Wireless is the latest and greatest way to enjoy audio while on the go. Smartphone and accessory manufacturers have all but anointed Bluetooth as the full-time replacement for the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. iFrogz is joining the party with the Airtime fully wireless earbuds.
iFrogz has offered wired headset for some time and now the company is expanded into mobile wire-free audio. The company was kind enough to let me put the new Airtime earbuds through the paces over the last few weeks, and I came away pretty impressed.
Design
With a name like Airtime, you’d think these earbuds would be Airpod knockoffs, but that’s not the case. iFrogz went with a more traditional bud without the stem design that has become uber-popular recently.
Each earpiece has a nice LED ring around it for battery and pairing indicators. There’s also a silver iFrogz logo on each earbud. Aesthetically, I found the Airtime to be very pleasing.
I did have some slight issues with the fit for my ears, however. While this is completely subjective for each user’s anatomy, the portion of the bud that goes into the ear has a long angle to it that I found difficult to get the correct fitting for me. It’s not a deal-breaker but is worth noting for those that may have issues with this style of earbuds.
The Airtime are also water-resistant with an IPX4 rating. This should make it sweatproof and be able to survive light rains while running.
Sound and Controls
Once I got the iFrogz Airtime fitted and paired, it was time for the real test: sound. I’m happy to report that they exceeded my expectations. The audio from the Airtime is better than most earphones I’ve recently tried.
The Airtime have an 8mm driver in each earpiece and both have dedicated mics for simultaneous or individual phone calls. Bluetooth is on board, of course, with the 5.0 version that allows for quicker pairing and better connections.
The controls are also robust for the Airtime. A quick press play/pauses audio. Double-tap the left earbud and you go back a track while the same on the right takes you forward. A long-press, while music is playing, will allow you to change between three different EQ modes: Signature Sound, Podcasts, and Bass Boost.
The bass is punchy and has good stereo when using both earbuds. Mids and highs are also clear without being drowned out by the bass as well. This is really crucial for me. I’d much rather have a more muted bass for music listening than to have the bass overpower everything. You see this quite a bit in audio accessories, but iFrogz has struck a nice balance on the Airtime.
Call Quality
Calls on the iFrogz Airtime are also above average for me. Both ends of the calls had acceptable sound quality. The earbuds have several controls for calls too. A quick press accepts a call and a double-press while on the call will end the connection. You can reject a caller without answering with a long-press of the buds.
Battery Life
The iFrogz Airtime suggests a long battery life as the company rates the earbuds at three hours of playtime and 15 hours overall with recharges by the battery pack. The pack also has a quick charge function to get you 50% in under 10 minutes.
I found this to be pretty accurate for all of these stats. The quick charge was great when I needed it and the playtime duration is spot on as well. Overall, the battery life on the Airtime is super solid.
Final Impressions
I found the iFrogz Airtime to be a very good entry into the truly wireless space for iFrogz. They have a nice feature set, good sound, and admirable battery life. I wish that they personally fit me better, but as mentioned in that section of the review, that will vary greatly per user.
The Airtime are available for $59.99 direct from iFrogz website. They are offered in four different color options of white, black, blue, and peach.