Review – With so many in-ear headphones (or wireless earbuds or earbuds or whatever you want to call them) already on the market, the flow of new models never seems to slow down. Many of these new models are either clones of competitors or minor tweaks to the company’s “last year’s model,” but sometimes minor tweaks lead to noticeably better results. Creative sends out the new Outlier Pro true wireless sweat-resistant in-ear headphones for review, and they look very similar to the previous ones Creative Outlier Air V2 Earbuds I reviewed it last year. Will new additions and changes warrant a new name and marketing, or is it a “take a new name and roll it out” situation? (Spoiler alert, they upgraded and changed a lot on the already solid earbuds).
What is it?
The Creative Outlier Pro True Wireless Sweat Resistant In-Ear Headphones (I’ll just call them Creative Outlier Pros) are a pair of high-quality in-ear headphones or earbuds. They have a storage case that doubles as a battery pack for extra listening time between sessions, which itself can be charged via USB-C or wireless charging.
What’s in the box?
- Creative Outlier Pro True Wireless Sweat Resistant In-Ear Headphones
- Charging/Storage Box
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- 4 additional earbud tips – small/medium/large
- Quick Start Guides and Manuals
Hardware Specifications
- The headset has up to 15 hours of battery life.
- This can be extended to a total of 60 times by charging via the charging case (multiple charges)
- Microphone: Triple microphone array
- Single earbud use: Yes – either ear
- Control: Capacitive Touch
- Water resistance: IPX5 certified (splash/sweat proof)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
- Charging: Charge via USB-C cable or wireless charging (Qi compatible)
- Driver: 10mm graphene coated driver
Design and Features
The Creative Outlier Pros are a familiar in-ear design with silicone/rubber tips (including a variety of tip sizes). Several of each earbud’s 3 microphones (for voice calls and noise reduction) can be seen above.
Each earbud is marked L/R and you can see the gold contacts for charging (these are aligned with the pins via magnets inside the case to power the earbuds.
Above you can see the smooth surface of the earbuds. The circular center area is where the tap control is detected. The earbuds pop out if you need to change to a different size or clean, but keep them on when you need them.
The case is a smooth metal construction with plastic ends.
LEDs on the case above the USB-C charging port indicate the case’s battery status as well as the power status of each earbud.
There’s no way around it: the case is still as big as the old Air V2 (exactly the same size). Pictured above is the case in my hand next to my daily driver (Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, similar in size to Apple Airpods). You can feel the Creative Outlier Pro case in any pocket. This is an area I wish they could improve, and if they could shrink the case down a bit, I would use these competing options for my mobile everyday use as well as my gaming and work computers.
installation and setup
Setup is very simple. First, I charged the Creative Outlier Pros via USB-C.
After the first charge, I got into the habit of putting them on the wireless charging pad when I left my desk. This ensures they are always topped up every time I return and is convenient and easy.
After charging, I tried it with my Samsung Android phone (I tested a similar Air V2 with an iPhone before, and the app experience and performance were exactly the same for me). After logging in, you will be prompted to create a “holographic avatar”.
This “head mapping” involves taking photos of your ears and face, which Creative claims can be used to customize your voice for you. I’m not convinced of the science behind this, but it does result in a slightly different sound balance after mapping. I think it’s worth trying to see if you like it. Once a profile is created, it can also be synced to a computer.
Pairing the Creative Outlier Pros with other devices and my computer is quick and easy, just like any other Bluetooth device today.
Performance
These are some of the best-sounding bluetooth earbuds I’ve ever heard. In various songs and audio tests, they reach nearly the entire audio spectrum audible to humans, and individual sounds at every level are clear and distinct. For music or movies that have a “wall of sound” from low to high, I can still easily pick out guitar licks or finger rubs on bass strings picked up on the recording. If I were using a pair of audiophile-grade headphones, I could hardly tell the improvement these earbuds could accomplish. The biggest difference I noticed between these Pros and the older Air V2 was bass performance: I could easily hear bass down to nearly 20 Hz in synthetic tests, whereas most other headphones I’ve tested before, especially the earbuds, Drops between 50 and 50 Hz. 30 Hz. This produces impressive bass performance in songs and games. Those 10mm graphene-coated drivers are doing a solid job here.
For gaming (which is what I used for the most part while testing), all audio was great. Footsteps are crisp and clear, bass rumbles, and dialogue is easy to hear (in many games my older millennial ears were damaged by punk rock performances in my youth).
Battery life is amazing. I have worn these for over 12 hours a few days and they never die. With noise cancellation removed, I believe Creative’s claim of “up to 15 hours” of playback time, unless you keep playing music at maximum volume. Noise canceling does reduce battery life, but I usually use it for those 12+ hours.
When it comes to noise reduction, these are some of the best I’ve ever used. My gaming computer can push air comparable to a jet engine at times, but as soon as I turn on the noise cancelling, it’s almost all gone, leaving just a whisper. There’s also an ambient noise mode, which amplifies the noise around you instead of minimizing it, which is useful if you’re in a public place and want to listen to music without turning a blind eye to danger or other people.
I often wear these earphones for 4 hours or more non-stop, which makes me uncomfortable with most earbuds. With the buds that I carry on a daily basis, I have to take them out after about 2 hours or my ears will start hurting. This is going to be very subjective; my favorite earbuds usually don’t fit my partner well, and vice versa. The three different sets of ear tips included should be fine for most people, though.
what do I like
- Excellent audio performance
- Good noise reduction
- long battery life
- Wireless charging
- Strong and reliable connection
what would i change
- I know it’s a trade-off between portability and battery life, but to be a pair of earbuds for everyday driving, I need to make the case slightly smaller
final thoughts
The Creative Outlier Pro earbuds have become my go-to audio device for work and play. Whether it’s attending endless Zoom/GoTo/Teams meetings, listening to music while writing for The Gadgeteer, or playing for hours in Tiny Tina’s wonderland in pursuit of the next great gear, Creative Outlier Pro earbuds can Fits your needs, and there’s a battery backup, which sounds great though.
price: $89.99
Where to buy: Creative and Amazon
source: Samples for this review are provided by Creative
