Truke BTG X1 TWS Earbuds Review: Best Half In-Ear Gaming Earbuds Under ₹1,500

Truke has a dedicated TWS lineup called BTG (Born-To-Game), specially designed for gaming enthusiasts. The brand has recently launched new TWS earbuds called Truke BTG X1 in India. In addition to 40ms low-latency mode, 20 RGB lights, quad MEMS microphones, matte-finished design, IPX4, and many other features, these earbuds come with a competitive price tag. I’ve been testing these earbuds for the past ten days, and find my detailed review below.

Truke BTG X1 Full Specification

Earbuds type	Half In-Ear
Design angle	45 Degrees
Latency	Up to 40ms
Bluetooth	v5.3
Bluetooth range	10 meters
Supported codecs	SBC, AAC
Noise cancellation	Passive
IP rating	IPX4
Driver	12mm Dynamic
Earbuds battery	40mAh x 2
Case battery	300mAh
Earbuds charging time	90 Minutes
Case charging time	120 Minutes
Charging input	DC 5V-1A
Music playtime	Up to 48 hours with a case
USB port	USB-C
Microphones	Quad MEMS microphones
Net weight	42 grams
Case Dimensions	‎64 x 49.7 x 26 mm
Earbuds Dimensions	35.5 x 18.9 x 17 mm
Model number	F111
In the box	Pair of Earbuds Charging case USB-C cable Welcome card Manual

‘Truke BTG X1 Design & Build

The charging case of the Truke BTG X1 is made from premium quality plastic and comes with a matte finish with glossy accents. The case is compact and fits perfectly in your pocket. Although the outer finish attracts fingerprints, they are barely visible. In addition, there is Truke branding on the top, which looks elegant.

Despite the earbuds being priced at around ₹1,500, the charging case quality is excellent. If you drop it from a lower height, the charging case does not look like it will break. Upon opening the charging case’s lid, you’ll find two earbuds firmly seated in their respective slots.

Both earbuds are magnetically connected to the charging case and do not fall even if the charging case is facing downwards with the lid open. You’ll find ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ markings inside the case as well as on the earbuds. A small LED indicator on each earbud shows you the earbuds’ status, such as Pairing, Charging, etc.

There are two RGB strips on the top that include 20+ LED lights and an X-shaped logo on the front that emits Blue light. The LED strip and front logo light up when you open/close the case’s lid and connect the power adapter to the charging case.

I did not observe any creaking sound or noise from the charging case with earbuds inside, especially while moving. The bottom side of the charging case is coated with a matte finish and has regulatory markings on it. Overall, I am pretty happy with the fit and finish; you’ll not be disappointed.

You’ll find a USB-C port on the rear side to charge the charging case. Truke has provided a USB-C cable inside the box, but you’ll have to use your existing 5V/1A power adapter to charge the case.

With regard to the earbuds, they differ from the most popular ‘In-ear type earbuds.’ These are referred to as ‘Half-in-ear Earbuds’ or ‘Classic Earbuds. These earbuds have a 45-degree angle for a better and more comfortable fit in the ears. As these earphones are fixed in size, you cannot add ear tips. You’ll need to ensure your Half in-ear earbuds are properly fitted in your ear to get the most out of them.

You may need to adjust the earbuds or try a different pair of earbuds altogether to get a comfortable fit based on your ear size and shape. If your earbuds don’t fit properly, the audio starts leaking, and you may not completely enjoy the music experience. The only problem with Half in-ear-styled earphones is fit. As there is no provision to add ear tips, you need to ensure these earphones fit your ears exactly. Otherwise, there is a maximum chance that these will fall out of your ears while you move around.

These earbuds have a two-tone design. Most of the portion is coated with matte, while the portion that goes inside the ear has a glossy finish. You’ll find Truke branding on the outside while the L and R markings inside.

These earbuds are backed by 12mm dynamic drivers for an improved Audio and Gaming experience and are certified by IPX4 to protect from splashes and spills. Only the earbuds are water-resistant, not the charging case. Both earbuds come with touch sensors placed behind the LED indicators, allowing you to increase or decrease the volume, attend/reject or silence voice calls, access voice assistants, etc.

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Truke BTG X1 Touch Controls

• Turn on earbuds: Open the lid of the charging case.
• Turn off earbuds: Place the earbuds inside the case and close the lid.
• Volume up: Single tap on the right earbud.
• Volume down: Single tap on the left earbud.
• Answer a phone call: Touch the sensor on either earbud once.
• Reject a phone call: Touch the sensor of either earbud two times.
• Silence a call: Touch & hold the sensor of either earbud for 1 second.
• Music Play/Pause: Touch the sensor on any earbud twice.
• Next song: Press and hold the right earbud sensor for two seconds.
• Previous song: Press and hold the left earbud sensor for two seconds.
• Voice assistant: Tap the left earbud sensor three times.
• Mode change: Tap the right earbud sensor three times to switch between music and gaming mode.

Unfortunately, these earbuds do not support the Truke companion app and also do not support equalizer. Even the lights on the case are not customizable.

Truke BTG X1 Connectivity

The Truke BTG X1 supports the latest Bluetooth 5.3 for faster connectivity and has a wireless range of 10 meters. Just like most earbuds nowadays, these earbuds also support one-step pairing for faster pairing. In addition, these earbuds also support ‘Open-to-pair‘ technology which you hardly find in entry-level earbuds.

In most earbuds, you need to take out the earbuds from the charging case to pair them with your smartphone. But, in the Truke BTG X1, you need to open the lid of the charging case, and the earbuds instantly connect to the last paired device. Once you close the lid, these earbuds disconnect from the connected device and power off automatically. To connect BTG X1 to your phone or laptop, open the charging case lid, and the buds will power ON automatically and pair with each other in a second or two. Then,

• Turn on the Bluetooth on your phone or laptop.
• Select ‘truke BTG X1‘ in the list of available devices.
• Allow access to Contacts and Call logs (Optional)
• Select Pair.

Once connected, you can check the earbud’s battery from the Bluetooth settings on your phone. The Truke BTG X1 supports both SBC and AAC codes, and you can switch these from the Bluetooth settings menu. As these earbuds don’t support dual-pairing, they can only be used with one device at a time. If you want to use them with your second device, such as Laptop, Tablet, or 2nd smartphone, you’ll need to disconnect them from the already connected device.

Truke BTG X1 Features

Dedicated ‘Gaming Mode’ with 40ms Ultra Low-latency

One of the unique selling points of these earbuds is the Ultra Low-latency Gaming Mode. The earbuds support up to 40ms low latency for an improved gaming experience. With the Truke BTG X1, you can activate the gaming mode by tapping on the right earpiece three times. This drastically reduces latency while playing games.

I have tested the low-latency mode with COD Mobile, and the results are impressive. The sound separation was good, and I did not observe any voice lag or audio sync issues. Overall, the low-latency Gaming mode makes a noticeable difference while playing FPS games, and these earbuds do their job very well.

Quad MEMS Microphones

In terms of call quality, I am pretty happy with the Quad MEMS microphone setup. Each earbud comes with a pair of MEMS microphones which is more than enough to provide a decent voice-calling experience. During the testing, my voice was clear, and the person on the other end could hear me without any issues. Even though the volume levels are quite average, the quad-mic setup impressively filters out the background noise.

However, passive voice cancellation will not completely eliminate all sound from the outside world. Despite the fact that you may still hear some faint sounds, they should be much quieter than if you used earbuds without passive voice cancellation. The microphone also picks up wind noise when walking or riding, but it will not affect the voice quality. Overall, the voice quality is excellent and more than enough for general usage.

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20 RGB gaming characterized case design

As I stated above, the charging case comes with built-in LED light strips, which are made from more than 20 LED lights. The LED lights are activated when the lid is opened or closed. These lights enhance the looks of the charging and don’t make any difference while playing games. The LED light strips are placed on either side and glow when you open or close the lid, along with the X-shaped logo on the front. The LED lights are non-controllable and Turn On/Off automatically. Also, these don’t glow while listening to music or playing games.

The RGB lights look cool when it glows but sometimes feel annoying. If you are in a room with the light off, the. RGB lights on the charging case glow brighter, which might irritate your eyes. Additionally, when charging the case, the charging indicator light (X-shaped logo) is always on until the charging is complete, and that’s also a bit annoying.

One-step instant pairing with ‘Open-to-pair’ technology

My favorite feature about these earbuds is the Open-to-pair tech. When you open the lid of the case, your earbuds will immediately connect to the previously paired device. The earbuds do not need to be removed from the case for pairing. This will make the pairing process effortless.

Google Assistant and Siri voice assistant support

These earbuds support both Google Assistant and Siri. You need to tap the left earbud sensor three times to activate the Assistant. I tested these earbuds with Google Assistant, and they worked without issues.

Truke BTG X1 Battery

Both earbuds feature a 40mAh battery, and the charging case comes with a 300mAh battery. Truke says these earbuds can offer up to 10 hours of playtime when fully charged and an additional 28 hours of playtime with the charging case. In addition, Truke claims that with the charging case, these earbuds can offer a total music playtime of up to 38 hours which is impressive.

The earbuds take around 90 minutes to charge inside the case fully, and the charging case takes around 120 minutes to go from 0 to 100% using a standard 5V/1A charger. Also, a quick 10 minutes of charging will give you up to 10 hours of music playtime. I have used these earbuds as my daily driver for about a week, and I am surprised by the battery life. In my tests, I got around 8 to 8.5 hours of playtime with about 70% volume, which is close to the claimed playtime of 10 hours.

Truke BTG X1 Performance

When it comes to performance, these earbuds performed better than I initially thought. Right from the design to the audio output, these earbuds justify their pricing. The audio output is loud enough, and the bass is also very good. The highs and lows are balanced, and bass lovers will surely enjoy these. Loudness is good, and I did not observe any distortion even when the volume levels were more than 90%.

The vocals are clear, and the instrument separation is above average. Overall, the sound quality is quite good for a pair of budget earbuds. Besides the audio quality, Truke has also made a noticeable improvement in the earbud’s design. Even after using these earbuds continuously for over three hours, I never had to adjust them and never felt uncomfortable.

Even though these offer many advantages, they lack in some aspects. The major drawback is the lack of Mono mode. You cannot use a single earbud. Even if you keep one bud inside the charging case, it still pairs with the other bud and plays the audio. Also, these earbuds don’t support Dual-pairing and In-ear detection. Another issue I observed is sound leakage. When the volume level crosses 60 to 70%, the audio leaks out, and the person sitting beside you can easily tell what music you are listening to.

Overall, the Truke BTG X1 has a simple yet elegant design and supports many features such as 40ms low-latency mode, Open-to pair tech, fast charging, one-touch volume up/down, RGB lights on the case, a great voice calling experience with Quad MEMS microphones and an impressive 35+ hours of battery life. If you are a gamer looking for half-ear-styled earbuds around ₹1,500, I don’t think you’ll find better earbuds than Truke BTG X1. Even if you are not a gamer, you can still buy these earbuds as they offer a decent audio experience with a couple of useful features at ₹1,499.

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Truke BTG X1 Price & Availability

Truke BTG X1 comes only in Black and will go on sale via Amazon.in at an introductory price of ₹999 (MRP- ₹3,499). It will retail at ₹1,499 from 5th Jan 2023 onwards. Follow GizArena on Facebook and Twitter for the latest tech updates. If you have any queries, do let me know in the comments section.

Truke BTG X1 Warranty Details

The Truke BTG X1 Gaming Earbuds come with 1-year limited warranty. Mandatory registration is required on Truke’s official website within ten days from the date of purchase to avail of the warranty. Visit here to register your BTG X1 Earbuds. If you experience any issues, drop a WhatsApp message at +91 9354170767.