Nokia seems to have a long & famous history in consumer technology, but it’s mostly in the realm of phones. The name has lately experienced a rebirth owing to HMD Global, by was one of the leading phone manufacturers in the 2000s. Nokia’s current audio lineup includes wireless earbuds, over-ear headphones, and a Bluetooth speaker, all of which are made by the same firm. Its “Essential” line, as you might guess, focuses on providing a fantastic core experience even without the exorbitant price tag. But, at less than £50, have the Nokia E1200 wireless Bluetooth headphones made too many compromises to save money? To find out, We spent a couple of weeks with them.
The Nokia E1200 headphones have a relatively classic design, comprising of 2 padded ear cups joined by an adjustable headband. It looks great, especially in the glossy black finish that tried – it’s also offered in blue if you prefer.
However, it is clear within seconds that this is not a high-end product. The entire outside is wrapped in a cheap-feeling plastic, and they’re considerably flimsier than the photos show, weighing only 197g. It’s convenient to be able to fold the earcups away, however, the metal hinge that allows this doesn’t feel particularly sturdy.
Although it’s essential to be aware of such flaws, none of them seemed to be deal-breakers to me. At this pricing point, Nokia has obviously prioritized functionality over aesthetics, which can be completely understood.
Although these aren’t the comfiest headphones you’ve ever used but had no trouble wearing them for long periods of time. Thanks to ample soft padding on the earcups, you are also able to wear the Nokia E1200 for the weekly podcast Fast Charge a couple of times without any concerns. The headband has similar support, preventing any harsh plastic from digging in.
The headband may adjust to fit your preferences, like any pair of headphones. There are ten possible positions to choose from, but there are no number indicators, so you’ll have to guess each time they put them on. Because you have a large head, They kept it at its highest setting, however, you might not be that fortunate.
Nokia hasn’t been subtle with its branding, with its logo emblazoned on the outside of every earcup. Although this region appears to be ripe for touch controls, the E200s instead rely on traditional buttons. It’s a very basic setup, with only a volume rocker, bass boost toggle, and power button.
The latter, on the other hand, has some extra features: a single click will play/pause music, whereas a double push will strangely call your most recent contact. Because it was such a shock when it happened the first time, you’ll want to be cautious against accidentally triggering it. These controls cannot customize without a partner app.
All of these controls are on the left earcup, over a 3.5mm headphone jack for connected audio (a 1.2m jack-to-jack cable is included in the box to assist you). Despite the fact that most tech items adopted USB-C several years ago, charging would be via Micro USB.
Although there is no protective cover, Nokia has included a nice drawstring carrying pouch that should take the brunt of any bumps or spills. There is plenty of space here when the headphones are folded down for other items you might wish to bring with you.
Sound quality will always be a concern in this ultra-affordable pricing range. However, the Nokia E1200s were still a nice surprise. Even though there’s a notable drop-off when compared to luxury headphones, their 40mm drivers helped offer the strong music you’d expect from more costly cans.
According to Amazon, ‘Ultra HD’ is about 10 times the quality of conventional music streaming, and is comparable to a CD. Any audio flaws are thus due to headphones or the phone’s Bluetooth connection, not to the music itself.
“Rumors” by Lizzo & Cardi B was first up. Whereas the lyrics are explicit, the music is really stunning acoustically. Although some detail is lost, the mix of powerful, dramatic music and pounding bass creates a fantastic experience.
Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” exemplifies the importance of heavily produced tracks. Pressing its bass boost increases the intensity to a pleasing degree, with vocals that are absolutely clear. It’s a similar story to Camila Cabello’s “Don’t Go Yet,” which transports you to such a Latin American party.
However, this pleasurable feeling is not confined to pop music. High-tempo country songs like Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” are enjoyable to listen to, even if the guitar’s backing track is partially lost in this song.
Slower songs with simply vocals or a few instruments, on the other hand, reveal some of the E1200’s flaws. That’s clear in Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” which lacks much of its customary emotional power.
To see how the headphones performed older tunes, So had to look elsewhere. The 2011 remastering of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” shows — You can hear each individual component, even though Freddie Mercury’s vocals lacked some of their customary clarity.
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, is also worth listening to. However, in ordinary mode, it lacks power, and with the bass enhanced, you lose some detail.
Beethoven’s “Für Elise” sounds significantly washed out on the E1200s, which aren’t well-adapted to classical music. I wasn’t surprised, given that this track has only the piano, but other classical recordings aren’t that impressive either.
The music experience, as you can see, is a bit up & down. Expect not every track will sound perfect, but the ones that do are a lot of fun. The E1200s are generally fantastic for podcasting and taking calls, but having only one microphone reduces the clarity of your own voice.
There are no other options for customizing the audio experience save raising the bass. Both a companion app & active noise cancellation (ANC) are features that may be found on more expensive headphones. It’s especially unfortunate to miss out again on ANC, but at this price, it’s not surprising. There are lots of other possibilities if that is a deal-breaker for you.
The E1200s, on the other hand, do support virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. So put the latter to the test, and it did a great job of picking up the voice and giving them clear responses. For hands-free access, make sure the “Hey, Google” option is switched on in the Assistant settings.
Whenever the battery is charging, the indicator light turns on. The light may consist of up to one minute to turn on. 3. The indication light will turn off when the headset’s batteries are fully charged (approximately 2-3 hours).
Nokia has made the uncommon step of disclosing the battery life of its headphones, confirming that the Nokia E1200 features a 500mAh battery. If you use smartphones, this may seem scary. But it’s plenty for a set of headphones.
Nokia claims that a single charge will last up to 40 hours of audio playback. That’s among the best you’ll find on any set of headphones, though watching films and making phone calls drains the battery far faster.
The battery life is excellent.
One small gripe is that you’ll have to rely upon your phone (or other linked device) to determine how much battery life is left. It would be wonderful if, like the PuroPro headphones, the battery level is announced as you turned them on. The E1200s, on the other hand, will automatically switch off in a few minutes of never being connected, saving battery life.
So when headphones do need to charge, they can only do via Micro USB. It will take roughly three hours to get from empty to full using the cable included in the box. There are no rapid charging options or guarantees if you can’t keep plugged in for an extended period of time.
Although the Nokia E1200 wireless headphones aren’t commonly accessible, they are relatively inexpensive. They’re currently available for £49.99 on Amazon in the UK, down from a previous MSRP of £59.99. The best place to get these in the US is through Amazon UK, which costs roughly $67 (plus $12 shipping).
Amazon is also presently offering a 20 percent discount through a coupon box on the site. Other sellers list on the official Nokia website. However, no headquarters in the United Kingdom or the United States.
The E1200s aren’t attempting to compete with the greatest headphones available. Many of the options at this price point are wireless earbuds, which take on a completely different shape.
There is an ANC-enabled version of these headphones. However, they appear to limit to China for the time being. The quoted price of 349 is rough £40/US$54, but if they ever make it to the West, the RRP is sure to be more. If noise cancellation is important to you, the list of the best noise-canceling headphones contains many options.
The normal edition featured here, on the other hand, is undeniably good value for money.
Nokia’s E1200s are a good option if you’re on a small budget but still want a good pair of wireless headphones.
They provide excellent sound quality for the price, excelling in pop music and voice-based programming in particular. Even the less remarkable songs are a significant improvement over most built-in speakers, particularly those found on phones.
Another significant strength is the battery life, which may last up to 40 hours of music playback, which is equivalent to many weeks of use for most individuals. The cheap plastic construction may turn some individuals off, but so didn’t find it to be an issue in terms of comfort.
As a result, it’s an excellent place to start when it comes to wireless headphones.
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