Getting a decent set of wireless earbuds can be a chore nowadays. The market is either flooded with overly priced premium ones or incredibly cheap knockoffs that disintegrate after just a few days of use. Searching for a product that acts as a good middle-ground can be difficult. Difficult if you don’t know where to look. Koala Philippines just sent us their Koala Flex Buds for review, earbuds that boast good quality without the wallet-bursting price. Can it stand our tests? Does it actually have good quality? Let’s find out in this review!
| Color: | Pearl White |
| Weight: |
Earbuds: 3.5g (per earbud), Charging Case: 48g
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| Touch Controls: |
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| Noise Control: |
Intelligent Noise Reduction
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| Listening Time: |
About 5 hours per charge*
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| Talk Time: |
About 3 hours per charge*
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| Charging Time: |
Earbuds: 1.5 hours, Charging Case: 2 hours*
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| Battery: |
Earbuds: 30mA
Charging Case: 300mA |
| Charging Interface: |
USB Type-C (5V ± 0.25, 1A)
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| Compatibility: | Android or iOS |
| Wireless Connection: | Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Communication Distance: |
Approximately 10m
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| Bluetooth Protocol: |
HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
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| Chipset: | AD6973A4 |
| Working Current: | 5-7mA |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio: |
108±3dB at 1kHz 1mW
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| In the Box: |
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Unfortunately, the design of the charging case makes it hard to orient vertically. Although you can make it stand, opening the top cover shifts the center of gravity, making it hard to keep it standing. Hence, the pictures above showing me holding it.
Unlike some wireless earbuds, the Koala Flex Buds’ charging case only has one LED to display its status. Even so, it does give adequate information as to what it is currently doing. It can emit blue and red light and can also blink to show you its charging progress. While not a bad thing on its own, it may be hard to read for some as you actually need to consult the instruction manual to figure out the meaning of each of its LED behavior.
To test for this, I hooked up the Koala Flex Buds to the ROG G531, using it as a means to communicate with my team on Discord. With constant communication, the Koala Flex Buds managed to last more or less 3 hours, well within its advertised battery life. In terms of quality, it is quite acceptable as per my friends’ feedback. The mic quality is good enough to be heard, but definitely not something to write home about. Regarding audio reproduction, I neither did have any problems with hearing my team’s input nor any problems with audio while playing the game.
Do note that you may have to manually tinker with your PC’s preferred audio devices to use the Koala Flex Buds. I had to select it from the menu as my system failed to recognize it and set it up as the default output/input.
I have tried the Koala Flex Buds while doing strenuous workouts in the past month. Suffice to say, it stayed snugly on and it acted as a good workout buddy. It does help in keeping you blasted with tunes that you want and you do not have to worry about it falling off. The experience may be different as each person’s ear shape and size are, but you can easily swap the default silicone ear tips with the included ones for better conformity and fit. You can even use custom ones if you want!
Wireless connectivity experience can fluctuate wildly depending on your location and wireless traffic. Suffice to say, the Koala Flex Buds works well within 6 meters in my experience. The only issue I had while testing this was that the device disconnects for a few seconds, say 1 to 3 seconds, if you go further than 6 meters. It reconnects as if nothing happened but the disconnection can be jarring especially if you are in active communication.
Also note that the material between you and your source device can affect connectivity. Wood, concrete, and empty space greatly differ in influencing your Bluetooth wireless connection. In my case, I tested the Koala Flex Buds in a house setting mostly with concrete and wood as a barrier between my and the source device.
The Koala Flex Buds provides decent experience without breaking the bank. Sure, it won’t break any barriers but it does deliver what it promises: a good audio experience. The thing works great out of the box and is simple to setup and use. You don’t have to fiddle with anything very complex to have it running.
Again, the Koala Flex Buds is not a groundbreaking product. It does not reinvent the wheel nor does it even try to. But given that it works well and given its price point, it is a wireless Bluetooth earbuds that you have to consider. With that said, we recommend the Koala Flex Buds either as a gift or as a personal daily driver for your wireless audio needs. This can also be a great gift to your non-techie friends or relatives given that its pretty simple to connect and use.
The Koala Flex Buds is currently priced at PhP 1,299.00. The price can go lower if you take advantage of seasonal promos on online stores.
Get to know more about the product by visiting the product page itself here. Alternatively, you can purchase it from the official Shopee store here.
For an alternative wireless earbuds, check out our review of the UGREEN Hitune TWS.
