Review: buying i12 tws true wireless earbuds
The i12 tws and Inpods 12 are very cheap alternatives (max. €10) to those familiar white earbuds from a fruity American brand. And wow, they can sound good. Can, because you need to get the right version. Lower-quality earbuds are now being sold as 'i12' too, trying to ride the wave of their success. That makes things harder for us earbud fans. Don't worry: we looked into it for you. In this article, you'll find out which i12 or Inpods 12 to buy.
In this article
Which i12 tws versions are available?
There are the standard i12 tws earbuds and the InPods 12. The i12 are always white. The Inpods come in matte white or various colors. Each has 1 good version with exceptionally good sound for under €10. There are also plenty of versions that aren't as good. Finding the best version, probably the original, took a lot of effort. But we found it!
Our test
In our AirPods knockoff buying guide, we already showed that the i-numbers on these earbuds don't mean much in practice. Often, earbud factories and sellers notice a particular i-number getting popular and give their earbuds the same name. So finding the best earbuds always takes us a lot of work and test purchases.
We tested 17 different i12 and Inpods 12 versions in total! That gives you the best information on which earbuds to buy. Find that helpful? Sign up for our notifications and emails about new tests. You may see our pop-up asking if we can keep you updated. Sign up to stay wirelessly connected to our latest tests and buying tips.
i12 tws review
The i12 tws earbuds cost around €10, so that's the price we judge them by. Let's get straight to the point: we don't understand how the manufacturer makes money on these earbuds.
You can also buy the Inpods at Bol.
Sound
The sound is better than the price suggests. You can tell that the lower notes don't come through particularly well. You'll also hear a faint hiss when you're wearing the earbuds without playing music. It almost sounds like you can hear the chipset working to keep the connection with your phone. That's not something you want to hear. But when you're playing music, the sound is genuinely good for the €10 you pay. We think only the Inpods sound a little better, and they're even cheaper.
Connecting
Connecting is easy. OK, when you switch them on, you hear a Chinese woman say 'connected'. That makes them feel a bit cheap. Disconnecting isn't quite as easy, either. Slightly pricier earbuds, such as the i500 tws, disconnect as soon as you close the charging case. We haven't found an i12 tws version that does this. Still, that's why you're paying under €10 for these earbuds.
Flashing lights in the earbuds
As soon as you take the earbuds out of the case, they try to connect. The red and blue lights make that obvious. A blue light and a red light flash in turn inside each earbud. These lights are slightly less visible on the colored Inpods, but more on that in the InPods review below.
Both the i12 and Inpods flash red and blue while connecting. The lights stay off during use.
Calls
The earbuds have a microphone, so you can take calls with the i12 in your ears. Just don't expect too much. People can hear you, but you won't sound crystal clear. Even a light breeze makes you impossible to understand. Microphones are one area where high-end earbuds really stand apart from cheap true wireless earbuds.
Inpods 12 tws review
The Inpods come in fun colors: pink, light blue, dark blue, gray, black, green and yellow. We tested them all to make sure good sound wasn't limited to just one color, such as white.
The InPods 12 tws are similar to the standard i12, but come in several colors and have a matte rather than glossy finish. Much is the same as on the i12, but the price is even lower.
You can also buy the Inpods at Bol.
Matte instead of glossy
They're made of matte plastic, which feels very nice. It actually feels a little more premium than the glossy i12. The matte plastic does make them look less like AirPods. But is that a bad thing? We don't think so. To us, the matte finish is a plus. It looks great on the black version too, one of the many colors available.
Here you can clearly see the difference between the matte finish of the Inpods (right) and the glossy i12 (left)
Inpods 12 size
For many buyers, it's important that the earbuds are the same size as AirPods. Some earbuds have the same shape but turn out to be much bigger. We can put your mind at ease: the Inpods 12 are the same size as AirPods: 4.1cm.
Touch controls
On cheaper earbuds, touch controls often don't respond properly. In this case, though, the touch controls work exceptionally well. There are a few things the Chinese manufacturers could have handled more sensibly.
- Tap once: pause/play
- Tap twice: nothing (!)
- Tap three times
- right: previous track
- left: next track
Two things stand out about how the touch controls are programmed.
First: we tried everything, but tapping twice did nothing. We still haven't figured it out. Have you? Let us know! We'll update this article.
Second: you can skip to the previous or next track by tapping 3 times. But tapping the right earbud takes you to the previous track. That's not intuitive. We think left should mean previous and right should mean next. Still, it's not a major issue.
Sound
We expected the Inpods i12 to sound a little worse, given their lower price. But once again, we were completely surprised! The InPods i12 actually sound slightly better. The bass comes through a little more clearly. All for around €7. The earbuds are also a little better in terms of stability.
Maximum volume
One thing stood out: the volume only started hurting our ears at 75%. With many other earbuds, that happens at 40%. So the earbuds' volume is set quite low. Combined with the colors, that makes them well suited to children.
Connecting and disconnecting
Connecting is easy. OK, when you switch them on, you hear a Chinese woman say 'connected'. That makes them feel a bit cheap. Disconnecting isn't quite as easy, either.
Slightly pricier earbuds (such as the i500 tws) disconnect as soon as you close the charging case. We haven't found an i12 tws version that does this. Still, that's why you're paying under €10 for these earbuds.
Verdict
We find the Inpods 12 cheaper and better than the i12, so we'd recommend buying the Inpods. But be careful: we bought around 10 sets of Inpods from different sellers on AliExpress. Just 1 version was clearly the original Inpods, and it was much better than the others.
The i12 are fine too, but we prefer the Inpods 12. They feel nicer and sturdier, sound better and cost a little less. Plus, you can pick a color. We're fans of the Inpods!
Disclaimer: We tested these earbuds with their price in mind. Of course, €100 or €30 earbuds give you much more polished sound with deep bass. But for what these Inpods cost, we're genuinely surprised by the quality.
You can also buy the Inpods at Bol.
Others also viewed:
- Browse all our wireless earbud articles
- Prefer good, affordable in-ear earbuds? See our detailed article on QCY earbuds
- See our overview of AirPods alternatives
- Also see our review of the slightly pricier i500 tws
