The Skullcandy Dime: Style Over Substance in the Affordable True Wireless Market?
The true wireless earphone market is no longer solely the domain of budget-focused brands. Premium brands are increasingly venturing into this territory, making it even more competitive for consumers seeking affordable options. While the selection has grown, a lack of interesting design and style has often been a shortcoming in the budget segment. Skullcandy aims to change that with the launch of its most affordable true wireless headphones yet, the ₹2,399 Dime. But does this compact, stylish headset offer the performance to match its aesthetics? Let’s find out.
A Quirky Design With a Compact Form Factor
The Skullcandy Dime is marketed as a compact option, and indeed, it is small, light, and easily fits in a pocket. However, it doesn’t significantly outsize other budget-friendly models like the Oppo Enco Buds. While specific weights for the earpieces and charging case are not provided, Skullcandy claims a total weight of 32g – remarkably light, thanks to a plastic body and a no-frills charging case.
The earpieces offer a snug in-canal fit, and I found them secure with decent noise isolation. However, the plastic material and shape felt a tad tight for my ears. After 30-40 minutes of wear, I needed a brief break to relieve pressure. The earphones have a stylish design, showcasing Skullcandy’s signature industrial aesthetic with the iconic skull logo, giving them a modern, youthful appeal.
Unfortunately, the controls on the Skullcandy Dime proved awkward. Each earpiece has a single physical button beneath the logo. I found using these controls while wearing the earphones quite uncomfortable, leading to fit issues and, on occasion, discomfort from the earpieces pressing against my ears.
The buttons manage playback, volume, activate the default voice assistant on your smartphone, answer calls, and control power and pairing functions. I frequently found it more convenient to use my smartphone for these tasks.
The charging case, while compact and unique in size and shape, felt outdated. The stalks of the earpieces stick out through holes on the lid, which felt flimsy and prone to breaking. Closing the case was also a challenge, and the Micro-USB port for charging the case feels outdated at any price point.
Features: Simplicity and Lack of Extras
Feature-wise, the Skullcandy Dime keeps it simple. The earpieces have 6mm dynamic drivers, a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz, Bluetooth 5 connectivity, and only support for the SBC Bluetooth codec. There are no advanced features like active noise cancellation or app support. On the plus side, you can use either earpiece individually, and the earphones have an IPX4 water resistance rating.
Battery Life: Underwhelming Performance
The battery life on the Skullcandy Dime is underwhelming, even considering its small size. Each earpiece holds a 20mAh battery, with the charging case offering an additional 150mAh. In practice, this translates to around 3 hours, 30 minutes of runtime on the earpieces, with the charging case providing two additional charges for a total of just over 10 hours of battery life per charge cycle. Charging the case was slow, taking approximately three hours to fully charge when plugged into my laptop.
Sound Quality: A Surprise
Despite the quirks in design, basic specifications, and average battery life, the Skullcandy Dime makes up for it with its sound quality. It’s surprising how well the headset performs despite only supporting the SBC Bluetooth codec. Good drivers and tuning deliver a surprisingly pleasant listening experience. I primarily tested the Skullcandy Dime with an iPhone 12 mini, using Apple Music as my music source.
When I played "The Whistle Song" by Netsky, the Skullcandy Dime produced a clean, spacious sound that was impressive for the hardware and Bluetooth codec limitations. While not lacking in low-end response, the earphones excelled in detail and feel, capturing both the upbeat, positive vibe and the drive and attack of this drum-and-bass track.
The bass attack on the Skullcandy Dime wasn’t as punchy and aggressive as I’ve heard on similarly priced options like the OnePlus Buds Z and Realme Buds Q2, but it had a gentle, laid-back sense of drive that allowed the wide soundstage, sharp highs, and detail levels to shine.
The sound quality mirrored what you’d expect from top contenders in this price bracket, and the sonic signature was unusually detailed and clean for a Skullcandy headset. When listening to "With This Must Be The Love" by Arty, Nadia Ali, and BT, I noticed that vocals were somewhat subdued on the Skullcandy Dime. The earphones emphasized the electronic elements in the track, with Nadia Ali’s soulful accompanying vocals somewhat lost in the imaging and the electronically synthesized music.
The Skullcandy Dime earphones were loud, and the in-canal fit and engaging nature of the sound made for a pleasant overall listening experience. Although primarily used indoors, the occasional trip outdoors did not significantly affect sound quality despite the lack of active noise cancellation. I didn’t hear distortion even at the highest volume levels, though the highs did sound a bit shrill at volumes of around 90 percent and higher.
Connectivity was stable on the Skullcandy Dime earphones, and I was able to use them at distances of up to 3m from my smartphone without any issues. Call quality was average; while I didn’t encounter any major issues with calls at home, the sound was a bit soft even at high volumes.
Verdict: A Stylish, But Flawed Choice
Skullcandy is renowned for its unique design and styling, and the Dime true wireless earphones are undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing. However, there are fit issues, the charging case is old-fashioned with its strange lid and Micro-USB port, there’s only support for the SBC Bluetooth codec, the controls are awkward, and battery life is average, even for a budget headset.
Despite these drawbacks, the sound quality is decent, making the Dime a reasonably capable pair of true wireless earphones overall. Consider it if you are a fan of Skullcandy’s style and want a detailed, fun-sounding pair of affordable true wireless earphones. However, options like the Realme Buds Q2 and Oppo Enco Buds are also worth considering.
