Creative Labs Singapore continue to deliver exceedingly value-for-money earphones with above-average audio quality. The newly launched Creative Outlier ONE Plus wireless in-ear headphones retails at S$79, but it offers a few features no other branded earphones offer at this price point.
Built-in MP3 Player with 4GB Internal Storage
The Outlier ONE Plus comes with internal storage so that you can play music on its own. Just plug the USB data cable to the computer and a new drive will appear in the File Explorer. Then copy files in MP3, FLAC, WAV and WMA formats. Fancy that: you get a MP3 player together with the earphones.
Sound Blaster Connect App
After copying 4GB worth of files, you would have hundreds of songs stored in the Outlier ONE Plus. How to find your favourite songs and play easily? Answer: Sound Blaster Connect app on the smartphone. From this app, you can browse the tracks and select.
Best of all, while you are listening to music from the internal storage, you can still continue to make and receive calls from the smartphone. You can also easily switch the source from internal storage to Bluetooth to listen on the Outlier ONE Plus.
Audio Quality
The Outlier ONE Plus has a consumer-friendly sound tuning: bright treble and tight firm bass is how I would summarise the earphones. Critically-speaking, the mid treble is rather thin, almost sibilant, and midrange to low treble where the vocals reign lacks warmth. The bass offers good impact, yet not bloated nor do they overpower the sparkling treble. The noise isolation established by the AuraSeal eartips adds to the bass impact.
In-Line Controls
There are 4 buttons on the in-line controls, and when I put my finger on it, I cannot know for sure what button it is. I had to feel all the buttons to get a sense before I choose the one to press. The first music button toggles between Bluetooth and internal storage mode, and long press will toggle shuffle and repeat all playback modes. The volume buttons double up as change tracks when long-press.
Running Experience
The package comes with only a set of secure tips (also known as ear fins or ear stabilizers) or you can swap out without one. The secure tips ensure the earbuds stay secure on my ears while running. Due to the excellent AuralSeal eartips, the running steps get conducted to the ear bones which can get irritating, but as the run progresses and I immerse myself into the music, I gradually forgot about the irritation. Additionally, the surrounding traffic noise is isolated, so be mindful when doing running along the pathway.
Battery Life
The Outlier ONE Plus has a rated battery life of 10 hours when playing music over Internal Storage, and 7 hours when playing music over Bluetooth. When battery is low, the earbuds emit high-pitched annoying beeps, and cannot be softened using volume control. It’s so loud that I can even hear it when the earbuds are hanging around my neck.
Verdict
I love going for runs without carrying a smartphone. The Creative Outlier ONE Plus allows me to focus on my workout for that brief period, away from digital distractions, at a throwaway price of S$79, plus it offers quality audio too. The tent-pole feature is the ability to explore the tracks stored in the earbuds from the smartphone. It works so well for me that I can store music on the Outlier ONE Plus and free up space on my phone, and at the same time ensuring the best audio quality free from wireless disruptions.
It doesn’t take much effort to convince me that the Creative Outlier ONE Plus is the best budget wireless earphones in the market, with features that beat all competitors at the price point.
Technical Specs
- Drivers: 6mm Neodymium
- Cable length: 0.5m
- Frequency response: 20 – 20000 Hz
- Bluetooth: BT 4.2, SBC codec
- Internal storage: 4GB – supports FLAC, WAV, MP3, WMA
- Water rating: IPX4
- Battery life: 10 hours (MP3), 7 hours (Bluetooth)
- Weight: 16g