PaMu Slide Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds from Padmate

Product Review

by Ryan Madin

Overview: Bluetooth Earphones that may have the whole market beat.

With the success of Apple’s AirPods, and with the other big players in the headphone game getting in on the wireless bluetooth earphone craze, its hard to see how a lesser-known brand can hope to muscle their way in and find a space in an already saturated market. But with a record amount of backers on crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, the earbuds claiming to be “AirPod killers” are definitely coming out swinging.

Now, I’ve never been one to spend a lot on earphones, tending to use whatever came free with my devices rather than splash out on an expensive pair. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate good quality sound, and have spent big on over-ear headphones in the past. It’s just that earphones always get a bit abused. They tangle up in my pockets, get yanked, bashed, pulled and sat on in transit, and generally never last that long.

Let’s face it, earphones have their drawbacks. An essential item for many people leaving the house, I never find them comfortable to wear, the wires become knotted and the sound is generally not the best. I have always been tempted by wireless bluetooth headphones but the battery life and power consumption when using them with your phone have put me off.

With this in mind, the latest contender into the market peaked my interest, with some bold claims and very good technical specs. So I was interested to give them a run for their money.

What Padmate Say:

Padmate are throwing around some pretty bold statements in the marketing for the new PaMu Slides, touting them as “the BEST bluetooth earbuds you can buy, period.”

They sum them up as follows:

“With $4 Million+ raised and 80,000+ backers recommended, PaMu Slide perfect the sound quality, battery life, signal stability, comfort level and everything you’re looking for. It will redefine what Bluetooth earphone should be. There has never been a better time to upgrade your listening experience!”

Features:

The new PaMu Slide Earbuds come with a whole host of upgrades, including 3x increased play time, 2x less power consumption and 8x the transmission capacity of previous models.

They are also said to use the best TWS Chip you can find on the market. Which “gives you an incredible sound quality, extremely long battery life, and strong wireless connection at an unbeatable price.” This chip came out of a collaboration with Qualcomm and Intel to create the most powerful processing chip in any bluetooth earphone currently on the market. It may surprise you to know that PadMate have developed the audio tech for some of the biggest brands around over the past 17 years.

An ergonomic design means that the Slide are comfortable to wear and won’t move or fall out (even when running climbing or jumping) whilst ensuring a great sound with minimal outside noise pollution. A 10 hour battery life, as well as the capability for five full charges in the case, means that they are a long-lasting option suited to commuters and travellers. The case also gives the option of wireless charging for smart phones with that capability.

The fact that they are IPX6 certified water resistant will give comfort and confidence when you inevitably get caught out in our fine Yorkshire weather.

Touch controls on each earphone mean the user can control everything without having to take their device out of their pocket or bag, from pausing, changing song, answering calls and adjusting the volumes, it’s covered.

A superior sound quality is enhanced by having Bluetooth 5.0 to ensure smooth, lag free playback, and the inclusion of dual microphones means they have all bases covered.

My Experience:

Straight out of the box the experience was positive. The charging case they come in is sleek, protective and secure, and the main box includes cables to charge this with and a manual for operation in a wide variety of languages. Connection to your device is simple, and once it connects you don’t need to do it again, the earbuds will automatically sync as soon as you take them out of their case. When you take the earphones out a voice will say ‘connected’ to let you know you are ready to go. The manual also has instructions for the side buttons on the earphones.

In your ear they are very comfortable. I was really surprised by this. They take a couple of wiggles to get secure but once they’re in they stay in. I have been using these while working out and have had not issues with them staying put at all. Usually after a while earphones start to hurt and irritate me but the PaMu Slides have not given me any grief at all.

I was sceptical of the side buttons when I first read the instructions, thinking that I wouldn’t use them, but I actually have. For pausing music and answering the phone they are a really great feature, especially while running or if your device is in a pocket or bag. Just tapping the earphones once will pause/un-pause a song or answer/end a call. The left hand button is also compatible with Siri which was a surprising and useful little bonus.

The battery life is what makes them special for me. Yes, the case is much bigger than the AirPods, but its really worth it. I’ve not charged the case once in the few weeks I’ve had them, and haven’t seen the earphone run out of battery at all. Now, I’m not using them for long commutes or anything, but if you remember to charge the case on a weekend I can’t see why the battery wouldn’t last all week long for most usage. I also haven’t seen any detrimental effect to my phone’s battery life compared to traditional wired headphones.

I’ve not used the wireless charging as my phone doesn’t not have the capability, but I would imagine it’s a great backup and another justification for the larger charging case compared to the AirPods.

Now for the sound – the biggest thing you look for when buying earphones. In short, it’s excellent. The bass is prevalent but not oppressive, drums and guitars sound crisp and vocals are clear. I’ve tried a range of genres and styles of music, as well as podcast, films and audio books and all have sounded great. I’d say that the sound is better than any in ear headphones I’ve tried before, including AirPods 2, by a very long way. The seal of the earbuds means that most external noise is blocked out. Audio form video playback was slightly delayed on occasion but nothing overly noticeable and it wasn’t regular.

The Verdict:

I think the PaMu Slides are exceptional and they have become a key part of my everyday carry. The simplicity of use, excessively good battery life and high quality sound – the key three things you want – have impressed me and I will be interested to see how they hold up over time. Are they AirPods killers? As a fashion accessory, I think Apple have all the competition beat, but as earphones I would say that the PaMu Slide may the whole market on the ropes.
9/10

The Pamu Slide is available from indiegogo.com for £56 with worldwide shipping