Aukey EP-N5 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
iCentral Mobile is the official distributor of Aukey products in Singapore. Besides Aukey, iCentral Mobile also distributes products from brands such as Soundpeats, MOFT, JLab, and Momax.
You can find the official Aukey Singapore online stores on Shopee, Lazada, and Qoo10.
They have sent me the Aukey EP-N5 Wireless Earbuds for a short review. The Aukey EP-N5 Wireless Earbuds is an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) wireless earbuds from Aukey that retails for S$94.90 on Shopee.
Specifications
- Driver (each channel) : 1 x 10mm / 0.3 speaker driver
- Sensitivity: 101dB ∓3dB
- Frequency Range: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Impedance: 32 ohm
- Microphone Type: MEMS mic (microphone chip)
- Microphone Sensitivity: -42dB ∓1dB
- Microphone Frequency Range: 200Hz – 5kHz
- Charging Time: 1.5 hours
- Battery Life: Up to 7 hours
- Battery Type: Li-polymer (2 x 60mAh)
- Operating Range: Up to 10m
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Weight: 10g
Unboxing
It comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable along with two extra silicone ear-tips (small and large). The medium-sized silicone ear-tips are already attached to the earbuds.
Design
The matte black color of the Aukey EP-N5 doesn’t attract fingerprints, which is good.
Aukey EP-N5’s design looks very similar to the Apple AirPods Pro, just that it is taller and feels more plasticky.
The charging case doesn’t feel as solid as the AirPods Pro though there is no squeaky plastic sound when you hold it.
Aukey EP-N5 is rated IPX5. Which means it can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray. This makes it rain and sweat proof.
There are no buttons on the earbuds. All controls are done by tapping on the stem of the earbuds.
- L/R Earbuds: Tap once – Play/Pause music or answer call
- L/R Earbuds: Tap & hold for 2s – End call
- R Earbuds: Tap & hold for 2s – Activate/Deactivate ANC
- L Earbuds: Double-tap – Skip to previous track/li>
- R Earbuds: Double-tap – Skip to next track
- L/R Earbuds: Triple-tap – Activate voice assistant
Like most earbuds, there are no volume controls as well.
Charging Case
There are four green LED indicators in front of the case to show you the charging status of the case.
The weight of the earbuds and charging case is only 48g, which is slightly lighter than the AirPods Pro.
The hinge can be smoother as it is quite tricky to flick it open using one hand.
It charges via USB-C.
Battery
On a single charge with ANC on, the Aukey EP-N5 is supposed to last you 3.5 hours. And with ANC off, it is supposed to last you 7 hours.
I got pretty closed to the listed hours during my test with ANC on. I did not test it with ANC off as I don’t see a point of using ANC earbuds with ANC off.
The charging case has a battery capacity of 500 mAh, while each earbud has a capacity of 60 mAh. So the charging case can recharge the earbuds about four times fully, giving you a total of 14 hours with ANC on and 28 hours with ANC off.
ANC
I am not impressed with the ANC; it doesn’t cancel much of the environment noise when testing it with Airplane Cabin White Noise Jet Sounds.
At first, during the test, I thought I didn’t switch on the ANC. But when I tap and hold for two seconds, it switches the ANC off. Then I realized there is a slight difference between when ANC is on and when ANC is off, just that the difference is not significant.
My personal preference for ANC is to cancel out the environment noise as much as possible so that it is close to total silence. I know some people don’t like it and still prefer to have some environment noise to pass through.
Given that these earbuds are advertised as ANC earbuds, for me, I am not sure I can accept the below-average ANC even though the price is below S$100.
Audio Quality
Since I am not an audiophile, I don’t have any complaints about the audio quality. It sounded ok for me, and the bass is alright. The bass is slightly stronger than the Sudio ETT.
Conclusion
I would say the Aukey EP-N5 fits the criteria of people who are on a budget looking for a value for money wireless earbuds below S$100. The ANC on the Aukey EP-N5 is a plus.
However, if you are a techie like me or an audiophile and have no issues spending above S$300 for a good ANC wireless earbuds, the Aukey EP-N5 might not be for you. You are better off with the AirPods Pro or the Sony WF-1000XM3.
