SAT, JUL 20
NimishAndAkriti
You read that headline right - there are TWS that measure your heart rate and your temperature as well. Sennheiser has released its Momentum Sport TWS that claim to be able to measure both, although at a rather stiff price (they are more expensive than AirPods Pro). Do they actually work and are they worth them hefty bucks? Let us tell you.
❤️
Now, this is not the first time that a brand has tried to put heart rate sensors inside a TWS, but such efforts have not always worked. Sennheiser's Momentum Sport hope to be different. They are slightly bulky, come with 'fins' (or wings) that can be attached to your ears for greater stability.
The heart rate and temperature sensors are right beneath the tips of the buds. Which is why even the black models of the buds come with white, transparent eartips. You cannot use another brand's ear tips with these buds, or the heart rate function might not work too well.
And we will cut to the chase and say that the heart rate sensor actually is pretty accurate (close to that of the Apple Watch), although the temperature always seems to be a little on the higher side. You will need to use Sennheiser's companion app for it, though. And if you want to share the data with other fitness apps like Strava, you can do so, although you will need to sign up for the Polar Flow application (it's free, relax). You will also need the application if you want trends of heart rate or temperature as the app by default will just show you. a single figure for each,
The heart rate and temperature aside, these are buds designed for fitness lovers. The case has a rubber-like material on it to make it splash resistant (IP54), and the buds are sweat resistant themselves (IP55).
The buds come with 10mm drivers, and come with very handy ANC and an excellent transparency mode. The design is slightly 'open' so ANC is not exactly the greatest, but then these are supposed to be used in conditions like the gym and on the streets, so TOTALLY blocking out external sound is perhaps not the brightest idea. Call quality is pretty good. Battery life is about 6 hours on the buds, and another 20-24 hours with the case.
Which actually brings us to the sound of the buds themselves. Well, these are premium Sennheiser earphones so the sound is excellent. But unlike the classic Momentum, which revolve around clarity and balance, these have a slight bass accent. You can adjust it through the equaliser on the app, but we think most mainstream users will love the sound on these. It is very mainstream, slightly warm...Sony-ish! Goes with those workouts. A neat touch is the fact that you can control these by tapping the area near the buds rather than the buds themselves. Neato!
The big question is whether all this is worth a VERY stiff Rs 25,990 price tag - that's more than the AirPods Pro and the Sony 1000XM5! Well, we really think it depends on how much you want something that delivers very good audio and slots into your gym and walking sessions. We are not sure the heart rate and temperature sensors are great propositions - we can get those on smartwatches and bands - but the water and sweat resistance, and the great sound make these interesting.