The Urbanears true wireless earbuds are now available in Singapore through TC Acoustic. In this review, we’ll take a look at the Urbanears Alby, which is a in-ear true wireless earbuds designed like the Apple AirPods. The Urbanears Alby retails for an affordable S$109.
Unboxing
Inside the box, you will be greeted by the following items:
- Urbanears Alby earbuds
- Charging case
- Ear tips x3
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- User manual
Tech specs
| Frequency Response | 20 – 20,000 Hz |
| Battery Life | 3 hours per full charge 12 hours in charging case |
| Weight | Earbuds: 3.7g each Charging case: 424g |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Charging type | USB-C |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
Design, build quality and features
Urbanears Alby comes in five colours – Charcoal Black, Ultra Violet, Dusty White, Teal Green, or True Maroon. The unit I have is the Charcoal Black colour. The charging case has a rounded squarish shape and is made from plastic with a textured matte finish. The surface is nice to the touch and does not feel cheap. The case is also quite slim at around 3cm thick – it’s very close to the Urbanears London and Jaybird Vista in terms of pocketability. The build quality is pretty decent – the hinge is firm and tight, but the earbuds inside rattle slightly when I shake the case.
The Urbanears Alby earbuds are also made from plastic and the overall design is actually rather reminiscent to the SonicGear TWS 5 Pro, but it has better build quality. The stem is longer than on the Urbanears London. Urbanears Alby also has an IPX4 water resistance rating so this should provide you with some comfort if you ever got caught in the rain. The earbuds really lightweight at just 3.7g each.
Controls
Urbanears Alby uses touch controls for media controls and call handling. It is able to control almost everything except for adjusting volume. I like how the earbuds requires a double tap to initiate a play/pause instead of a single tap. This really helps to reduce the accidentally touches when adjusting the fit of the earbuds. Touch controls are responsive but only for the double tap for play/pause or call handling. I found triple tap to be hit-or-miss in terms of its reliability.
Battery life
Urbanears Alby only packs 3 hours per full charge which probably is the shortest battery life I have ever tested so far. The charging case provides additional 12 hours more, so depending on your usage it could last you a week. But if you are do use your earbuds regularly during the day during your study sessions or work, the 3 hours per full charge might not be enough.
The charging case is charged via USB-C which is great but unfortunately it does not support wireless charging.
Fit
The fit of the Urbanears Alby is really good. It has a similar kind of fit that I got with the SonicGear TWS 5 Pro, but as the ear tips does not go as deep into your ear canal. The oval angled ear tips combined with the angled design helps to create a snug and comfortable seal. The lightweight nature of the earbuds helps to make it feel like I’m not wearing anything in my ears.
Sound quality
There is good amounts of bass response on the Urbanears Alby. You will be able to feel the sub-bass reverb, with sufficient weight to provide depth to songs. It is not as boomy as on the Creative Outlier Air for comparison.
Midrange is balanced and sits at the bottom of the spectrum when compared to bass and treble. However, voice and instruments are still clear in the mix. As for treble, it is transparent and airy. In fact, it can sometimes feel a little too airy on some songs that makes the overall audio sound thin. Overall, the sound signature is rather dynamic and fun to listen to as bass and treble are made the emphasis.
Microphone quality
The microphone on the Urbanears Alby is pretty good in the sense that it picks up my voice clearly. But this is only if you’re in a quiet or “regular sounding” environment. In a quiet setting, the microphone can pickup my voice rather well and it sounds clear and detailed, as the stem is pointed towards my mouth. But when tested it with TV playing in the background, the microphone also pickups the TV sounds as well, which makes comprehending my voice to be a little hard and distracting.
Pairing, connectivity, and latency
Urbanears Alby is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 and connection has been stable and reliable during my testing. If you want to use a single earbud, you can use either the left or right earbud. Also, there is a very very slight latency or lag when watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11. It has to take some constant observation to realise the lag, but I think most people will not realise it.
Conclusion
Urbanears Alby is a pair of true wireless earbuds you should consider if you’re looking for something that is reliable in the microphone department (in a non-noisy environment) and also fits well. Sound quality is good enough for its price of S$109. The only drawback is its short battery life.