pocobob Z review: big sound, tiny size

The pocobob Z are new earbuds from pocobob. We've come to know the brand for solid quality, excellent sound and no frills. The pocobob Z are no exception: no fancy features, just beautiful, powerful sound. At least, that's the claim. So we put them through a full test. Here's what we found.

Pros and cons

Here are the pros and cons of the pocobob Z. See at a glance whether these earbuds are right for you.

pocobob Z specifications

• Price: €50
• Chipset: Jl6973D4
• Bluetooth: 5.4
• Range: 10m
• Case battery: 30 mAh
• Earbud battery: 400 mAh
• Cable: USB-C
• Water resistance: splashproof

pocobob Z sound quality

The pocobob Z are small, but how do they sound? With many 'mini earbuds', you find (or hear) that the sound is flat.

But the pocobob Z have very full sound. Fuller than almost any other small earbuds.

The mids and bass come through very clearly. I think these pocobob earbuds hold their own against the high-end heavyweights. It's surprising how good and full they sound, especially given their tiny size.

Sound quality score: 9

The longer I've used these earbuds, the more I've grown to love them. They're wonderfully small and handy, last a long time (especially for their size), block out noise well (even without ANC) and simply sound beautiful.

The sound has real depth and weight. Nothing flat here, just lively, engaging sound. A pleasure to listen to.

Light on weight and heavy on bass, the pocobob Z reach new heights.

Microphone: are the pocobob Z good for calls?

The microphone works, and you can make calls. But these earbuds' strength is their small size, not so much their microphone quality.

The manufacturer has left out the fancy microphone features. No smart algorithms, no internal channels to keep wind out. Just a microphone in a tiny earbud. Apparently there wasn't room for fancy microphone features. That said, your voice comes through clearly when you're wearing them. No problem there.

For example, the microphone doesn't have ENC, or environmental noise canceling. So there's no system in the microphone to filter out background noise for the person you're talking to.

Are calls and online meetings your main reason for buying earbuds? Then don't buy these. I'd go for the DunRock Bubble instead (with ENC and the physical advantage of a microphone at the bottom of the stem, already pointing toward your mouth). They are a little bigger, though.

Microphone score: 6

The microphone is good enough. That's for sure. It passes, but it's not the most high-end microphone you'll find in an earbud.

If you know our reviews, you know we always record a sample with the microphone. An audio clip says more than 1000 written words.

With the smallest earbuds, the microphone is usually the first thing to suffer from cost-cutting. The pocobob Z are actually the first pair where I've been pleasantly surprised, given the price and size. The sound is fine, but if you only want earbuds for calls, I'd buy a different pair. Perhaps the DunRock Bubble or the OneMelon Sky. They have a stem, which puts the microphone closer to your mouth, and a filter to cut out background noise. But they're bigger and cost twice as much.

View pocobob Z

In short: a decent microphone for the price, but not if you're buying earbuds purely for calls.

Fit: how do the pocobob Z feel?

The fit of the pocobob Z? Well, they're small. Tiny, actually. These really are earbuds for small ears.

Compare them with the pocobob TO. I wouldn't exactly call those big, but next to the pocobob Z, they're giants.

The pocobob Z have a small ridge. I wouldn't call it an ear hook, ear fin or ear bow. It's a sort of... yes, 'ridge' is really the best word for it. Other earbuds often have an ear fin. You can see that on the better-known OneMelon Drops, too.

Here you can see the difference in fit between the OneMelon Drops and the newer pocobob Z. Judge for yourself. I think the pocobob Z are a little smaller than the OneMelon Drops.

What I find really clever is the position of that ridge. It only allows movement in 1 direction: toward your ear canal, not out of your ear. The ridge holds the earbud securely in place. I'd even say they're good for workouts.

The pocobob Z come with 2 sizes of ear tips: Medium and Small. Small is fitted as standard. Choose an ear tip that seals your ear canal well. Not too small, even if that's your first instinct. It's easy to choose ear tips that are too small because you think, "But I have small ears, right?"

An ear tip that's too small won't feel comfortable in your ear canal. It puts all the pressure deep inside the center of your ear canal. And that doesn't feel good at all.

You're much better off choosing a size that supports the earbud throughout your ear canal. For a start, that gives you the best sound transfer.

Fit score: 9

All in all, the pocobob Z are very comfortable. They're a great fit for small ears, and even a touch smaller than the already tiny OneMelon Drops.

View pocobob Z

The fit really stands out. The earbuds themselves, thankfully, don't.

No ANC: will you miss it?

These earbuds stand out for their small size, not their long list of features. Maybe the two go hand in hand.

Besides, pocobob has become known for no-frills earbuds. Good sound, a good microphone and a focus on a long lifespan.

With sleep earbuds, ANC has often caused unwanted noise when you rub against your pillow. While sleeping, that is. ANC and tiny earbuds have never been a great combination.

With the earlier OneMelon Drops earbuds (in roughly the same category: small earbuds), the problem was precisely that ANC caused unwanted noise when you lay on 1 earbud, as mentioned before. And you couldn't, and still can't, turn that ANC off. I'm actually very happy with pocobob's no-nonsense choice. Leave ANC out of mini earbuds like these.

Besides, passive noise canceling is already very good with this type of earbud. That's down to the silicone ear tips, but also the small size. These earbuds sit a little more snugly inside your ears.

Wondering what the difference is between passive noise canceling and active noise cancelling? See our explanation of ANC.

That's a lot of text about ANC for earbuds without ANC. But it's worth explaining properly.

Earbud controls

The pocobob Z have touch controls. Tap the earbuds and they respond as you'd expect. The touch controls never let you down. Not once did I tap without getting a response.

Sleep mode disables the touch controls. Can your pillow accidentally trigger the controls? No. I tested this because many people use these earbuds while sleeping. Sleep mode turns off the touch controls completely. How do you turn sleep mode on? With the touch controls: tap 4x to activate it.

You can lie on 1 ear all you like without the earbuds reacting. Just as they should.

The earbuds are small, so the surface you need to tap with your finger is small, too.

Controls: 8

How do the pocobob Z touch controls work?

Battery: how long can you use the earbuds?

You can use the earbuds for almost 40 hours without recharging the charging case. The earbuds themselves last 6 hours before they need a recharge.

Battery score: 7

Is that long? Not really. But for tiny earbuds with smaller batteries, it's actually very good.

If you want to sleep with these earbuds, keep in mind that they'll turn off after 6 hours. That said, I found they actually lasted longer. Around 7-8 hours, despite the manufacturer's stated 6 hours. That surprised me. What could explain it? Then I realized I often set the volume fairly low. I don't like loud music while sleeping.

In short: the pocobob Z can keep playing music longer than direct competitors like the OneMelon Drops.

Conclusion: are the pocobob Z any good?

Buy pocobob Z

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