TOZO T6 review: Don't ignore this incredible $50 AirPods clone

When Apple launched the first AirPods back in 2016, who would have thought that it would spark a revolution in the next big form factor for wireless audio? Since the AirPods' debut, big-name companies to lesser-known brands that exist solely on Amazon have all been jumping on the true wireless earbud train. Some have been great, others not so much.

Taking a chance on a product from a company you've never heard of can be a scary thing, and that's exactly what I decided to do with the TOZO T6. These regularly appear in my searches for true wireless earbuds, and between that and the unabashed AirPods design rip-off, I figured it was time to actually get my hands on them to see what they're all about.

It turns out that if you can overlook the silly copycat design, the TOZO T6 stand out as one of the best values in their niche.

TOZO T6 What's hot

From a build quality point of view, TOZO impressed me. The charging case has a wonderful bit of heft to it, the magnets holding the lid shut have been consistently strong, and there's a reassuring click every time you close the lid. The magnets holding the earbuds inside the tiny package are also excellent, with no amount of shaking/rattling being enough to dislodge them.

The front of the case has four LED lights to indicate the current battery/charge status, there's a flap on the bottom covering the Micro-USB charging port (making the entire package waterproof up to one meter of water for 30 minutes), and I really like the matte plastic finish which does a good job at hiding pesky fingerprints.

I'll share more thoughts on the AirPods aesthetic later on in the review, but there is one aspect of this design that I'm quite fond of — you can open and close the lid with one hand. The taller nature of the case makes it easy to grip, and thanks to the divet on the lid, it's simple to flip it open with just your thumb.

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There's another design choice I was ecstatic to find, and that's the inclusion of Qi wireless charging. Place the T6 charging case on any Qi-enabled charger, and it'll start refueling just like that.

This is a feature that's still not super common on true wireless earbuds, let alone ones in this price bracket, and it allows the T6 to stand above a lot of its competitors. I do wish the Qi contact on the back of the case was a little bigger, but that's just nitpicking.

Moving over to the actual earbuds, I found them very comfortable to wear. They're lightweight and compact, and TOZO gives you a few different ear tips to make sure everything fits just right. I also like the capacitive touch controls TOZO added to the earbuds, making it easy to control your music without having to apply too much pressure on your ear.

I'm glad the TOZO T6 are comfortable to wear, because I legitimately enjoy listening to music on them. Audio is nice and crisp without sounding muffled (something other earbuds in this price tend to struggle with), and the bass output is surprisingly strong — giving your music a rich, punchy feeling you wouldn't expect when spending $50 on true wireless buds. Even with super bass-heavy songs like Young and Menace where things can get dirty on lesser speakers, the T6 hold their own just fine and do justice to the low-end.

I haven't had the chance to use more premium earbuds like the Jabra Elite 75t, but for a casual music listener like myself, the TOZO T6 don't leave me feeling like I'm missing out on anything.

Not only are the T6 enjoyable to use from an audio quality perspective, but the Bluetooth 5.0 connection is also rock solid. The T6 consistently connect to my Pixel 4 when taking them out of the case, I never experienced any interruptions when putting distance and walls between the buds and my phone, and there's minimal audio delay when watching YouTube videos.

Last but certainly not least, battery life is excellent. You'll get about six hours of use with the earbuds, along with another 24 hours with the charging case — resulting in 30 hours of total longevity. That's not quite as impressive as the 40-hour endurance you can get from earbuds like the Back Bay Duet 50, but it's more than enough for most people.

TOZO T6 What's not

TOZO got almost everything right with the T6 earbuds, but when the T7 are released, there are a couple of changes I'd like to see.

First, and more importantly, I hope TOZO adopts USB-C with its next release. I don't like that the T6 uses a Micro-USB charging port, and while the inclusion of wireless charging helps to mitigate the annoyance, I'm still longing for the day when USB-C is the standard on true wireless earbuds and not something I get excited about the few times I actually come across it.

My only other complaint about the TOZO T6 is a subjective one, and it has to do with the appearance of the charging case. The case is built well and does what it needs to do, but I would have liked to see TOZO come up with its own design rather than so blatantly copying the AirPods charging case.

It's a great form factor and one that works quite well, but it's also pretty shameless to mimic it this much.

TOZO T6 Should you buy them?

Looking at the TOZO T6 online, it can be easy to dismiss the earbuds as nothing more than an AirPods wannabe. The design doesn't do anything to help that, but after spending a few days with the T6 as my go-to buds, it's been a pleasant surprise to learn that they're much, much more than that.

I've been able to test a lot of affordable true wireless earbuds thanks to my job here at AC, and the T6 have stood out as some of the most well-rounded that I've ever had the pleasure of using. The build quality is as good as you could ask for, sound quality is excellent for casual listening, and you get great battery life with Qi wireless charging.

4.5 out of 5

I honestly didn't expect much from the T6 going into this review, but they've ended up becoming some of my favorite earbuds in this price segment. Hell, even if TOZO was asking $100 for the T6, I'd still argue that you were getting a great deal.

If you can get over the Micro-USB charging and don't mind the AirPods lookalike case, the TOZO T6 are an easy recommendation.