Nu Republic Cyberstud Spin TWS earbuds are the latest pair of buds from the Indian audio brand. Their USP? The fidget spinner case houses the earbuds and is the brand’s first in India. However, is it practical and useful, or is it a gimmick? We’ll find that out in our review of the Cyberstud Spin TWS earbuds by Nu Republic.
Design & Comfort
Starting with the case itself, the Cyberstud Spin is definitely a standout product in this category compared to its competitors, who are basically just changing the shapes and colours of their cases with each release. The Cyberstud Spin’s case, apart from serving as the charging case for the buds, also acts as a fidget spinner, which picked up a trend a few years back.
A fidget spinner is essentially a toy that, interestingly, helps relieve your stress and anxiety when you spin it. Engineering-wise, we’d say Nu Republic did a decent job making the case where it could fit a battery along with a USB-C port and designed it as a fidget spinner.
The spinner itself is quite smooth and spins independently for a while if you keep it on a hard surface. However, the case has its issues as well. Because the case’s magnets aren’t quite strong and the locks (called metal gliders) that keep the buds in place are also loose, the buds often flew away when I tried to spin it with intensity when they were in the case itself, as the locks would open while it spun.
It would be better if you used the spinner when the buds were out of it; otherwise, you may easily lose one of them if you are in a public place. There’s also a small speaker in the case that plays a sound when you open and close the case, and I feel that’s a totally unnecessary feature to implement and the most annoying feature these buds have. Also, you cannot even disable this sound.
The build material is all plastic, both the buds and the case, except for metal gliders. There’s also a blue light in the middle of the case that lights up when the buds or the case are charging, which gives it a beautiful look when you spin the case while it’s on.
The buds have a translucent look and a good shape. They fit quite well in my ear and didn’t fall off even during intense activities such as running. In addition, they created a good seal when in the ear to block outside noise. Because they are made of plastic, they are also considerably lightweight. Nu Republic claims the buds are sweat—and splash-resistant.
While the overall design of the earbuds and the case are plausible, I am not sure of the utility they serve and the build quality of the case. The locks have already become loose after two weeks of use, and they can’t hold the buds in place either, which actually defeats the purpose of the fidget spinner, as I’ll always have to take out the buds to use it.
Sound and Call quality
The buds pack 13mm neodymium drivers and have X-Bass technology. They support environmental noise cancellation, sport Bluetooth v5.3, game, and music modes, and have 40ms low-latency in the former. You also get touch controls to adjust playback.
The sound quality of the Nu Republic Cyberstud Spin TWS is average at best compared with the competition. The mid-frequencies overpower the bass, and while the bass does have some kick to it, it still isn’t the best, considering the Rs 2,499 price tag. In fact, the CMF Buds, which are priced at Rs 2,299, have a bass that’s not only stronger but also has more depth. The vocals sound clear, and the buds get adequately loud as well.
However, if I had to choose between the audio quality of the CMF Buds and the Cyberstud Spin, I would choose the former any day. They not only have a much balanced sound signature but also possess better build quality. Moreover, Cyberstud Spin does not offer App support to tune the audio signature, which is again something significant that the CMF Buds offer. If that wasn’t enough, the CMF Buds also offer an impressive ANC performance, while the Cyberstud Spin lacks it entirely.
The touch controls work as they should. As for the connection experience, there were some breaks in audio at times. The minimal Latency is impressive when playing games.
The call quality of these buds is also disappointing. While they pick up the user’s voice without any issues when indoors, they struggle to pick up the user’s voice when outdoors. The wearer’s voice echoes, and the background noise cancellation is disappointing.
As for the battery life, Nu Republic claims the buds can last up to 70 hours when paired with the case. The buds can easily last a few hours on a single charge, and while we weren’t able to reach the 70-hour mark with our usage, we got a little closer to it.