There are so many true wireless in-ear headphones in the market right now that it is becoming difficult to differentiate one from another.
Swedish audio brand Defunc is trying to create a niche of itself with a pair called True Gaming that targets the mobile gaming crowd. It is said to come with surround sound and low latency to enhance your gaming experience.
SPECS
PRICE: $169.90 (available in Lazada and Shopee)
DRIVERS: 6mm
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 5.0
WEIGHT: 4g (each earbud), 45g (charging case)
DESIGN
Available in white (version reviewed), black and green, the True Gaming earbuds look like the amalgamation of Apple’s AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro. It has AirPods 2’s long stem and AirPods Pro’s bulbous body with ear tips.
In a way, you are getting the best of both worlds. But True Gaming does not come with active noise cancellation (ANC).
The exterior of the bulbous body is a touch-sensitive panel, which lets you control different functions like playback and skip to next track by either pressing or tapping.
The True Gaming comes with six pairs of silicone ear tips, so you will surely find a pair that suit your ears. Once you found the right size, the True Gaming’s fit is really snug and comfortable to wear as well.
While I didn’t take the earbuds for a run, it did pass my personal head-shake test whereby I shake my head vigorously to try dislodge the earbuds.
The charging case looks pretty standard with its square-ish design that are curved at its corners. In front of the case, there are four blue LED lights to indicate the charging status.
However, I find the USB-C charging port’s position to be quite awkward. It is asymmetrically sited on one of its side. Usually, the charging port is located at the back of the case. In addition, the case does not support wireless charging.
FOR
+ Heavy bass, great for gaming
+ Comfortable
+ Good battery life
AGAINST
– Confusing touch controls
– Weak surround sound mode
– Lacks active noise cancellation
PERFORMANCE
Pairing process of True Gaming with a smartphone is a breeze. Just ensure the earbuds are fully charged, open the lid of the charging case and take out the earbuds. The earbuds will automatically power on and pair with each other.
When the blue light at the stem tip blinks, they are ready for pairing. Go to the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and you will find Defunc True Gaming on the list. Tap on it, and the earbuds are immediately paired with your smartphone.
The blue light at the stem tip will be on “breathing” mode when in use. I think it looks quite cool.
Listening to music videos, there is no lag of audio from the visuals. But I found the bass to be really punchy and thumpy. So much so that the vocals and highs are at times overwhelmed.
However, the powerful bass makes it a delight when playing mobile games from shooter game PUBG Mobile to driving game Asphalt 9. All the gunshots, explosions and crashes sound much more satisfying than the usual earbuds I use like the AirPods Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.
However, I am not sold on its surround sound feature. There is very little difference when I turned on the surround sound versus when it is turned off. It just sounded more “echo-ey”.
Not to mention, the touch controls are pretty iffy. You are supposed to tap three times on the right earbud to activate the surround sound mode. But at times, it registered as double taps that start music playback.
For volume control, you have to tap once on the right earbud to increase volume and tap once on the left earbud to decrease volume. And you have to wait 1 second in between taps, or risk being “mistook” as double taps. I just cannot remember which earbud and how many times I need to tap.
Furthermore, there is no app to change the touch controls.
BATTERY LIFE
On the upside, True Gaming has a pretty good battery life. Rated at 5 to 6 hours of playback, I found this to be true. The earbuds usually go flat when it slightly passed the 5-hour mark.
While not stellar, the battery life is slightly above the 3-hour industrial average for true wireless earbuds.
VERDICT
At $169.90, the Defunc True Gaming is quite expensive for a pair of true wireless earbuds in today’s market. Especially so for a pair that does not come with ANC.
However, it is currently available at a discount price of around $109 in some online shops. Now, this will make it truly attractive for mobile gamers.
RATING
FEATURES: 7/10
DESIGN: 7/10
PERFORMANCE: 7/10
BATTERY LIFE: 8/10
VALUE FOR MONEY: 6/10
OVERALL: 7/10
