Logitech’s premium audio sub-brand Ultimate Ears (UE) recently announced DROPS, its latest TWS earbuds. What’s unique about this model is that each unit is custom-moulded to its user’s ear shape, which is claimed to provide optimised audio quality, sound isolation, as well as offering maximum comfort.
Achieving “the perfect fit” has been UE’s main goal for products released under its TWS range, This was also emphasised by the brand’s UE Fits earbuds back in 2020, which features eartips made from a unique material dubbed by the company as Lightform. Once worn, the buds’ special tips will then conform to the shape of your ears in less than a minute, thus resulting in a comfortable fit.
While the goal remains the same, UE’s approach for the new DROPS earbuds differs greatly from its prior model. Gone are the somewhat free-forming Lightform tips, which have been replaced with traditional ones that – as mentioned earlier – are custom-moulded specifically for your ears. However, instead of a minute, you may have to wait quite a long while before you get to enjoy that perfect fit.
Basically what happens is: UE will send you a FitKit after you place an order for the DROPS. This is used to take accurate measurements of your ears, with some fine-tuning done via a companion app that is available on both iOS and Android. Once that is done, simply ship back the kit to the company and it will send the custom-moulded UE DROPS to you within a few weeks.
Of course, comfort isn’t the earbuds’ sole selling point. Onboard are 9.2mm drivers and dual microphones that are promised to provide clear and balanced sound, as well as “superior” noise isolation. Besides that, the UE DROPS are sweat-resistant, and come with 8 hours playback time (5.5 hours in transparency mode) on a single charge. Paired together with the extra charges from its accompanying case, the buds offer a combined play time of 22 hours. Additionally, UE says a five-minute charge via the case allows for an hour’s worth of music playback.
Being custom made, it’s no surprise that the new UE DROPS earbuds will cost you a pretty penny. Ordering a pair will set you back US$ 449 (~RM 2,000), which is around US$ 200 (~RM 891) more than the UE Fits. In terms of colour selection, the DROPS are offered in either Sapphire, Rose Quartz, or Onyx. Unfortunately, the buds are only available in the US market for now, with no confirmation on whether they’ll be sold in other markets outside of the country.
(Source: UE, via Logitech [official website])
