- Comfortable fit
- Long battery life
- Strong bass
- Customizable sound
- Effective ANC
- Too bass-heavy by default
- App not available on iOS
- Decent build quality
Motorola’s Moto Buds Bass punch far above their price, offering powerful sound, solid ANC, and great call quality for around $25. They’re bass-heavy out of the box but easy to tune through the app. A budget pick that feels anything but cheap.
When Motorola announced the Moto Buds Bass for around $25 USD, I didn’t expect much. Budget wireless earbuds are usually a mix of compromises — flashy specs that look good on paper but fall apart in real use.
Yet the Moto Buds Bass promised the kind of features you’d normally find in pricier models: 50 dB active noise cancellation, LDAC Hi-Res Audio support, Bluetooth 5.3, and even a six-microphone setup.
After a full week of daily testing — from workouts and long commutes to calls and gaming — I was surprisingly impressed with how much Motorola packed into such an affordable package.
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Moto Buds Bass – Specifications
| Drivers | 12.4 mm dynamic drivers |
| Bluetooth | Version 5.3 |
| Audio Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC (Hi-Res Audio) |
| ANC | Up to 50 dB active noise cancellation |
| Microphones | 6-microphone array with ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) |
| Battery Life | Up to 43 hours (combined with charging case) |
| Fast Charging | 10 minutes charge ≈ 2 hours playback |
| Gaming Mode | Low-latency gaming mode for smoother gameplay |
| Dual Device Pairing | Connect two devices simultaneously |
| Quick Connect | Google Fast Pair & In-Ear Detection |
| App Support | Moto Buds app (Android only) — EQ, ANC modes, firmware updates and more |
Design & Build
Out of the box, the Moto Buds Bass look simple and practical. The case has a matte finish that resists fingerprints and feels more premium than expected. It’s compact enough to slip into a jeans pocket, and the lid snaps shut with a decent click — not luxurious, but solid.
The earbuds themselves feature a stem-style design with glossy touch panels. Once I swapped to the right-sized ear tips, the fit felt secure and comfortable for long sessions.
During workouts, the buds stayed in place without constant readjustment, and with IPX4 water resistance, sweat or light rain wasn’t an issue.
They’re lightweight, and even after a couple of hours of music or calls, I didn’t experience the ear fatigue that’s common with cheaper models.
The App Experience
What really surprised me was the Moto Buds app — and this is where the earbuds start feeling more premium than their price suggests.
Through the app, I could check the exact battery levels of each earbud and the case, toggle between ANC, Transparency, and Adaptive ANC, and customize the EQ settings.
There are preset modes like “Brilliant Treble,” “Vocal Boost,” and “Bass Enhanced,” but you can also build your own EQ curve if you want to fine-tune the sound.
The app also lets you remap touch controls, run a fit test, enable gaming or Hi-Res mode, and even locate a lost earbud. It’s genuinely well thought out for a product at this price — though it’s worth noting that the app currently works only on Android. If you’re using an iPhone, you’ll miss these features.
Sound Quality
The first thing you notice is, of course, the bass. Motorola wasn’t kidding when they named these. The sound signature leans heavily toward the low end — powerful, thumping, and fun for pop, EDM, and hip-hop. It’s the kind of bass that instantly grabs you, but out of the box it can feel like it’s overshadowing the mids and treble.
Once I started experimenting with the EQ, though, the experience changed entirely. Switching to “Brilliant Treble” or “Vocal Boost” balanced the sound nicely, letting vocals and guitars come forward without losing that satisfying low-end energy.
Enabling LDAC on a compatible phone further opened up the soundstage — the audio became wider, instruments were easier to separate, and overall clarity improved significantly.
In short, if you like warm, bass-rich audio with room to tweak, the Moto Buds Bass can absolutely deliver. If you prefer neutral, studio-style accuracy, you’ll probably need to look elsewhere — but for casual listeners, these are a joy to use.
Noise Cancellation & Transparency
Noise cancellation is where the Moto Buds Bass really surprised me. Motorola claims up to 50 dB of ANC, and while that number might be optimistic, the real-world performance is genuinely impressive for this class.
In quiet environments, the earbuds easily removed low, steady background hums like air conditioners and computer fans. On busy streets, they managed to dull down most of the traffic noise and conversations to a soft murmur. They won’t silence an airplane cabin completely, but they make daily commuting noticeably calmer.
The Transparency Mode is also practical — voices around me sounded clear enough when I needed to stay aware, although it did have that slightly artificial tone that’s common in budget earbuds.
The Adaptive ANC feature adjusts automatically depending on how loud your environment is, and I found it surprisingly accurate. It’s one of those features you forget is working in the background — exactly how it should be.
Microphone & Call Quality
For calls, the Moto Buds Bass are excellent. The six-microphone array does a solid job of isolating your voice and minimizing background noise.
I took several work calls while walking outdoors, and the people on the other end said my voice sounded clear and natural, even with mild wind or traffic noise. Indoors, the clarity was almost indistinguishable from using my phone’s built-in mic.
This is easily one of the best call-performing earbuds in its price segment — a rare win for budget TWS models, which usually struggle here.
Gaming Performance
Motorola included a low-latency gaming mode, and it works fairly well. When enabled, I didn’t notice any obvious delay between sound and action during games like Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG.
You’ll need to disable LDAC for the lowest latency, but once it’s off, audio syncs almost perfectly. For casual gaming and video watching, the performance is more than acceptable.
Battery Life
Battery life has been another strong point. On a full charge, the Moto Buds Bass gave me between 5 to 7 hours of playback, depending on volume and ANC usage.
The charging case extends that to around 40+ hours in total, which lines up with Motorola’s claims.
The fast-charging feature also came in handy: plugging in for just ten minutes gave me nearly two hours of playback. That’s a small touch, but it makes a big difference when you’re in a hurry.
Should You Buy?
I just say for the price, Moto Buds Bass is okay. They aren’t trying to be audiophile-grade gear, but they deliver a balanced mix of performance, practicality, and polish that’s rare in their price range. The bass is bold, the ANC is better than expected, and the call quality is top-tier for a budget product.
They’re not perfect — the sound is tuned for casual enjoyment rather than accuracy, and iPhone users miss out on the companion app — but for the price, these earbuds easily outperform most competitors in the same bracket.
If you want something affordable that still feels premium in daily use, the Moto Buds Bass are a surprisingly capable and well-rounded choice.
Nick, the Co-founder of Earbuds Arena, is a seasoned freelance tech journalist with over ten years of experience covering wearables, apps, headphones, and gadgets. When he’s not immersed in the tech world, you’ll likely find him unwinding with video games, going for a run, or enjoying a game of soccer on the field.
