The price of Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro is Rs. India 2,499

Micromax has been manufacturing smartphones for some time, but only recently did it enter the TWS market when it launched the In 2b (review) smartphone. The company launched two true wireless earphones, and I carried the more expensive AirFunk 1 Pro with me, which was aimed at entry-level buyers. The price is Rs. 2,499 It covers the basics of audio quality and functionality in a simple package.

Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro is available in five colors: black, blue, white, yellow and red. I received a white review unit with blue silicone earplugs (the package also contains two pairs of earplugs of different sizes but the same color). Pulling out the charging case from the retail box, I noticed a few scratches because it was not wrapped in plastic. The case has a glossy finish, which attracts a lot of fingerprints, dust and fluff in the pocket. The edge of the cover of the case is very sharp, and fingers will be caught when closed.

However, the case is easy to open and close with one hand. The reason I like the pebble-shaped case is that it is so small that it fits easily in the pocket of ordinary jeans. There is a Type-C interface at the bottom, and the case can stand upright with or without headphones. There is an LED on the housing to show the state of the battery when it is inserted into the charger.

Micromax's AirFunk 1 Pro charging case is scratched out of the box

The IP44-rated earpiece has a bulbous head containing the driver and electronics, and a short, flat shaft at the other end. They have the same glossy finish as the case and have the same build quality, including some sharp edges, although they usually don't touch the wearer's earlobe, so this is not a big deal.

What annoys me the most about the design of AirFunk 1 Pro is the way the earphones need to be placed in the charging case. They end up deep inside the narrow opening, and their smooth surface makes the top difficult to grasp when you need to pull them out. In most cases, I have to pinch the silicone earplugs to pull them out.

Since there is no pairing button, pulling the two earphones out of the case will put them into pairing mode. This (indicated by the flashing LED on each earpiece) remains active for about three minutes, provided they have not been paired with other devices. To pair them with the new source, simply pull the two headphones out of the case and disconnect them from the previous device, and they will automatically enter the pairing mode. In fact, a simple button on the housing makes the pairing process much easier.

It would be annoying to pull the slippery earpiece out of the case

The touch control is simple. Double-click the lever on any earpiece to pause or play the music, and triple-click the left or right to skip to the previous or next track. Long press any handset to summon the voice assistant of the paired mobile phone. A single click on the left or right ear will decrease or increase the volume respectively. For a pair of low-cost true wireless headphones, all these gestures work surprisingly well. There is no supporting application, so the touch controls cannot be customized.

Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro has a 13mm dynamic driver in each earpiece. There is also a Qualcomm QCC3040 SoC in each, which can realize Bluetooth 5.2 connection. The headset supports AAC, SBC and Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth codecs. The earphone also has IP44 dustproof and waterproof performance.

Battery life is the advantage of AirFunk 1 Pro earphones

The battery life of the Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro is impressive. Since it supports AAC, I connect it to the iPhone most of the time, and sometimes to an Android smartphone to test its support for aptX. I managed to get about 7 hours of use time from the handset, and the charging case can fill them about 4-5 times, bringing the total running time to about 28-35 hours. This is very close to what Micromax claims. The charging speed of the earphone is also very fast, and it takes more than an hour to fully charge the earphone inside.

Listening to JAWNY's Honeypie, it is easy to see that the sound field is very narrow and there is no proper ventilation. Switching to something slower, such as the justice of the juice world, it is clear that the focus is on bass frequencies, which is not surprising for cheap headphones. Even so, the human voice can be heard clearly and will not be suppressed in any way. Although the bass frequencies are good (although a bit muddy), the treble is not that clear. Overall, in terms of its price, there is nothing to complain about, but you can get a better and wider sound field from the dual driver setup on Xiaomi's Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro (review) for Rs. 2,999.

Playing games with these headsets is not a problem, they have kept up with all the actions in my "Call of Duty: Mobile Deathmatch" game. There is almost no audio delay when watching a movie. In terms of range, Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro does a good job. The audio quality is clear, until about 8.5m away from the source device, if there are no obstacles, I can even go farther. However, if I pass through a door or move to a wall in the middle, the audio will be cut off and the headset will be difficult to reconnect.

Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro earphones provide good environmental noise cancellation

The voice during the call was not very clear, but I never got any complaints about my own voice from the person on the other end. Considering that most TWS headphones in this price range do not do well, which is surprising. Environmental Noise Reduction (ENC) is sufficient to suppress the noise around me, including some hammering sounds from nearby construction sites and a table fan behind me.

Audio performance aside, the earpieces of AirFunk 1 Pro are very small and very light, each weighing only 4 grams. I can put them in my ears all day, almost forgetting that I am wearing them. The earphones also have an IP44 rating, which shows that they are dust and splash-proof to a certain extent, so it is good to use them during exercise in light rain or sweating.

Micromax AirFunk 1 Pro is very good at using a pair of TWS headphones. The audio quality is good at best, which is reasonable considering its price. The voice quality is not bad, with good noise suppression. However, the battery life of the headset itself and the charging case left a deep impression on me. The touch control of the volume is also very good.

What disappoints me the most is the overall manufacturing quality. The edges of the casing and earphones are also very sharp. The price is Rs. AirFunk 1 Pro is priced at 2,499 in India, which is really good value for those looking for a decent pair of entry-level TWS headphones on a tight budget. If you are willing to spend a little more, Xiaomi's Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro (review) offers better sound and better build quality as well as simple pairing buttons.

For the latest technology news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and technologies, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.