The Edifier brand is one we have covered extensively over the years, and the R1 model surprised me when I opened the packaging. I thought I wouldn’t like these buds, but I was wrong after testing them out over the last few weeks.

The R1 model is not your standard buds; in fact, they are open-ear buds at a budget-friendly price of £59.99 from Amazon. The buds come in 5 different colours: 

  • Black
  •  Starlight Green
  •  Grey 
  •  Ivory

In this review, we were sent a pair of ivory buds as it made a nice change from the standard Black models.

Unboxing

The unboxing experience was not very exciting. You received a white cardboard box with the R1 earbuds displayed on the front, and at the rear, you have the key features such as: 

  • 12mm dynamic drivers
  • Multipoint Connection
  • Wearing detection
  • Clear call with the AI algorithm 
  • 7 hrs from a single charge and 21 hours from the case

Once unboxed, you are met with the R1 earbuds inside the charging case, and you are also provided with an instruction manual and a short USB-C to USB-A charging cable

Design

The charging case that houses the buds has a smooth, glossy feel, and the case was almost pebble-like in shape and the curved edges make sliding into your pocket simple. The front of the case has the battery LED indicator and the Edifier logo. 

While at the rear is a Bluetooth syncing button. Moving on to the earbuds themselves, they have the same glossy feel and are made of rubbery silicone, allowing them to grip your ears securely and stay in place when worn. What I was concerned about was the fit, they look they they could fall out with ease, but when testing them, that was not the case, they fit with ease. 

I gave them to my father-in-law to test, who is a hiker, and he never had any concerns. The overall build of the R1 is something that is built to last. Also, they have an IP56 rating. They can withstand dust and jets of water, but don’t submerge them in water.

How they feel

The Edifier R1 are ridiculously comfortable to wear, and this is due to the open ear design, which just fits into your ear, and this is also due to the directional technology to drive the sound into your ears. And the fact that they are lightweight, only 5.8g each and after a short listen, you forget they are in your ears. 

Controls

The Edifier R1 requires you to download the ConnX app, which is different from the Edifier Connect app that I have used on the majority of Edifier products. It’s a tad annoying having 2 apps doing the same thing, but that is just my view. 

That said, the ConneX app does have good features, though. There’s a wearing instruction demo, drainage function, control setting, tap sensitivity and wear detection. The drainage feature is the one that immediately stood out. The idea isif your earbuds get too wet, whether from sweat or rain, you can select this feature and the earbuds vibrate at such a rate that it expels any water that has been found. The touch controls on the Edifier R1 once you find the spot you need to press, or just adjust the touch sensitivity.

There are, unfortunately, only double and triple tap options, so it is a little limited. I would have liked to see a single tap option at least.

What I like about these buds is the wear detection, as soon as you remove either earbud, the music pauses instantly. Put the bud back into your ear, and the music will start up again. You will also notice a feature called smart auto channel detection, which uses a three-axis sensor they automatically detect which earbud goes in which ear, so no need for left/right earbud, making them interchangeable. You also have the “ Find my product” feature, which most buds now have.

Battery life/ Connection

The R1 model comes with 28 hours of battery life from the case and 7 hours of playtime from the earbuds on a single charge. It’s worth knowing there is no wireless charging option, hardly a shock when you consider the price tag. What you do have is a fast charging option with the provided USB-C cable; a 15-minute charge will provide 3 hours of playtime, and a full charge takes an hour.

Moving to the connection aspect of these buds, they offer multi-point connection, which allows you to connect to 2 simultaneous devices and switch between them. I found this useful when connecting to my work and personal phone. It is a tricky switch as you have to pause the stream on one device before switching to the other, so if you get a call on the work phone and you’re using the personal phone, it’s a bit of a pain in the backside. 

The Edifier R1 has Bluetooth 5.4, and it supports SBC & AAC codecs. This is a bit of a shame, as many others as many others even at this price point, are offering higher resolution codecs.

Sound Quality

The R1 come with 12mm dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 20HZ to 20Khz.  If you’re looking for a deep bass & rich sound, these are not for you, and if you look for ANC to block out noisy environments, the same applies. 

Who are they suitable for? Dog walkers or runners who dont mind hearing a mix of outside noise and hearing your music at the same time. When it comes to the sound the sound is lacking any bass at all. It has no depth, the vocals are clear, if sometimes sibilant, and the treble is pleasant and a little harsh at times.

Moving to sound quality, it’s enough for the intended use, albeit it would be nice to have some bass. The mids are the best part of the sound quality; they’re smooth and deliver across the midrange, which is noticeable through most genres. If you listen to podcasts and audiobooks, these are ideal as spoken work comes across as concise, and this allows us to listen to a number of football podcasts with ease.

A real bonus is the volume levels at just 50% the audio levels are plenty loud enough with no distortion, even when pushed, which can not be said when comparing other budget-friendly buds.

Taking calls on the R1 was also surprising; speech was clear and distinguishable, which is due to a mic being in each earbud, and directional pickup was very good. They use an AI algorithm to help filter out noise and keep calls clear. Only in busy environments like a cafe or a train, they start to struggle. You could hear it try to filter the background noises, but often words were lost and had to be repeated as it struggled.

Verdict

The Edifier R1 perform well, even with a few flaws, they tick the boxes when you consider comfort while using them day to day. Would they replace my Moto buds? The answer is no. 

However, if you are looking for a pair of budget buds ideal for the gym or outdoor exercise, the R1 are perfect. They are easy to use at this price point, and the comfort, features, and sound quality are enough for me to recommend them.  

Product Rating    

Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Comfort: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars

Battery life: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars

Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0

 

Overall ranking: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6 stars

The Edifier R1 earbuds are available from Amazon for £59.99

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