QCY QY31 Review: Sports Bluetooth Earphones

QCY, a China-based company, recently launched a pair of budget Bluetooth earphones called the QY31. Although it isn’t a new name in wireless earphones segment, the company has been selling budget wireless headphones and Bluetooth earbuds for a while now through online channels.

The QY31 is designed for active use, which would typically include gyming, running, or any sort of sports activity. Under $25, they are quite affordable too as far as 10mm speaker Bluetooth earphones go but are they really worth it? Let’s find out it in our QCY QY31 review below.

QCY QY31 Design and Features

QY31 packaging is also in QCY style, the double-layer packaging has always been a feature of QCY products, two-layer box quality is also very good. The box that houses the QY31 earphones is black tightly wrapped up on black sponge, fashion sense is also quite good.

The side compartment of the box is filled with two pairs of different ear tips and a Micro-USB cable for charging. Although the price of headphones is not high and the packaging style is very compelling.

The QY31 earphones are built entirely of plastic and have a sporty look, which seems appealing. However, upon closer inspection, we felt that the build quality, as well as the fit and finish, could’ve been better. The rubberized cable connecting both the earbuds feels durable.

The QY31 earbuds are designed to slip into your ear canal when you wear them and to help it secure it in place; you get a perfectly balanced wing tip which you can adjust it on your ear. The right earbud has three buttons for controlling your music, along with a Micro-USB port, a microphone, and an LED light to assist when pairing the phone.

In terms of specifications, the QCY QY31 supports Bluetooth 4.1, a theoretical range of 10 meters and promises up to 8 hours of battery life. According to QCY, the Bluetooth Earphones are sweat resistant too and are IPX4 rated. However, earphones that can supposedly withstand splashes of water and rain.

QCY QY31 Performance

At first, It is simple to get a comfortable fit with the QCY QY31, the fit is pretty snug. They don’t move about even when you run, which is good. It is lightweight, 50cm flexible cable feels comfortable, wear up no sense of weight. The effect is good when you’re jogging, do not worry about the headset because of strenuous movement and fall off.

The media control buttons feel a bit fiddly but the tactile response is decent and it’s easy to reach with your fingers when you’re on the move. The buttons that let you skip or go to the previous track can also be used to adjust the volume if you long press them.

The company also packed it with the 10mm dynamic driver drivers with the apt-X codec and CVC 6.0 Noise reduction technology. We tested the QY31 primarily with Android devices. The pairing process is pretty straight forward as you hold down the power button till the LED flashes red and blue. The earphones also have a voice prompt that tells you when they are powered on or off, when it’s connected to a device, or when the battery is running low.

When streaming audio, we noticed the audio quality from the 10mm drivers is above average with the slightly heavy bass even at moderate volumes. This is very noticeable in “Look At Me Now”, where the bass over-powers the song. In vocal tracks like Eminem’s Lose Yourself, instrument separation is quite distinctive and the overall soundstage is good. Mid-range frequencies and treble feel balanced.

We also tested the QY31 with videos streamed from YouTube. Audio quality is decent, action sequences in videos can sound a bit jarring. We had a good experience with phone calls through the Bluetooth earphones. The voice quality of the caller came smoothly and out and the person on the other end was also heard us clearly. It has 90mAh battery capacity and battery life is decent as we managed to get around 5-6 hours of continuous use.

Final line

The QCY QY31 might be inexpensive but that does not mean that it comes at the cost of audio quality and the build. The Black color design looks good and they fit easily in your ears, but the finish of the plastics is quite average. We also like the balanced volume between the two earbuds, and audio quality is above average with the slightly overpowering bass. We feel it’s good to give it one chance when it comes with the very affordable price tag of around $24.99 at Amazon.com.