Oraimo Freepods 3 vs Soundcore R100
Earbuds are nothing without the right specifications, quality and design
Welcome to the comparison of the Oraimo Freepods 3 and the Sound core R100. If you already know the R100, you might wonder why we're doing this because there is quite a big prize margin between these two earbuds.
The Freepods 3 is around 16,000 naira, while the sound core R100 is around 10,000 naira that's like a 6000 naira difference. There are lots of differences between these earbuds, but there's one major reason why we're running this comparison, which you'll find out as we proceed.
Specifications
The Oraimo Freepods 3 has a BlueTooth 5.2 and a battery capacity of 45 Mah power and eight hours of playtime. It uses a USB type C and two different fitness, which are called awareness mode and Bass mode, with 4 mics. while the soundcore R100 has a 6.5 hours playtime bass up technology which is not a new thing if you're familiar with soundcore products Clear calls by two microphones and IPX 5 water-resistant, and also uses a USB type C, and that is it for the spec.
Design
Both earbuds are stick-out designs, the Freepods 3 has a matte black plastic finish and the R100 has a mirror finish. Both have rubber ear tips of different sizes provided out of the box, but the Freepods 3 went with a different style for the rubber tip which wraps around the earbuds. I do prefer the ear tips style on the R100, it's more comfortable and just sits tight while the Freepods 3 rubber tip gets loose and sometimes is not so comfortable to have on for long.
The earbuds share the same style of case with the USB type C underneath both cases for charging. The R100 has a mirror plastic finish which collects a lot of fingerprints and scratches easily, while the Freepods 3 has a matte finish with the mirror accent around the side.
The soundcore R100 has a reset button underneath the case which the Freepods3 doesn't. The Freepods 3 has three LED indicators on the case for charging and battery level indication, while the R100 only has one LED white indicator which only indicates charging.
Sound Quality
And we are down to the biggest comparison on this episode of earbud wars on All Round Review; the sound quality. How do both earbuds sound?
The Freepods 3 is bass heavy thumping– on hip-hop tracks. Sometimes the bass overshadows the mids and treble, but then again there's a catch there. Remember when I said there are two fitness modes on the Freepods 3 right? That is the bass mode and the awareness mode.
So if you take the rubber tip off the Freepods 3, you have lost the bass mode and have switched to awareness mode, how seamless? The sound on the awareness mode is not something I look forward to listening to. It's not so great and you lose out on a lot of sounds because you've lost the extra seal.
The rubber tips provided on the soundcore R100 make it sound balanced, the bass and treble are not trying to outshine each other, but the bass is pretty low until you turn on the bass-up technology on the R100 and things start becoming exciting again.
Also, the magic here is that if you can get the perfect ear tip size for your ear that provides that perfect seal and comfort the R100 sound profile becomes even better and very balanced.
Sometimes I forget that I'm on a budget earbud of 10,000 naira. I will pick the sound quality on the soundcore over the Freepods 3.
Control
The Freepods 3 has a touch gesture control while the R100 uses a button. This is where the R100 undercuts its price, Some persons might care why some might not. Nevertheless, I care because it kind of feels old school having a button on an earbud now, but hey, the price could justify that.
Also, since the R100 uses buttons, they added a single press to the controls which can be used to increase the volume on your device. Increase the volume from the right and decrease the volume from the left. I found this one handy as I used it a lot.
Conclusion
The battery on both earbuds is fantastic. You can easily get six hours out of both and two recharge circles from the case. If you care about sound quality and don't mind the button control and lack of LED battery indicator on the case of the R100 then I will easily recommend that, considering the price. If your budget falls within that range is a great buy as well but apart from that, the Freepods 3 is outstanding in all other areas. I love the matte black finish and small nature of the earbud case.