Mac Format - UK (2019-12)

APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS hardware

Optoma NuForce

BE Free6

Great audio and battery, but some issues

£89.99 FROM Optoma, optoma.co.uk FEATURES Bluetooth 5, USB-C charging

You get long-lasting

battery and excellent

audio but there’s little

else to make the BE

Free6 stand out.

HHHHH

Great sound

Impressive

battery life

Connection issues

Button response

VERDICT

The earbuds

manage to

handle both

sweat and rain

82 | MACFORMAT | DECEMBER 2019

In-ear detection for automatic play, which

we’ve come to expect as pretty much a

standard feature these days, is also absent.

Each earbud has just one physical button

for controlling audio and summoning Siri,

and we found that the button on the right

earbud didn’t click as easily as the one the left.

Summoning Siri was also an issue, since

a long press often resulted in the earbuds

actually being switched off. You get the hang

of it after a while, but it’s a bit of a steep

learning curve that’s rather annoying.

Performance

When it comes to sound, though, the BE

Free6 set is a real winner. Even at 20%, the

audio was much clearer than the AirPods.

We never felt the need to increase the level

beyond 50%, even when we were in noisy

environments like a park or city centre.

Whether it was music or podcasts, all

audio was clear enough without sounding

distorted. True audiophiles may notice issues

with the higher end, but otherwise they work

well with a variety of music genres.

The battery life on the buds is also quite

exceptional. Optoma promises six hours for

the buds once charged, and up to 18 hours on

a single charge of the case. We managed to

get through 10 hours of listening (albeit not

continuous) without the case indicating

a drop in battery level.

While the BE Free6 offer good sound and

long battery life, the lack of in-ear detection,

awkward button control and connection

issues means there’s room for improvement.

SRIVATS LAKSHMAN

T

he successor to the BE Free5, the

BE Free6 earbuds offer quality

audio and generous battery life.

However, they do lack in a few areas that may

prove to be a dealbreaker for some.

Thanks to iPX5 water-resistance, the BE

Free6 earbuds manage to handle both sweat

and rain, making them ideal for your audio

needs on an outdoors trek or in the gym.

Thanks to Bluetooth 5, the buds can be used

individually in mono mode or together. They

sit tight in the ear, so they’re unlikely to work

loose and fall out, although the cramped fit

can be a little uncomfortable after prolonged

wear. While they won’t necessarily win any

awards for design, they are small enough to

sit in the ear without being overly noticeable.

Unfortunately, the case is a bit

disappointing. The rough matt texture picks

up scratches easily. It’s also large enough to

feel uncomfortable in the pocket and isn’t

particularly light – presumably a trade-off

for the long battery life promised.

The earbuds don’t play too nicely with

the iPhone either. More than once we found

our phone still connected to the buds, even

though they they’d been placed back in the

box. Obviously, they can be disconnected

manually through the Bluetooth settings on

your phone, but you shouldn’t have to do that.

While the earbuds are neat, the physical control buttons

on the BE Free6 do take a little getting used to.

Image credit: Optoma

The case is quite large and heavy, but the

trade-off may be worth it if you want a set

of buds to provide a long listening time.