Customer Ratings & Reviews

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: First off, I have to state that, prior to receiving the Rowkin Surge Charge “truly wireless” Bluetooth earbuds, I had never heard of the company. I attempted to search out information about the company, but came up empty-handed. Even their own website has no real information, basically stating nothing more than the fact that they design & manufacture “products for the determined, bold, and daring.” As it turns out, the company is still, technically, a startup. The packaging design is fairly standard for this type of product, although magnetic closure of the inner box is a nice touch, something typically found on higher-end products. Inside the inner box, there is the charging case, a bag containing the ‘small’ and ‘large’ eartips (the ‘medium’ are pre-installed), another bag containing the USB-to-microUSB charging cable, and the pair of truly wireless earbuds. Unfortunately, upon opening the charging case, I was greeted with my first “disappointment”. Seeing the pair of microUSB connectors, attached to very short (slightly longer than 1”) cables, I immediately realized that these truly wireless earbuds were different than al the others. Whereas all other truly wireless earbuds use contacts (inside the case, as well as on the earbuds, themselves) for charging, the Rowkin Surge Charge earbuds require the user to physically plug the microUSB connectors into the earbuds for charging. This, quite obviously, takes additional time, and, even though an additional 15-30 seconds (the approximate time for plugging the earbuds in, as well as unplugging them, and returning the microUSB connectors into the “storage” positions) might not seems like a lot of time, that will add up to wasted time over the eadbud’s lifetime. The charging case, itself, is of a fairly nice design. The material has an almost leather-like appearance, even though I’m certain it’s vinyl (since these are “sport rated”, carrying an IPX5 rating). As for the earbuds, they are of a fairly nice design…somewhat compact, with fully adjustable ear hooks. Speaking of those ear hooks, they appear to be a thick bendable wire, covered by rubber. While they are extremely easy to adjust to any ear shape, take note that you will have to return them to their original shape EVERY time you put them inside the case (whether you’re charging them, or not). This point is my second complaint, as, sooner or later, the ear hooks are going to break. When you have metal, every time you bend it, you weaken it. Since you will be bending it in one “direction” to adjust the earbuds to your ear, and them the opposite “direction” to return them to their original shape, this will weaken them that much quicker. BATTERY AND DISTANCE: My next complaint is with the battery. The battery capacity (I’m assuming it’s per ear, and not the combined capacity) is only 95mAh, to which Rowkin claims 5 hours of use. However, in actual use, I never got more than 3 hours (actual time ranged from 2.5 to 3 hours). Granted, the charging case can recharge the earbuds multiple times (Rowkin claims four recharges, but I got barely more than three…another “disappointment), plus a 10-minute recharge gives you one hour of listening time (this claim is true, for the most part…I got 57 minutes from a 10-minute charge). Moving over to distance, this is one area that the Surge Charge does appear to shine. While I never tested maximum distance outside (like most people, I don’t exactly care to leave my phone in an “unprotected” area, and walk away from it), inside my house, with multiple walls, I was able to place the phone in the north-west corner, and walk to the south-east corner, and remain connected. SOUND QUALITY: I’m not going to say I was “disappointed” with the sound quality…but only because I wasn’t expecting much from them. Other “truly wireless” earbuds tend to be in the $150-300 range, whereas the Rowkin Surge Charge retails for only $100. As has been said for more years than anyone can remember, “You get what you pay for.” That being said, one shouldn’t expect to “get” much. If you are getting these because you can’t afford to spend a lot, and you’re expecting “mediocre” sound, then you will be pleasantly-surprised, as the sound these produce is considerably better than “mediocre”…but, don’t expect these to sound anything like earbuds (including wireless earbuds) from the likes of Bose, Sony, Jabra, etc. The sound is a bit flat (easily adjustable if your device and/or app has its own EQ settings), and there’s no bass to truly notice (using an EQ, you can increase the bass level, but know, in advance, that you’ have to seriously boost your EQ’s bass), but, other than that, the sound quality is fairly decent…for $100 truly wireless earbuds. Listening to music wasn’t “unpleasant”, but it wasn’t exactly “enjoyable”. On a 1-10 scale, I’d probably place music quality around 5…maybe 5.5, but no higher. Listening to the audio from YouTube sounded somewhat better, albeit, not by much…giving it a 6-6.5. Moving over to phone conversations…what Bluetooth headsets were originally designed for…I experiences my next set of “disappointments”. The sound is somewhat “hollow”. I wish I could describe it better than that, but “hollow” is the only word that comes to mind. It reminds me of the sound quality of landline phones from the 1980s. With the headset I normally use, people typically have no clue as to whether I’m inside, or outside. This isn’t just because my regular headset has active noise-cancelation…if I deactivate the noise-cancelation, they still can’t tell if I’m outside (provided there’s no wind). With the Rowkin Surge Charge, while standing in the wind, the person on the other end could barely hear anything I was saying. That’s when I told the person I was going back inside…except that I didn’t. Instead, I merely moved into a corner, completely away from any wind, and any other outside noises The person could still tell I was outside, and still had some difficulty hearing me. It was only upon actually going inside that the person could hear everything I was saying. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: I REALLY dislike having to physically plug the earbuds into the cases microUSB charging cables. I briefly mentioned this earlier, but I’ll mention it again, and go into more detail. It’s bad enough that one has to plug the earbuds into charging cables, especially when all other manufacturers of truly wireless earbuds are using charging contacts inside their cases. If the contacts get dirty enough (in the case and/or on the earbuds) that they prevent the case from charging the earbuds, fixing the “problem” is as simple as cleaning the contacts with alcohol. With Rowkin’s design, they’ve introduced an additional, and unnecessary, potential for breakage. Constantly plugging, and unplugging, the cables into the earbuds will, sooner or later, cause physical damage. Even worse, as short as the cables are, that increases the possibility of causing damage, as said cables are harder to maneuver. Worst of all, Rowkin has configured the charging case in such a way that you are forced into plugging BOTH earbuds in, even if only one needs t be charged. That’s right…if, for example, you have only been using the right earbud (ie. for phone calls), and the battery on the right earbud is drained, in order to recharge it, you have to plug BOTH earbuds into the case. The only thing I can assume is that, for some strange, and unknown, reason, Rowkin must have wired the microUSB cables into a ‘closed loop’ configuration, as opposed to wiring each USB cable so as to complete its own individual loop. FINAL VERDICT: My 2-star rating probably tells you plenty. There are plenty of “truly wireless” earbuds to select from, with prices ranging from around $60-80, all the way up to those costing in excess of $300. In truth, for the price, you are actually getting more than “what you pay for”. When it comes to earbuds (wired, wireless, & “truly wireless”), consumers want something that’s small, looks nice, and is well-designed. On these three points along, Rowkin has a winner. Compared to other truly wireless earbuds in the $100 & below range, these are quite good…and, if that’s all I was taking into consideration, then I would have not only given them a higher rating, but I would have also been able to recommend them. If you’re looking to purchase the best $100 or below truly wireless earbuds, then I can, and will, recommend these as being one of the best…and possibly THE best. Unfortunately for Rowkin, the great majority of potential customers are looking for something more. They want longer battery life (5-7 hours of real-world use), good (if not great) sound quality, and “something different”. By “something different”, I’m referring to those additional features that make the product “stand out from the pack” (even when some of those features are included in other manufacturer’s products). A few perfect examples of “something different” are (active or passive) noise cancelation, digital assistant (Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, Bixby, etc) integration, language translation, and so forth, none of which Rowkin’s Surge Charge has. The sound quality is only “decent”, the battery life is considerably less than Rowkin claims, and then there’s the problem of having to physically plug the earbuds into microUSB cables to charge. All of this adds up to a huge “NO” where the “Would I recommend these” question is asked. My best suggestion to Rowkin would be, “Go back to the drawing board, and start working on the replacement model…and, the sooner, the better.” Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

The headphones are lightweight and fit in my ears very well! I find that so many of the wireless headphones fall out and these do not. Great sound quality for them and the carrying case serves as a charger for when you're out and about which is AMAZING!

Good sound quality for a lot less. Worked in a heavy machinery type of industry while wearing these and worked well.

Headphones were easy to set up/connect. Good sound quality and great for working out (secure fit and lightweight). Definitely recommend.

I was looking for a nice set of headphones for outdoor activities (golf, hiking, yard work) that were truly wireless, but secure. These do both. They were easy to setup and have nice sound quality. It would have preferred a white pair but the functionality of these is worth it and summer is here! The charging case is fairly large but it is easy to use. It would be nice to also have some sort of smaller case for when they are charged and I am on the go.

So glad I bought these- I have been looking for a great set of wireless headphones to workout in and are also comfortable. Unlike the wireless beats, these headphones are truly sweat resistant. They are also very comfortable and come with a nice travel case for storage/charging. The reason I am giving them 4 stars is only because they are not the best for phone calls however, since I am mainly using these to workout, that will not be an issue for me. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase!

I have been looking for a pair of wireless headphones for a while and finally decided to try these. And man did I hit a home run right away. Very light and fit nicely on my ears. Very good sound quality and battery life is excellent. For the money you can't go wrong.

This is my first pair of wireless headphones, and I purchased them to be able to workout easily, with headphones connected to bluetooth. These are perfect for that, and even better because I don't feel like they're going to fall out when I'm on the move.

I am an avid runner and am constantly using the local CrossFit gym. These headphones have great battery life, and they do not fall out of my ears while working out; the quality is great, too! Would highly recommend.

Ordered these headphones on the search for the perfect new wireless set. I could not be happier! The battery life, the charging port, and the fit in my ears are all amazing! So happy that I made this purchase.

Perfect headphones for the gym and traveling! Ear buds are very comfortable and the sound quality is top of the line. The traveling case is extremely convenient to carry along and charge on the fly.

First time out of the box i found that the headphones were fully charged and ready to go. I have used them a few times now and they work great. Pairing is easy and they haven't dropped Bluetooth.

Extremely easy to use and set up. They do a nice job with blocking out other sounds. Fits very comfortably and securely on the ears. Just what I was looking for.

These are great earbuds - comfortable and stay in place, great sound, good value. Couldn't be happier.

I just picked these up for running and I'm impressed with the fit and how they stay on my ears. Additionally, the charging case is super useful when traveling for a couple of days. The only weird thing was that they didn't come with instructions but it was easy enough to figure out how to pair them.

Was really excited to try these but have been unable to successfully pair both ears to my phone. I can get them to pair individually but not together. Will keep trying because these are really comfortable and exactly what I’m looking for.

Just got these headphone and am very impressed. Great sound, good value! I would definitely recommend.

Great sound quality, ease of use and great value. I would highly recommend.

Sound is great, but the connection just doesn't work, as soon as my phone is in my pocket it stops working. I contacted the fabricant and they said I should exchange my unit, as I did, but exactly the same problem persisted. Don't buy it!

These headphones are easy to set up. They are also good for being active and pretty darn stylish! Would recommend to a friend.