SoundPEATS Mini Bluetooth V5.2 Headphones in-Ear Wireless Earphones

regancipher

100+ Head-Fier
Slender budget in-ear buds with superb call quality
Pros: Comfortable design, good call quality, decent audio delivery, tiny case, solid battery life, mono/stereo mode, IPX5
Cons: Flimsy case, no quick charge, no gaming mode (unless you use the Airreps App), weak connectivity
RC054

How I review:
(See Previous Reviews)
Instagram: regancipher
YouTube: regancipher

Model: Soundpeats Mini
Price: £39.99
Soundpeats Website: Not Listed On Their Website Yet
Review Reference: RC054

Manufacturer Specification:
  • Brand: SoundPEATS
  • Model: Mini
  • Driver: Not mentioned anywhere
  • Chipset: Airoha AB1562M
  • Frequency Response Range: 20-20000Hz
  • Mic: 4, Elevoc VocPlus AI Human Voice Extraction
  • ANC: No
  • Volume Control: Yes
  • Codecs: AAC, SBC
  • Earbud Weight: 4.03g
  • Earbud Dimensions: 17.7mm long, 15mm (without nozzle), 23.4mm (height with nozzle)
  • Case + Earbuds Gross Weight: 32.39g
  • Case Dimensions: 56mm (width) x 41mm (height) x 25mm (depth)
  • Case Charge Capacity: 400mAh
  • Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
  • Quick Charge: No
  • Wireless Charging: No
  • Input: 5V 1A
  • Single Use Playtime: Up to 7 hours
  • Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 27 hours
  • App Support: Not currently
  • Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.2
  • Bluetooth Protocols: HSP/ HFP/ A2DP/ AVRCP
  • Water Resistance: IPX5
Includes:

1 x Pair wireless earbuds
1 x Type-C USB Battery charging case
1 x Type-C USB charging cable
1 x User manual, quick guide, warranty card

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Real Life Experience

Welcome to the Regancipher review of the SoundPEATS Mini.

First things first, there are some very confusing reviews going around, such as Gamesky's review of the T3, which have failed to grasp the direction of SoundPEATS product range. SoundPEATS are currently revamping all of their portfolio, so a lot of new 5.2 chip-based products are coming in to replace the Realtek 5.0 chip products from 2018-2020. The T3 shouldn't be looked upon as an upgrade to the T2, so don't judge them that way - they are an upgrade from the Q or TrueCapsule. Also, you can't critisize them for having weak ANC if you don't know what's coming next - maybe SoundPEATS also have a full hybrid ANC stem-based product released soon too, in the same way Tronsmart released the Apollo Air and Onyx Apex at the same time. So these factors need to be taken into consideration - don't believe every review on YouTube, no matter how accomplished the reviewer is (and how many followers they have).

Here is a summary as I see it:

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Note - the T3 does NOT replace the T2, it is an upgrade on the Q and TrueCapsule Range. If you want to learn more about SoundPEATS, scroll down to the bottom.

Anyhow, with that out of the way, onto the product in hand. The Mini are a real deviation from the norm as far as SoundPEATS are concerned. Note one of my issues with their previous in-ear releases has been the bulky ergonomics, which has been a feature of the T2, Sonic, and before that, the TrueEngine3 range. As well as chunky button areas, the long necks have made them quite unstable for prolonged use, especially where you move your head frequently, such as exercise or even a brisk walk. They weren't especially uncomfortable, but you couldn't get them to stay in your ears if you have a narrow ear canal. It looks like the Mini were released to change that.

The Unboxing - 7/10

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I've said it before and I'll say it again - SoundPEATS are nothing if not consistent. The packaging is like any other SoundPEATS release, detailing their key features on the back, showing how they are worn and the model on the front. Note the stands attribute -Elevoc VocPlus AI Noise Cancellation. This is the second product I've reviewed with this feature (RC024 - TaoTronics SoundLiberty 80 being the other) and I have the Elevoc TWS on the way. My experience with the TaoTronics was very positive in this respect. More on that under calls, as it refers to how the mics interact, not ANC - which this model does not have.

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A foam insert houses the charge case and buds, and the manual is in the usual English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

The Case - 8/10

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The case is, like most Soundpeats cases, finished predominantly in a rather generic-looking matte charcoal grey, with a light grey rim around the edge of the lid. The Soundpeats logo is embossed into the centre, and just below it, there is a non-tactile LED which denotes the level of remaining juice. When you take the buds out, green denotes 50-100% charge, amber is 10-49% and red is below 10%. When charging, the LED will pulse, with red denoting less than 20%, Amber 20-70%, Green 70-100%. When it reaches a full charge, the pulse stops and the light stays solid.

The battery capacity of the charge case is 400ma, which means it is going to take quite a while to charge even with 5v 1a input - expect around 2 hours for the case and an additional 45-60 minutes for the buds. This will provide you with between 2-3 additional full charges.

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There is no wireless-charging and no quick charge feature - charge is via USB-C at the back of the case. The hinge, as indicated by the gap in the grey rim, is rather small and flimsy, as you would expect for a case of this size. The hinge is also not friction-based - at least not my model, contrary to reviews I've seen on YouTube.

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The size of the case is its key facet, with a similar shape to the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, but a fraction of the size. In fact, if you flip it around, it is a similar size to the Air3, albeit slightly bigger.

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Portability for this case is extraordinary - in trouser pockets, you can forget the case is even there. At 56mm (width) x 41mm (height) x 25mm (depth) and weight of just 32g, it is one of the most portable cases on the market, and the curved edges makes it feel even smaller than it is.

The good outweighs the bad overall - if you take care of your earbuds, the case is perfectly fine, but if you leave them in your pocket with your keys, well don't be surprised to see it get scratched up pretty quickly.

Ergonomics - 8/10

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The Ergonomics are a cut above SoundPEATS' previous in-ear releases, finally moving away from the bulky exterior and long neck, and nestling very nicely in you concha without the need for constant readjustment. Not only that but they're comfy too - they are not invasive and passive isolation still isn't bad at all.

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The outside of the bud has around two thirds of the Soundpeats logo in the outer half of the touch area. Kinda strange but it looks fine. The touch area is a nice size - perfect for fingertips. Touch controls are responsive. There are no glow in the dark LED's like on the Sonic!

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The gap at the bottom is both a subtle pairing LED - this is far less obvious than the Sonic - similar to the H1 - and I believe the chamber for the voice mic. I suspect the feedthrough mic is inside the nozzle, although the buds are so tiny it is quite hard to tell.

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The ergonomic design is revealed, although not to its true extent, above. It has a nice curvature that helps with the fit, although the battery connectors do make contact with your skin - bear this in mind if you're an allergy-sufferer.

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The paradoxical design is further portrayed when compared with the H1 and Jabra Elite 75t. The mini looks quite wide compared to the H1 and Elite 75t, but due to the angle of the stem and position of the inner contours, it fits as well, if not better, than the H1, is far less invasive than the 75t, and protrudes less than both of them.

The result is genuinely very good stability - I took them on a 7k run yesterday with no problems at all, and they lack the 'thud' which makes the Jabra and other of this ilk practically unusable for running. I don't have the Edifier TWS1 Pro any more, but they are a similar sort of design to them, albeit lower profile - which suits me fine, as it means you can also fall asleep on the sofa with them without any kind of discomfort.

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The weight of the earbuds is also impressively light. At just 4g, again they are towards the bottom of the chart, and this makes the whole experience much more pleasing.

The buds are IPX5 water resistant, meaning they are fine for sweat and a spot of rain.

Comfort-wise, they have been surpassed by the QCY T17 and Redmi Buds 3 Youth Edition.

Audio Quality - 8/10 (for the price paid), 7/10 (raw score)

After being spoiled with the H1 and Air3, there is a definite compromise with the Mini, although not too much to rule them out altogether.

I tested the buds with several tracks using a variety of methodologies and sources. Wankelmut's 'My Head Is A Jungle', a bouncy tech house track remixed by MK with highly reverbed female vocals, betrayed a slight raspiness on Windows 11. Overdrive by Oliver Heldens shows a nicely rounded bass representation that is unquestionably rolled off at the lowest frequencies. It sounds good, without making you want to get up and dance.

This was not so apparent with Tears For Fears where the vocals blend in a little more, the drums are nicely weighted if a little thin at times, and the guitars are also quite laid-back. It is a very similar story with Stars by Simply Red where percussion has a nice pronounced feel to it. Mick Hucknall's unique vocals have a really nice depth with the Sonic.

Where they don't shine quite so much is on R&B. Usher's 'You Make Me Wanna' felt rather thin, lacking the warmth and intimacy that the track intended, whilst the midbass hummed quite hard, making it a less pleasurable experience.

The soundstage is actually generally quite spacious - 'Don't You Forget About Me' by Simple Minds is airy with the the bass feeling down towards your throat, vocals to the front and Charlie Burchills and Mick MacNeil's chords expanding outwards very nicely.

Overall it is a good sound quality that requires barely any adjustment other than a roll off of the highest frequencies to get quite a balanced sound, without the depth of flagships like the H1.

Call Quality - Indoors - 8/10, Outdoors - 8/10

Elevoc Voc Plus AI Noise Reduction huh? Any good?

Yep! Just listening to the Air3 on a recorded webinar via Zoom, your voice is fairly clear on that model but you can alternate between bassy and nasal sounding, with a crackle at times. The Air 3 were pretty good at handling calls, but the Mini are on another level.

Firstly, indoors your voice is far less natural sounding, with less bass in your tone. However, the focus is on clarity and ensuring your words are heard - and every single word was perfectly legible. Sure, you sound a little thin and processed, but the killer test - two cars and a motorbike going past - was reduced to a mild hum. The drawback is you get the occasional crackle or spike, but otherwise it's a happy trade-off.

Prolonged tests showed that the Mini need an 'adjustment' period - let's say you're in a train station for thirty minutes. The first minute of a call will be a bit inconsistent while the algorithm adjusts. After that, they start to level off and show their class, but for some users who are on the move, it may come across a little disappointing. They demonstrated this in my test of 28 different tws models here:



For this form factor and price point, call quality is truly outstanding, a feature that SoundPEATS should really talk more about, because it wipes the floor with the competition in this space - by contrast, the Jabra Elite 75t - the previous gold standard, are very poor in comparison.

The SoundPEATS Mini were part of my indoor mic test, which you can find here on YouTube:



Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 6/10

Connectivity is a bit of an Achilles heel with the Mini. Not only did I struggle to get the 10m advertised, it annoyingly eventually processes the sound, but so sped up to catch up, that it's more painful than it dropping out altogether.

The Mini only support AAC and SBC, so no hi res codecs, nor low-latency like aptX-adaptive. They do, however, support gaming mode (although you need the Airreps156X V1.5.0 app - SoundPEATS don't have their own app....yet). Voice assistant can be hailed with the MFB (triple tap), it's single taps for volume control, double taps for play and pause and call control, hold for 1.5 secs for track cycling and rejecting calls, and to enter pairing mode or reset, hold them down for 6 seconds.

There is no ANC, no quick charge, no app support. They're Bluetooth 5.2 enabled, but aside from the Voc+ AI call processing, you don't get much in the way of features with this budget option.

Battery Life - 8/10

I got around 7 hours from the Mini with streaming services, calls and volume at around 60% (they're loud). This is very respectable and well within the advertised 8 hour range. The 28 hours from the case and buds is pretty good - not groundbreaking, but good enough. There's no ANC to drain the battery.

Summary

SoundPEATS are slowly but surely refreshing the models within their range that are edging towards the 'obsolescence' category, with the mini the natural heir to the TrueCapsule. Retailing at just $42.99, they are price-friendly and an odd combination of sporty form factor with superb call quality. Ever had to stop your run or bike ride to make a call? As odd as it sounds, there are plenty of times I've wanted a set of buds to take on my bike and maybe sit in the park and make some calls. Well, now I have them!

The Mini sound good out of the box, have amazing call quality, are IPX5 WR, have a highly portable case and a very decent battery life, don't cost the earth, are super comfortable and suitable in so many use cases!

It pays to remember this is not a flagship release - the lack of ANC, support for high def codecs, quick charge and lack of premium features such as Multipoint may put you off making them a ‘first choice’, and the sound is also not in the league of the H1. However it is good enough, certainly with a little tweak, and whilst this is not a release that will blow you away features-wise, they are the kind of buds you turn to when you're tired of earbuds. They just do everything pretty well - they're no fuss buds that you can easily forget are even there.

To summarise, the Mini are an underrated release that I could see being a lot of people's 'spare pair', and maybe the number one choice for those that can't afford premium products with richer feature sets. Another solid release from SoundPEATS, and a good addition to the portfolio.

Price Weighted Score: 83%
Raw Score: 80%
2022 Score: 75%

instagram:
regancipher

SoundPEATS Review Inventory:

SoundPEATS Mini
SoundPEATS Air3
SoundPEATS TrueAir2+
SoundPEATS TrueAir 2
SoundPEATS H1
SoundPEATS T2
SoundPEATS Sonic

About SoundPEATS:

SoundPEATS seem to have become an overnight sensation, wiping up a large portion of budget TWS earbud market share with a business model that has served them (and Anker before them) exceptionally well - good distribution channels (via Amazon), good support, a catchy name and product that performs well at a very competitive price point. In reality, they have been around a long time - whilst Shenzhen SoundSOUL IT Co LTD is a different trading name to Ginto E-Commerce, they share the same business address (including room number) as them - you may know their brand name better as Dudios. With Dudios not sounding quite so cool as Soundpeats, maybe the brand transition has been instrumental in their success, but having been around since 2010 and patents in Bluetooth tech stretching back to 2015, they are not the plucky upstarts that some may think - they know their stuff, have a great network of contacts, and now a very solid brand in Europe, and deservedly so.

The thing that sets SoundPEATS apart from other vendors, and makes them my favourite budget earbud vendor, is that they are completely transparent over their components. Whether they use Realtek, Qualcomm or Airoha chips in their buds, they are totally open about it, and as a reviewer this really helps, because whilst I have, and do, dismantle buds to check the way that certain things have been implemented (such as the power management, mems mics, etc) and I really don't like having to do it with every set of earbuds, because they then become unusable.
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