Edifier R1 review - "Strange shape, great for working out"

• Water-resistant earbuds
• Sleek design to clip into your ear
• Comfortable for long-term use

When I first saw these specific earbuds, I was honestly unsure of the shape - I had never seen such a thing before and did not understand how exactly they'd even go into my ears. However, I was interested in figuring out if they were somehow the best pair of earbuds I would ever have. 

The Edifier R1 earbuds are listed as open-ear wireless earbuds, which is a bunch of words I haven't really found on run-of-the-mill earbud boxes. These remind me a lot of clip-on earrings, as they go around your ear and can be placed around the sides of your ear. You can also opt to clip them on over your earlobes as well. They have a minimal design, just hooking on, with the speakers sort of directly into your ear and a backing at the back of your earlobe.

The plastic connection doesn't cling too hard, so there is surprisingly no discomfort, even when I wore these for quite some time.

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They are water-resistant with an IP 56 rating, so they will last against dust and water from all directions, with their own draining feature that can be turned on via the app. This will make your earbuds vibrate at a rate that will expel any water inside. 

These earbuds come in a few colours - pink, grey, ivory, green, black and starlight - so there are a few options to choose from. Everything also feels sort of smooth and glossy, including the little case.

I do feel this case is probably my least favourite of recent years, primarily because it is rounded. There is no real way to keep it upright when charging, so instead, it's laid out flat on its front - I don't really care for that, specifically.

There is a little light on the front that indicates if the battery itself is low or charging, along with a charging port on the back. There is a USB-C port, like most technology nowadays, and the Edifier R1 earbuds come with a USB-C to USB cable to charge.

Inside the case, the Edifier R1 earbuds connect easily via magnets, like you'd expect, which was ideal for me as I didn't easily realise how they slotted in, so the magnetic aspect was very helpful.

When it comes to the sound itself, you download the Edifier ConneX app, which includes an instructional demo, along with information on the drainage feature, tap sensitivity settings, control settings and more. You don't need this app to use the Edifier R1 earbuds, but if you want more control options, it's very useful. 

Due to the design of the earbuds, sound-blocking doesn't happen, so you will hear the traffic or general conversations around you. There isn't much depth in bass, but they are aimed at being workout earbuds, by the sound of things.

As both of the earbuds can be placed in either ear, the Edifier R1 earbuds actually detect which ear they are in and adjust accordingly. There are touch controls allowing you to tap on the strap of the earbuds to start or end calls, pause music, and skip tracks. It's everything you could expect, really, for modern earbuds - including a Find My Earbuds feature that lets out a loud BEEP so you can find them in case you ever leave them on your sofa or they fall off a table.

When it comes to battery life, the Edifier R1 earbuds have 28 hours of battery life, including the case. This is a decent amount of time, though I do prefer a bit more wiggle room with the battery.