Furthermore, while its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity is extremely stable with phones, it doesn’t pair well with laptops or desktops. This then limits its versatility quite considerably, which means users have to use a separate pair of headphones when taking this out to the office and gym on the same day. Adidas estimates roughly 16 hours of battery life, but your results will vary with your volume levels. Performance Finally, Adidas includes a fold-to-close carry case. Adidas made that from a mesh material and even added a slot specifically for the charging cable. But it’s also small enough that the accessories just barely fit without being difficult to place inside. So, unlike many other companies’ included carry cases, this one from Adidas doesn’t take up much more extra room than the earbuds themselves would.

Setting that caveat aside, under that range, these earbuds had no trouble connecting. And since I did my cycling — I’m not much for running — with my phone in a bike mount, these earbuds stayed connected with near-lossless audio throughout. Four pairs of silicone eartips and earfins are included in the box, which is nice for users of different ear sizes. The fit, however, wasn’t as good as we’d hoped, as it felt rather loose while running. We wager that Adidas’ design intent on enabling some passive transparency (basically reducing the ear tip size to let in a little bit of sound for runners to be aware of their surroundings) was what led to the ear tips being loose. This compromise in comfort could be looked into should the German sporting brand decide to produce a sequel to the FWD-01. From our time using the FWD-01, the controls are satisfactory in terms of responsiveness. Using them isn’t a hassle either, which is good especially when you’re running and don’t want to fuss over the controls too much. When it comes to the audio performance, I feel Adidas and Zound have made some decent-sounding headphones. While I can’t speak for the Z.N.E. 01 model, I was a fan of the ANC version, and the performance of the FWD-02 Sport displays similar characteristics: big bass, lots of energy and smooth delivery. The mic offers strong intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded. The mic signal was strong and there was even some bass depth to the audio. There was a little bit of typical Bluetooth distortion around the edges, but nothing that did much to alter the clarity. ConclusionsThe only downside is that their chunky design can make them a little clunky to wear during specific workouts, such as boxing or climbing. The FWD-02 ditch the stem-based design of the Z.N.E 01 models for a circular shape and attachable wings. You get a five-strong wing-tip selection (including one wing-less design) and four different ear-tips, so there should be a size to suit any person’s ear. I’d say it’s worth experimenting with the accessories before your first run; it would have saved me an ill-fitting set of earbuds had I done so.

The Adidas FWD-01 aren’t a subtle bit of kit. Chunky left and right buds with a spidery mesh pattern, they look like they’ve been through a Tough Mudder or three straight out of the box. They aim to offer fitness fanatics the ultimate set of collar earphones featuring a rugged sweat-proof design, more wing tip options than can easily be counted, and a marathon-length battery life. Conclusions: The FWD-01 is a new favorite for me, as I appreciate the great sound, quality, ease of use, long battery life and that they are less isolating from my surroundings on the run than other wireless Bluetooth headsets that I have used. I use them daily for running, walking, phone calls, working in the yard and around the house and even for watching TV at night when the kids are in bed. I highly recommend them! While they aren’t the prettiest gym headphones around, when it comes to functionality they easily match competing sets from the likes of Jaybird. Water- and sweat-resistance come in at IPX5, matching the Z.N.E. 01 ANC, which makes them resistant to low pressure and sustained jets of water, while the case is splash-proof at IPX4. The case is an interesting piece of design, with a “breathable” mesh top; if the earphones become wet, it allows the water to evaporate through it (and it works).The earbuds themselves are the same way. There was just enough flex in the ear tip wing to keep the earbuds in place without putting too much pressure on the outer ear. Meanwhile, the earbud tips are squishy and comfortable too. So wearing this in-ear all day didn’t present any trouble either. Since there’s no ANC, battery life matches the Z.N.E. 01 ANC with 6 and 25 hours. This is an area where the Adidas give up a little time to the likes of the Jabra Elite 7 Pro and JBL Reflect Flow Pro. Like the Z.N.E, the figures bandied about are fine for gym use, but they’re just about okay if we’re talking about using them more often. The Transparency mode sounds natural enough, opening up the area around the user for more situational awareness of the goings-on at your sides and behind you.

Being Adidas’ first-ever range of audio equipment, the FWD-01 does a decent enough job in the audio department, though it doesn’t yet match up to the likes of Jaybird or Bose, both of which have been in the industry for much, much longer. The base preset EQ is pretty solid, which is by default bass-forward, which certainly pumps some adrenaline in your workout. As such, bass-heavy genres such as EDM and hip hop will no doubt benefit from it. But if that’s not for you, there are other EQ presets available in the app, or it can be manually edited, giving you a bevvy of audio options. Otherwise, the battery in Adidas FWD-01 lasts even longer than the company claimed. And that’s under conditions that would drain most devices over a far shorter period than is claimed. And that’s bearing in mind that conditions such as distance from a source device, volume, media type, and other factors drastically change battery life from user to user. I listened at 90-percent volume from a distance averaging 20-feet. So my use was more intensive than most users’ will be.

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That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. But, since I really don’t want to rely on a battery bank — which itself will need to continuously be recharged — or a laptop port, it very nearly felt like one. Although I could just as easily buy or use one of my other USB-C charging cables, the inclusion of such a short cable is a real letdown. What’s surprising is that the IP rating isn’t higher. Given the FWD-02 Sport have been designed in consultation with Adidas Runners, a community of international runners, the IP rating is rather bog-standard. Features adidas lists 16 hours of battery life, and while difficult to actually quantify, I believe battery life to be very close to this estimate. I wear them for hours per day (running, walking, using them for phone calls, house/yard chores) and seem to go for days before I remember to recharge them. You can also see a battery percentage within the app, but I rarely remember to look there for status updates (I just never need to really given the battery life, but it is a nice feature regardless). Charging is easy, simply plug in the USB-C cable provided (though very short).

The fabric also covers the button housing found in both the left- and right-hand lines. And there are textures on the earbuds themselves too, though that only makes them more comfortable to grip for placing in or taking out. There are no buttons at all on the earbuds. The only interactive element there is the embedded USB-C port. The Adidas Headphones app (for Android and iOS) immediately recognizes the paired earphones and leads you through a tour of their features and customizable options. The aforementioned Action button can be set up through the app, and different actions can be assigned to single, double, and triple presses, but customization is limited to voice assistants and Spotify controls. Perhaps the app's most useful feature is the built-in five-band EQ, with several adjustable presets, as well as a user preset labeled Custom.The issue I’ve encountered is that they tend to move around in the ears. The up and down motion of running shifts the position of the earbuds a little, leading to an impact on the seal and music suffering from some leakage. I’ve attached the biggest wing-tips, and it’s only been an issue when vigorously moving about – in the gym, it was fine. Note that attaching the wing-tips can take a little while –it’s a fiddly process of positioning the rubbery elastic in the right place. The sound quality of the FWD-01 is excellent, with a deep range of sound, full, clean rich bass and can easily be customized within the app.