Despite having their own TWS line, realme recently partnered up with DIZO, the first brand that realme seems to be working with to create more TechLife options for the everyman. With the announcement of DIZO here in the Philippines, the new brand showcased 5 varying TWS in-ear buds and a new smart watch option called DIZO Watch 2.
Which TWS from the brand is best and which one is for you, well that’s what we’re about to find out as dive deeper into one of the products that sits in the middle of the range (in terms of price and specs), the DIZO Buds Z.
Design & Fit
The DIZO Buds Z distinguishes itself first and foremost by the intricate design that it employs. While the carrying case may seem like a lot of other TWS out there, the pebble-like shape case is smooth to the touch and has a nice matte finish. The onyx colorway which we got resembles smooth black pebbles found in a lot of Japanese Zen gardens. Surprisingly there are no buttons on the case which may seem odd since this is usually the button you press when you want to pair or disconnect your TWS with receiving Bluetooth device.
Once you pop the lid up, you’re greeted with the gorgeous in-ear buds with DIZO’s “Natural Light” design implementation on shaft of each earpiece. This shinny gloss reflects and refracts light producing an array of vibrant colors amidst an otherwise monochrome device.
Fit-wise the DIZO Buds Z has an ergonomic design that should fit most ear canals well. The device comes with several silicon tip sizes so you can adjust and find the right one to fit your ear size perfectly. Aside from this, the DIZO Buds Z also weighs just under 3.9g – making it one of the lightest TWS in-ears we’ve ever experienced. The soft silicon tip and the lightweight nature of the device makes it easy for us to wear the device for hours on end before any semblance of fatigue sets in.
Sound Quality
The DIZO Buds Z comes with a large 10mm driver that delivers a well-rounded sound profile. It’s not too bass-heavy when I tried it with a couple of my usual album rosters to test with – Michael Jackson’s 25th Anniversary of Thriller (excellent remastering here), Daft Punk’s Random Access Memory and a few newer standards. Don’t expect audiophile-quality headsets here, folks, the DIZO Buds Z is still a fairly within budget TWS.
That being said, these in-ears work amazing when watching films especially blockbusters that have tremendous sound engineering like DUNE or the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die. The DIZO Buds Z picks up every echo of a bullet to the thunderous orchestrations by Hans Zimmer in Denis Villeneuve’s Sci-Fi Masterpiece.
For gaming, the DIZO Buds Z offers low-latency of 88ms for seamless syncing with whatever it is you’re playing on your mobile devices. We tested it on just a couple of games and so far, we can’t really complain with the sound quality.
The DIZO Buds Z has a built-in ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) but isn’t active all the time. In fact, it only ever triggers when you’re in a call. That being said, because of how good the design and fit of the DIZO Buds Z is, you somehow feel that the device has its ANC on whenever you’re listening to music.
If the default DIZO sound profile isn’t to your liking, the DIZO Buds Z has a Bass-boost option that you can configure within the realme Link App.
Everyday Reliability
The DIZO Buds Z has an IPX4 water resistant rating. This means you can wear the buds on workouts and outdoor runs – just make sure not submerge them in water any time soon. As for distance, the DIZO Buds Z has about 10-12 feet of connectivity before getting cut off. What I appreciate about the DIZO Buds Z is the sound trigger when the unit connects or disconnects. It has three-note descending tone when the unit disconnects with your Bluetooth device and a happy ascending three-note chord-like tone when it connects. The guy who did the ringtone understood the customer UX.
As for battery, the DIZO Buds Z can last pretty much the entire day with you as long as you have a fully-charged case with you. The charge of the buds themselves can last about 3-4 hours of continued moderate use, combined with the charging case, you could get about 14-15 hours in total usage (again depending on what you use the unit for).
The DIZO Buds Z retails for Php 1499.00 SRP and is available online and in partner retailers nationwide. With decent sound signature, punchy-enough bass and a design that makes it look more premium than its price, the DIZO Buds Z is a TWS that’s definitely hard to beat especially at its price-range. We’ll admit that when we first got wind of DIZO and its dizzying (pun intended) amount of TWS options, we weren’t generally onboard as we felt this is going to dilute the market and realme’s product portfolio further. But upon spending time with one of the many DIZO TechLife devices, this is a clear win for the us consumers.
As an opening salvo for the brand, the DIZO Buds Z is an excellent option for those looking for great beats that won’t throw a beatdown on your budget.