Something that a lot of us use these days whether it’d be during or on our way to work are earbuds. Apple was the original company to start the trend of wireless earbuds being enclosed in their own case that not only kept them safe but charged them as well.

Nowadays, you can find just about every company that sells audio equipment trying their hand at doing their own version with nuances and features that differentiate themselves from the pack. Padmate’s Pamu Z1 ANC earbuds offer their own set of flair and differences that help them stand out, but have a bit of a way to go when it comes to how some things are executed.

What’s in the Box

Opening the box, you’ll see the Z1 earbuds, their charging/carrying case, a USB Type-C charging cable, carrying bag, 4 additional sets of earbud pads that vary from extra small to large, and multiple pieces of instructional materials. I love the fact that they included all different sized earbud pads, because just about anyone can find comfortability between them.

I’d say that the weakest part of what’s included in the Type-C cable as it’s painfully short. Plugging it into a wall outlet or even a computer in order to charge the case is a tall order. Most folks have a longer Type-C cable laying around these days but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that the included one is tiny.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

Honestly, these are some of the nicest-looking earbuds and cases I’ve personally seen. The pearl color is beautiful and blends perfectly with the soft grey details. The earbuds themselves are easy on the eyes and look good in the ear too. It’s also worth noting that you can also swap the belt around the case. The belt is that grey bar that says “Pamu” on it.

While there weren’t any additional ones included with my sample, you can purchase different colors and swap each out to create your own style. It’s a bit gimmicky but ultimately a pretty cool idea to add some originality. I’d really like to see those silicone character covers made for these just like the Apple ones.

As far as build quality goes, Padmate could have done a little better. The case itself is quite soft and I’d be afraid of it cracking if it were sat on or crushed by something in a purse/backpack. I wouldn’t say it feels cheap but definitely not constructed 100% solidly.

The earbuds on the other hand are pretty solid. They’re nice and light yet feel like they could definitely take a drop or two even if they come out of it with some blemishes. The earpads are also soft and don’t feel invasive when in-ear.

Specs and Audio Quality

I was actually surprised by some of the offered features that the Pamu Z1 offered, even if some didn’t quite stick the landing. The first being the fact that the case has a tag on the outside that lights up white while charging, being charged, or when its battery level is depleting. My favorite part about it is that the light is so big that you really can’t miss it.

The earbuds have their own led indicators as well as touch controls on the outer part of each one. This allows for play/pause, skip/back, pick up/hang up, virtual assistant, call rejection, and ANC which can all be swapped out and edited via the Pamu mobile app.

The app is a nice addition that not only allows you to adjust the touch settings but also adjust the preset audio settings for music as well as change the latency for gaming. Having these options at your fingertips is a pretty awesome idea that I wish more companies would offer.

Although I like the app, it’s not perfectly executed, nor really makes all the difference in some cases. The audio presets are hit or miss with only a couple of them actually making a difference. The gaming settings also don’t do much of anything at all either. More fine-tuning would’ve really made this app a big win for the Z1s.

Even without the app though, the Z1s’ audio is pretty good. I really like the fact that the audio is full and manages to produce some realistic sound. Some instances can be a bit muddy at times, but I really liked the majority of what I heard when I compared them to other earbuds I had on hand. Bass seems to be the real aspect that could be improved upon.

Gaming with these earbuds is just as good as the music, giving fine details in surrounding areas and even a bit of a 3D landscape. There’s definitely some visible latency though which makes it a bit annoying to game with these. The same goes for watching videos and even just the difference in time between hitting play and having music startup.

While these earbuds also have a few different options when it comes to noise cancelation, they’re always pretty isolating even when they aren’t supposed to be. For me, that’s a complaint but to others, this may actually be positive.

Distance is not a problem for the Z1s as I was able to go downstairs, rooms away from my connected phone with not a single issue or loss of signal. I will say though that using these on a PC instead of my phone wasn’t all that great with odd connection issues popping up here and there.

As far as usage goes, you won’t have to charge these things all too much as the battery lasts pretty long. They definitely live up to their promised usage of 6.5 hours with 3 charges. It’s also with noting that these can be wirelessly charged using Qi.

What It Could Have Done Better

Getting deeper into the issues with the app, you have to sign up for it and give it all requested permissions in order to use it. It’s not really something I like doing and deleted it once I got what I needed out of it for the review. What was particularly off-putting for me is that the sign-up process doesn’t seem too legit as there are many typos in the emails/menus and it doesn’t look very official either.

Besides that and the other issues I brought up, the last issue I had with the Pamu Z1 is the fact that the earbuds can be a bit awkward to get out of their case. I wouldn’t say my fingers are that big but I did have trouble trying to get these suckers out whenever I needed to.

Verdict

The Pamu Z1 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While the audio is pretty good, the design and colors cool, and the app a good idea in theory, I wasn’t too thrilled with the bass or the app’s actual features. I think that the pros outweigh the cons on this one but it’s ultimately up to you to make the decision of what concessions you’re willing to make in your hunt for new earbuds.