Boltune BT-BH023 and BT-BH024 true wireless earbuds review

REVIEW – There have to be hundreds of wireless Bluetooth earbuds out on the market today.  Recently, I have seen a jump in those that are directly copying the design style of AirPods.  Boltune is one of those companies that jumped on the AirPod mimick bandwagon.  They have two different versions that I was sent to review.  One has the longer stem like the original AirPods and the other has a shorter stem like the AirPods pro.  I always have issues with earbuds hurting my ears after about an hour of use.  Let’s see if either of these earbuds will work for me and perform well.

What is it?

Both the BT-BH023 and BT-BH024 are wireless Bluetooth earbuds.  Each has a few features the other does not.  Read on to see what those are and how they compare.

What’s in the box?

Please note the picture of the box on the main image is for the BT-BH023.  The BT-BH024 is the same exact size but only has the words ‘True Wireless Stereo’ instead of ‘Active Noise Cancelling’.

BT-BH023

• Earbud case with earbuds inside
• Micro USB charging cable
• Two alternate sizes of ear tips with the medium residing on the buds themselves
• User manual
• Quick Start Guide
• Support card offering 30 months warranty instead of 12 by having you send your order id to an email address.
• Amazon ‘Gift Card’ if you review their product

BT-BH024

• Earbud case with earbuds inside
• Micro USB charging cable
• Two alternate sizes of ear tips with the medium residing on the buds themselves
• User manual
• Quick Start Guide
• Support card offering 30 months warranty instead of 12 by having you send your order id to an email address.

Hardware specs

BT-BH023

• Active Noise Cancelling
• Enhanced Deep Bass
• Customizable Eartips in 3 Size
• Crystal-Clear Calls with 4 Mics
• USB-C Quick Charge
• 30 Hrs Listening Time
• Touch Control
• IPX8 Waterproof
• Audio Codec: SBC, AAC
• Bluetooth Version: 5.0
• Bluetooth Range: up to 20m/66ft
• Playtime: 6hrs, up to 24hrs with charging case
• Battery Capacity: 350mAh

BT-BH024

• Audio Codec: SBC, AAC Apt-X
• Playtime: up to 42hrs with charging case
• cVc 8th Noise Cancellation Technology: For clear hands-free calls
• Role Switching Technology: Freely use either earbud
• Intuitive Ear Detection: Easy to control the call and music
• Open to Pair: Open the lid, earbuds will auto turn on and pair to your Bluetooth device
• Pocket-Sized Charging Case: Charge on the go
• IPX8 Waterproof
• Touch Control
• Audio Codec: SBC, AAC, Apt-X
• Playtime: 7hrs, up to 42hrs with charging case
• Charging Port: USB C
• Bluetooth Version: 5.0
• Bluetooth Range: up to 20m/66ft

Design and features

The picture above shows the BH024 grey case up top and the BH023 below.   The 24 case is really nice with a cloth-like cover over sturdy plastic and it is very easy to open.  The 23 case is hard black plastic and also opened easily.  you can see the 24 case is larger and that is due to the longer stems of the earbuds.

This is what the 23 series earbuds look like inside the case.  You can see the LEDs light up showing they are charged.

This is the inside of the 24 case.  You can see the microphones on the outside of the stems.  The LED indicators are on the inside of these earbuds.  I do like how they labeled both the left and right earbud placement in the case.

I placed both right earbuds side by side for comparison.  The two things that stand out are the longer stem length of the series 24, and the thicker body shape of the series 23.  Heads up, for those of you with smaller ear canals, the series 24 work a lot better for me.  I have worn them for over four hours due to being at home and holding online meetings with no ear pain.  I could only wear the series 23 earbuds for about an hour before they started to ache.

Another difference between the cases is the LED lights on the front of the case.   The series 23 has three LED which makes it very easy to tell how much of a charge is left in the case.  When all three lights are lit like this, the case has a full charge.  Taking the buds out of the case will power them on automatically.  Placing them back in the case will turn them off. On the back of the BT-024 buds case is a reset button you can press and hold for 10 seconds with the case open to reset the earbuds.  Pressing the button when the case is closed will show the power status.

The series 24 only has a single LED light on the front.  It blinks while charging and becomes steady when fully charged.  That single LED light will flash red when you open the case when the charge in the case is low.   Opening the lid of the case will power on the earbuds automatically and closing the case will power them down.  On the back of the case is a reset button you can press and hold for 10 seconds with the case open to reset the earbuds.  Pressing the button when the case is closed will show the power status.

This is a picture of the series 23 in my ear.  Compared to the picture below you can see that it is taking up a lot more room in my ear canal.

This is a picture of the series 24 in my ear.  You can really tell that the stem is longer than the 23.

Setup

Setup was really easy for both sets of earbuds.  When you took either set out of the case, they paired with each other and then went into pairing mode for an external device.  You then search for either BT-BH023 or BT-BH024 in the Bluetooth listing.  An extra feature of the series 24, is once you pair with the set, you will get a popup to pair with the left earbud only.  Doing that will let you use either earbud in your ear.  You can put the other in the case and it will continue to work.  With the series 23, you can use the left earbud only but not the right.  This is an issue for me as I often walk on trails.  I walk to the right and like to leave my left ear free to hear better the folks passing me on my left side.

Performance

Both series sounded great to me.  I listen to audiobooks, attend online meetings for work in Teams, and watch YouTube videos.  I don’t really listen to any music with the earbuds on.  I received good feedback on the microphones for both headphones from folks in meetings and on phone calls.  If I had to nitpick, I would say the series 24 sounded a little less hollow than the series 23.  It might be the fact that the microphone is ever so slightly closer to my mouth.  The microphone on the series 24 is on the outside while the one on the 23 is on the inside.  I loved how I can take either earbud out of my ear on the series 24 and my audio would continue to play.   The 24 also have an additional feature in that they detect when both buds are out of your ear.  When that happens, whatever you were listening to pauses.

The series 23 lets you tap the earbuds to turn off the ANC noise-canceling feature that the series 24 does not have.  The series 23 are a large module as I mentioned earlier and that lets them have a full 10mm driver and will provide a nice base, while the 24s are more suited to my style of listening which includes phone calls, meetings, and audible books.  I also believe a big part of the better noise cancellation the 23s provide is due to the amount of room they take up in your ear canal.

The 23 series have soft-touch features on the outside of the buds that let you skip tracks, play or pause music, or answer and end phone calls.  The series 24 has the same options except you have to take the earbuds out to pause and put them back in to play.  They both come with an 18-month warranty and a 90-day return window.  You will get 7 hours of playtime off the 24 versus 6 hours on the 23.   The 24s also supports the aptX codec which the 23s do not. This allows for low latency, making them ideal for watching movies and videos. The EQ is significantly more balanced than the EQ on the 23s. Rather than a strong bass emphasis, you get equal emphasis across the board.

What I like

• Nice cases
• USB-C chargers YAY!
• Well built and IPX8 waterproof ratings.
• Both sound and work great.
• Great price

What needs to be improved

• It would be nice if the series 23 allowed either earbud to work by itself.
• Let the series 24 have play and pause taps to the earbuds also.  Taking them in and out to temporarily pause and play is a pain.

Final thoughts

Either one of these Boltune earbuds is a great choice.  It all depends on what you are looking for in sound and if you have small ear canals or not.  Based on sound alone,  if you love the bass and want to listen to techno or any heavy dance music, go with the 23s.  If you want to have a more balanced sound and prefer jazz, blues, classical, or have small ear canals go with the 24s.

Price: $59.99 for either the BT-BH023 or BT-BH024   Right now there is a $10 of the 24s on Amazon
Where to buy: Amazon – BT-BH023  or Amazon – BT-BH024
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Boltune.