Motorola Moto Buds+ TWS review - The in-ear headphones with ANC, hi-res audio and Bose sound

Both the charging case and the earbuds are made from plastic and don't feature an official IP certification—at least this is what the datasheet says. However, the manufacturer states that it has made use of a water-repellent case design. This supposedly protects the Moto Buds+ from moderate contact with liquids, such as accidentally spilt drinks or light rain. Motorola hasn't specified a protection standard for the case, either.

There are two colorways of the Moto Buds+. Their design features relatively short "stems" on which a touch-sensitive control element has been installed. While the part of the in-ears that sits in your ear has a smooth surface, Motorola has used the charging case's slightly roughened finish for the rest of the earbud's case.

We like the Motorola headphones' build. The Moto Buds+ have a good seal and thanks to the various attachments that are included in the packaging, we managed to ensure a satisfactory fit during our test. The headphones' low weight of 4.1 g each also makes them comfortable to wear. Furthermore, the charging case has been built well and the lid sits securely thanks to the use of a magnet.

Similar to other headphones that use Android Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, devices already register the Moto Buds+ as new headphones as soon as you open the charging case—it couldn't be easier. We used a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with them during our test. Even without a Motorola smartphone, the appropriate app from the PlayStore opens automatically and is available whenever it is needed after a short time. You can also start the pairing process manually by clicking the integrated button on the charging case. The Moto-TWS headphones can connect to two devices at the same time. They are paired using Bluetooth 5.3 and there is no support for Apple devices (as of yet).

Via the companion app called "Moto Buds", the wireless headphones are not only supplied with the latest software version, but they can also be customized for individual operation. The two touch sensors can be configured with a double and triple tap gesture. This feels nice to use during everyday use, although pressure-sensitive operation—as the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 support—is often more precise and less likely to result in incorrect inputs. It's handy that the gestures can be assigned differently for both Buds+ headphones. You can also access an equalizer, wearer detection, noise control or a search function that works via acoustic localization. In addition to a mono mode so that both the left and right in-ear can be used independently, Dolby Atmos is also on board.

During our test, we used the Motorola headphones with a Google Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 Ultra including AAC pairing. If you own a smartphone with LHDC codec support, you can also use high-resolution audio material with them. The in-ears only support Dolby Atmos in combination with a Motorola cell phone.

Equipped with dynamic dual drivers (11 mm woofer + 6 mm tweeter), the Moto Buds+ sound great and don't suffer from much noise. Their sound is not particularly voluminous due to their weak low-frequency ranges, but this can be remedied by activating the ANC mode. This makes the headphones sound less flat. However, this is a phenomenon that most TWS have.

Music that flows through the Buds+ is relatively treble-heavy and features solid mids. Low frequencies in particular are underrepresented, meaning even the "Bass Accentuated" profile lacks punch when playing back many music genres. The equalizer in the Moto app also has other presets ("Brilliant Treble", "Vocal Accentuated", "Neutral") and a manual profile with 10 bands.

During our test calls, the Moto TWS headphones provided a clear and sufficiently loud voice output. The Buds+ scored points with our conversation partners thanks to their neutral voice reproduction. Background noise, such as road noise, is minimized, but wind noise overwhelms the microphones—this sometimes results in whistling sounds.

The Moto Buds+ are good wireless headphones that can't really stand out from the crowd of in-ears. One of the strengths of the Motorola TWS is certainly their very long runtimes. But the in-ears also stand out in terms of their build and feel. However, their lack of IP certification (waterproofness) does raise questions about their use during strenuous activities.   

If you are on the hunt for true-wireless headphones with long runtimes, then the Moto Buds+ may be worth taking a closer look at. It's a shame that several features are only supported by Motorola phones.

The Moto Buds+ can by no means be described as a sound miracle—even though they cost US$130—but their sound is still good, albeit somewhat generic. We can't confirm their advertised powerful bass. The Motorola headphones do a very satisfactory job of active noise suppression and the built-in microphones also work well for longer phone calls.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are a viable alternative in this price segment. If you prefer a more robust companion, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are a suitable representative with an IP68 certification below the 200-dollar mark.