Disclaimer: Tronsmart offered these unit for me to test and review. Everything i write here is my subjective honest opinion about the unit.
Gears used for testing:
Spotify from my Android phone
Other TWS used for comparison:
Tronsmart Apollo Bold, Sony WF1000 XM3, AirPods Pro.
I won’t be covering informations/specifications that’s already available on the website, so feel free to go to this link for more info.
https://www.tronsmart.com/products/tronsmart-apollo-air-truewireless-stereo-plus-hybrid-anc-earbuds
https://www.tronsmart.com/products/...s-truewireless-stereo-plus-hybrid-anc-earbuds
I will be covering things/ info that are not readily available on the spec page, also some personal thoughts and opinions after using it personally for a few days.
What you get in the box
(Apollo Air) :
Back of the box info:
Built and accessories:
The case is really light, even compared to my other TWS that have small footprint. Also it is the lightest compared to my other Tronsmart TWS case.
I like the satin matte finish on the case, because it would be more resistant to scratches. Because the very light plastic however, it does feel a bit flimsy when picked up, though i have no problems with the build quality overall.
Also the lid won’t hold itself open. Not really a big deal for me, but something worth mentioning.
Battery indicator on the case would blink blue when battery is above 10% and blinks red when under 10%.
When opened a blue/red light indicator inside would flash to notify pairing mode as it would pair immediately when the case is opened.
There’s a pairing button near the USB C charging port.
The earpieces themselves feels quite nicely build. It uses a glossy plastic instead of matte one like the case. buttons are responsive. It also adopts the oval nozzle shape like the Apollo Bold
Provided inside the box are standard 3 pairs of eartips, USB-C cable, and manuals.
Apollo Air+ Version
Almost identical to the Apollo Air, but with extra added features like:
- Wireless charging
- More extra sets of eartips (6 pairs compared to the Air's 3 pairs)
- Proximity sensors for auto pause/play when removed from the ears
- Extra carrying pouch
Box size comparison vs Apollo Air:
The Air+ can fit and charge on the Air's case (and vise versa):
Proximity sensor:
Both of the Air and Air+ are available in black and white color for purchase.
Size comparison (left to right: AirPods Pro, Apollo Air, Apollo Bold, WF1000-XM3):
Fit:
This is one of those really rare cases for me (more so in TWS world) that an earphone could fit in my ears using all of the eartips. I usually wear L size eartips on almost all of my IEMs and TWSs, but with this one I can easily fit and made seal even with the S size. Maybe because of the combination of the slightly elongated body and angle of the nozzle. I did ended up using the stock M size tips as the happy middle ground, also because it’s more flushed in my ears compared when using L size.
Bear in mind that this is strictly my personal situation and might not reflect on everyone the same way.
Battery life:
If there’s a gripe that i have with this TWS, then it’s the battery life.
Based on my personal test playing Spotify non-stop at my regular listening volume, i got around 4 hours until the battery shows 10% left with ANC on, and around 6 hours with ANC off (until it shows 10% battery left). It does has similar battery life to the AirPods Pro, but compared to the Sony WF1000-XM3 and the Apollo Bold, these two definitely have a longer playtime.
This might be fine a few years ago, but this is one of the shorter battery among my ANC TWS, and middle of the road with ANC off, considering the Bold can go much longer...also adding the fact that nowadays there are TWS that can break more than 10 hours of single charge playtime.
Apps:
just like the Apollo Bold, you can tune the EQ preset, toggle ANC/ambient mode, see the battery level, change the button configurations, and also update the firmware when available.
Tronsmart Apollo series are some of the most flexible and complete when it comes to button configurations among all TWS that i have/tried.
I like the fact that it also has the same level of button configuration like the Bold, as it can have hold, touch and hold, 1-3x tapping, and either left and right can be configured differently. Other TWS sometimes forced button pairings (for example, if single tap on the left is for previous track, you must use single tap on the right for next track).
The Air and Air+ has 8 EQ presets compared to the Bold’s 5 preset. I personally prefer the “Rock” (and sometimes the “Default” when i want a more V-shaped presentation) setting on the Air, and the “Jazz” or “Pop” on the Bold.
Apollo Bold Presets:
Apollo Air/Air+ presets:
I really wish that Tronsmart would just give us a user adjustable EQ instead, as that would raise the overall value of their TWS by quite a lot…but one can only hope.
Isolation, ANC/ Ambient mode:
Passive isolation: the Air/Air+ has a quite good passive isolation. To my ears, it blocks more noise than the Bold
ANC: The Air/Air+ muffles out the higher frequency and human chatter a bit more than the Bold, while the Bold would have a sparkly high hiss on the upper frequency, but overall i would rate them both at similar level for high frequency cancelation. The Sony WF1000-XM3 and AirPods Pro performs a bit better than both of them on this regard.
For lower frequency cancelation like hum and engine noises, the Bold and Air/Air+ is similar, while the WF1000-XM3 and AirPods Pro performing a bit better
Ambient mode: The way they pass through sound via their ambient microphone are somewhat similar to their signature sound: the Air/Air+ focuses on the mids more (like speeches and conversations) and soften out the hiss and higher frequency sound, while the Bold would have a thinner mids sound and lets through more microphone hiss. Also the Air/Air+ would make the human speech sound more honky (like cupping the hands in front of the mouth forming a funnel) and more boosted on the mid high, while the Bold presents human speech more evenly (albeit in a thinner overall sound).
The Sony WF1000-XM3 ambient sound is better than both of them because of the more realistic human voice sound, less mic hiss, also much more control over the ambient level and the added option to focus on human voice.
Airpods Pro is also better and more natural sounding in ambient mode.
Sound characteristic:
To put it simply, with the “Rock” EQ preset, it sounds really similar to the AirPods Pro, with added bass quantity and warmth, and a slightly wider stereo spread. mids and treble characteristic is similar.
It has a warm “analog” and non-fatiguing sound to it, with intimate mids, thumping bass when called on, and warm relaxing treble.
In comparison, the Bold can deliver more detail and resolution compared to the Air/Air+, but this one is better and comfortable for longer listening sessions.
Note: every sound comparison below would be based on the Apollo Air/Air+ on "Rock" setting, the Apollo Bold on "Jazz" setting, and no EQ changes to the AirPods Pro.
Bass:
The Bold has deeper sub bass reach (and volume) compared to the Air/Air+. the Air/Air+ has good thump, but has a more focused frequency on the upper bass/ low mids thump compared to sub bass rumble.
The Air/Air+ have slightly bigger and warmer bass compared to the AirPods Pro.
Like the Apollo Bold, the Air/Air+ also shares the same problem, that is the bass would be boosted when ANC/Ambient mode is engaged. I really hope they would fix this somehow with firmware update.
Mids:
I like the mids on this, especially compared to the older Apollo Bold. While the Bold has a distant and thin mids presentation, the Air/Air+ is more forward and thicker, giving vocals more weight to them. In ANC/Ambient mode on, the mid bass would leaked a bit and color up the lower mids, depending on the songs/material played.
The Air/Air+ also have a slightly thicker mids compared to the AirPods Pro, but not by much.
Treble:
The Bold has a more sparkly top end and more resolving treble, while the Air/Air+ is more relaxed and muted (really similar to the AirPods Pro). Cymbals would sound softer, though acoustic guitar would still have their top end bite, and vocal “s” would still come through nicely. overall this smooth treble presentation is good if you’re looking for longer listening session.
Soundstage:
It has more intimate soundstage when compared to the Apollo Bold because of the more forward center stage/ mids. The Bold would sound more engulfing and eerily close to full over-ear headphones in presentation, while the Air/Air+ is more like traditional monitor IEMs.
if i have to choose, i would prefer the Air/Air+ more for music, and the Bold more for movies, although to be fair they both still do a good job at both situation.
Conclusion:
I like these TWS. Aside for the mediocre battery life, for the price, the Air/Air+ provides a good performing ANC and ambient mode, a very solid BT signal/range performance, nice button tweakability, and a warm analog sounding character that can be non-fatiguing for long listening session. It performs in similar level to the older Apollo Bold in ANC/Ambient mode, and personally i prefer the Air/Air+ in sound signature compared to the Bold and AirPods Air.
Which one do i recommend more? Well it all depends on the difference of features: do you need wireless charging and proximity sensors? If not, then you can go with the slightly cheaper Air as they have the same sound and features other than the two mentioned above.