QCY T10 review: a surprising verdict

A brand-new pair of earbuds from QCY: the QCY T10. A sleek design, a bigger battery, and smaller than other QCY earbuds. Sounds promising! But does the QCY T10 live up to those promises? How good are the microphone and sound? Find out in this review.

In this article

• 1. Specifications: QCY T10
• 1.1 Sound quality
• 1.2 Microphone: calls and video meetings
• 1.3 Fit
• 1.4 Earbud controls
• 1.5 Battery: how long do they last?
• 1.6 Charging case
• 1.7 ANC?
• 2. Conclusion: our verdict
• 3. Alternatives

Pros and cons

Here are the pros and cons of the QCY T10. See at a glance whether these earbuds are right for you.

QCY T10 specifications

• Price: €25
• Chipset: Realtek HQ3000
• Codec: HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, ANC
• Bluetooth: 5.0
• Range: 10m
• Case battery: 600 mAh
• Earbud battery: 40 mAh
• Cable: usb c
• Waterproof: no
• ANC: They claim it has it. We can't detect it.

QCY T10 sound

QCY earbuds are often a treat. Very affordable, with decent sound and even a bit of bass. Some models also work with the QCY app. It's very handy, letting you adjust the bass, mids, and treble to your liking.

Not all QCY earbuds work with this handy app, though. We can tell you now: the QCY T10 does. You can also check which other earbuds work with the app here.

Back to the sound of the QCY T10. Let's get straight to the point: it disappointed us.

There's little bass, and the overall sound is flat and dull. A shame, because you'd expect QCY earbuds to keep getting a little better. The QCY T5, for example, sounds good, with every part of the frequency range represented. But with the QCY T10? QCY seems to have thrown its love of rich, full sound overboard.

Sound quality score: 5

We should point out that we're picky about sound. If sound quality matters less to you than design, stability, and battery life, these earbuds are actually a good choice.

It's also worth saying that the sound won't irritate your ears. Some earbuds do that. They have an odd frequency that leaves you thinking after an hour of music, "What's bothering me so much?" Your earbuds, that's what. But that's not an issue here.

Microphone: is the QCY T10 good for calls?

On to the microphone! A fresh chance to impress. QCY often struggles to put a truly good microphone in its earbuds, but we start our test feeling hopeful.

As you know, we always make a recording with the earbuds so you can hear how clearly your voice will come across to the person you're talking to.

You can hear it in the clip: our voice is understandable, but the recording lacks depth. That's understandable at this price. You can't expect top quality on a tiny budget.

Microphone score: 6

We leave price out of our ratings, though. A score of 6 is about average in this price range. This microphone scores a 6, putting it right around that average.

Buy QCY T10

Want to know which earbuds have the best microphone? We put together a comparison with all the audio clips.

Fit: how does the QCY T10 feel?

Your earbuds need to fit securely and comfortably. How does the QCY T10 measure up?

First, we measured the earbuds at 3.2 cm long. That makes the QCY T10 earbuds nicely compact.

Fit: 8

Compare that with the QCY T5, which came out last year. Those earbuds were quite a bit bigger. Here's a photo for comparison.

We've fitted the earbud on the right (the QCY T5) with a new foam ear tip. These soft ear tips are made of foam. You squeeze them before putting them in your ears, and they slowly expand to match the shape of your ears. They feel soft and comfortable, making earbuds much more comfortable to wear. They fit most in-ear earbuds.

Earbud controls

The QCY T10 has touch controls rather than buttons. Both can work well, and we don't prefer one over the other. They just need to be implemented properly. Touch controls can be frustrating when they don't respond, and buttons can be just as bad if you have to press too hard.

Thankfully, these touch controls respond every time. Just tap, and the earbuds react. That's good to see.

Controls: 8

Another feature that works really well is customizing the touch controls in the QCY app. Want 2 taps on the right earbud to turn up the volume? No problem. Just set it up in the app. Prefer to activate your voice assistant by pressing and holding the right earbud? You can do that too. That flexibility is great, and unusual for earbuds in this price range.

How do the QCY T10 touch controls work?

However you like, since you can customize every function in the QCY app. Here are the default settings:

Battery: how long can you use the earbuds?

Battery: 8

The QCY T10 has good battery capacity, both in the earbuds and in the charging case.

Charging case

The charging case holds 500 mAh. That's considerably more than previous QCY models, giving you plenty of listening time with very little recharging.

Especially when you consider that the QCY T5 has no power-hungry features, such as an in-ear sensor, a hear-through mode, or ANC. These all need processing power, which puts a strain on the battery.

Conclusion: are the QCY T10 earbuds any good?

The sound is disappointing, with little bass. You can boost the bass a bit in the handy QCY app, but it doesn't make up for it enough. The microphone isn't great, though it's good enough for a decent phone call. For video meetings, we really recommend other earbuds. The fit is excellent. The earbuds are smaller and light as a feather. The controls are great. You can customize the touch controls, which always respond well, to your liking in the QCY app.

All in all, a good choice if fit, controls, and battery life matter most to you.

Buy QCY T10

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Alternatives

QCY T10 vs. other earbuds

Want to compare the QCY T10 with other earbuds? Let us know which models you'd like to compare them with.

QCY T10 vs. QCY T5

The QCY T5 came out before the QCY T10. You'd hope the T10 would be an improvement. In some ways it is, but in many ways it isn't.

Sound: The T5 simply sounds better than the T10. The bass in particular is more prominent than on the T10.

Comfort and looks: The T10 wins easily here. The QCY T10 earbuds are more comfortable, lighter, and fit better in your ears.

• Check out the detailed QCY T5 review.

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• Check out our in-depth article about QCY earbuds
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• Also check out our hands-on with the Eardopes B6 pro. They cost a little more, but the quality makes it worthwhile.