Review: Are The Moto Buds 600 ANC Earbuds New Contenders in the Premium Earbud Space?
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Although you might associate Motorola with affordable phones and modems, they also dabble in wireless earbuds. The Moto Buds 600 ANC is the latest wireless earbud offering from Motorola and at the time of this writing, is available for $150. The price tag along with the features puts these in a category closer to the premium wireless earbud group rather than the best cheap wireless earbuds (which we tested and reviewed as well). We feel it’s fair to compare these to the likes of AirPods Pros (which are my daily drivers), which you’ll see throughout.
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Speaking of wireless earbuds comparisons, our SPY editors have tested everything from the best earbuds for active people, to futuristic concepts like Dyson’s Headphone / Air Purifier headset to find you the latest and greatest, sometimes the weirdest, and the best deals around on audio tech.
Alright, now that we’ve hammered home the point that we love to test earbuds and find you the best sounding ones at the best prices, let’s see how the Moto Buds 600 ANC stack up against the rest.
Moto Buds 600 ANC
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Pros
Good bass
ANC works well
Wireless charging
Cons
Six hour battery life could be better
Play/Pause sensor is sensitive
Moto Buds 600 ANC Design: Tech Novice Approved
The Moto Buds 600 ANC come in two different colors: Winetasting (a sophisticated way of saying purple) and Jet Black. The…Winetasting pair that I tested has a case that is about as wide as an AirPods Pros case, but almost twice as thick. Regardless, it fits nicely in my pocket and doesn’t really take up any space in a bag.
I was able to connect these to my iPhone simply by putting the buds in my ears, going to the Bluetooth setting in my phone and finding Moto Buds 600 ANC. After that, every time I put in my ears, the buds would automatically connect to my iPhone which is equal parts easy and convenient.
The Moto Buds 600 ANC has a thicker and slightly longer stem than the AirPod Pros, but unlike the Pros, all of the controls reside in the small concave portion towards the top of the stem. I didn’t have any issues playing/pausing music, skipping songs, or summoning Siri with the touch controls. In fact, all the touch controls work well.
Like the AirPods, when you take an earbud out of your ears, it will automatically stop whatever you’re listening to. The issue with the Moto Buds is that the sensor is sensitive, and if covered, it will start to play again. For instance, I would take an earbud out (podcast would pause), but if I set it down on a countertop and the sensor is facing the counter, the music would start again. This would be especially annoying when I was listening to a podcast and would insert my earbud again only to find out I had missed the last ten minutes unbeknownst to me.
Moto Buds 600 ANC Features: Expect and Receive Premium Features
Like the AirPods Pro, you’ll find features like active noise cancellation and Ambient Sound mode (same as Transparency Mode on AirPod Pros), as well as wireless charging capabilities. The ANC doesn’t sound artificial (you can’t distinctly hear white noise being pumped in) and worked well to block out the noise of my treadmill during my workouts.
Another feature that worked just as good is the microphone for phone calls. I called my girlfriend and she said that I sounded crystal clear, her exact words, “it sounds like you’re talking normally through the phone.” She sounded crystal clear as well, which makes these earbuds especially great for taking phone calls on the go or virtually attending meetings for work.
Moto Buds 600 ANC Sound Quality: Big Bass and Bright Sound
When listening to bass heavy songs like Backseat Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar, I felt the bass was a little stronger than AirPods, and that’s a good thing. These earbuds really bump, and don’t sound muddy in the process.
Overall, I felt the balance of frequencies was still better with AirPod Pro, especially when listening to Ziggowatt by Lettuce which has a lot of mid-rangy and high frequency instruments like horns and lead guitar. Through the Moto Buds, the instrumentation on the high end was a over-expressed to combat the bass production.
It gives a total soundscape a much brighter listening experience. If you listen to a lot of bass heavy music, the extra brightness is welcome to prevent the higher frequencies from being swallowed up by the bass. But for a lot of the funk music that I listen to, it’s a little on the bright side for me personally.
The Verdict: Should You Buy The Moto Buds 600 ANC?
Even though these are on the brighter side of the listening spectrum, I still wouldn’t hesitate to drop $150 even though the brand name doesn’t say Jabra, Sony, Beats or Apple. You get all the premium features like ANC and wireless charging and sound quality that is great for those who like their bass loud. Turns out Motorola makes good earbuds too.
Moto Buds 600 ANC
Buy Now On Amazon
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