TCL is best known for its high-value televisions, but it is actually one of the largest consumer electronics conglomerates in the world. TCL runs its own factories and is investing $8 billion in its latest display panel fab. TCL's mobile division sells Alcatel and TCL branded featurephones, smartphones, and tablets, and the parent company also makes washing machines, refrigerators, consumer IoT devices, and more.
I have tested some of TCL's super-inexpensive in-ear headphones -- some as low as $10 -- and found them to be ridiculous values; they sound as good as products 10x the cost. So I was eager to get in TCL's on-ear MTRO headphones, now in a version with active noise cancellation, for just $79. Can they compete against products that are 4x - 6x more expensive from Sony, Bose, Apple (Beats), and others? In a word, no.
- The good: they sound good: the noise floor is low, the bass is well rounded without being bloated, and mid-range is just a bit lively, which sounds great on rock and pop. I also liked that there are physical buttons on the earcup; I'm not convinced that consumers can remember or properly execute swiping maneuvers on the go.
- The bad: the MTRO 200NC's noise cancellation is really weak. A female Voice of God loudly informs you every time you turn noise canceling on or off, so there's no question whether it is engaged, but it just doesn’t do very much. Also, charging is via ancient microUSB, rather than USB-C, so you'll need to keep a dedicated charging cable on hand.
- And the ugly news: these look and feel like those $29 BEATZ or SUMSANG headphones you see at drugstores, not like a product from a company with a respected global brand, major sports sponsorships, and $11 billion in revenue last year. The flimsy cardboard and plastic packaging could not be cheaper, and it is not helped by the font choice and colors. The headphones themselves are no better: the plastic used on the headband and earcups feel rough and the buttons are toy-like. Even at $79, even if you are willing to look past the noise cancelation performance, aesthetics matter. If you can overlook the out of box experience (OOBE) and build quality, fine, but if you are giving them as a holiday gift, you should be aware that they don't look like they cost as much as they do.