Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+ review: Good ANC, but…

TWS true wireless earphones - under $100

THREE STARS - The Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+ wireless earbuds offer good ANC active noise cancelling, decent call quality, and a warm background sound for your average workday. Unfortunately, they come with an annoying pairing issue.

Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+ specs:

  • Bluetooth 5.2 with AptX Adaptive codec

  • IPX45 waterproof (light rain and sweat proof)

  • 4 - 4,5 hours listening on a full charge (ANC on)

  • Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3,5 times

  • Air comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable

  • Air+ comes with 5 sizes ear tips, USB-C cable and pouch

  • Apollo Air - $55 - Buy on GeekBuying or AliExpress

  • Apollo Air+ - $80 - Buy on GeekBuying or AliExpress

Below this Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air + review, you will find comparisons of the Tronsmart Apollo Air vs Realme Buds Air 2, SoundPEATS T2, and Coumi ANC-861 Freedom Dots.

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Design, comfort and battery life

The Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+ are the same products in look and feel. They are both available in black and white, and both have a neatly proportioned and sturdy enough charging case with USB-C port and single LED light to indicate the charging status.

They also have the same earbuds. In both colors, they have a shiny finish which gives them a toy-like look. The rather thick stems and the long tube on top that goes into your ears emphasize the toy-like feel. There's a Tronsmart logo on the touch panels that doesn't make them look too generic, happily, and thanks to the slightly oval rubber ear tips, the Apollo Airs sit snugly in your ears. The IPX45 waterproof rating should protect the buds against light sweat, light rain, and dust.

The battery life on the earbuds is average: it gets between 4 and 4,5 hours playtime with ANC on, noticeably (however untimed) longer with the function turned off. The case can top them up 3,5 times before needing new power itself.

So what's the difference between the Tronsmart Apollo Air and Apollo Air+, which costs around 30 dollars more? The Air Plus adds three things: a bigger packaging box with a pouch and extra ear tips, in-ear detection, and wireless charging. You decide if it's worth the extra price.


Controls and connectivity

The Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air + have a strong Bluetooth connection up to ten meters away from your device, also when you're walking or cycling. It's also possible to switch seamlessly between listening to two earbuds - to only one while you're charging the other - and back again.

As stated before, only the Air+ has in-ear detection, meaning it automatically pauses music playback when you take a bud of your ear and continues playing again once you put it back in. It works wonderfully.

The controls are comprehensive, and respond quickly and reliably to your input.

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

  • Tap R to increase the volume

  • Tap L to decrease volume

  • Hold R to skip to the next track

  • Hold L to return to the previous song

  • Tap and hold L or R to activate the voice assistant

  • Triple-tap L or R to switch between ANC on, Ambient mode, and ANC off

It's great to have all the desired controls right at your fingertips, but in reality, it's hard to activate the voice assistant by tapping and holding - as you will likely change the volume as well. If the control scheme is too complicated for you, you can change it completely to your liking with the app.

Unfortunately, the Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air + have a major pairing issue. Around half of the times when you take the earbuds out of the case, one of the earbuds doesn't turn on and connect to your phone or device. You have to manually put the earbud back in the case and take it out again, hoping it starts then. Firmware updates via the app don't prevent the issue so far - and it's a known issue with befriended reviewers as well. This means that you likely won't grab the Apollo Air when you get a call or for a quick commute - because you just don't know if both earbuds will work.

It's a basic function that doesn't work properly. A dealbreaker.


Calling and watching movies

It's doable to take phone calls and video calls like Zoom meetings with the Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+. Your voice has remarkable clarity and comes with white noise and crackles underneath, but not to the point it battles your voice. Surrounding noises are reduced as well, with most traffic and chatter around you reduced to constant background buzzing in the call.

Watching videos is a breeze, with good synchronization between audio and video on iPhone and Android. There is a slight delay in sound effects when playing games.


Tronsmart Apollo Air app quality

The Tronsmart app is available for free on Android and iPhone, doesn't require too many permissions or an account, and gives the following functionality:

  • Update the firmware

  • Disconnect

  • Read the manual

  • See which earbud holds the master connection

  • Check a battery bar for each earbud

  • Switch between ANC on, Ambient mode, and ANC off

  • Change the controls entirely to your desire

  • Choose between 8 equalizers

The ability to change all controls is amazing. The single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap, hold-and-tap: you can set them all to your liking.

The app doesn't show battery percentage of the earbuds

You can change all the controls on the earphones - neat

Most of the equalizers are plain bad

Of the equalizers, only the Rock setting is worth checking out. It puts upper-mid vocals and higher mids in general much more forward and creates a bigger (although cave-like) soundstage for the music. It's a more uplifting, outspoken variant of the Default equalizer, not just suitable for rock music. Other EQ's make the sound more muffled, sadly - with the 3D equalizer unaptly named producing the most closed-in sound of the bunch.

However, with the Rock equalizer and the option to change the controls to your liking entirely, the app is a useful addition.

Take note: If you receive an Apollo Air or Air+ with older firmware, it can be challenging to get the app to work on iPhone. After long loading screens, my regular Apollo Air with firmware 1.1 often gave a 'Pairing failed' voice prompt, or only one of the two earbuds would connect to the app. After several attempts, my iPhone finally gave the 'Connect' pop-up and let me install firmware update 2.8.6. After installing it, the experience with the app was on the same level as with the Apollo Air+ with the newer firmware already installed.


ANC Noise cancelling test of Apollo AIr (+)

Two of the ear tips delivered with the Tronsmart Apollo Air may seem almost similar in size, but it's essential to try them both out: they make the difference between weak and useful Active Noise Cancelling (ANC).

ANC quality: The Tronsmart Apollo Air + has impressive noise-canceling for its price. The function eliminates almost all darker background sounds and heavily reduces the volume of brighter background sounds. Distant traffic can even become inaudible, successfully countered by the very subtle white noise the Apollo Air displays. Nearby sounds still come through, however - the Tronsmart has some trouble battling claps or nearby chatter - but that's no exception in this price range.

Transparency mode/Ambient mode quality: There's a Transparency or Ambient mode on the earbuds as well, which can put through traffic and chatter on moments you need it. It works well: it is possible to hear and locate traffic around you while playing music on moderate volume.

Wind noise reduction: Unlike many competitors, the Apollo Air and Air+ filter out wind noise with ANC or Transparency mode turned on quite well. If you still want less wind noise to interfere with your music when you're walking, running, or cycling, you can switch ANC off by triple-tapping through the ANC modes.



Sound quality of Tronsmart Apollo Air: Warm

Like some other wireless noise cancelling earbuds, the Tronsmart Apollo Air and Apollo Air+ offer a smooth, warm sound suitable for background listening.

Lows make for the biggest part of the sound on these Tronsmarts. Lower mid-tones, like bass drums and darker electronic tones, are heavily emphasized. The mid-bass throws in its weight too. It isn't very tight or fast, or even thumpy and engaging, but it's boosted nonetheless, creating bass slams that last long and bloat on.

The sub-bass doesn't show itself quickly between the other lows in crowded songs, but in a test case like James Blake's Limit to Your Love, it can show its teeth. It rumbles, sounds deep, round, and very full. It's bound to unlock a guilty pleasure smile on your face.

It's not just the lows that give the Apollo Air and Air+ their warm or even dark sound - it's the way it handles higher frequencies. Up to medium playback volume, highs feel almost non-existent. While medium and higher-pitched vocals are mildly forward against other mids (but not the bass), they can barely grasp their higher notes. Vocals and brighter instruments like violins, cymbals, or trumpets, are quickly rolled off.

As such, there's an overall smoothness to the Tronsmart sound. Even though instruments sometimes sound unnatural and higher-pitched vocals are surprisingly dark, it could just be the perfect distraction-free companion for background listening. On higher volumes, upper-mids become more prominent, but so does the bass.

On Android, the app offers an alternative with the Rock equalizer, which boasts the lower-mids... but the upper-mids as well, making vocals more prominent and adding airiness to the music. Snare drums, cymbals, and slaps can become a bit piercing but sound much more natural and impactful. The equalizer puts the music in a soundstage, too, albeit very cave-like.

The Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air + fulfill the job of giving you a distraction-free, full, and warm sound during your workdays - but there are better alternatives for active listening.


Tronsmart Apollo Air (+) comparisons

Coumi ANC-861 vs Realme Buds Air 2

Realme Buds Air 2 on the left, Edifier TWS330NB on the right

The Realme Buds Air 2 has an easier-to-use app with three equalizers but doesn't need them to sound better than the Tronsmarts. The Realme delivers a more balanced sound, with more natural sounding mid-tones, forward and nuanced vocals, and a bigger soundstage. There's more air in the music, with better separation and more space in between instruments. The Realme is more comfortable in your ears and has a more pocketable charging case. ANC is better on the Tronsmart, however.

Tronsmart Apollo Air vs COumi Freedom Dots

The Coumi Freedom Dots have the unique feature of providing IPX7 heavy rain and shower-proof rating, giving them an advantage over the Tronsmart. Battery life is around the same, ANC on both is more than adequate, and both have the same generous warm sound, with little naturality in the mid-tones, and boosted lower-mids and mid-bass. Transparency mode and call quality are a tad better on the Tronsmart; the Coumi looks a bit more subtle.


Tronsmart Apollo Air (+) vs SoundPEATS T2

The SoundPEATS T2 has a more engaging sound than the Apollo Air (+). There's more definition in the bass, and vocals and upper-mids are much more prominent, giving the music air and separating instruments better from each other. The T2 earbuds are bigger, but as they're oval, they follow the shape of your inner ears better, so they may be more comfortable as well. ANC noise-cancelling is stronger on the Tronsmart; it filters out more darker background noise and reduces the volume of nearby sounds better.


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Verdict

The Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air+ wireless earbuds offer good ANC active noise cancelling, decent call quality, and a warm background sound for your average workday. Unfortunately, as one of the sides may not turn on when you take the earphones out of the case, it's a tough model to recommend.

Three stars - Worth considering


Buy Tronsmart Apollo Air (+)/ check price:

I received the Tronsmart Apollo Air and Air + from the manufacturer to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.

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