Review: Hands On With Creative’s Battery Champ, Outlier Pro Wireless Earbuds

Consumer Tech Review: Hands On With Creative’s Battery Champ, Outlier Pro Wireless Earbuds Brad Moon Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Reviews and guidance for Apple gear, audio systems and consumer tech. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Sep 27, 2022, 07:17pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Creative Technology is a company that’s well known for computer audio (Sound Blaster sound cards) and speakers. I’ve had some excellent experiences with Creative Katana gaming soundbars and iRoar Bluetooth speakers ( here’s a review of one ). However, until recently I wasn’t really aware of the company’s ventures into headphones.

That changed after spending some time with the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds . There’s a lot to like in these earbuds — especially given their ridiculously low $89. 99 price tag — including the best battery life I have experienced in years of testing wireless earbuds.

Creative’s metallic umber treatment adds a premium touch to these affordable earbuds. Brad Moon Audio Performance The sound quality produced by earbuds depends on several factors, including the supported audio codec, the driver(s) used, and how well they fit. These earbuds are larger and heavier than many, but that pays off in battery life.

Brad In this case, they support AAC for high quality wireless audio on Apple devices (but only SBC, not aptX for Android) and are equipped with 10 mm graphene-coated drivers. There are three sets of silicone eartips, but at 0. 24 oz each these buds are pretty large.

In comparison, the latest Apple AirPods weigh 0. 15 oz each. While they stayed in place, I wasn’t able to get a perfect seal and I suspect low end performance suffered as a result.

Your experience may vary, but I was never able to get the bass punch I was hoping for. However the mid-range was solid and upper frequencies were crisp. In short, I found the audio decent, but nothing special.

MORE FOR YOU Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users Forget The MacBook Pro, Apple Has Bigger Plans Google Discounts Pixel 6, Nest & Pixel Buds In Limited-Time Sale Event The mobile app includes a 10-band EQ. Brad Moon Creative includes a 10-band EQ in its mobile app so you can customize the sound to your liking. Additional Features Extra features are where Creative really heaps on the value.

Not everything works as well as the implementation on pricier buds and you may not use all the extras — but given the sub $100 price, they help to build a strong case for the Outlier Pros. There is a hybrid ANC function which makes use of the earbuds’ six mics (including feedback and feedforward mics). I didn’t find this worked all that well with household and neighborhood noise including music, dogs barking, and lawnmowers.

However, for commuting, it would at least help to minimize droning traffic noise. I did find the ambient mode was effective, using the mics to pipe in background noise over the music so you can hear voices or traffic. If you’re interested in 3D audio technology, Creative has included support for Super X-Fi.

This requires downloading a separate mobile app, creating a personalized profile, and access to locally-stored music files on your device. You can play those local tracks through the X-Fi “headphone holography” effect. Cool, but not something I spent a lot of time playing with once the initial wow factor wore off.

There is a low latency setting in the mobile app to make the Outlier Pro buds suitable not just for watching video, but also for playing video games. Other useful features include an attractive, metallic-finish charge case that can charge wirelessly and includes external LED indicators for battery and bud charge levels on one end. The buds have pads for customizable touch control, and support Siri and Google Assistant.

They are also IPX5 water resistant, so sweat and rain shouldn’t be an issue. Need Extended Battery Life? These Are the Wireless Earbuds For You In my opinion, the real reason to choose the Creative Outlier earbuds is battery life. This is where the larger size (and Bluetooth 5.

2) really pay off. Creative rates them at up to 15 hours of use on a charge. That blows past any true wireless earbuds I have ever tested.

Most are lucky to get five or six hours on a charge these days. In testing, I wore these during the day while working. I kept the volume fairly low, but did kick it up for favorite songs.

After a typical eight-hour day I would have 75% or more of the charge remaining — even better than Creative’s claim, somehow. Mind you, ANC was off most of the time and that would cut into battery life if active. Add the 45 hours of battery in the charge case and you should have about 60 hours of playtime before you need to search for a charger (or Qi wireless charge pad).

The charge case supports USB-C and Qi wireless, and includes handy LED indicator lights. Brad Moon Creative Outlier Pro Wireless Earbuds Key Specs: In-ear true wireless earbuds 10 mm graphene-coated drivers Frequency response 20-20,000 Hz Bluetooth 5. 2 with AAC, SBC codec support Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) with Ambient mode Super X-Fi support (local files only) Customizable touch controls including support for Siri and Google Assistant IPX5 water resistance Mobile app includes custom 10-band EQ, low latency mode (for video and video games) Each earbud equipped with 3 mics for voice calls, noise cancellation Battery life up to 15 hours per charge, 60 hours total including charge case Charge case supports USB-C and Qi wireless charging, includes external LED charge indicators, quick-charge compatible (10 minutes = 2 hours play time) Includes charge case, USB-C cable, 3 sets of silicone ear tips Earbuds weigh 0.

24 oz, charge case weighs 2. 57 oz Recommendation The Creative Outlier Pro earbuds’ killer feature is extraordinary battery life. Brad Moon Even at this affordable price point, there are earbuds that do ANC better.

There are also some that deliver a better audio performance, especially in the low end — at least they do for me (your experience may vary based on fit and seal). There are also many wireless earbuds that are lighter. However, nothing I have ever tested comes even close to the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds when it comes to battery life.

If you listen to music for extended periods such as commuting and work, and you hate having to pause to charge, give the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds a try. You should be able to enjoy your tunes all day, or longer, without interruption. Disclosure: Creative provided earbuds for evaluation purposes but had no input into this review.

Follow me on Twitter . Check out my website . Brad Moon Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.