I’ve seen the writing on the wall and know that the days of wired earbuds, earphones and headphones are numbered. I’m not sad about this because dangling earphone wires are one thing in my life that I definitely won’t miss when they are gone. However, finding the perfect pair of wireless earbuds is not easy. The latest ones that I’ve been testing are the Bit Charge wireless earbuds from Rowkin. Let’s see if they earn a spot on my favorite gear page.
What is it?
The Rowkin Bit Charge wireless earbuds are tiny Bluetooth earbuds that store in a rechargeable case that doubles as a backup battery for your other gadgets that charge via a USB cable.
What’s in the package?
Rowkin Bit Charge wireless earbuds
Extra ear tips
micro USB charging cable
Manual
Design and features
Judging the Rowkin earbuds on just the way they look and feel, they are my all time favorite pair of wireless earbuds. They come in a sleek case that has a gun metal grey aluminum shell that houses a rechargeable battery that charges the earbuds when they aren’t in your ears.
The built-in batteries in the case charge using the included micro USB cable. You’ll also notice that there’s a regular USB port in the case too. The case doubles as a backup battery for other gadgets that charge through a USB cable. And LED between the two ports blinks in blue to indicate the battery capacity level.
According to what I’ve read, the case can recharge the earbuds up to 15 times before the case needs to be recharged and the earbuds themselves will run for up to 3 hours per charge. I know that doesn’t sound like a long time, but considering how tiny they are, it seems pretty good to me.
The Rowkin Bit Charge Earbuds are the smallest I’ve ever reviewed. And, they are also the most comfortable earbuds that I’ve ever tried – and I’ve tried a LOT of earbuds over the years.
Each earbud has a status LED and a small multi-function button on the face. The LED provides a visual indicator of the power status, pairing status and the master / slave relationship between the two earbuds.
The button toggles power, initiates pairing, controls media play/pause, call answer/end/reject and activates voice control.
The earbuds snap into the charging case and are held there with magnets. As soon as they are inserted into their slots, they start charging, which is indicated by the LEDs glowing in red. When they are finished charging, the LEDs go out.
The earbuds are removed by pressing up from the bottom of the charging case so that the earbuds extend out from the top so they can be removed. It’s a slick design that I really like.
Comfort. fit and feel
The Rowkin Bit Charge earbuds are in-ear style earbuds. I don’t usually like this type of earbud, but the Rowkins are comfortable enough for me to wear without discomfort using the default sized ear tips.
They even stayed in place while working out. Granted, I don’t do high-intensity workouts and don’t run, but they stayed in fine while walking briskly on a treadmill and doing various exercises on a Total Gym.
These earbuds are IPX5 rated, which means that they are supposed to be sweat proof and water resistant.
Pairing with devices
To pair the Rowkin earbuds, you remove them from the charging case and press both buttons on the earbuds at the same time. The LED will start blinking red and then red / white to let you know they are in pairing mode. Then you just check your device to find Rowkin listed as an available Bluetooth device. Once they are connected to the device, the LEDs on the earbuds will blink in white. The master earbud will blink twice every couple of seconds and the other earbud will just blink once. This is important to know incase you’re like me and sometimes use one earbud so that your other ear is open to hear people if they walk up to talk to you. If that’s what you like to do too, you’ll need to insert the master earbud because that’s the only earbud that will receive audio if a call comes in.
The Rowkin Bit Charge wireless earbuds also support multipoint connectivity. That means that in single earbud mode, each wireless earbud can connect with two Bluetooth source devices like your iPhone or Android phone, iPad, tablet, or laptop simultaneously. If you are streaming music from your iPad, and receive an incoming call on your iPhone, the wireless earphones will recognize this and allow you to take the call seamlessly without the hassle of repairing.
Sound quality
Sound quality is always a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to Bluetooth audio devices. I was pleasantly surprised with the Rowkin wireless earbuds. They are pretty well balanced and have good bass. Depending on the song, the audio can sound slightly flat and other times they sound great. I really enjoyed listening to Lost Boy by Ruth B, 7 Years by Lukas Graham, and Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 through my Nexus 6P, but sounds like Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw, and I Gotta Feeling from Black Eyed Peas was a little flat.
Even though the sound quality isn’t good as high quality wired earbuds or earphones, I enjoyed listening to my favorite playlists while sitting at my desk working on reviews or sweating to a workout.
Unfortunately, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns because the Rowkin Bit Charge wireless earbuds suffer from some of the same connectivity issues that I’ve noticed with other wireless earbuds – intermittent audio drop outs. The Rowkins aren’t as bad as the Motorola Verve Ones+ that I reviewed a couple months ago, but they do the same thing where one bud will go silent or the sound on both will dim out and then come back. I contacted Rowkin about this and they said the problem was probably due to interference from WiFi. I do have a lot of WiFi devices at home and at my day job too. So I don’t think they are blowing smoke with that reason.
What about video and phone calls?
I watched about a dozen YouTube videos lasting longer than 5 minutes each on my Nexus 6P paired with the Rowkin earbuds and didn’t notice any audio / voice syncing issues.
As for using the earbuds for phone calls, I was told that I sounded ok when I called Jeanne. She could tell I was calling with a headset but said it didn’t sound bad. My side of the conversation wasn’t bad either. But since these are in-ear earbuds, they give you that head voice experience that I don’t really like.
Final thoughts
I like the design, fit and feel of these earbuds so much that I have been putting up with the occasional connectivity issues. Luckily it only happens only about one or two times in an hour if I’m sitting at a desk. It seems to happen more often if I’m moving around even if the phone is within a few feet of me. It’s definitely annoying, but these little bitty earbuds are so easy to charge and stick in my ears that I just keep using them. That said, I don’t think I’d buy them at their $129 price tag knowing that this was an issue (check other reviews, I’m not the only one with connectivity issues). That’s a lot of money to pay for earbuds that don’t work 100% of the time. So in good conscience, I can’t whole heartedly recommend purchasing the Rowkin Bit Charge wireless earbuds, but I am hopeful that Rowkin can find a way to fix these issues and will be very interested in checking out other wireless earbuds from them in the future because these little earbuds are cool as heck.
Do you have a favorite pair of wireless earbuds? If so, what are they? Please share in the comments.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Rowkin. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.
Product Information
| Price: | $129.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Rowkin |
| Retailer: | Amazon |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Could not pair the earbuds. Only the master worked. Sound quality is poor
Hi Roger,
I had the same issue, and once i contacted the rowkin team, they asked for my order number and details, tried helping out with paring the earbuds, and once all did not work, they sent me a replacement package without even asking for a return.
I would encourage you to contact them, they will sort it out for you, though they do take take a bit of time in replying.
Good luck
Your paragraph on multipoint connectivity and single earbud mode is an exact copy from their marketing material, did you demo this at all? Can either earbud be used in single earbud mode or is there a specific master and slave earbud? I ask because u need to know if you can use one in single earbud mode while charging the other, and then switch when battery runs out on the one you are using
You can use just one earbud but as soon as you stick one in the charging case, the one outside of the case will go silent.
I use mine one at a time … I use them all day long at work, for listening only. I do not make or receive calls. I use them for audibles and Pandora. 8 hours each day. When one needs charging i simply switch it out. These are the answer I was searching for. I’m not supposed to wear them at work, they are easily concealed under a yoga band around my head. My ears are tiny and I find the silicone tips to be quite uncomfortable. I’m searching now for memory foam but I don’t see them for the bit charge buds.
Hope this helps.
Donna Dawson
I ordered these after reading your review. I just received them today and boy what a disappointment. I paired them with my IPhone plus and they worked fine with podcasts. However, call quality is horrible. I tested them by calling 5 different people and they all told me my voice was too scratchy. I also had trouble hearing them because of the static. I even went through their factory reset with no success. I have emailed their support to get an RMA so I can send them back for a full refund.
Julie,
I know you said that they are rated for about 3 hours per charge, but what did you get personally?
Also, if you could compare them to another pair of Bluetooth earbuds which would they be?
I also got about 3hrs of play time per charge. As for comparing them to other Bluetooth earbuds, I would have to say that Syllable D900 MINI wireless earbuds are my current favorites. I really like the Rowkins for size and comfort, but the connectivity issues keep me from loving them.
These look like cheap knock-offs of the Schatzii Bullet 2.0:
https://www.schatzii.com/bullet-series/the-bullet-2-detail
This same design was also what got the Dot project into hot water:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/music/kickstarter-vigilantes-dot-earbuds/
I couldn’t believe it when I saw even Nakamichi got in on the clone action:
http://www.signeodesign.com/products/nakamichi-myears-true-wireless-earphones-nep-tw1
Oh how far Nakamichi has fallen from their days ruling over audiophile cassette decks.
Yes, these all look the same… The people with Dot contacted me recently to ask if I wanted to review them. I asked how they differed from the Rowkin earbuds that I had reviewed and I never received a reply. Apparently they had a campaign on Indiegogo too: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dot-world-s-smallest-bluetooth-headset-headphones–3#/
As far as I’m aware, only Schatzii (via parent company Cleer Gear) has legitimate claims to this design in the US:
http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=D0772204
The rowkin earbuds are very hard to pair. I don’t understand why you should need to pair the two earbuds together every time you use them that’ just does not make since. I’ve looked at the manual and videos over and over with no success with pairing with my iPhone or my iPad when I first got them they were fine with my iPhone but now they are just useless to me.
I have a pair of these and have really grown to love them. At first I had to pair them a couple times so they would work with phone calls on my iPhone. Now when I put them in and push both buttons they link right up with my phone. As far as the dropping out issue, I have found that if you twist one or the other (sometimes both) just a little bit, they quit cutting out. Not sure if the antennas need to be aligned just right, but that works for me. Also, I made small foam gaskets from a set of ear plugs, and put it behind the flap on the replaceable tips which made them much tighter in my ear, and makes them sound a lot better.
I have a pair of them and love them but last week was the first I used the charger for my iPhone and now the charger dose not work anymore they are less than 2 years old so I am not happy.
I experienced the audio cutting out on the right (secondary) earbud. I did a quick search, and found this troubleshooting tip regarding the orientation of the earbuds, and this has seemed to have fix the issue. I love these earbuds!!!
http://support.rowkin.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2608011-what-if-my-right-earbud-cuts-out-but-the-left-works-fine-
A few months ago I purshared a pair of the earbuds. They worked better them I expect but 2 weeks ago they would not pair up with each other. I can take calls and lies on to music but it’s not in stereo as promised. I like the fell that they fit my ear unlike other ear buds. Please help my with the pair that I have. Thanks
David, you’ll need to contact the vendor for these issues.
I just purchased a pair of Rowkin Bit Charge Stereo Bluetooth Earbuds and after the initial full charge that is stated in the quick start guide I literally had them paired and in my ears in about 2 minutes. They synnced up with my phone (Motorola Droid Turbo 64GB) instantly and they sound awesome!! I think people who complain about thye sound don’t really have them inserted into their ear canal properly. In order tyo get the optimum sound quality out of these earbuds you need to have then fully sealed into your ear canal with one of the three different size ear tips (S,M and L). Once they are sealed into the ear canal the sound it pretty impressive.
All I can say is that I’m so glad I went ahead and bought these because after reading all the bad reviews I was somewhat hesitant to drop the cash on them to find out everyone was right and they really are a problem child. What I honestly think is the biggst problem people have with these earbuds is there are no instructions in the box whatsoever. If you don’t put forth the effort to go online to the Rowkin website and download the user guide or at least read the quick start guide your going to have issues pairing them together and then syncing them to your phone.
Quick Start Guide
https://www.rowkin.com/start/rowkin-bit-charge
User Manual
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56328ab5e4b0072b5769c038/t/599256916b8f5b29a7ecef16/1502762657484/Rowkin_Bit_Charge_WSP8_1_ol_08102017.pdf
My cell has an amazingly far bluetooth range and I have used an old Motorola bluetooth for years. If I leave my cell on the first floor of my house the signal will reach up to the 2nd floor and down to the basement all of which are a far greater distance than 15 feet. I bought these Rowkin earbuds to use at work because it’s quite a noisey environment and instead of just plugging my ears I wanted to plug them with something enjoyable to listen to. So far I can walk anywhre in my work area at lease 60 feet in any direction and I have zero issues swith disconnecting or losing the signal.
Something I did read but have not yet experienced has something to do with the orientation of the ear buds in the ear canal. I can’t verify this but it has been stated that if the earbuds are not “clocked” properly they can lose their sync with each other. What this means is that if one earbud has the Rowkin name reading straight across and the other earbud has the Rowkin name upside down it can cause an issue. Like I said I have not experinced this and I have rotated both of them 360 degrees several times and noticed zero difference with the sync between the earbuds, pairing with the phone or the range.
As far as the charge goes I can’t really comment yet because I just started using them and haven’t needed to recharge yet. So far I’m very happy with the battery life even if it lasts 2 hours thats more than enough time for a device of this size and quality.
Overall my experience with this product has been a very positive one and I would highly recommend these earbuds to anyone wth the stipulation that you will at least take a few minutes to read the quick start guide and / or the Used Manual which I have posted both links above. I hope my post can give someone a little info to help make a decision whether to purchase or not purchase this product.
This is the most positive review of these earbuds that I’ve read. Either you aren’t very critical, or didn’t want to give a less than stellar review to a product that was given to you. In either event, I won’t be using your site for reviews in the future.
Did you even read my review? I stated the problems and recommended that people NOT buy them. I’m not sure how much more critical I could have been. That said, I gave these earbuds to my co-worker who uses them all the time and loves them so much that he puts up with the random audio cut out issues.