Tech review: Juku Rhythm bluetooth earphones

A cheap and cheerful middle of the road alternative to the top of the range models

Juku Rhythm bluetooth ear buds
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Price: €25
Where To Buy: jukugear.com/

I like the freedom of individual earbuds like the AirPods, but at least three times a day I’m convinced I’ve lost one. So I can see why there is still a market for bluetooth earbuds like the Juku Rhythm.

Instead of two separate buds, the Juku Rhythm bluetooth earbuds are tethered together, plus you get an over-ear hook to keep them in place when you are running or doing other exercise. It means if you have ears that usually reject buds – and mine can, depending on the day – you have a higher chance of getting the Juku Rhythm to stay in place. Even if they pop out of your ears, they won’t fall off.

Sound wise, they do just fine. This is a €30 set of bluetooth earbuds, which is worth bearing in mind if you are comparing them to the top of the range – they won’rt sound quite as good as the €300 equivalent, but they will do well enough.

Getting things set up and connected to your smartphone is easy enough, and quick too. Once they are properly paired it should be a matter of seconds to connect to the headphones and get playing your audio of choice.

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They are easy to use too. Charging over micro USB, the Juku Rhythm keeps things relatively simple: one button that pauses/plays songs, and skips music. Volume is controlled with a small volume button on one earbud, but it is a small enough control and can be quite fiddly.

A full charge will get you up to 180 hours of standby and up to five hours of talking or playback. It’s not stellar but it works just as long as the AirPods or Freebuds. Just don’t plan any marathon all-day hikes.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist