OnePlus, the Chinese tech-startup that’s been challenging flagships, has also launched a slew of accessories and managed to create quite a buzz for itself, both in India and abroad. The OnePlus Power Bank with the 10,000 mAh battery is one particular accessory I’ve come to rely on a lot. The sandstone finish on the back of the power bank does make it stand out and design is one area where OnePlus has carved a niche for itself. So, when the familiar red box with the OnePlus Icon headphones came into our office, I grabbed this one quickly. MUST READ: Micromax’s YU Yutopia has flagship features for Rs 24,999 OnePlus Icon headphones are priced at Rs 2,999, and were announced on Amazon India. However, the headphones are currently not listed on the site and are even out of stock on the OnePlus site. But we’ve been using a review unit for around 2 weeks now and here’s what we thought. The OnePlus Icons OnePlus Icons are in-ear headphones with an asymmetric design inspired by the organ piano and they do stand out. The aluminium headphones are fairly light and the graphite-black review unit we got, looks stylish. It’s got a in-built mic so that you can take calls on your phone as well and has a frequency range of 20 – 20,000Hz, which standard for most headphones. ALSO READ: Explained: What is Google’s Wi-Fi at 100 railway station project and how will it work But style quotient aside, the OnePlus Icons don’t sit well in my ears at all. While the left earbud would stay on, the right one just kept popping out, no matter how still I sat. The worst part is that I would not know when these would come out, so I had to rule them out from gym sessions, a place where I rely on headphones the most. In terms of comfort, I would not rate these very high. The sound quality is decent, especially if you’re like me and listen to a lot of pop music, hits from 70s,90s, etc. The beats are fine, but I really don’t see the need to shell out Rs 3000 for these headphones. However if you start cranking up the volume on your smartphone and go past the halfway mark, the Icons don’t deliver and the sound loses its clarity. For, instance Ariana Grande’s voice sound distinctly harsher if you’re increase the volume levels. Once again doesn’t work for someone like me; at times I do like to turn up the sound, especially to drown out other voices, or weird trance music at the gym. The OnePlus Icons are a stylish looking pair no doubt. OnePlus has even added an attractive leather pouch with these, which is really useful. At least it ensures that my headphones are tangled only inside the pouch and not all across my bag. READ: Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition launched: Here’s our first impressions of the smartphone However the lack of comfort when you wear them is a big negative. The sound quality is decent, but nothing so exceptional that the Icons can command a Rs 2999 price. With players like Sennheiser, JBL being in the market, with in-ear option headphones as well, it’s not an easy space to compete in for OnePlus.
