The Urbanears Luma is a in-ear true wireless earbuds designed like the Apple AirPods, with the open-fit design concept unlike ear tips we see on the Urbanears Alby. Despite being an open-fit earbuds, the Urbanears Luma retails for S$149, $40 more than the Alby.
The Urbanears Luma is pretty much identical to the Alby in many ways so this review will share some content from the Alby review.
Unboxing
Inside the box, it will contain the following items:
- Urbanears Luma earbuds
- Charging case
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- User manual
Tech specs
| Frequency Response | 20 – 20,000 Hz |
| Battery Life | 5 hours per full charge 20 hours in charging case |
| Weight | Earbuds: 4.1g each Charging case: 443g |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Charging type | USB-C |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
Design, build quality and features
Urbanears Luma comes in four colours – Charcoal Black, Ultra Violet, Dusty White, and Teal Green. The unit I have is the Teal Green colour. The charging case is similar to the Urbanears Alby as it has a rounded squarish shape and is also made from plastic with a textured matte finish. The only difference is that the to-right corner features a nylon loop for ease of carrying.
The case is also quite slim at around 3cm thick, making a case that won’t bulge out much in your pockets. The hinge feels firm and tight, but the earbuds inside rattle slightly when I shake the case.
The Urbanears Luma earbuds has a design that reminds me of the SonicGear TWS 3+ with a nicer matte finish plastic and feel to it. The stem is flatter and has sharper edges compared to the Alby. Urbanears Luma also has an IPX4 water resistance rating. The earbuds really lightweight at just 4.1g each.
Controls
Urbanears Luma uses touch controls for media controls and call handling. Like the Alby, it is able to control almost everything except for adjusting volume. Having to double tap to initiate a play/pause instead of a single tap is nice as it helps to reduce the accidental touches when adjusting the fit of the earbuds. Touch controls are responsive but only for the double tap for play/pause or call handling.
One feature that Luma has over the Alby is auto play/pause detection. So if you remove any side of the earbud, the music will automatically pause, and resume when you put it back in your ears. This is probably one reason why the Luma cost more than the Alby.
Battery life
Another reason why the Urbanears Luma cost more than the Alby could be due to its longer battery life. The Luma has 5 hours of playtime per full charge which is 2 hours (or 67%) more than the Alby. It is still a short battery life considering it does not have ANC. The charging case also packs more with additional 20 hours more, so you can up to 25 hours in total.
The charging case is charged via USB-C and it also support wireless charging, something the Alby doesn’t.
Fit
The fit of the Urbanears Luma is okay – it’s what I expect from a typical open-fit earbuds. It stays light in your ears and will be comfortable for long hours of listening. Since it’s an open-fit style, do not expect any form of sound isolation. The fit you get is similar to AirPods, but I find that the AirPods have a slightly more secure fit as the stem is thinner so it doesn’t get in the way if your ear.
Sound quality
Despite going for the AirPods look, they sound nothing like the AirPods. The AirPods are known for their bright, clean, bass-less audio tuning. On the other hand, the Urbanears Luma decided to inverse that tuning, focusing more on bass. However, as it is still an open-fit pair of earbuds, the bass is nothing compared to any in-ear earbuds. Bass on the Urbanears Luma feels weighty and warm in contrast to the AirPods where audio can sometimes sound too thin.
On the flipside, upper frequencies like the treble does lack detail and is subdued by the lower frequencies. Midrange is balanced and generally does enough to support the overall mix. Overall, the audio performance would be an improvement over the AirPods only if you crave a warmer sound tuning.
Microphone quality
The microphone performance on the Urbanears Luma is quite similar to the Alby. It is good and usable if you’re in a quiet or controlled environment. In a quiet setting, the microphone is able to pickup my voice rather well and it sounds clear and detailed. But when tested it with TV playing in the background, the microphone captures not only my voice but also the TV sounds. As it does not isolate my voice, it can be a little tricky if using in a noisy environment.
Pairing, connectivity, and latency
Urbanears Luma has Bluetooth 5.0 and the connection is stable and reliable, like the Alby. If you want to use a single earbud, you can use either the left or right earbud. As for latency or lag, there isn’t any when watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11.
Conclusion
Urbanears Luma offers you a warmer audio tuning compared to the AirPods, and it is available in four different colours at an affordable price at S$149. Not to mention, it’s also got wireless charging capabilities. If you’re in the market for an open-fit pair of true wireless earbuds, the Urbanears Luma, could be one to consider.