Buying a good pair of earphones or headphones can a hideous task. Nevertheless, there are plenty of options available in the market, with new, unfamiliar brands spicing up the competition with affordable entrants. Tagg is one such accessory brand that has found a niche among the budget shoppers and it recently launched its first-ever truly-wireless earphones in India.
Tagg ZeroG true wireless earphones join the limited bandwagon led by the likes of Apple's AirPods. While Sony, Samsung and others have a place in the space, Apple's dominance is incomparable. But Tagg here is looking to bite into the lucrative category with its own affordable offering, which would cater to the budget-conscious Indian buyers.
At Rs 4,999, Tagg ZeroG cost only a fraction of what Apple or Sony would charge for true wireless earphones. In all fairness, Tagg is targeting first time adopters of such cordless earphones who aren't sure of sticking by their decision and surely don't wish to burn a hole in their pockets. That said, the bigger question is whether Tagg ZeroG earphones make for a sound choice.
Design
At first glance, Tagg ZeroG (Buy on Amazon.in) looks just like any other true wireless earphones, err AirPods. But that impression changes with attention to detail. Tagg has done some of its own changes to the ZeroG, making them appear flatter than round like others. The in-ear plugs do add for some comfort and assurance that they'd stick inside your ear canal while walking, jogging or even cycling.
But when worn, Tagg ZeroG tends to protrude, even though they fit perfectly inside the ear. The earphones are lightweight and don't cause irritation even when worn for long durations. On the design factor, Tagg ZeroG is no AirPods, but they are not too bad as well.
The ZeroG earphones come with an accompanying charging case, which mimics the design of the earphones with flat ergonomics. The case fits in your jeans pocket as long as you do not have any other stuff like keys, lighter, phone and wallet. Best is to keep the case in your backpack to avoid discomfort. The case has four LED lights to indicate the battery power, Tagg branding below it and a microUSB port at the back for charging.
Overall, it's a clean design. Nothing too premium, not too cheap.
Audio
Tagg ZeroG earphones, considering they are truly wireless, do a good job in audio performance. There are plenty of other options for better audio clarity, but they either come in wired or neckband style. If your preference is true wireless earphones, the ZeroG will offer you a balanced performance with clear vocals and mids and lows. I wouldn't recommend highly using the ZeroG at maximum volume for music as the high notes tend to crack the sound and feels like the vocals are too chilling. The earphones are low on bass, but nothing worth complaining if your usage is inclined towards using the earphones for calling, occasional video streaming or even watching movies. My recommendation is to avoid going anything higher than 70 percent volume for a better experience.
I have often experienced issues with calls via true wireless earphones. With Tagg ZeroG, I did not have much to complain. As long as you're using these in closed spaces, like office or home, Tagg ZeroG calling quality is admirable. If you are considering using the earphones while riding or even in a busy market area, you'll end up losing the person on the other end of the call due to low voice. For most cases, Tagg ZeroG won't be a disappointment, especially for the price they come in.
Battery
It's ludicrous to expect a long-lasting battery from true wireless earphones. Tagg ZeroG lasts a fair amount of time and with that charging case, you can always get extended battery life. As per my usage, which mostly involved calls and some videos while browsing social media, Tagg ZeroG lasted about 5-6 hours. With heavy usage, you can expect those battery bars to drop quickly.
The charging case can store about 4 times worth charge, but if you're a heavy user, be prepared to charge the case more often. Also, charging can take up to 3 hours and I wished there was a USB Type-C port.
Nifty features
There are some interesting features that positively contributed to my usage. Firstly, both earphones have touch controls, which carry out different functions like answering and ending calls, changing tracks and adjusting the volume. I felt, there's too much stuffed into it to remember, rather I ended up using the smartphone for most controls. Also, the earphones didn't respond to taps as accurately as I had hoped.
But those who are interested, a single tap can pause/play media on phone, double tap on right earphone will play the next track, and doing so on the left one will play the previous track. Tapping thrice will launch your voice assistant and touch and hold the right earbud to adjust the volume. I ended up using the play and pause function, and the rest would just refuse to work as seamlessly I wanted so I used my paired smartphone instead.
The earbuds also preserve battery while resting in the case by turning off instantly. Moreover, the ease of simply taking out the earbuds out the case to start using it cannot be stressed enough. It connects instantly to the smartphone, which is something I loved the most about the ZeroG earphones. They also have a decent range, so you won't need to carry your phone in the pocket always. You can freely roam about in your living room or office without carrying the phone and losing the connection.
Verdict
For the price, ZeroG by Tagg packs a punch. With decent audio and battery and great connectivity, Tagg ZeroG is perfect to let you experience true wireless earphones without breaking the bank. But if you value audio quality and don't mind the neckband style, OnePlus Bullets and Real Buds Wireless are worth considering. Tagg ZeroG earphones are worth buying purely for the love of truly wireless earbuds. In fact, you can check out Tagg's Sport+ at Rs 3,599 for some decent gear.
