Motorola has made more than a few earbuds throughout the years, but it has never really tried to compete with them. Well, 2024 is the year when that changes! Alongside its latest Motorola Edge 50 series the company also announced the Moto Buds Plus.
The Moto Buds Plus are Motorola's offer for quality truly wireless headphones, which are coming to tackle the likes of the Nothing Ear (2) and even something like the Pixel Buds Pro from Google.
Thankfully, unlike the Edge 50 phones for which we haven't heard any news about a US market release, we know that the Moto Buds Plus will be sold there for $129. You will also find them in Canada for $179, and going for €149 in Europe.
It's worth mentioning that Motorola is also selling a regular model simply dubbed the Moto Buds. That one is not sold in the US, though, and will cost you €59 in European markets.
But we are here to review the flagship Moto Buds Plus, so let's get into it.
If you have ever seen a pair of AirPods Pro from Apple, you will find the Moto Buds Plus quite familiar; both the case and the two earbuds themselves. The case is very compact and lightweight, and I barely even felt it inside my pockets. The same goes for the earbuds, which remained comfortable even throughout longer periods of wearing them.
Both the earbuds and the case are made out of a material that is pleasant to the touch and does not attract fingerprints, something that I, personally, appreciate a lot. However, the build quality of the case feels a bit questionable, it felt a little too flimsy to me.
Motorola has gone the safe route as it probably doesn't know how many of these will sell, so you only get two color options: a darker Forest Gray and a lighter Beach Sand. Our version is the latter.
The case opens up as a clamshell, revealing the two earbuds and a button in the lower middle part that is used to pair them. I prefer this method to that of the AirPods Pro, for example, which open up from the top. For me it is easier to immediately figure out which earbud goes into which slot this way.
The earbuds are small, with short stems and silicon tips, so they are rather unobtrusive. Oh, and they have an IP54 water and dust resistance rating, meaning they are perfectly fine for some splashes of water or... streams of sweat coming down your head—all things I, as a runner, am happy about.
Fit and feel
This is how the Moto Buds Plus look while you are wearing them. (Image by PhoneArena)
Given their lightweight, the Moto Buds Plus are a total breeze to wear. I had no problems wearing them for hours during work or while enjoying some downtime on my phone.
Motorola has included two other silicon tip sizes just in case the ones that are preinstalled don't fit your ears. The Moto Buds app that is available on the Google Play Store even has an option that tests how good the headphones fit your ears, just in case you can't exactly figure it out for yourself.
For me, the default tips were plenty comfortable and snug, and the Moto Buds Plus stayed my ears even as I was sweating during my more intense runs. This could be different for you, though, as all of us have different ear shapes, so make sure you are comfortable with plug-in eartips first. If you feel they usually work well for you, the different size options should cover all the rest.
Pairing
Pairing is pretty straightforward—you simply open the case and long-press the button in the middle until it starts blinking in blue. Then you go to your phone and open the Bluetooth settings, find the Moto Buds Plus, and tap to pair.
One thing that took me a bit by surprise was that the earbuds had to be in the case in order to be paired. I wasn't able to initiate a pairing mode while wearing them. Not a big deal, but just something to keep note of.
Companion App and Features
The companion app is called the Moto Buds app, and it is actually quite a comprehensive one. It shows you the battery percentage of each earbud and the case, the buds you have connected, the noise control mode, and gives you several customization options.
Let's start with the noise control modes, which (from left to right) are:
Off
Transparency
Adaptive
Noise Cancellation
Besides the noise control, you also get a few other neat features such as the ability to have the Moto Buds Plus connected to two devices simultaneously. This feature was a bit finicky in my case, as I had to do a little settings juggling between my laptop and phone, but it still worked alright.
You also have a dedicated Hi-Res and Game modes. The former enables higher audio quality to be streamed from your phone to the earbuds, while the latter reduced the quality to shorten the transfer time and reduce latency. In my experience, however, the Game mode did not seem to improve the latency too much, and there was definite lag between my actions in the game and the sound coming through, so I wouldn't recommend these for gaming purposes.
Motorola has also included in-ear detection, which pauses whatever's playing when you take out on of the buds.
Touch Gestures
Motorola has made the Moto Buds Plus controls touch sensitive, instead of the alternative which is pinching the stems. I prefer the touch controls as they seem to be more accurate and responsive, and even more intuitive, at least for me.
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I can safely say that the touch gestures on the Moto Buds Plus felt responsive and reliable, and I did not experience any wrong inputs throughout my time with them.
Here are the default gestures you can do with Moto Buds Plus:
Double tap—answer or end call, or if you're listening/watching something, play or pause
Triple tap—previous/next for the left/right earbud
Pinch three times—previous song
Long tap—noise control
The cool part is that the touch gestures are highly customizable. Here are all of the options you have for each gesture:
Noise Cancellation (ANC)
The Noise Cancellation mode is pretty good, it blocks a lot of the unwanted noises, although higher-pitched sounds come through a bit. Being earbuds, though, and not that expensive ones at that, the noise cancelling feels a bit above average to me, so props to Motorola there.
The transparency mode is non-adjustable, sadly. You cannot choose why frequencies to let through and which ones to block out, so no "voices-only mode". That said, it does let in quite a lot of noise, which makes you feel like you are not even wearing the buds, especially with how light they are.
Adaptive is a bit unpredictable, just like any other ANC headphones. I prefer controlling the amount of noise that gets through myself, so I tend to do it manually anyway.
Sound quality
A closer look of the Moto Buds Plus while being worn. (Image by PhoneArena)
The Moto Buds Plus can get more than loud enough, although they do start to lose some quality at the top end. Anything below the 80% mark, however, sounds good. With an overall balanced audio profile, with a slight lean towards the bass side of things.
Speaking of bass, I was very surprised to hear the low-end frequencies these little guys can muster up while listening to hip-hop and R&B. I had an absolute blast bobbing my head back and forth.
Videos and content with speech also seemed perfectly fine for me, with the voices coming through clear to hear and distinguish.
The good news is that you also have an EQ tool, where you can adjust the audio profile or pick from four presets: flat (default), bass boost, vocal boost, and brilliant treble. The Bass boost preset was a bit too much for me, but I found the other two very helpful, with the brilliant treble mode perfect for more vocals-heavy tracks, and the vocal boost more suited to podcasts.
Battery Life and Charging
The Moto Buds Plus case while it is closed. (Image by PhoneArena)
Battery life is great on the Moto Buds Plus. I managed to get around 6 hours with ANC and Hi-Res mode turned on. Turning those off will give you about 2 hours on top. The case will give you a little less than three charges for the buds.
The case also supports quick charging, so having the buds for 10 minutes inside will give you about a couple of hours of playback.
You can charge the case via wireless charging or via a USB-C cable.
Final Thoughts
These are all of the contents inside the Moto Buds Plus box. (Image by PhoneArena)
I quite liked the Moto Buds Plus, so much so that I am thinking of continuing on using them during my runs or when I don't feel like putting on my over head headphones. For $129, they offer a very comprehensive level of customization and features, stellar comfort, and long battery life.
The sound quality is not like what you would find on some of the premium earbuds out there like the Sony WF-1000XM5, for example, but it is more than good for the average person who just wants to enjoy their favorite playlists, podcast, or some kind of video content.
I did mind, however, the rather big latency I experienced during my gaming sessions. Sometimes I want to enjoy a game or two of Wild Rift without all the noise disturbing the people around me, and this just isn't possible with the Moto Buds Plus. Other than that, I give them a solid thumbs up for the asking price.
Pros
Lightweight, compact, and super comfortable
A comprehensive set of features with lots of customization
Responsive and reliable
Cons
Latency issues: not good for gaming
Build quality feels a bit cheap
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Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he's not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.
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