REVIEW – After months of reviewing several earbuds in my quest to find the best wireless earbuds for me, I took a break. I did so primarily because I was satisfied with two of the models that I tested and I have been using them randomly each day when I travel back and forth to work. While I am not resuming the quest, I am taking the opportunity to test and review the Padmate PaMu Slide Mini earbuds
What is it?
The Padmate PaMu Slide Mini earbuds are a pair of lightweight earbuds that are designed for listening to music and conducting phone calls. They also work with Apple’s Siri and should be compatible with most Bluetooth equipped mobile devices.
1 x Dual-Function Portable Charger
1 x USB-C Charging Cable
6 x Ear Tips
1 x Carry bag
1 x User Manual
Design and features
Specifications:
Features
These earbuds come in a relatively small charging case and they are quite small with the name branded on each one. When the earbuds are in the case and being charged, the LED on the earbud lights red.
There are 4 LEDs on one side of the case that show the charge level of the battery in the case. Each LED represents 25 percent of the charge.
On the opposite side of the case, there is the USB-C charging port. The case also supports QI wireless charging.
The diagrams below show the operating functions of the touch surface on each earbud.
Performance
As with all new earbuds, the first thing I did was to fully charge them via the USB-C port on the case. Since the case supports wireless charging, that is an option as well. When you open the case and remove the earbuds, they automatically enter pairing mode. The pairing was easy and quick and they were ready for listening to music and of course conducting phone calls. The earbuds fit well and are very comfortable to wear.
I listened as I usually do to several genres including Contemporary Jazz, Easy Listening, The Classics, Gospel, etc., and I enjoyed the sound across all of the genres. It is very important to choose the correct size ear tips when using these earbuds. Once that is done, the sound is quite good and well balanced for the lows, mids, and highs. These earbuds seem to have a volume limiter that not only protects your eardrums but also ensures that there is no real discernible distortion in any frequency range.
Since my major issue with most earbuds has always been the call quality, I tested them extensively on phone call functions and was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked for both parties on the call.
What I like
- The lightweight but compact design
- The wireless charging case
- The rock-solid Bluetooth connection
- The nicely balanced sound
What can be improved
- They work well (No complaints)
Final thoughts
The Padmate PaMu Slide Mini Earbuds are good for daily use and have a nice sound. They are well designed and reasonably priced, and they stay in my ears quite well even with rigorous movements. They seem to have a volume limiter that makes them nice to listen to even at the highest volume of my iPhone. They pair easily and are very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. The wireless charging case is a really nice feature. In my opinion, they are worth the purchase price and I give them two thumbs up!!
Price: $69
Where to buy: Padmate website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Padmate
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Hey there, Julian! Just wanted to echo your props about these PaMu’s! Just got mine and ran them through the same musical “paces” you did, and they did not disappoint! So many times — especially with electronics — the reviews don’t match the actual performance of the equipment, it’s nice to see something that really “kicks it!” I LOVE these earbuds and love even more the fact that I’m not tied to a wire! There are times, like when I’m out shooting video, that wired earphones are necessary, but for recreational use, I’m LOVING these wireless buds!
Add my HUGE props to yours…I’ll tell everyone! Glad I found your website!
Cheers,
~Terry
Hi
Cannot get any help from pamu support. Just. got the minis sand they connect to my iphone with no issue but they do not connect to my macbook pro although it shows on the iphone that I am connected to my mac. How do I get them to connect??
Did you disconnect them from your iPhone first, then try to connect to your Macbook?
Hi…VERY nice review that I accidentally came across, luckily! One question: When will Amazon carry this Pamu Slide Mini buds? Maybe I’m cracked but I can’t find it there which is surprising. Whatcha think? Peace! ♐
I’ve followed links from reviews to Amazon and searched for them directly, but I can’t ever get this product to come up. So frustrating because I wanted to see others’ reviews before I committed to purchasing.
Just received my set, linked to the phone instantly. amazed at quality of sound. strangely, no earbuds have ever stayed in my ears. These were no exception, but, i reversed the recommended angle and they are firmly in place. very pleased.
Hey Dave
I have the same issue, all earbuds just fall out whatever size i use. What was the trick with these?
Can you listen independently with each ear bud, while the right is charging use just the left to listen, etc.?
Yes, you can. The ear bud functions will be limited as left and right ear buds have some different functions.
These are really excellent earbuds. Sound quality is amazing for the price.
My only major issue is the battery in the case. I use the buds, not for any great length of time, place them in the case to store and charge. The four small l.e.d.s drop to two showing after a few charges then a day later there’s no charge left (i.e. no l.e.d.s) and it needs recharging.
I’d warn against buying. I fell for the hype in their Instagram campaign. Bought the Slide. Sound was okay but within three weeks one earbud stopped working. Impossible to get a response from support, no way to make use of the warranty. It was a rip-off. There’s likely a reason they can’t sell on Amazon.
Just to clarify the Mini version of the PaMu Slide does not support wireless charging. The original version does and speculation on the internet is they removed this function to make a smaller case.