adidas Sport FWD-001 in Ear Bluetooth Earphones - Night Grey

Product Information

For extra features, Adidas also has a dedicated app which I used during my review of FWD-01. That app helps optimize audio, for the most part, but also delivers more accurate readouts for the battery level. And, best of all, the app includes customizations for the multi-function button attached to these earbuds. The lightweight 25g design, combined with the secure fit of the earbuds, mean you’ll likely never have to readjust the earbuds once you’ve put them in – and that’s not something I can say of many wireless earbuds at any price point. We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product. Audio quality isn’t industry leading, but by running headphone standards the Adidas FWD-01 offer decent sound quality.

The Adidas FWD-01 aren’t a subtle bit of kit. Chunky left and right buds with a spidery mesh pattern, they look like they’ve been through a Tough Mudder or three straight out of the box. Where do the new Adidas FWD-01 sport in-ear headphones come in, then? One of the sporting giant’s first forays into the audio market, the FWD-01 is clearly intended for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and runners as its target audience.Being Adidas’ first-ever range of audio equipment, the FWD-01 does a decent enough job in the audio department, though it doesn’t yet match up to the likes of Jaybird or Bose, both of which have been in the industry for much, much longer. The base preset EQ is pretty solid, which is by default bass-forward, which certainly pumps some adrenaline in your workout. As such, bass-heavy genres such as EDM and hip hop will no doubt benefit from it. But if that’s not for you, there are other EQ presets available in the app, or it can be manually edited, giving you a bevvy of audio options. Otherwise, the battery in Adidas FWD-01 lasts even longer than the company claimed. And that’s under conditions that would drain most devices over a far shorter period than is claimed. And that’s bearing in mind that conditions such as distance from a source device, volume, media type, and other factors drastically change battery life from user to user. I listened at 90-percent volume from a distance averaging 20-feet. So my use was more intensive than most users’ will be. While they aren’t the prettiest gym headphones around, when it comes to functionality they easily match competing sets from the likes of Jaybird.

adidas lists 16 hours of battery life, and while difficult to actually quantify, I believe battery life to be very close to this estimate. I wear them for hours per day (running, walking, using them for phone calls, house/yard chores) and seem to go for days before I remember to recharge them. You can also see a battery percentage within the app, but I rarely remember to look there for status updates (I just never need to really given the battery life, but it is a nice feature regardless). Charging is easy, simply plug in the USB-C cable provided (though very short). The earbuds themselves are the same way. There was just enough flex in the ear tip wing to keep the earbuds in place without putting too much pressure on the outer ear. Meanwhile, the earbud tips are squishy and comfortable too. So wearing this in-ear all day didn’t present any trouble either. Bass is banging, punchily described in Jamiroquai’s Canned Heat. It gets my head bopping and feet tapping, the funkadelic rhythms delivered with aplomb. There’s pleasing weight, drive and power to the low frequencies in Tom Morello’s cover of Voodoo Child, but it isn’t overdone (like the Z.N.E. 01 ANC, the equalizer here is set to the flat “Adidas”). The way in which the bass is integrated here is certain to get people pumped up during workouts. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.

If you’re in the market for a solid pair of running or gym headphones with a marathon battery life then the Adidas FWD-01 are a solid choice. They offer decent audio quality by gym-headphone standards and come with a lengthy 16-hour battery life and fast-charge support. From our time using the FWD-01, the controls are satisfactory in terms of responsiveness. Using them isn’t a hassle either, which is good especially when you’re running and don’t want to fuss over the controls too much. The lid is detachable to avoid breakages. This hasn’t been an issue for me with other earbuds, but perhaps it’s a concern for those who are a bit rougher with their earbuds and fling them into their gym bag. Now, Adidas FWD-01 is part of the company’s “Running” line of wireless earbuds. And, as such, it isn’t necessarily the best option if you happen to need to put a lot of distance between yourself and your smartphone. In fact, compared to other earbuds I’ve had the opportunity to review, Adidas FWD-01 performed among the worst I’ve tested on range.

Furthermore, while its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity is extremely stable with phones, it doesn’t pair well with laptops or desktops. This then limits its versatility quite considerably, which means users have to use a separate pair of headphones when taking this out to the office and gym on the same day. S0, without further ado, let’s dig in and see how they did. Adidas FWD-01 hardware showcases a new take on an old design Adidas FWD-01 comes with a simple carry case, charging cable, and extra tips and wings for a more comfortable fit What’s surprising is that the IP rating isn’t higher. Given the FWD-02 Sport have been designed in consultation with Adidas Runners, a community of international runners, the IP rating is rather bog-standard. Features The fit feels plush and comfortable, more so than the Z.N.E. 01 ANC, and the FWD-02 Sport maintain those cushy comfort levels over extended periods of time. In terms of hardware aesthetics and design, Adidas FWD-01 comes in three colors — the company sent its “Night Grey” variation for review. The other colors are “Light Grey” and the multi-toned blue, coral pink, and grey “Signal Coral.”The Adidas Headphones app (for Android and iOS) immediately recognizes the paired earphones and leads you through a tour of their features and customizable options. The aforementioned Action button can be set up through the app, and different actions can be assigned to single, double, and triple presses, but customization is limited to voice assistants and Spotify controls. Perhaps the app's most useful feature is the built-in five-band EQ, with several adjustable presets, as well as a user preset labeled Custom. Of course, that means they aren’t necessarily going to be the most audiophile-friendly headphones on the market. But they certainly aren’t the worst either. Especially if you keep the volume below 70-percent of the maximum. Above around 80-percent, the bass does tend to overpower. But under that, the frequency separation and distinction are actually very good. If not the best. They aim to offer fitness fanatics the ultimate set of collar earphones featuring a rugged sweat-proof design, more wing tip options than can easily be counted, and a marathon-length battery life.

The only downside is that their chunky design can make them a little clunky to wear during specific workouts, such as boxing or climbing. The issue I’ve encountered is that they tend to move around in the ears. The up and down motion of running shifts the position of the earbuds a little, leading to an impact on the seal and music suffering from some leakage. I’ve attached the biggest wing-tips, and it’s only been an issue when vigorously moving about – in the gym, it was fine. Note that attaching the wing-tips can take a little while –it’s a fiddly process of positioning the rubbery elastic in the right place. The sound quality of the FWD-01 is excellent, with a deep range of sound, full, clean rich bass and can easily be customized within the app.Finally, Adidas includes a fold-to-close carry case. Adidas made that from a mesh material and even added a slot specifically for the charging cable. But it’s also small enough that the accessories just barely fit without being difficult to place inside. So, unlike many other companies’ included carry cases, this one from Adidas doesn’t take up much more extra room than the earbuds themselves would. That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. But, since I really don’t want to rely on a battery bank — which itself will need to continuously be recharged — or a laptop port, it very nearly felt like one. Although I could just as easily buy or use one of my other USB-C charging cables, the inclusion of such a short cable is a real letdown.