“Our take on Zebronics latest affordable truly wireless earphones – the Zeb-Peace”

It’s been over two years since Apple took the wraps off the AirPods and in that time, we’ve seen the commoditisation of truly wireless earphones. Every major audio brand now has at least one pair of truly-wireless earphones under its portfolio and lesser-known brands are offering inexpensive alternatives to Apple’s AirPods too. One such brand is Zebronics, which has amassed quite the following by selling high-quality smartphone accessories. Recently, the company sent out its Zeb-Peace truly wireless earphones for review and after spending some time with the pair, here’s what I make of it.

Design

Let me say this right out the gate – Zebronics has cut some corners when it comes to the design of the Zeb-Peace in order to keep the costs down. While I don’t have any qualms with the design of the earpieces themselves, the charging case bundled with the earphones does little to impress. The company has constructed the case in entirety using plastic, and has slapped a glossy finish on it which in a word, looks tacky. I also noticed that the case creaked every time I opened the lid.

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That said, the case does ship with magnetic points to lock the earpieces in place and is quite compact too, meaning it’ll comfortably slip inside the pocket of your jeans. As for the earpieces themselves, Zebronics is undoubtedly going for a sporty look with the Zeb-Peace true wireless earphones. Each earpiece has been shaped to sit snugly around the curves of the ear and consequently, you shouldn’t find any issues with the fit. What’s more, the Zeb-Peace earphones are splash-proof too, which coupled with their excellent in-ear grip, makes them ideal to use during workouts and sweaty gym sessions.

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The carrying case includes a single micro-USB port for charging the earbuds along with three LED indicators which denote the battery levels of the two earpieces and the case itself. You’ll also get two multi-function buttons positioned on each earpiece which are used to pair the earphone to a compatible smartphone, pause the music playback and invoke the Google Assistant. During my time with the device, I didn’t come across any issues performing any of the aforementioned tasks as my inputs were registered promptly and swiftly.

Sound Quality

The Zebronics Zeb-Peace are backed by a pair of 6mm drivers, positioned inside each earpiece. The unit operates across an impedance of 16ohms and connects to devices over Bluetooth v4.1.

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Now, let’s be honest – you weren’t looking for a pair of truly wireless earphones under Rs 4K to get the best possible sound quality but rather, for the convenience of not having to deal with cables. That said, Zebronics has somehow managed to cut the cord without making the Zeb-Peace unbearable to listen to at the same time. The earphones’ sound signature undoubtedly favours the low-end but surprisingly, the bass output isn’t bloated. On the contrary, the beats sound impactful yet tamed at the same time – think, a supercar revving its engine but not reaching the peak rpm.  

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The bass does seep into other frequencies, mind you. In ‘The Carters’ APESHIT, the vocals sounded noticeably subdued as the beats took centre stage. However, I mostly used the earphones in the gym and let me assure you, nothing gets the blood pumping than listening to boom-boom beats. In acoustic blues like Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s Shallow, the vocals sounded dominant, and the tone of the piano was melodious and rich in details too. However, I had to settle for shrill and tasteless strums from the guitar.

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The Zebronics Zeb-Peace do a fantastic job of passively canceling out noise, and get plenty loud too. The instrument separation isn’t the best out there, and you’ll struggle to identify multiple instruments in a chaotic track. However, it’s on par with other budget Bluetooth earphones in the market.

Connectivity and Battery life

One of the biggest argument made against truly wireless earphones is that they seldom offer a reliable connection to the paired device. Unfortunately, the same is true for Zebronics Zeb-Peace too. While I didn’t face any track skips or connectivity drops when I was sitting at my desk and listening to music, the earphones struggled to transmit data properly when I was out and about.

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As for the battery life, Zebronics claims that the earphones offer two and a half hours of music playback off a single charge, though I managed to drain the unit in just two hours. That’s still plenty of juice to get through an intense workout and lest I forget, you do get an additional six hours of battery life from the case itself. So, unless you like to listen to your entire playlist on one sitting, you should be able to get through a day with the Zeb-Peace earphones.

Verdict

For its asking price of Rs 3,999, the Zebronics Zeb-Peace easily takes the crown for one of the most inexpensive pair of truly wireless earphones. Although the earphones sound good and offer a decent battery life, you will have to settle for a flimsy carrying case and deal with shoddy connectivity. For what it’s worth, I feel that buyers looking for a pair of inexpensive truly wireless earphones will feel right at home with the Zeb-Peace from Zebronics.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros 

  • Impactful bass
  • Rich mids
  • Comfortable, splash-proof design 
  • Decent battery life 

Cons 

  • Flimsy case
  • Highs are non-existent 
Photos by Raj Rout