Boat Airdopes 800 Review: A Budget-Friendly Option for Dolby Audio and Personalized Sound
The Boat Airdopes 800 hit the Indian market on May 17th, boasting adaptive EQ and Dolby Audio for an immersive audio experience. Equipped with 10mm titanium drivers and ENC-supported microphones, these earphones promise a balanced listening experience, all for a price that’s easy on the wallet. But do they deliver on their claims? I spent over a week with the Boat Airdopes 800 to unveil their true potential and determine whether they’re a "dope" addition to your audio arsenal.
Boat Airdopes 800 Review: Design and Features
Unboxing the Boat Airdopes 800 reveals three silicone ear tip sizes – small, medium, and large. While I couldn’t find a perfectly comfortable fit with any of these options, the smallest size proved to be the best, albeit with some reservations. The medium-sized tips theoretically should have been better, but even a slight grin would cause them to pop out, the in-ear detection feature dutifully pausing my audio. It demonstrates the feature’s effectiveness but highlights a comfort issue. I opted for the small tips for most of my usage.
Despite the fit being a point of contention, the earphones have redeeming qualities. The stem incorporates a slight curvy bump-like design, enhancing grip during insertion and removal. The touch control sensors are conveniently located towards the upper side, offering generally smooth functionality. The charging points on the inside of the stem come into direct contact with the skin, which might cause issues for individuals with sensitive skin or metal allergies.
The charging case feels bulky despite a weight of 45g. Its boxy design contributes to this perception. While it fits in your jeans pocket, the case protrudes noticeably. A connectivity and battery/charging indicator light is located at the bottom of the case, while the USB Type-C charging port sits on the right edge. The case showcases the Boat logo and Dolby Audio branding.
Beyond the earphones, charging case, and two additional ear tip pairs, the retail box includes a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, an instruction booklet, and several stickers.
Boat Airdopes 800 Review: App and Specifications
The Boat Airdopes 800 are compatible with the Boat Hearables app, available on both Android and iOS. Once paired, the app syncs with the earphones, displaying the battery levels of each earbud on the home screen. It houses different pre-installed equalizer settings, including an option to enable adaptive EQ, powered by Mimi, a technology found in devices like the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear 2.
Adaptive EQ claims to personalize your sound experience through a guided setup process. It involves practice rounds and step-by-step tests. Once completed, you can toggle adaptive EQ for a customized audio experience.
The app provides five preset equalizations: Balanced, Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Club. You can also switch between Dolby Movie and Dolby Natural settings. We’ll explore their sound experiences later.
The Boat Hearables app also offers customization for the one-tap and two-tap functions on each earbud separately. While four distinct actions are possible, I preferred using identical actions for both sides. Choosing from various functions like play/pause, volume control, track navigation, Beast Mode activation, and Google Assistant management is entirely up to you.
A third tab, labeled "System," provides access to the user manual and app version update information. It also allows you to toggle the In-Ear Detection and Multipoint Connectivity features.
The Boat Airdopes 800 feature 10mm titanium drivers and four AI-backed ENC-supported microphones. They house 35mAh batteries each, with a 400mAh battery in the charging case. They support Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and 50ms low latency. The case utilizes a USB Type-C charging port, and the earphones carry an IPX5 rating for splash and sweat resistance.
Boat Airdopes 800 Review: Performance and Battery Life
The Boat Airdopes 800 effortlessly connect to two devices simultaneously. I tested this with my Redmi Note 11 Pro smartphone and my Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop. The Bluetooth connectivity and 50ms low latency make these earphones suitable for casual gaming and, in my case, frequent audio-visual content consumption. Beast Mode, a low-latency mode, is toggled by long-pressing the touch control area on the right earbud for three seconds.
While switching between the different preset EQ modes, I encountered occasional connectivity issues. The app would sometimes become unresponsive or fail to recognize the earphones, prompting an alert to connect to a Bluetooth device to complete the action. Turning on adaptive EQ mode occasionally disconnected one or both earphones. These problems were easily fixed by placing the earphones back in the case for a few seconds before connecting them again.
These connectivity errors were more frequent during the first days of use but gradually diminished with each Boat Hearables app update. Apparently, bugs were the culprit, resolved through OTA updates. Since updating to version 00.00.01.02, I haven’t experienced any connectivity issues.
The sound signature of the Boat Airdopes 800 leans towards bass-heavy, as advertised and expected. However, it doesn’t compromise the mid and high tones substantially, especially considering the price range. Even without any customizations, listening to music on these earphones is enjoyable. It’s more than adequate for casual users, aided by the decent battery life.
The adaptive EQ mode, despite potentially draining battery life, provides a personalized sound experience, which I appreciated in certain instances. When listening to "Baba O’Riley" by The Who, I preferred the custom equalization generated by Adaptive EQ over the regular sound. You can also reconfigure the settings at any time by retaking the test.
The Dolby Natural mode introduces elements of spatial sound, which shines best with music featuring stereo tracks. The arrangement details become particularly noticeable in tracks like "Space Oddity" by David Bowie or any of the Abbey Road by The Beatles Super Deluxe mixes. My fellow Beatleheads might even be able to imagine the band members’ positions during the Abbey Road Studios recording session during "Oh! Darling." This is beyond what I anticipate from TWS earphones priced under Rs. 2,000.
As mentioned earlier, I watched the 2016 Denis Villeneuve film “Arrival” with the Boat Airdopes 800. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience the Dolby Movie Audio mode offered on these earphones. While I wouldn’t claim it replicates a theatre-like experience, it comes close and is remarkable for this price point.
The preset mode sound experiences generally meet expectations. The Rock and Club options are bassier than the rest, while Balanced provides a stable equalization. The Jazz and Pop presets emphasize vocals and treble slightly more.
Making and answering calls with the Boat Airdopes 800 was satisfactory. In indoor settings with a stable network connection, calls were clear even with occasional environmental disturbances. I didn’t receive any complaints about voice quality from the other end.
The Boat Airdopes 800 claim a total battery life of up to 40 hours at 60 percent volume. For testing purposes, I maintained this volume throughout my usage. Without adaptive EQ mode and with a couple of hours of Dolby Movie Audio mode, I achieved approximately 36 hours of total playback time on a single charge. The earphones delivered more than four hours of continuous playback.
With adaptive EQ mode enabled, the Boat Airdopes 800 offered a playback time of up to three and a half hours. The earphones needed about 30 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent within the case, while the charging case fully charged in an hour and 30 minutes.
Boat Airdopes 800 Review: Verdict
Casual users seeking an almost-theatre-like experience on a budget might consider the Boat Airdopes 800 TWS earphones. The adaptive EQ provides a satisfactory audio journey, while the Dolby Audio support delivers the extra kick that makes these earphones stand out among competitors.
If you’re on a strict budget and prioritize a decent, personalized sound experience, the Boat Airdopes 800 at Rs. 1,799 are a solid choice for you. While the physical fit might not be ideal for prolonged use, it’s sufficient for a couple of hours at a time with short breaks. You should be comfortable with occasional hiccups in switching between sound and equalizer modes. However, if you encounter problems, quickly reconnect the devices with the case handy.
You can also explore other options like the OnePlus Nord Buds 2r, currently available in India for Rs. 1,899, which boasts a larger 12.4mm driver, IP55 rating, and lighter case. The CMF Buds, available for Rs. 1,999, offer a comfortable fit and up to 42dB active noise cancellation (ANC) support.
