Boult W20 Review: A Beautiful, All-round Performer

What to know

• Boult W20s are among the most well-rounded earbuds in the budget TWS category. 
• With a balanced sound profile, a minimal, sleek design, and touch controls (with feedback), the earbuds tick most boxes for a wide userbase. 
• The not-so-long battery life is perhaps the only chink in its armor. But barring that, Boult W20s hardly put a foot wrong. 

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Boult is one of the strongest players in the budget TWS earbuds market. If you thought you couldn’t get good sound in less than a thousand rupees, just turn to the likes of Boult W10 or the bass-heavy Boult K10. But sometimes in the pursuit of sound, some earbuds do overlook other physical aspects like build, design, and overall user experience. 

Fortunately, Boult has tons of earbud options, and none better than Boult W20. In my estimation, it’s one of the classier TWS earbuds that check all the boxes while also providing exceptional sound. If you’re not leaning toward any one aspect, and are looking for TWS earbuds that perform well overall, it’s a very easy pick. Here’s why.  

Overview

If you’re in a rush, here’s a quick overview of what you can expect from the Boult W20.

Boult W20: A Beautiful, All-round Performer

Although it’s been over a year since their launch, Boult W20s have never been more successful. Being in the same series as the W10s, comparisons between arise naturally. But the two couldn’t be more different. From the looks to the audio quality, differences abound. But in more ways than one, they are unmistakable Boult. Here’s a look at the Boult W20 and why I think they’re the most rounded TWS earbuds out there.  

Sound

Boult W20s have a very well balanced sound. They lean neither toward extra bass, nor the crispy highs. They won’t knock your socks off like some other TWS earbuds, such as the Boult W10s or the Boult K10s. Nor are they so loud so as to be harmful to your hearing, like the Truke BTG Flex. 

There’s a nice balance (as I said before) that doesn’t feel overdone in one way and off in another. That is not to mean that the 13mm drivers are in anyway pulling any punches. But something about having a well-rounded sound that never hurts your ears, even at full volume, is well worth it.  There’s also no extraneous distortion or crunch which works great for most genres of music as well as consuming movies and videos.  In a world where bass is considered king, or else the sound isn’t worth it, it’s good to see earbuds that don’t buy into that hype.    

Build

It usually happens that for TWS earbuds under a thousand rupees, I’m either praising the sound or the build, never both. But that isn’t the case with the Boult W20. And thank God for that.

Boult W20s are among the best looking, most lightweight TWS earbuds with a very small footprint. They’re not as decidedly gorgeous as the Boat Airdopes 311 Pro. But they have their own muted, matte-finish charm that I much rather prefer. They do catch a lot of fingerprints, but the overall sleek design more than makes up for it.

The round corners and the smallness of the case makes it feel more like a pebble, though you wouldn’t want to throw it around. There’s some glossy finish on the inside and on the earbuds, which is a departure from the matte outside, and a nice touch. Under the BOULT logo, there are four LED lights that indicate charging levels whenever you take the earbuds out or return them to the case – which is a huge plus in my books.

Following the same minimal-design aesthetic, the stems on the earbuds are also a quarter smaller than usual, as though the ends have been lobbed off. In short, the Boult W20s don’t impose themselves, and are all the more attractive for it.  

Battery

This is the only area where the Boult W20s lack slightly. At full volume, one full charge lasted no more than 5 hours. This can be a little disappointing but there are much earbuds with much worse battery out there. Normal, real world usage could definitely see you eke out more than 6-7 hours. With the case, just about 30 hours. 

This is where the battery indicator on the case comes in handy as well, so you’re never caught without some charge. If you are, 10 mins are good enough to keep you going for another 100 mins.  

Mic

Boult’s Zen-ENC Mic setup is well above average. The company doesn’t highlight how many mics there are but the quality leads me to believe a two-mic setup. Anything more would have been marketing fodder. The environmental noise cancellation works well, too, unless you’re in the middle of the storm. Given everything else you’re getting, it’s good to note that calling and recordings aren’t as compromised as some other earbuds. 

Gaming, Latency, and Connection quality

At 45ms, latency is as low as it can get, especially given the age of the Boult W20. Playing battle arena or battle royale games is an immersive experience and whatever little lag there is, it doesn’t come in the way. 

Bluetooth 5.3 ensures a continuous stable connection so there are no issues there either. It also allows for quick connection with the last-paired device, but that is almost expected for TWS earbuds of today. 

There is no dual paring mode, which may annoy some users. But not focusing on such expensive features is what allows the Boult W20s to excel on the basics that matter much more.

Controls

Boult W20s have the classic budget TWS earbuds controls, including the ability to adjust volume from the buds themselves. Here are all the controls of the Boult W20:

	Left	Right
Music	Tap to pause Double tap to previous track Triple tap to reduce volume	Tap to pause Double tap to next track Triple tap to increase volume
Call	Tap once to answer Double tap to end/reject.	Tap once to answer Double tap to end/reject.
Game/Music mode	Tap 4 times

But the Boult W20s have another trick up their sleeve. Whenever you use the touch controls, you hear a tiny click that confirms the touch. This allows for better, more precise controls, and isn’t something that you usually get on budget earbuds (even the more expensive ones). 

How I use Boult W20

I’m a sound buff, first and foremost. But Boult W20s have convinced me that sometimes the overall package trumps any limitations that  there might be in audio quality. That is not to say that Boult W20s are bad-sounding. On the contrary, their balanced sound profile would be preferable for an all-round listening experience. 

In an otherwise stellar set of TWS earbuds, the battery can sometimes be a spoilsport. Fortunately, one look at the case tells you how much charge you’ve got left. The volume controls are welcome, but what I appreciate even more is the feedback you get when you’re using the touch controls.

Taken on the whole, the Boult W20s are the most well-rounded TWS earbuds I’ve come across under thousand rupees. 

Verdict

If you’re a true bass lover, skip the Boult W20s. If you want longer battery life, skip the Boult W20s. If you want dual pairing mode, skip the Boult W20s. There are better options in the market for these single features. 

But if you like a small, sleek, and beautiful case, a well-balanced sound profile, and touch controls with click feedback (as well as volume controls), there’s nothing better than the Boult W20s. At least in the budget TWS earbuds segment. Boult W20s are an easy recommendation to make.