We recently tested out the T1 XS earbuds from the upstart FIIL company. While you may not know this tech team yet, it makes compelling devices in the mobile accessories space.
FIIL was nice enough to allow me several weeks with the other truly wireless earbuds in its lineup the FIIL CC2. Spoiler alert, I came away just as impressed.
Design
FIIL has done a great job of keeping things familiar and unique all at the same time with the CC2 earbuds. You have a teardrop stemmed earbud design similar to numerous other models from Apple, Huawei, and OnePlus. However, small tweaks are found in the squared shaping of the stem.
This along with the open-ended case make for quickly recognizable alterations in the normal look of this segment of wireless audio. While neither are winning design awards, it does make the CC2 stand out in a crowded market.
Sound
Above-average immediately comes to mind with the FIIL CC2 truly wireless earbuds. You will definitely find a more rich sound in some other devices, but I found the CC2 to have a good balance across the board.
The buds offer a good punch in the bass while not getting distorted or drowning out the mids and highs. If you’ve used the more basic designed earbuds without the silicone tips, this is pretty great. Again, the balance but without the “cup” of silicone covering a worthy feat.
This is especially true when the low latency mode is enabled. The option gives the earbuds a larger push with the Bluetooth protocol to increase the levels of data being transferred resulting in much higher playback quality. It cuts down on the connection range but is worth it in my opinion.
Controls
By default, the FIIL CC2 wireless earbuds only have a few touch controls. You can tap either earbud twice to play/pause music or answer/end a phone call. Holding for two seconds will reject an incoming caller or launch your favorite voice assistant otherwise.
I appreciate the simplicity of this approach by FIIL. While it’s nice to have the controls for volume and track available, many times this is a hit-or-miss reality with the small touch areas found on earbuds. Sometimes less is more.
However, if you miss all the other tap controls, they can be enabled by downloading the FIIL+ companion app from the Play Store. This adds additional interactions for a single tap and triple touch of each side of the earbuds.
Full control mode designates volume levels to the left earbuds and tracks alterations to the right side. A single tap of the left lowers the volume and a triple increases the audio. The same cadence of a single tap moves you back one track while three taps moves you forward in the playlist.
One fail I’ve yet to find the reason for other than possible misquoted documentation is that FIIL lists this device as supporting in-ear detection. While this is in the visuals of the Amazon listing, I have yet to being able to successfully get this option to work. With no mention of this on the box or internal manuals, I think this is just a marketing misprint.
Battery Life
Battery life is another win for FIIL with the CC2 earbuds. I’ve discussed in previous reviews that five hours is my must-have, and thankfully, FIIL gets around seven hours of playback per charge.
Combined with the charging case, you can then get up to 32 hours of total enjoyment. My testing has seen similar results although not the full 32-hour mark. I’ve consistently seen at least 28 hours off three recharges by the case.
With the included case, you will be able to top off the battery banks of both the earbuds and portable case cells. FIIL has made sure the modern standard of quick charge over USB-C is onboard. Unfortunately, you don’t get wireless charging capabilities.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always been partial to the design of the traditional earbuds found on the FIIL CC2 earbuds. My ears just don’t allow a good fit for most of the silicon tipped models available. This industrial engineering paired with the great performance has left me very impressed with the FIIL CC2 wireless earbuds.
I would have a hard time not recommending this headset to anyone. And they look good too! Combine all these positives with a sub $70 price tag and you have one of my favorite earbud options of 2021. You can snag a set for yourself through FIIL’s Amazon listing.
