Mobvoi TicPods 2 Pro Review - TWS headphones with AI

Design, workmanship and delivery

Mobvoi does not dare to experiment with design, but is based on the look of the classic Apple AirPods. The decisive factors for the compact earphones, which have already won several design awards, are a long shaft, many curved curves and an earphone head that does not require adaptable earmolds. Mobvoi calls the design a "semi-in-ear design". How this affects the wearing comfort and the noise isolation, more on that later.

The TicPods 2 Pro are delivered in a capsule-shaped charging case. Here, too, the design is kept compact, so that the charging box, which weighs just 33.9 grams, easily fits in your pocket and does not become a burden on the go. The earphones, which weigh just 4.2 grams, are held magnetically in the precisely fitting indentation.

The processing quality of the earphones is nothing to complain about. Points are deducted from the charging box, the magnetically held lid of which is a bit wobbly. The TicPods 2 Pro are available in blue, white and pink. In addition to the earphones and the charging case, the scope of delivery also includes a USB-C charging cable and operating instructions. A charger is missing. Instead, any conventional smartphone charger can be used.

comfort

The comfort of the TicPods 2 Pro is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we have the light weight, which means that the earphones are hardly noticeable in the ear. On the other hand, the adaptable earmolds are missing.

This makes wearing comfort a gamble, because not every ear canal is shaped the same. From my own experience, the earphones held comfortably in the ear with slight movements. As soon as the movements became sportier, it was over. Especially when running, the TicPods 2 Pro no longer had a hold. It's a shame, because the earphones are IPX4-certified and therefore protected against sweat and splash water.

OPERATION

The Bluetooth connection between earphones and smartphone works smoothly. To pair, simply press the pairing button inside the charging box. Two LEDs on the outside of the charging box indicate the pairing process by repeatedly flashing blue. Now select the TicPods 2 Pro in the Bluetooth settings of the playback device and you can listen.

Devices that are already connected remain in the memory of the TicPods. As soon as you take the earphones out of the charging box, a connection to the previously connected device is automatically established. If you press and hold the pairing button for 8 seconds, the in-ear is reset to its factory settings.

sound quality

Each of the earphones is equipped with a 13mm dynamic driver. Mobvoi does not provide any further information on the frequency range and impedance. The audio sensitivity is 132 dB (1 kHz).

Depths, mid and highs

The TicPods 2 Pro deliver a sound with a warm character. The frequency response is largely linear, with slight fluctuations in the mids and highs. There is a certain dynamic, if not very pronounced. Lows and highs are present, but by no means too emphasized, so that the mids also come into their own.

 What the earphone clearly misses is external noise isolation. In contrast to normal in-ears with exchangeable ear tips, the sound is very much influenced by outside noise. Tonal subtleties can be heard fairly well in a quiet environment, but as soon as you take the TicPods 2 Pro out on the street, the sound becomes increasingly blurred. The lack of isolation from outside noise also affects the sub-bass. This is hardly available

Nevertheless, there is something good to be gained from the lack of external noise insulation. You perceive your surroundings better and move more safely in traffic!

Bluetooth

The audio processor used is a Qualcomm QCC5121. This is characterized by the current Bluetooth 5.0 connection standard, low energy consumption and the support of high-resolution audio codecs (aptX). The stable transmission range is between 8 and 10 meters.

Android users benefit from the aptX codec already mentioned. Compared to AAC, aptX offers a higher bit rate (352 vs. 250 kbps) and lower latency. The lower latency has a positive effect on the synchronicity of picture and sound if you watch a film with the TicPods 2 Pro. The Mobvoi app is required to activate aptX. By default, despite aptX support on the smartphone, playback is only possible via AAC!

Operation and headset

TicHear voice control

The TicPods 2 Pro rely on three smart AI control options. The "TicHear" function enables the earphones to be controlled by voice command. For example, if you want to call up the voice assistant on your smartphone, a short "Hey Tico" is enough to activate it. Other voice commands are “next / previous song”, “play music”, “pause music” and “pick / hang up” to answer incoming calls on the smartphone. All voice commands must be pronounced in English. TicHear worked reliably in the test, although accent-free pronunciation is necessary.

TicMotion gesture control

One way to control the TicPods 2 Pro using smart gestures is “TicMotion”. If, for example, a call comes in on the smartphone, a short nod of the head is enough to accept it or a shake of the head to reject the call. This function also works reliably. The gestures are recognized with the help of gyro sensors located in the earphones.

Tickle touch controls

The third operating option is control by touch. Mobvoi has also come up with an interesting name for this. The so-called "tickle touch" is done directly via the earphone shaft. A double click on the shaft accepts calls or switches to the next song. A swipe over the shaft adjusts the volume and holding it down activates the voice assistant. Tickle Touch takes a little getting used to at the beginning. In the test it was not uncommon for the TicPods to be pressed and swiped, but the desired effect did not materialize. If you have found the right place, however, the operation via Tickle Touch also works.

Mobvoi app

The Mobvoi app offers further insights and functions to the TicPods 2 Pro. A prerequisite for using the app is that you have to create a Mobvoi user account. Then quickly add the connected TicPods 2 Pro in the app and you get further details on the remaining battery of the individual earphones and the charging case.

The AI ​​functions can be managed in the app settings, the headphone name can be adjusted, aptX can be switched on and the carrier detection switched. Carrier detection is especially useful when you only want to use one earphone and you don't want the music to be interrupted when you remove it. The integrated equalizer offers a very interesting function. In addition to the standard profile, there are a total of 8 further sound profiles to choose from.

Microphone

The TicPods 2 Pro are equipped with two microphones for phone calls. The CVC noise reduction of the Qualcomm chip mainly filters out low-pitched background noises. In noisy city traffic, however, the noise reduction quickly reaches its limits, which in turn has a negative effect on the recording quality and is accompanied by audible noise. In a quiet environment, however, the TicPods are well suited for making calls.

Battery

A fully charged battery corresponds to 3 ½ hours of music playback at medium volume. This is not an outstanding value, but rather below average compared to other true wireless earpods. The charging case with 390 mAh battery was able to fully charge the earphones four times in the test. Without an external power source, music can be enjoyed on average for 14 hours.

Particularly noteworthy is the short charging time of the TicPods. For five minutes in the charging case and the battery is charged to 20% again. A complete charging process takes 30 minutes.