: Yes, via the QCY app
- Codecs: AAC, SBC
- Earbud Weight: 4.25g
- Earbud Dimensions: 29mm stem length, 24mm depth with nozzle
- Gross Case & Buds Weight: 48.15g
- Case Dimensions: 54mm width, 54mm depth, 28mm height
- Case Charge Capacity: 380mAh
- Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
- Quick Charge: Yes
- Wireless Charging: No
- Input: 5V 400mA
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 8 hours
- Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 40 hours
- App Support: Yes
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.1
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
- Water Resistance: Not stated
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, English & Chinese
3 x Pairs Eartips
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the (belated) Regancipher review of one of the most popular earbuds on the market today, the QCY T13.
QCY's glut of releases this year has been frenetic - almost impossible to keep pace with! Having reviewed the T16 and T17 in the last month, I was urged to give the T13 a try, and they don't disappoint, once again doing the basics superbly as well as adding some high end features at a budget price.
The T13 essentially replaces the T5 as the mainstream, stem-based in-ear offering - there are no dual-drivers like the T11, no aptx support like the T11S, just solid performance and high build quality at a highly affordable price tag.
Unboxing - 7/10
Inside, the earbuds slot into a plastic crate, along with the usual charge cable, tips and manual. The manual, whilst a little flimsy, tells you everything you need to know, and QCY have improved the content by adding more diagrams to it in order to demonstrate their points. Really, we know the TWS vendors want you to use the online manual within the app, but it's one area I feel QCY will need to brush up on if they want to make that jump to the next tier of vendor, in the same way Tronsmart did with their 2020 releases. They've still missed some basic stuff out like what the LED's denote - an area of improvement for sure.
The Case - 8.5/10
The T13 case is, like the T16, more premium-feeling than the usual generic, matte finish cases we typically see in this price range. The QCY logo sits atop a glossy-finished lid, and it has shown no sign of degradation or scuff despite being in the bottom of my bag for the last two weeks.
The case has a similar feel to the SoundPEATS T3, with a similar flip-top design, and the buds nestling in tip-down, with the pogo pins resting horizontally against the cockpit.
Against a darker background you see the pairing/reset button in the centre, a suitably-weighted and proportioned hinge, and what you don't see is a nice, powder matte finish to the cockpit, which contrasts well with the rest of the case.
On the front is a single LED denoting charge status. When you put the case on charge, it turns red, then green when the case is fully charged. The pairing/reset button in the case also acts as a battery-level indicator, showing blue when between 50 and 90%, green when above 90%, and red when below 50%. Whilst it sounds awkward, in practice it is far better than waiting around for the lid to close - you just flip the case open with your left hand, tilt the cockpit to face you and touch the button with your right hand. Whilst it doesn't facilitate easy single handed use, that's the price you pay for improved build quality.
The off-centre USB port is on the right hand side, so a 90 degree USB-C cable would have been the icing on the cake, albeit not expected.
With a weight of 48g, the case is neither excessively heavy nor light - it is perfectly proportioned, highly portable, well-finished, provides an additional 3 full charges and supports quick charge feature, which gives you an hour of playtime from just 5 minutes charge.
It is really a quite impressive case that, had it featured wireless charging, would have given you everything you could possibly want from a case - good ergonomics, good function - top job!
Ergonomics - 8.5/10
The stem-based design of the T13 isn't revolutionary in any way, but it doesn't need to be - they've got the fit spot on as usual, with a good balance of comfort, passive noise isolation and a high quality finish.
The design is fairly similar to the T11 with some notable exceptions. The outer shape is more 'lollipop' than 'matchstick' with a rounded edge facilitating better usability of the touch controls. Like the T11, there is an LED on the outside, although on this model, the LED only shows when charging - red when under 100%, blue when complete.
Like the T11, there is a fairly wide bore, supporting the 7.2mm dynamic driver, and a pressure release vent close to the feedthrough mic and L/R symbol which references which ear it corresponds to. The battery connectors are on the inside of the stem as opposed to the bottom of it.
At 4.25g the are once again neither heavy nor light, neither long nor short (stem length is albeit on the shorter end of the spectrum at 29mm). However you get the picture - they're comfy, well proportioned, well finished and certainly feel more impressive than their price tag.
The only negative is a lack of official IPX rating, but the build looks to me like it will stand up to a bit of sweat and rain - IPX certification adds extra layers of cost, so QCY are cutting their cloth accordingly here.
Audio - 8.5/10 (for the price paid), 7.5/10 (raw score)
The T13 are often mentioned by reviewers as one of the best sounding budget buds on the market, and when we take a look at the frequency response chart (green), it isn't altogether surprising given the tuning, which complements the single dynamic driver well.
The majority of the competition favours an aggressive lower frequency response, shouty upper mids and harsh trebles. QCY have been in the game a long time, and have adjusted their house sound accordingly, and it works - the lower frequencies are still boosted (albeit smoother), the midrange is a still a little recessed, and the trebles are tuned to roll off without losing all texture and coarseness to cymbals, which can sometimes feel that way with the G1 (red - see diagram at the bottom of this section). It makes for a nicely elastic soundstage that can sound warm and intimate on baritone, soul tracks, and expansive and airy on tracks which are orchestrally appropriate. Importantly, they avoid the congestion you hear on many budget earbuds, and the trebles lack the metallic sound synonymous with cheap earbuds.
'Crazy' demonstrates the soundstage nicely as Seal's haunting vocals echo around a distant percussion and throaty wah-wah pedal guitar from Kenji Suzuki. Simply Red's rendition of Barry White's 'It's Only Love' shows the trebles aren't ignored as the kick and percussion have bite and presence, and separate nicely from the Chad Jackson-inspired synths and Mick Hucknall's wide vocal range. There is definitely a more laid-back feel to shakers and tams, especially when you compare to some of the more archetypal budget offerings on the market today, but this adds balance and warmth and complements the sound well.
House tracks like Oliver Helden's 'Gecko' can often sound recessed when the drop and vocal arrive on budget TWS - this is definitely less of a problem with the T13, which retain energy with good vocal representation, also ensuring sufficient clarity and separation given the price and technology constraints.
The performance, considering the relatively small 7.2mm Woai Audio dynamic drivers, is very respectable. Don't expect $100 audio, but for around $30 it's more than acceptable, and the T13 punch above their weight, giving a more enjoyable experience than many more expensive buds that promise much and offer relatively little.
You can see the evolution in QCY's sound signature above, with a comparison of several of their recent releases. If you like a slightly darker tone and timbre to your music, the T13 are a better pick than something like the T17 or HT05, which are brighter and more natural sounding, respectively.
Call Quality - Indoors - 7.5/10, Outdoors - 8/10
Call quality on the T13 is good enough. Whilst your voice can sound a little thin on cell calls, and the conversation as a whole sound a little over-processed, this is only really the case indoors when the acoustics in the room are sufficiently open.
Outdoors the performance is only just behind the surprise star-performers, the T16, with solid noise reduction elevating your voice clearly over nearby splashes and wooshes from traffic. They featured in my YouTube test of 28 different sets of TWS in December 2021 and were one of the star performers:
Mics have also been a focus for earbud vendors this year, with elevoc algorithms and accelerometers creeping onto specification sheets, and whilst the T13 can't boast any of those features, call quality is good enough for the average user who isn't expecting to livestream their YouTube videos and get similar performance to a USB-mic (top tip - no earbuds are there yet!)
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 7/10
QCY often take a no-frills approach to their releases, limiting the number of needless features in favour of a lower price tag, but the T13 have a few strings to their bow that put the competition to shame.
Firstly, whilst the controls don't allow you to change the volume, this can and will be able to be customised via the QCY app. Out of the box, double taps play/pause and answer/end calls, holding left and right skips track back and forward respectively (and ignores call). Triple left tap hails voice assistant, and right tap gaming mode, which brings latency down even further - you can expect lipsync on YouTube, especially as AAC is the focus codec here, and gaming isn't terrible either.
One of the corners that QCY cut is voice prompts - instead of an American-sounding female voice (used by Tronsmart), an associated sound-effect (1More) or kinda creepy voice balanced with ASMR-friendly clicks (Elevoc), you get a selection of beeps - at least on this model (the HT03 being the exception.) These beeps which tell you your 'taps' are doing something are not quite as palatable as the T16, although the touch area is enlarged compared to the T11 - a nice feature that combines good design and nice aesthetics.
Using the Jieli AD6976D chip, the Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity is pretty stable and the distance good. In the same week as I tested the choppy and flakey Elevoc Clear, the T13 stood up to strenuous testing, only dropping out at beyond the marketed 10m. Quick charge is a great feature - 1 hour from 5 minutes of juice.
The QCY app is discussed in previous reviews (see the bottom of the review) but a welcome addition at this price point.
Battery Life - 8.5/10
One of the best in class TWS, and a very strong performer at this price point. The buds are capable of just under 8 hours on 50-60% volume, music only. This drops to around 6-6.5 hours 'real-world' - i.e. occasionally increasing the volume and spending a good amount of that time on calls, which is more battery-intensive for any earbuds. Whilst not quite at the mammoth 10 hours of the ZMI PurPods or SoundPEATS Sonic, total playtime extends to a very respectable 40 hours with the case, and given the quick charge feature described above, it is highly unlikely you're going to run out of battery with the T13.
Final Comments
It is very rare I'm playing catchup with TWS, usually trying to review on release rather than a good few months later. When I do, I'm usually lamenting their lack of *insert new innovative feature here*, but that wasn't the case with the T13. Like with the T16 and T17, you're now getting very consistent, solid performance in every category from buds which are typically available for under $20 - a remarkable indicator of progress for both QCY and the TWS market in general.
QCY have included all the basic features and more here, and whilst there is no ANC or wireless charging, considering the price, you're getting superb bang for buck once again.
QCY will naturally move into the higher performance market at some point, but for now they've owned the 'good enough' section where consumers on a budget want a brand and a product they can rely on. Before they do, I'd just like to see slightly improved instruction manuals - larger text, and preferably more reliance on visuals, will open them up to other, non-English speaking markets, and give them the icing on the cake at this price point.
Price Weighted Score: 88%
Raw Score: 83%
QCY Review Inventory:
HT07 Arcbuds
HT05 Melobuds ANC
T20 Ailypods
T18
G1
T17
T16
T13
HT03
T12
T11
About QCY:
Whilst not quite a household name outside of China yet, QCY are well-renowned in the budget TWS space for developing extraordinarily low cost earbuds that, whilst perhaps lacking some of the bells and whistles of the more expensive brands, deliver to the segment of the market where 'good enough is good enough', with solid reliability and tremendous value for money.
Part of the Hele Electronics Group, as well as designing their own products, they also OEM product for other vendors (Aukey, for example rebrand the T5), with three of their major customers being brands you will certainly recognise and in the global top 10 of the TWS market in 2019. In 2020, market research indicated they were the 4th biggest TWS vendor worldwide - no mean feat.
Despite a close relationship with SoC manufactuer Zhuhai Jieli, QCY are not afraid to mix and match components to suit their target market. This often sees a number of releases in quick succession - their T17S are an example of this, released subsequent to the T17, and differentiating with the use of the Qualcomm QCC3040 SoC, to support customers who require the added lower latency enabled by the aptX codecs that the Qualcomm chips support. They did a similar thing with the very popular T5, T8 and T9 - nice to see a vendor using an easy to follow naming convention! The G1 use the newest Pixart chip in order to reduce latency - horses for courses!
The QCY mission seems to be bringing music to the masses at a very affordable price - they are unlikely to top the charts for sound quality or features any time soon, but I think that's how they prefer it - their bang for buck is often unparalleled, with customers knowing they are getting value from a brand they can trust.
