Tribit MoveBuds H1 Review
Tribit's workout earbuds come with a massive 65-hour battery
Verdict
The MoveBuds H1 are an affordable pair of workout earbuds that offer a secure fit and a long battery life, but the sound and transparency mode leave something to be desired.
Pros
- Long battery life
- Secure fit
- Waterproof design
Cons
- Poor tonal balance
- Ineffective transparency mode
- Fiddling to insert in ears
Availability
- UKRRP: £89.99
- USARRP: $89.99
- EuropeRRP: €89.99
- CanadaRRP: CA$119.99
Key Features
- Built-in ear hookDesigned for sports
- IPX8 certifiedWater and sweat resistant design
- Transparency modeTo hear your surroundings
- 15 hour battery life65 hours with the charging case
Introduction
If you’ve seen Tribit’s promotional video for the MoveBuds H1, you’ll know that the earbuds make some lofty claims about its pair of first sports earbuds.
In the minute-long clip, athletes can be seen cycling, surfing, mountain climbing and skiing – all without the earbuds budging an inch. They also have an incredible 65-hour battery life.
While I don’t quite have the skills to put the MoveBuds through the same rigorous trials shown in the video, you can read on to learn how the earbuds fared during my time with them.
Design
- Large hook-shaped earbuds with a chunky case
- The earbuds offer a secure and comfortable fit
- They’re water resistant up to IPX8
The MoveBuds H1 are a large pair of earbuds with a chunky hook shape designed to wrap around the ear, but there are subtle details in the design, like the crosshatching etched into the ear hook and the spiral design that indicates where you can tap to activate the touch controls.
While the all-black plastic design doesn’t make for the most dazzling finish, it does ensure the earbuds are lightweight, which is something you’ll want to workout for extended periods of time.
The MoveBuds lived up to their promise of a secure fit as they managed to stay comfortably in place on a run without slipping out of place or falling from my ears. While I can’t personally guarantee the earbuds would offer the same secure fit on a surfboard, I wouldn’t hesitate to take them on a run or a trip to the gym.
I did, however, find them to be quite fiddly to hook onto the ears each time I inserted them. The fact the left earbud goes into the right side of the case and vice versa also took a lot of getting used to before I could smoothly slip them into the correct side.
The MoveBuds have an IPX8 rating, which means they can withstand being submerged in depths of water up to 1m for up to 30 minutes. This is higher than some of our best running headphones such as the Sony WF-XB700 and Jaybird Vista.
Like the MoveBuds themselves, the charging case isn’t the most elegant. The chunky upside-down trapezoid is reminiscent of a crab without legs and its too tall and wide to slip into smaller pockets. However, the earbuds slide easily into the case and it does a decent job protecting them.
Features
- Disappointing transparency mode
- Calls are sharp and clear
- Impressive 65-hour battery life
The MoveBuds H1 aren’t packed with features, with most of the attention having gone to the design. However, there is a transparency mode that makes it possible for you to listen to what’s around you, for example, when you need to listen out for a train announcement.
Sadly, I found the transparency mode to be largely ineffective. While the setting did make me slightly more aware of when someone was trying to speak to me, I still had to take out the earbuds to make out anything they were saying, defeating the purpose of the setting.
Tapping three times on the right earbud activates the transparency mode, tapping thrice on the left earbud will call upon your device’s voice assistant. Four mics are fitted into the MoveBuds with Qualcomm’s cVc 8.0 noise reduction technology, which Tribit claims can eliminate more than 90% of background noise during calls. I found that calls through the earbuds were crisp and clear on both ends.
Other key features include Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity with support for AAC, SBC and aptX audio codecs.
Certainly the most impressive feature here is the battery life. Tribit says you can get 15-hours of playtime out of each earbud, or 65-hours in total including the charging case. I found they lasted exactly 14 hours and 59 minutes on a single charge, which is incredibly impressive for a pair of true wireless earbuds.
For comparison’s sake, the Jabra Elite Active 75T pack 7.5 hours of battery or 28 hours including the charging case, while the aforementioned Jaybird Vista offer 6 hours in the earbuds and just 16 hours including the case. The MoveBuds do miss out on any support for fast or wireless charging.
Sound Quality
- There’s a lot of bass
- The MoveBuds lack some detail and the soundstage is small
- Passive noise cancellation is excellent
The MoveBuds aren’t a bad pair of earbuds, but they tend to stumble more often than they run when it comes to their audio performance.
Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill is all bass through the MoveBuds as the tonal balance skews heavily toward the low end. Lots of bass isn’t necessarily a bad thing on a pair of workout headphones, but the vocals and synthesisers lack detail and the subdued treble holds back much of the dynamism in this track, causing the chorus to fall flat. The soundstage is also small, causing the song to sound more cluttered as it builds.
The MoveBuds do a better job at handling Lizzo’s Rumors. The prominent bassline in the pop song is full and warm through the earbuds, giving the song drive. The soundstage also comes across a bit less crowded than in Running Up That Hill. However, the instruments continue to lack clarity as the earbuds struggle to convey some of the finer details and the brass parts aren’t as punchy or dynamic as I’d have liked them to be.
To the MoveBuds’ credit, passive noise cancellation is excellent. The ear tips are capable of blocking out an array of distractions and the slightly skewed tonal balance isn’t a deal-breaker. However, I would steer clear of these earbuds if you’re looking for a clean and precise sound.
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Should you buy it?
You need a pair of earbuds that’ll stay put: If you’re looking for a pair of earbuds with a IPX8 water resistance rating that’ll sit comfortably in your ears during a workout, the MoveBuds H1 are an affordable choice.
You want top end audio quality: If top-notch sound is important to you, these earbuds will leave you wanting more.
Final Thoughts
The MoveBuds H1 are an affordable pair of sports earbuds. They can feel fiddly to wear, but once they’re in there the hooked design ensures they stay firmly in place. They also have a good water resistance rating and an impressively long battery life for a pair of true wireless earbuds.
However, the MoveBuds are let down by a largely ineffective transparency mode and an audio performance that lacks detail and skews heavily toward the bass.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for over a week
Drained the battery to determine if it lived up to Tribit’s claims
Listened through music streaming services
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FAQs
No, the MoveBuds H1 do not have ANC. They only have a transparency mode.
The earbuds have a battery life of 15 hours, with an additional 50 in the charging case for a total 65 hours of playtime.
The earbuds support the AAC, SBC and aptX codecs.
Full specs
Sustainability
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As part of this mission, whenever we review a product we send the company a series of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the device has on the environment.
We currently haven’t received answers to the questions on this product, but will update this page the moment we do. You can see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability info page.
Jargon buster
IP rating
An abbreviation for ‘Ingress Protection Code’, which lets you know to what extent a device might be waterproof or dustproof.aptX
Qualcomm’s aptX codec can support higher quality audio than Bluetooth alone.AAC
AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding and is a lossy codec used most prominently by Apple and YouTube to deliver audio quality better than SBC (Sub-Band Coding).
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
