Urbanista recently dropped the Phoenix Solar — the world’s first self-charging, solar-powered wireless active noise canceling earbuds. This is huge, as the brand claims this device offers “infinite playtime,” using a solar panel built into the case to keep it juiced even if you haven’t plugged it in.
But these earbuds aren’t a one-trick pony. After a week of testing the Urbanista Phoenix Solar earbuds, it became clear that solar charging is only a fraction of what makes these earbuds an intriguing buy.
In SPY’s ever-evolving quest for the most comfortable earbuds, the best wireless earbuds, and the best hook earbuds for running. But ever so often those unicorn products from companies you might not yet know pop up. After testing these earbuds for my Urbanista Phoenix review, these might be the next pair in the tech spotlight.
Urbanista Phoenix Solar Powered Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds
Pros
- Active Noise Cancellation
- Solar powered case
- Good bass
Cons
- Larger than the average earbud case
- Sound Profile less detailed than others
- Touch controls don’t work well
Urbanista Phoenix Solar Design
At first glance, it’s easy to see that the case is larger than most others. It’s about the size of the Apple AirPods Pro and the 1More Evo case combined. Having the case in my pocket felt like carrying around a second phone or wallet.
It’s very easy to look past the size, however, in exchange for outlet-free charging and no more dead batteries. The earbuds even come with a handy lanyard that attaches to the case to keep it continuously charging outside your bag while on the run.
The earbuds themselves feel sturdy, have a quality build, and also are comfortable to wear. I kept the earbuds in for several hours during the workday and didn’t experience any sort of fatigue.
Urbanista Phoenix Solar Features
Solar power is the main selling point – it’s in the name – but other great features include active noise cancellation and a transparency mode similar to what Moto Buds 600 and AirPods Pro offer. It also has multipoint connection capability to connect to more than one device at once, which is convenient when switching between a laptop or phone, or if you have a personal and work phone and use your earbuds for both.
You can expect about eight hours of battery life from the buds themselves with 34 total battery reserves from the case and, of course, the potential for infinite playback with solar power at your disposal.
The touch controls, however, need some work. They appear to be towards the top of the stem, but often, I would try to pause a song or podcast by double-tapping the earbud and it wouldn’t pause. I tried double-tapping quickly, slowly, and somewhere in between, but the results weren’t consistent.
I’d find myself reaching for my phone to control the earbuds because that was quicker to pause and play rather than fumbling around with the earbuds.
Urbanista Phoenix Solar Sound Quality
The Urbanista Phoenix has a balanced sound profile and provides plenty of low-end, making it great to listen to songs that bump, like Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle.” But when I listened to more high-end and midrange-oriented songs like Radiohead’s “Let Down,” some of the intricate guitar work gets swallowed up by the bass.
I noticed the clarity feebleness distinctly when listening to The Bill Simmons Podcast and switching back and forth between my Airpods Pro and The Phoenix Solar earbuds. It was clear that the latter sounded more muffled.
Overall, the Phoenix Solar earbuds sound great — they really do. It’s the closest thing I’ve found to the sound profile of the Airpods Pro and even has a better bass response. If you find yourself constantly amping up the bass on your stereo or equalizers, you might prefer the Urbanista Phoenix sound profile to the likes of the Airpods Pro.
The Verdict: Should You Buy the Urbanista Phoenix Solar?
These are comfortable earbuds that sound great especially if you prefer a bass-heavy sound profile. You get, in my experience, endless battery life from the case and eight hours of running time in addition to premium features like multipoint connectivity and ANC. All things considered, do not hesitate to try these earbuds.
