Skullcandy Dime review
Our Verdict
At $25, the Skullcandy Dime has the artful and sonic appeal to satisfy budget shoppers that desire cheap yet reliable wireless earbuds.
For
- Superb sound for the price
- H2o resistance
- Compact, trendy charging case
- Tin use in stereo or mono
- Secure fit
Confronting
- No app or extra features
- Brusque battery life
- Impractical button layout
Tom's Guide Verdict
At $25, the Skullcandy Dime has the aesthetic and sonic entreatment to satisfy budget shoppers that want inexpensive yet reliable wireless earbuds.
Pros
- +
Superb sound for the price
- +
Water resistance
- +
Compact, trendy charging instance
- +
Can use in stereo or mono
- +
Secure fit
Cons
- -
No app or actress features
- -
Short battery life
- -
Impractical push button layout
The Skullcandy Dime is the newest pair of wireless earbuds from the budget audio brand. These in-ear headphones pack punchy sound into a meaty water-resistant pattern, along with a full suite of media controls and intelligible connectivity. You also get a motorcar-key-flim-flam-inspired charging case to store and ability up on the go. Best of all, these buds come with a ridiculously affordable toll tag: $25.
Skullcandy Dime specs
Colors: Nighttime Blue/Green, Light Grey/Blue, Night Grey and True Blackness
Bombardment life (rated): 3.5 hours; 12 hours (with charging instance)
Connectivity: Bluetooth v.0
Processor: Not stated
Size: i x 1 10 0.iv inches inches (per bud); two.v x 1.5 x 0.viii inches (charging instance)
Weight: 1.1 ounces (with charging instance)
That's less than a lot of the best cheap wireless earbuds, though information technology's fair to have reservations near the Dime based on the MSRP. Skullcandy'southward audio track record might also accept y'all skeptical near purchasing these buds either for personal use or as a cheap stocking stuffer for the vacation flavour. Well, after a week of testing for this Skullcandy Dime review, I can assure you that this upkeep pair of buds is well worth the investment, shortcomings and all.
- The all-time wireless earbuds overall
- More than of the best wireless headphones
Skullcandy Dime review: Cost and availability
- Skullcandy Dime for $24.99 at Skullcandy
The Skullcandy Dime is bachelor exclusively at Skullcandy at the moment. Information technology is sold for $25 and comes in iv colors: Dark Blue/Green, Light Grey/Blueish, Nighttime Gray, and True Black.
This is a fraction of what the standard AirPods ($149) sell for. Should you want something with more features and longer bombardment life, there is the Tribit Fly three ($43) with 100 hours of playtime and waterproof protection, also as the EarFree Fun ($fifty) with 30-hour charging case and wireless charging.
For all of the latest sales, bookmark our best cheap AirPods deals and best headphones deals pages.
Skullcandy Dime review: Pattern and condolement
Skullcandy practically built its legacy on trendy designs. The company's transition into the truthful wireless infinite has brought nigh a alter in style, going from loud and funky to clean and minimalist, while keeping bold colorways intact. The Dime has an attractiveness to information technology, highlighted by a minor form, standout colors, and a stem silhouette that doesn't stick out every bit awkwardly as on the AirPods.
Build quality is impressive for the almost role. The buds are composed entirely of durable plastic and come up IPX4 rated for sweat and water resistance. Keep in mind this is the same protection found on the AirPods Pro. These buds aren't going to shatter if you drop them onto the concrete by mistake, not even from a iii-story fall. Scuffs and scratches won't be an event either, since the exterior is tough to penetrate.
The real highlight is the super-compact charging case, which looks just like a automobile fundamental trick, giving it some distinction. Something more unique is how the buds are stored, as the lid has two cutouts that display the front of the buds when docked.
In that location's even a tiny lanyard to attach your keys, a cool way of optimizing the Dime's portability. Plastic besides makes up the case's entire construction, and though the material is sturdy, the lid is very flimsy and will tear off if you forcefully open up information technology. I plus, if you want to expect at it that fashion, is that Skullcandy lets you purchase any lost or cleaved components for either the buds or case.
The fit these buds provided was satisfying, as the silicone tips created a tight seal within my ears and felt gentle around the canal. I wore them on a brusque run around the cake to test for stability and they remained in identify the entire time. Skullcandy also bundles the Dime with three pairs of tips (small-scale, medium and big) to conform different ear sizes.
Comfort wasn't as pleasant with the audio port causing discomfort by excavation into the concha. It isn't unbearable, but I wouldn't recommend wearing the Dime for long listening sessions; stick to maybe one or two hours, depending on your pain threshold. The push button layout Skullcandy integrated besides affects comfort — more on this shortly.
Skullcandy Dime review: Controls and digital assistant
Skullcandy worked difficult on making the Dime highly functional at its price signal. One way it shows is in the full set of controls they programmed, which are divvied upward between the two buds. The control scheme is equally follows: play/pause/answer call/stop call (1x printing), volume up/down (2x printing), digital aid (3x press), and skip forward/dorsum (long printing). That's pretty impressive.
The logo doubles as a button to execute commands. The good news is that the push produces nice tactility and is responsive to presses, but the bad news is it's not every bit practical for utilise as the AirPods Pro's pinch-gesture system. Where Apple'due south buds take you concur the lesser stem and press, Skullcandy's buds require you to place your thumb on the bottom stem for stability and use your pointer finger to press. It sounds nitpicky, but in that location is a major caveat to this: discomfort. With the push placed direct in the centre, every press pushes the buds into your ears and applies unwanted force per unit area.
The Dime supports both Siri and Google Assistant, though the latter operates more smoothly. The mics performed very well, picking up voice commands with precision, while Google's AI bot registered and responded to them quickly. Siri misinterpreted certain commands on macOS, and the voice prompts created static feedback that was unpleasant to hear. The feature performed slightly better on iOS devices.
Skullcandy Dime review: Audio quality
Skullcandy might be famed for its styling, but its tape on sound quality is less...respected. Thankfully, the Dime is a striking improvement. Your ears will exist on the receiving end of strong, punchy bass that doesn't bloat up the soundstage.
The Dime'south sound contour sways towards the warm side of the sound spectrum, which is ideal for gimmicky music genres like hip-hop, rock, and EDM. Percussion was a highlight on bangers like Busta Rhymes "Touch It." The booming drums had plenty of oomph and the hand claps were grasping. I really liked how well the drums were reproduced on A Trible Called Quest'south "Award Tour." Mids had a strong presence besides on on Daft Punk's "Effectually the World," as the synth furnishings were crisp and not recessed, unlike the quality you'll become from other upkeep buds.
Highs aren't given much attention on the Dime, which is e'er disappointing when listening to instrumental-heavy genres. That isn't to say they are completely absent-minded. On jazz records, yous'll hear certain instruments similar hi-hats and flutes, but they lack clarity; I establish the same recordings more transparent on the AirPods.
If yous're someone who reserves time throughout the twenty-four hours to go downwards the rabbit hole of YouTube, then you'll be happy with the Dime's sound results on the video cease. Dialogue sounded clean when indulging in ESPN highlights. Podcasts sounded even improve with vocals beingness more emphasized to hear hosts clearly.
Isolation is only as skillful, blocking out an acceptable number of ambient noises. Don't look these to replace your all-time noise-cancelling headphones, not past a mile, but yous can at least put a kibosh on common distractions when casually listening to music within the business firm. I couldn't hear the humming dissonance from the centralized AC, nor the Amazon commitment trucks that pulled up to the front end of the firm. My wife fifty-fifty scared the hell out of me when sneaking upwards from behind to inquire a simple question, which sold me on the Dime'south noise-neutralizing capabilities.
Skullcandy Dime review: Battery life and charging example
Cost lone should already point short bombardment life. Skullcandy says a single charge volition generate three.5 hours of playback fourth dimension, which is more realistically about iii hours when factoring in high volume and heavy streaming. There is no sleep manner to automatically turn off the buds when disabled, so exist mindful of turning them off when not in utilise. Quick charging is MIA too.
One positive is that the buds come 90 percent charged right out of the box. Using them moderately, I was entertained for almost 1.5 hours daily before having to recharge them on the third day.
Because the tiny charging case, I'm kind of shocked that information technology tin even agree as much as 12 hours when fully charged. That equates to about 3 extra charges, which isn't so bad. Information technology only isn't AirPods standard; Apple's charging instance gets you 24 hours. It's understandable that certain features are missing like a pairing push button, wireless charging or even USB-C charging (yes, the Dime's case charges over micro-USB), but it would take been awesome to encounter ii or three of these testify upwardly on the spec sheet.
Skullcandy Dime review: Call quality and connectivity
When taking calls within the house, the missus could hear most of my words, but besides mentioned that my voice would sporadically drib out. Outside was abysmal, as any bit of ambient noise made its way into our conversations. Wind resistance was really bad, every bit winds carried a stronger presence than my voice and fabricated information technology impossible to communicate.
Luckily, the Dime has undecayed wireless performance. These buds exhibit great connectivity, powered by Bluetooth 5.0 and programmed with its own Auto Connect characteristic to instantly pair the buds to recognized devices. My Google Pixel 3 XL ever picked upwardly the Dime and continued me whenever Bluetooth was enabled.
Range was solid also, giving me about 30 feet of wireless listening before stuttering kicked in. I did feel an issue pairing the Dime with my newest MacBook Pro, as the machine would recognize the product, but subsequently establishing a connection, would immediately unpair. I tested this on my married woman's older MacBook Pro model and it paired without a hitch, plus the Auto Connect characteristic was on bespeak.
Skullcandy Dime review: Verdict
To say the Dime is merely practiced for its price would be insulting. These buds deserve more credit than that, especially since the engineers did a fantastic task on the audio terminate. Music sounds lively with the Dime delivering some of the all-time bass I've heard on a pair of cheap wireless earbuds. Information technology provides a reliable fit, which is something the regular AirPods doesn't afford users. Even the charging case, while non every bit powerful as its competitors, has some charm to it and is conveniently portable.
For all of its successes, though, the Dime also has its off-white share of failures. Battery life is some of the lowest in the category. There is no app or special features to extend functionality. Comfort can also exist a concern if you lot're someone who constantly pauses music or relies heavy on digital assistance to manage daily tasks; pressing the buds into your ears hurts later a while.
But let'due south exist serious: $25 is a hard bargain to decline. So, if y'all're still on the fence about a cheap AirPods culling to pair with your smartphone, the Dime should chop-chop help you make upwards your mind.
- More: The best Apple AirPods alternatives — similar styling at lower price
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/skullcandy-dime
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