Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: A cut-price AirPods Pro rival?

I decided to swap out my trusty AirPods to try the Edifier TWS NB2 Pro earbuds sporting ANC and ambient sound mode, secretly hoping I could finally find a pair of headphones that I could wear without worrying about my inability to hear oncoming traffic. 

With the promise of an outstanding audio experience, these Edifier earbuds certainly have all the features I'm looking for: a charging case with fast charging, companion app, and multiple sound modes, including ambient sound mode and active noise cancellation (ANC).

With the market already saturated with wireless noise cancelling earbuds, read on to see how the Edifier TWS NB2 Pro earbuds compare.

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Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Price and availability 

The Edifier TWS NB2 Pro goes for $89.99 on the Edifier website, although at the time of writing they were discounted to $79.99 through both Amazon and Walmart. The price is competitive and the earbuds come in a light but sturdy, compact charging case with three sizes of ear tips and a USB-C charger. They're available in two classic shades: black and ivory, which are sensible options but may leave you wanting more colorful choices depending on your aesthetic preferences.

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Design and comfort 

• Easy to pair
• Practical eartip sizes

Pairing the NB2 Pro earbuds to my iPhone was simple. With a click of a button on the case, the earbuds immediately detected and connected to my device and I was good to go! I opted for the size up from the medium eartips as these gave a better fit for my ears. 

Comfort levers are good. So good in fact, that I would often forget I was wearing them while walking around my apartment or running errands, and should be fine for hiking, biking, or working out at the gym.

Putting the earbuds through a stress test and wearing them while dancing around my living room, I found that the Edifier buds were quick to fall out if I moved my head too enthusiastically. Although perhaps not an entirely representative scenario, you may need to be mindful of the potential for the earbuds to fall out if you’re making a lot of sudden movements.

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Controls

• Multiple sound modes
• Hands-free control
• No AI assistant support

The tap-control on the Edifier NB2 Pro, made it easy to turn on ANC, Ambient Sound, Sport, and Game modes by triple tapping on the left earbud. When playing music, I could tap the right earbud to play/pause or skip to the next track. This is ideal for hands-free music listening, although I wish there was an option for hands-free volume control as well as support for Siri or Google Assistant.

Although Edifier promises automatic in-ear detection, I found that music would still play when I removed the 'buds from my ear and set them down nearby. This often meant that I’d have to turn off my Bluetooth or disconnect the earbuds to use my phone speaker. Although I prefer earbuds that reliably auto detect when they are removed from the ears, many will simply put the 'buds back in the charging case when they’re done using them, which automatically disconnects and stops playback, and mitigates any unreliable auto detect issues.

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Sound quality 

• Impressive sound
• Useful preset modes

We've heard good things from Edifier earbuds and the company's slightly more expensive NeoBuds Pro impressed with a high-quality sound delivery. Despite the TWS NB2 Pro being a lower-priced model, it doesn't seem that sonic qualities haven't been sacrificed to keep the pricing low. I’m able to hear the bass and vocals clearly, but cymbals or high notes can sound a little sharp, especially on EDM songs like “Closer” by the Chainsmokers. 

The bass is clear without getting distorted and the music swells in the background are well-defined without feeling overwhelming when listening to “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. The sound comes through clearly when listening to podcasts, videos, and television shows, and gets pretty close to what I’ve experienced from Apple's AirPods, which at a more affordable price is a considerable achievement. 

You also have the option to turn on Game mode, which was created to reduce latency from on-screen audio and videos. During the review period, I didn't detect any discernible difference with the mode enabled, but avid gamers may detect a more in-sync screen and audio experience.    

With Spatial Audio enabled there's a lot more depth to the music soundstage. Some of my favorite tracks, most notably the song “Girls/Girls/Boys” by Panic! at the Disco, had the kind of effect of making me feel like I was actually at a live concert. It's a neat feature but works better on some tracks than others, with some tracks having a bit too much echo to sound realistic or enjoyable. 

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Active noise cancellation 

• Effective ANC

As an earbud that fits into your ear canal, there's naturally a degree of passive noise isolation as it puts a physical block in the way of external sounds reaching your eardrum. A big additional upside of the Edifier TWS NB2 Pro earbuds, however, is active noise cancellation mode, which can be toggled on and off with a double tap to the left earbud. 

With noise cancellation activated, the sound of the traffic noise outside is significantly reduced. My AC unit, or even the sound of my partner’s phone ringing from across the room are also significantly quieter and softer. Best of all, the noise-cancelling feature works even if you’re not playing anything, giving me a quiet space I never really knew I needed.

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: App and special features

• Customizable app control
• Ambient sound mode

The Edifier Connect app — available for iOS and Android devices — includes a link to the user manual as well as options to change in-ear detection settings, tap sensitivity, and factory settings. It also gives the option to disconnect or re-pair a Bluetooth connection, and even set a timed shutdown if you want to play music for a specific length of time while falling asleep, for example. 

One of the best parts of these earbuds is the ambient sound mode activated, and despite never hearing earbuds with this feature before, it has quickly become a must have feature for me.

The app allows you to increase the level of ambient sound mode so you can hear more of what's going on around you. I opted to turn up the ambient sound mode when I was wearing the earbuds outside on a walk to give greater traffic awareness, and turned it down when I was working at home to drown out the sound of my AC blasting away and the noise of my partner’s video playing in the room next door. 

The ambient noise mode is a big selling point for these earbuds, especially if you use them at the gym, on the bus, or other loud environments. Although I would have appreciated the ability to adjust the ambient sound level from the earbuds themselves instead of via the smart phone connect application.

 Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Battery life 

• 9 hours battery life from a single charge
• Useful fast charge to keep battery topped up     

The Edifier NB2 Pro promises 32-hour battery life — you’ll get up to nine hours of audio playback from a single charge, with a further 23 hours of use provided by the charging case — a 15-minute fast charge gives around two hours of playtime in my experience.

You can check the battery life of each earbud from the Connect app, although it would have been nice to see the battery life indicated on the charge case itself. These earbuds held their charge much longer than my AirPods, which was really useful when I was on the go and didn’t have a place to plug them in. 

I charged the Edifier earbuds on a Monday night, and didn’t need to charge them again until Friday, despite using them for around 3-4 hours each day. I also found that the quick charge feature made it easy to keep the 'buds topped up after playing them for a few hours. 

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Call quality and connectivity

• Stable connectivity during calls
• Good call quality

The call quality during phone calls and Zoom chats was reliable, and there were no noticeable dropout, even when I only had one earbud in. Call quality was good and there were no complaints from my partner on the other end, who said she could hear and understand me really easily. That makes these earbuds ideal for anyone who needs to take phone calls while on the go. 

Edifier TWS NB2 Pro review: Verdict  

These earbuds fulfill most of my criteria: easy to pair with my phone, long battery life, and the ambient sound mode is perfect for someone like me who’s always on the bus or walking to the grocery store. Although I wish the earbuds had more reliable in-ear detection and a sleeker design, I’m happy to overlook these minor criticisms for the practical convenience and the features they bring at the price. 

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