AUKEY EP-N5 True Wireless Earbuds Review
I’ve never been a big fan of airpod-style earbuds, but i’ve been impressed with the quality products that AUKEY produces so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to challenge my opinion. If you’re in the market for a pair of true-wireless earbuds, read ahead to get a close-up look at the AUKEY EP-N5 earbuds.
At a glance:
- Price: $59.99 (currently available on Amazon for $49.99)
- Active Noise Cancellation (detect and cancel a maximum 28dB of ambient noise)
- 10mm dynamic drivers
- 7 hours of music and calls on a single charge (or 4.5 hours with ANC on)
- Total of 35-Hour Playtime (7 hours from the earbuds + 28 from the case)
- USB-C Quick Charge (case charges fully in 120 minutes)
- IPX5 water resistance
In the box:
- AUKEY EP-N5 True Wireless Earbuds
- Charging case
- 3 pairs of ear tips (S/M/L)
- USB-C cable
- User Manual
- Quick start guide
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- 24-month product replacement warranty
Initial Impressions
I always appreciate how simple AUKEY’s packaging is. When you open the box, is the AUKEY EP-N5 charging case, which contains the earbuds themselves, front, and center. Surrounding it are the other accessories and contents.
The first thing you’ll notice when you take the charging case out of the box is that it’s actually quite small which is nice because it can easily be stored in a bag or in your pocket. The case comes with a USB-C charging port which I basically expect to see when it comes to consumer tech. Having joined the USB-C bandwagon a couple of years ago, the majority of my tech charges using USB-C which is incredibly convenient because it’s fewer cables to manage and carry around.
The case has a magnetic cover that easily flips open, but is secure as to not risk the earbuds falling out on accident. Each time you open the case, the indicator lights above the AUKEY logo will illuminate to show you the current battery status.
To turn the earbuds on, all you have to do is remove them from the case. The first time you do this, they will automatically enter pairing mode so you can connect them to your desired device. In the future, the earbuds will automatically reconnect to the last-paired device or enter pairing mode again if no paired device is found. Once you’re finished using the earbuds, return them to the case to turn them off.
The earbuds themselves are very small and light, more so than I was originally expecting, so that was a nice surprise. When you put them on, it’s fairly easy to forget that you’re wearing them. They also come with small, medium, and large ear tips so you have some options to find the fit that works best for you.
Audio Quality
The audio quality on the AUKEY EP-N5 is pretty phenomenal. Whenever I get a new audio device, whether earbuds, headphones, or speakers, I have to conduct the “Trampoline” test during which I play “Trampoline” by SHAED because it has a wide audio range, and it’s just a catchy song! I’m happy to say that these earbuds passed the Trampoline test with flying colors. The bass was rich, the treble and vocals were clear, and everything in between sounded very nice.
Sometimes I’ve found that true-wireless earbuds can have usual limitations when it comes to the higher end of the volume range that leaves a lot to be desired. This was far from the case with the AUKEY EP-N5 so I was glad to see a great volume range with these earbuds.
The AUKEY EP-N5 comes with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) which is perhaps one of the most exciting features it comes with. If you’re unfamiliar, ANC uses microphones on the earbuds to sense and minimize surrounding ambient noise. AUKEY mentions that these earbuds are designed to detect and cancel a maximum of 28dB of ambient noise when ANC is activated.
For reference, that level of noise is around that of a whisper. In practical use, the difference is subtle at first, but once you notice it, it’s actually quite nice. It’s somewhat comparable to plugging your ears, but being able to ear your music clearly.
As an example, my workspace is pretty quiet, but sometimes I run a fan in the room. Without ANC, I can still hear the fan running around me and it’s comparable to static noise. With ANC activated, the sound of the fan is drowned out to a very faint hum, which can’t be heard once there’s audio playing through the earbuds.
This is an awesome feature to have if you work in an area that has distracting ambient noise or if you just want to really be immersed in your music at the gym or while you’re relaxing.
Battery Life
Possibly of equal importance to audio quality in earbuds is battery life. Consumer technology is always best when it can easily be integrated into our everyday lives while creating as little friction as possible, so having sufficient battery life is important. Even more, true-wireless earbuds can be hit or miss when it comes to battery life. Fortunately, AUKEY did a pretty good job of packing a lot of battery life into a small set of earbuds and a case.
The earbuds get about 7 hours on a charge which is pretty impressive and the case, which has a built-in 500mAh battery, offers about 28 more hours. This amounts to about 4 full charges of the pair. The 4 indicator lights make it easy to estimate how many more full charges you can get before you’ll need to plug the case in for a charge.
It’s also worth noting that Active Noise Cancellation cuts your 7-hour-per-charge listening time down to about 4.5 hours. I found this to be an acceptable trade-off that, under normal use, isn’t very prohibitive.
As an example, I use these earbuds during work a lot of the time. On a typical workday, I work 4 hours in the morning and then 4 hours in the afternoon so if I wanted to use the earbuds constantly while working then they can typically run all morning, charge while I eat lunch, and then run all afternoon. In practice though, I rarely use my earbuds the entire day so it almost always feels like my earbuds are charged and ready when I need them to be.
Earbud Functionality
The AUKEY EP-N5 earbuds come with touch-sensitive panels on each earbud that allow you to control a number of things exclusively through the earbuds:
- Play/Pause Music: Single-tap (left or right)
- Skip to Previous Track: Double-tap (left)
- Skip to Next Track: Double-tap (right)
- Answer/End Calls: Tap to answer. Touch and hold for 2s to end (left or right)
- Activate Voice Assistant: Triple-tap (left or right)
- Activate or Deactivate Active Noice Cancelling: Touch and hold for 2s (left or right)
The variety of controls that are offered directly from the earbuds is pretty amazing and makes for a more seamless experience. The panels are sensitive enough to respond consistently without requiring the precision of pressing physical buttons.
In addition to the touch panels, AUKEY includes a sensor on the interior side of each earbud stem that senses whether you are wearing the earbuds or not. While playing media, taking off the earbuds will automatically pause your media, and putting the earbuds back on will resume the media. It’s a small, but nice touch to make the experience of using these earbuds all the more intuitive and seamless.
Finally, if you only want to use one earbud, the right one can work alone. Because the left earbud is dependent on the right, it cannot be used alone.
Use Cases
These earbuds are highly versatile which makes them great for a variety of use cases. I have 3 core use cases for earbuds:
Work
For work, I typically look for a pair of earbuds with good sound quality, a good microphone, and ample battery life to last me a full workday of on and off use. I found the audio quality of these earbuds to be great, but the microphone quality was less than I had hoped. It’s phone call quality which is sufficient, but not ideal as someone who works fully remotely (for years before COVID-19 spread). However, meetings aside, I love using these earbuds to listen to music while I work to help me focus.
Gym
At the gym, I prefer earbuds that are cordless, moisture resistant, and have a secure fit. Overall, the AUKEY EP-N5 meets all of these criteria. Since these are true-wireless earbuds, you don’t have to deal with cords getting in the way, or worse, getting caught on equipment. With IPX5 water resistance, these earbuds can handle moisture from sweat or light showers.
Leisure
When it comes to casual listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, the AUKEY EP-N5 is very convenient. In terms of comfort and flexible audio profile, these earbuds work very well.
Consideration
Overall, there’s very little to question about the AUKEY EP-N5 Earbuds, but I do have a couple notes and suggestions:
Microphone quality. With many excellent pairs of earbuds I’ve used, I’ve often found that the microphone quality can lag behind. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the case with the AUKEY EP-N5. Of course, when you consider the typically uses these earbuds were designed for, the microphone isn’t meant to offer production quality, and if that’s something you’re looking for, then you should probably invest in a standalone microphone. With the AUKEY EP-N5, you can expect a phone call quality microphone which should be sufficient for day-to-day use.
Charging capabilities. I love that the charging case comes with USB-C, but I also would have loved to see wireless charging capabilities included for additional convenience. However, I realize leaving out the wireless charging option ultimately added to the low price point which is definitely nothing to complain about.
Earbud independence. It common to have one earbud (typically the left one) dependent on the other (typically the right one), but it would have been great to be able to use either earbud independently.
The Bottom Line
As I said at the beginning, i’ve never been a big fan of airpod-style earbuds, but after trying out the AUKEY EP-N5 earbuds, i’m definitely reconsidering my assumptions. AUKEY has packed a lot of great features, functionality, and quality into a small form factor. Despite my initial reservations, i’ve found myself using these earbuds very frequently.
At this very low price point, you get excellent sound quality, Active Noise Cancellation, great battery life, a dual microphone setup, IPX5 water resistance, and USB-C charging. The core downside of these earbuds is the microphone, but again, for most use-cases, these earbuds are probably perfect.
What’s your perspective on airpod-style earbuds? Have you tried the AUKEY EP-N5 or similar models before? Feel free to comment below!
