Baseus W12 review: The Koss KSC75 of wireless earbuds

TWS true wireless earphones - under $25

4.5 STARS - The Baseus W12 has limited controls and is terrible at handling phone calls. So why does this ultra-cheap pair of wireless earbuds get so many good user reviews on AliExpress? The answer is quite simple.

Baseus W12 specs and features:

  • Note: The W12 seems to have the same basis as the older Baseus WM01, but I can't say this for sure yet.

  • Bluetooth 5.1 with AAC codec

  • IPX5 waterproof rating (rain and sweat proof)

  • 5+ hours playtime on a single charge

  • Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times

  • Comes with three ear tips, English manual, USB-C cable

  • $25 - Check price on AliExpress

Below this Baseus W12 review, you will find comparisons of the Baseus W12 vs QCY T13, QCY T17, Sony WF-1000XM3 and… the Koss KSC75.

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Design, comfort and battery life

The first ultra-affordable wireless earbuds on the market three years ago were square-ish, tiny designs without stems. Nowadays, compact cheap earbuds are much rounder, like the QCY T17 and Redmi Buds 3 Lite. The Baseus W12 shows there's still a market for the square-ish shape. The relatively new pair of earbuds sells very well on AliExpress.

The W12 earbuds are lovely light and dive deep into large or medium-sized ears; they are comfortable to wear for hours. It can be tricky to get a good seal with them, which is required to hear the bass. Baseus puts thin rubber ear tips on the W12, and it's hit-and-miss whether they will seal well. In my test time, I sometimes got a nice bass, but then lost it after adjusting the earbuds a bit. Pushing them in too light or too far can make you lose the bass and the ideal sound.

The W12 has a plumb charging case that is thicker than you'd expect from the promo pictures, and feels a bit bulky into jeans pockets. It's sturdy enough, happily, and it can recharge the earbuds four times fully before it needs new power via USB-C. The battery life is average for the price: the earbuds last around 5 hours on a single charge, yet you can quick-charge them for 10 minutes to get almost two more hours. The IPX5 waterproof rating also ensures they can withstand rain and sweat.


Controls and connectivity

The controls of the Baseus W12 are easy to learn and master, with touch panels that respond well to your input:

  • Double-tap L or R to play/ pause music

  • Hold R to skip to the next song

  • Hold L to return to the previous song

  • Triple-tap L or R to activate the voice assistant

Unfortunately, it's not possible to change the volume from the earbuds itself. You should be table change the controls from the Baseus app, but the changes you make don't apply to the earbuds. So swapping the voice assistant for a dedicated low-latency gaming mode? It doesn't work.

Connectivity on the Baseus W12 is effective. The earbuds hold a strong Bluetooth connection around 9-10 meters away from your device, and they pair and connect quickly when you take them out of the case. You can also always switch between listening to two earbuds or one - if you want to charge the other, for example.

Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out.


Calling and watching movies

Video playback is good, with decent synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone, including the often challenging YouTube-app. Even without the low-latency mode, synchronisation is also good when you're playing games. Sound effects in Call of Duty mobile are up to speed with the action you see on screen.

However: don't take a phone call with the Baseus W12.

Your voice is on a rollercoaster ride between audible and extremely soft, and any gust of wind or noise from your surroundings, takes your voice away. It's even fair to expect a ‘Hello, are you there?’ while you are talking - really, it can happen.

The video call quality in services like Microsoft Teams or Zoom meetings is even worse. Your voice too soft to be audible.


App support of Baseus W12

The W12 is supported by the free Baseus app for iPhone and Android, but this app asks for many permissions like push messages, running on the foreground, and your location. It also requires a Baseus account to use the app with the earbuds.

What you'll get in return:

  • See the battery level of the earbuds

  • Change the name of the earbuds in your Bluetooth list

  • Change the controls (only useful option: activate low-latency mode instead of voice assistant)

  • Find individual earbuds by transmitting a sound to them

  • Find the earbuds on a map

Unless you regularly lose your earbuds, the app isn't of much use. You can't add more controls, change settings, or select different sound equalizers - and it wants to know an awful lot in return.



Sound quality of Baseus W12: Very pleasant

The Baseus W12 makes up for its lacking features and functionality with its sound quality.

In wired earphones, there's this cheap old legend that never dies. The Sony MH750/ MH755 has a terrible short cable that twists before you touch it and makes noise that comes through your music, but many audiophiles forgive the earphone for it - because it has this delicate sweet spot between warm and balanced sound that sounds much better than the $10 price tag would ever suggest.

In the cheapest of wired headphones, there's the $20 Koss KSC75 with the same story. The clips around your ears are awkward, they look horrendous, and build quality is… challenging. But again, there's this balanced-warm sound that tickles the senses - it's extremely pleasant to listen to, much more so than many more expensive headphones.

What I'm saying is, the Baseus W12 may just be the Koss KSC75 or Sony MH750 of wireless earbuds. It doesn't shine in functionality, but when you have the right fit with it, it sounds extremely pleasant - warm and balanced.

For starters, there's good depth and fullness to the lower frequencies. The mid-bass is more of a gentle slam than a fierce thump, and never overstays its welcome. The sub-bass can strike remarkably deep, however, delivering a striking, fierce rumble in James Blake's test case Limit to Your Love.

Yet the Baseus makes the difference in the mid-tones. The W12 has more than average emphasis on lower mids, giving drums, lower male vocals, and darker electronic tones big fullness, yet without sounding too dense. Center-mid tones like guitars and piano play have a warm coloration, but sound natural in the same way they can on the Koss and Sony. Moving on to the upper-mids and highs, there are are rare moments in which a cymbal or brighter female vocal outburst appears a little edgy, but not too sharp or bright. The W12 gives plenty of room to higher singers and instruments, but tames the treble before it becomes uncomfortable.

The level of detail is the icing on the cake. There's a gentle airiness in the sound, with vocals in center and instruments from your left and right. They don't have the most precise positioning, but the W12 can trigger details on your sides you may not notice as clearly on other earbuds. Instruments are textured too, and especially acoustic genres like jazz and blues can sound bafflingly good on the W12, without showing the slight white noise floor of so many other earbuds.

In complicated songs with a strong emphasis on treble, music seems to be hitting a wall in what the drivers are capable of - resulting in a sound that fluctuates a little. Well, nobody states that the Koss or Sony are perfect, right? They're just extremely good for their price.

With its balanced, warm, and detailed sound, it's hard not to love the Baseus W12.


Baseus W12 comparisons

Baseus W12 vs QCY T17: tuning vs technicality

The QCY T17 is more capable and more functional. It has a low-latency mode you can actually activate, clear phone and video call quality, and around 7,5 hours of battery life opposed to Baseus’ 5 hours. The QCY has an airier sound with a wider soundstage, and more emphasis on treble and texture within the higher frequencies. The mid-bass is stronger and a tad quicker, and mids have a brighter and perhaps (even) more natural coloration. The Baseus has weightier lower-mids, presenting darker male vocals more natural, and doesn't have the sharper peaks the T17 can display. The T17 is technically better, but as it puts more focus on treble, it's not always the same balanced, smooth, and warm bath as the W12 can be.


Baseus W12 vs QCY T13: Warmer vs wider

The QCY T13 is another stunner in the ultra-budget price range, with again better all-around performance than the Baseus W12. The battery lasts up to 7,5 hours per charge, you can take a decent phone and video call with the QCY, and there's an effective low-latency mode for playing games as well. The T13 has a wider soundstage with more accentuated left-right separation of instruments, and a stronger, looser mid-bass. The Baseus tames upper-mids and highs more, resulting a more comfortable sound, helped further by the more pronounced lower-mids. In older acoustic recordings, the W12 succesfully eliminates the subtle white noise floor you can sometimes hear on the QCY.


Baseus W12 vs QCY T5

Wait, another QCY comparison? Yeah - well, next to the clearer T17 and the bassier T13, QCY also had the most balanced sounding earphone in the lower price segment - the T5. The main difference between the W12 and the T5 is that the latter elevates upper-mids more and extends highs further. This makes brighter male and female vocals more forward, but also gives the sound a slight metallic undertone in some instances. The W12 gives lower mid-tones more presence, giving (darker) male vocals more body, and accentuating drums, darker electronic tones, and also center-mid guitar and piano play more - giving them a bit more naturality. The T5 has an airier sound; the W12 is (even) more relaxed to listen to. Both sound way better than you'd expect for their prices.



Baseus W12 vs Sony WF-1000xm3: Wait, really?

The $150 Sony WF-1000XM3 with active noise cancelling, extensive app support, lacking waterproof rating, and its heavy and uncomfortable large earbuds is a totally different beast than the $25 Baseus. Except… not entirely. The W12 has a remarkable comparable sound coloration and tonality as the wildly praised Sony. Both have a strong emphasis on lower-mids and tame treble before it can be piercing, while presenting center-mids detailed and with warm undertone. The Sony does things more technical: upper-mids are more boosted and unlock more vocal detail, while the bass is stronger and has a bigger thump. However, the Baseus feels less dense in the bass area, a bit more natural. The Sony is more engaging.


Baseus W12 vs Koss KSC75

Sound signature, coloration and outstanding naturality for a small price: the Baseus W12 and Koss KSC75 have more in common than their different shapes suggest. Maybe as a result of its open on-ear earpads, the Koss is capable of showing a tad more air: brighter vocals have a bit more room to separate themselves from instruments, which is enough to give them slightly more presence and texture. While they sound surprisingly similar in the higher frequencies, the Koss rolls off highs earlier and controls vocal outbursts and sharp cymbals a bit better. Compared to the more balanced Koss, the Baseus is more engaging, with stronger mid-bass and fuller lower vocals.


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Verdict

The Baseus W12 has limited controls and is terrible at handling phone calls, but much is forgiven with its extremely pleasant sound.

4.5 stars - Great


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I bought the Baseus W12 myself to test and review. My reviews are unsponsored and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.

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