They don’t have an expensive price tag yet deliver great sound, can answer phone calls, are sweatproof, and even have magnetic ends that keep them from falling off (especially handy for working out). Here’s a closer look at these Bluetooth 4.1 earbuds.
What’s in the Box
The Inateck Bluetooth Earbuds come with the earbuds, two extra silicone earbud covers, a three-foot micro-USB charging cable, instruction manual, and a soft-cover carrying case.
What’s on the Earbuds
There are three buttons and one port on the Inateck Bluetooth Earbuds. You’ll want to familiarize yourself before you start using them. On the right earbud you’ll find the micro-USB port which is, of course, used to charge the earbuds. There’s also a remote on the cable (closer to the right earbud). On one side it has a “Multifunction Key” which has the many following functions:
Pause/Play: Press for one-second to pause or play music.Power Off/On: Press for three seconds to turn the earbuds off or on.Pairing: Long press (until the LED flickers red and blue) to enter pairing mode.Answer / Hang Up Calls: Press for one-second to answer or hang up a phone call.Reject Calls: Long press to reject a phone call.
The microphone and LED status indicator are also on the same side as the “Multifunction Key.” On the other side of the remote you’ll find the Next / Volume Up and Previous / Volume Down buttons. Unlike most Bluetooth earbuds that require you to short-press to go to the next or previous song and long-press to turn the volume up and down, these earbuds are the opposite. Instead, you must long-press to go to the next or previous song and short-press to turn the volume up and down. It can be a bit confusing if you’re used to the other way, but you’ll get used to it.
Setup and Usage
Since the earbuds are Bluetooth, you’ll need to pair them with your device just as you would any other Bluetooth gadget. It will show up under your Bluetooth devices as “Inateck BH100.” A password was not needed when I paired the earbuds with my Samsung tablet, but just in case, you can use the pairing code “0000” if asked. The earbuds pair right away. The earbuds can be charged via the included micro-USB cable or any other charging cable with a 5V output. For a full charge it takes around three hours. With that three hours of charging time you’ll get around seven hours of playback. There’s an LED indicator on the remote of the earbuds which is used to indicate five different things:
Flickering Red and Blue: Ready to pairConstant Red: ChargingConstant Blue: Fully ChargedFlashing Blue Every Five Seconds: Operating / Standby ModeFlashing Red Every Twenty Seconds: Low Battery
As you can imagine, these different LED operations are very handy. Best of all, if you can’t remember them you can refer to the instruction manual for a refresher. If the earbuds lose Bluetooth connectivity for ten minutes, they’ll automatically shut down. However, as long as they’re connected to Bluetooth, they’ll remain on. I stopped using them for about an hour-and-a-half and went back to using them, and surprisingly they were still on. If you happen to leave them on for hours upon hours, I’d assume the battery would die, and you’d be a bit frustrated. Just be sure to turn them off if you don’t plan to use them for awhile. Once you’ve already paired the earbuds with your device, you can short-press the “Multifunction Key” to automatically search for your device and reconnect. It’s a lot faster than the initial pairing mode and convenient. My favorite feature of the earbuds is the magnetic ends that attract to each other to create a circle around your neck. This not only helps to keep you from losing the earbuds, but the music automatically pauses when this happens (I found this by accident). If you need to pause the music for a minute, just attach the two magnetic ends of the earbuds together, and the music will stop playing. It’s a lot easier than trying to quickly find the pause button. I only wish that the music would continue playing once you take the two ends apart. Instead, you have to press play again to get the music going again.
Final Thoughts
The Inatech Bluetooth Earbuds provide both great functionality and sound. If you like bass, you’ll probably be disappointed, though. It’s almost non-existent with these – even when changing the equalizer settings. I don’t mind this since I don’t like a lot of bass, but I’m sure it won’t be enough for those who love a lot of deep and hard-hitting bass. Besides that, the sound is crisp, and the volume level is as expected. As always, it’s best to turn the volume up on your device and then control it from the earbuds to go up louder if needed. The earbuds are comfortable to wear. They don’t put a lot of pressure on your inner ear, and they don’t make your ears sore after hours of usage, like many others I’ve tried. I’m guessing it’s because of the ergonomic design of the earbuds and the covers; they’re on an angle and have a snug fit in the ear without much effort. The carrying case is a nice touch and makes them easy to take with you. The sound isn’t what you’d find in a high-priced pair of headphones, but they’re great for working out, cycling, and things of that nature.
