Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Review: Wireless Earbuds That Are Tough to Lose

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With the release of the iPhone 7, Apple shook the tech world by excluding the headphone jack and promoting its newest product, AirPods, which can only connect to the phone via Bluetooth. While techies debated the obsolescence of the headphone jacks and made jokes over how easy it would be to lose the tiny untethered AirPods, Google was working on its own Bluetooth-only device, which was released last October.

Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Review:

It’s becoming increasingly likely that headphone jacks might become a thing of the past, but luckily AirPods are not the only option out there when it comes to earbuds. As more wireless earbuds come on the market, so will new innovations. The Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo earbuds are one such innovation delivering high-quality wireless sound in two small, but powerful buds. However, what really makes this product stand out is the housing, which doubles as a portable charger for your phone.

The housing is by far the Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo’s best feature. The earbuds are held in place by magnets and the inner part of the housing shifts up and down, so the earbuds stay tucked away inside their shell. While the case has enough battery power for 15 earbud charges, you can also use it as an external battery, which has enough power for one full phone charge. Keep in mind though, that if you use this to charge your phone, you’ll quickly run out of battery to charge the earbuds. Additionally, if you leave the earbuds in the housing after they have reached a full charge, they will keep charging and continue to drain the battery.

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Through my testing, I did run into a few issues with charging. When I inserted one of the earbuds, it would not light up to indicate that it was charging. It turns out that the plastic sleeve was pushed up too far and interfering with a charging system. I only needed to readjust the plastic sleeve and the earbuds were able to charge fully.

Price and Where to Buy: $130 on Amazon

How the Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Rates:

• Usefulness: 6/10. Before you’re ready to listen, turning on the earbuds and syncing them to each other, and then to your Bluetooth-enabled device requires a bit of fumbling. It is unfortunate the earbuds will continue to drain the external battery once fully charged and makes the external battery a little less useful. However, the sound quality is far superior to your basic non-wireless earbuds, which is certainly a plus.
• Value: 8/10. It’s pricey, but not out of line compared to other wireless earbuds on the market. It’s also a good value, considering you’re getting a bonus external battery.
• Portability: 10/10. The whole package itself is small but not small enough that you should be concerned about losing it. The fact that you can push the earbuds back into their case, ensuring they don’t get knocked out while moving around in your bag, also offers some peace of mind.
• Cool Factor: 8/10. With three metallic color options and a stud-like design, these have a sleek and subtle look.

Final Verdict: For comfortable fitting wireless earbuds with great sound quality, the Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo earbuds do the job and come with the extra perk of a sturdy charging system that doubles as an external battery.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 10 Tiny Wireless Speakers You Can Take Anywhere
• 8 Tiny Backup Batteries That Could Save Your Trip
• 9 New Travel Trends to Watch in 2018

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at [email protected].

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