With wireless Bluetooth earbuds becoming more and more in demand each day, it’s no surprise how even well-established brands are rushing to release their own versions. In saying that, today we are going to be looking at Grado who is set to release their first pair of true wireless earbuds later this month – the Grado GT220.
Grado is known for their open-back over-ear headphones, producing the finest quality over the years. They made their entrance in the wireless market back in 2018 with the GW100, an open-back on-ears pair. Now, they’re launching their first ever true wireless earbuds which many are looking forward to with the lineup of features that they offer.
With that being said, let’s go ahead and get on with this review starting off with the good things that we found out about this pair. Read on for the Pros of the Grado GT220.
Pros
Lightweight. This model has a really small form factor, only weighing 5 grams each. This means that they’re more likely to be comfortable as you probably won’t even notice that you’re wearing them after a while. This is perfect for long flights or long commutes since while you’d still be able to listen to your favorite tracks or podcasts to relax, you wouldn’t have as much ear fatigue in the process.
Wireless Charging. This pair offers wireless charging through a Qi charging mat (that you would have to buy separately) aside from powering up via USB-C which they claim would take about 2 hours. This is especially convenient for those who have phones that utilize wireless charging as you wouldn’t have to worry about carrying along a separate cable for your earbuds case.
Now we all know that with the good comes the bad – or in this case, the not-so-good. While we saw some things that really stood out for us with regards to this pair, we also saw some factors that can be considered as Cons rather than Pros for this particular model. All things considered, here are the Cons we found for the Grado GT220.
Cons
Mediocre Battery Life. While the GT220 performs a lot better compared to other wireless earbuds in the market with 6 hours of playtime, you can definitely expect something a little bit longer considering the price it retails for. While it claims to last more than 24 hours (made possible by the alleged ability to be able to charge 5x over via the charging case), many other pairs are already able to do that with more playtime in the buds for the same or even cheaper retail price.
No Noise Cancellation. This pair doesn’t have any sort of Active Noise Cancellation technology which wouldn’t be a big issue a few years ago but now, it is kind of weird especially since this one is marketed as a high-end pair. Also, in a time where everyone is on the go, it’s almost a requirement at this point to offer some sort of noise cancelling technology. We don’t know exactly if there’s a reason for this but it’s definitely a bit disappointing in our book.
Too Expensive. All in all, this pair’s price point is simply too high for what you do get. It sits with the likes of Sony and Bang & Olufsen but we think that it lacks some features and innovation to ultimately justify the level at which they’re at. If they were half the price though, we’d definitely be more impressed and would consider this pair to have really good value for money.
Generally, the Grado GT220 seems to have potential to be a great pair for everyday with its light form factor and comfortable fit. Offering wireless charging was also a really good move on their part as most phones utilize that technology nowadays. They seemed to have convenience and comfort at the forefront with this pair which is always great to have in the pretty fast-paced world we live in.
But unfortunately, they didn’t quite hit the mark in some aspects which made their value for money have a pretty low score from us. For one, the battery life could’ve been improved with regards to its playtime. They also could’ve added some sort of active noise cancellation technology which is pretty much a must in modern times. If they were able to fix these little hang-ups – or lower their price, their value for money will be tremendously better and they’ll truly be worth your buck.
In conclusion, if you’re dead set on getting these earbuds – while that’s not the worst idea ever, we would recommend waiting until they smooth out the Cons that we’ve mentioned (and find a way to integrate amazing audio while they’re at it) for you to get the best experience out of this. If you’re in a hurry though, we recommend browsing the wireless earbuds market for more options and narrowing it down until you’ve found the perfect pair for you. You can check out our other articles for reviews of other pairs of true wireless earbuds (wink, wink!) to help you out. Ultimately, we hope to have helped you with this review and we wish you all the best with your earbud hunting journey.
