Verdict
Cheap, Cheerful, and Colorful, but certainly not Lacking. These have good sound and ANC to offer for those that are looking for a pair of ANC earbuds on a budget. Cons? Not at this price!
The Good
- Decent sound quality
- Active noise cancellation
- Comfortable, lightweight design
- IPX5 waterproof rating
The Bad
- Nothing at this price
A Unique Transparent Design
The first thing you’ll notice about the Tozo Crystal Pods is their transparent case which, in a market full of generic black cases, makes these stand out. They even come in four colors—black, white, blue, and pink—so you can choose one that fits your style.
It’s not just style over substance though as it’s compact size makes the case easy to put in your pocket or bag. Just keep in mind that because it’s clear, scratches will be more noticeable over time.
Comfort and Fit
The Tozo Crystal Pods earbuds themselves also follow the same compact theme with a short stem that enables them to sit subtly in your ears. Tozo even includes three different ear tip sizes—small, medium, and large—so you can get the best fit for your ears. So being able to get a custom fit, in a compact design, makes these particularly well suited to those with small ears.
In terms of comfort, these are lightweight and easy to wear for hours at a time. I’ve tested plenty of earbuds, and it’s been a long time since I’ve found a pair that’s uncomfortable. The Tozo Crystal Pods are no exception.
They’re IPX5 water-resistant too. So, whether you’re sweating at the gym or get caught in the rain, these will hold up just fine.
Battery Life & Charging
Battery life is impressive given the size of these earbuds with up to 7 hours of playback on a single charge. Include the case and the total battery life extends to 35 hours.
The Tozo Crystal Pods even come with quick charging where a 10-minute charge gives you 2.5 hours of playback. Charging the case is then done via the USB-C cable that comes provided with these earbuds.
Sound Quality
Inside the Tozo Crystal Pods are 10mm dynamic drivers, which deliver a surprisingly decent sound for such a budget pair of earbuds.
Out of the box, they lean towards a bass-heavy sound, but thanks to the Tozo mobile app you can tweak the EQ to your liking. The app is straight forward and easy to use and offers 32 preset EQ profiles, as well as a custom EQ option for fine tuning to your own preference. There’s even a community marketplace built into the app where you can download EQ settings shared by other users.
Once I adjusted the EQ—boosting treble and reducing bass for a more balanced sound—the earbuds performed much better. The bass is still present but not over-bearing, vocals are clear, and the overall listening experience is solid. Are they as good as high-end earbuds? No. But for $20, they sound way better than they should.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
ANC on a $20 pair of earbuds? Yes, and it actually works! Although do measure your expectations when considering the price.
There are no adjustable levels for noise cancellation—it’s either on or off. The same goes for the transparency mode. I recommend leaving ANC on as turning it off significantly reduces bass in the sound signature. The ANC performance isn’t going to match earbuds costing significantly more but it at least reduces some background noise and it’s certainly better having it on than not.
The other modes however are less effective. Transparency mode works, but it sounds very artificial, and the quality isn’t great, so I wouldn’t rely on it. There’s also a wind noise reduction mode, but in my tests, it didn’t seem to make any noticeable difference to reducing wind noise.
Mic & Call Quality
Mics on the Tozo Crystal Pods allow you to use them for taking calls., and whilst the built-in AI noise reduction is supposed to help with wind and background noise, the mics in these earbuds definitely struggle as the background noise increases. You can still hold a conversation, but don’t expect crystal-clear call quality. They fair far better In a quiet room where it manages to capture your voice far more clearly. So I’d use these at a push but not for taking calls everyday.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Tozo Crystal Pods?
Given that the Tozo Crystal Pods can be bought for as little as $20 on sites such as Amazon, it’s very hard to find anything negative to say about them. Sure, the sound and ANC could be better, but the price could be a lot higher too. So only question you should really be asking yourself is “How many do I buy?”!
If you are willing to spend a little more, I’d also recommend checking out Tozo’s NC3 earbuds, which offer better sound quality and ANC, for a slightly higher price.
