AUKEY Key Series T18NC TWS In-Ears with ANC introduced

Aukey’s Key Series are the manufacturer’s premium audio products. With the EP-T10, one of our favourite headphones has been released in 2019, so our expectations for the new AUKEY Key Series T18NC TWS in-ears are accordingly high. Even finally with ANC!

New In-Ear, new case, old color

The fact that the T18NC – by the way, more catchy product names would be desirable – belongs to the Key Series is immediately obvious to the trained eye. Aukey recycles here the same dark grey tone that has already defined the appearance of the EP-T10. However, they deviated from the Bud design and have now implemented rather “classic” TWS in-ears similar to the first AirPod generation. The headphones are accordingly rather longer and remind for example of the Soundcore Liberty Air 2. We welcome the fact that the T18NC is based on a classic in-ear design with silicone attachments and not on the half in-ear design, which is currently on the rise.

On the back of the in-ears are the touch control panels, which remind us of the AUKEY Key Series EP-B80 in-ears due to the golden border around the control surface. With a simple tap, you can stop/start playback or answer a call. Tap twice to skip to the next track and press and hold to activate/deactivate ANC. It seems that the volume cannot be adjusted on the headphones.

Moreover, the manufacturer has given some thought to the charging case. This also ties in with the case of the EP-T10, but reminds a bit more of the Huawei Freebuds 3, especially the sliding flap that covers the headphones. It’s semi-transparent, so that you can see with a quick glance if the headphones are in the case. Moreover, the headphones are equipped with an IPX5 rating and thus protected against water jets. This means they are also resistant to sweat during sports or rain.

Finally with ANC

As the headphones have only recently been introduced and we haven’t been able to test them yet, it’s difficult to make any sound specifications. However, the integrated 13mm titanium drivers sound promising and should provide for hi-fi sound. But more interesting is the integrated ANC, i.e. Active Noise Cancelling. The noise reduction starts at -25 dB and reduces ambient noise. In theory, this is more suitable for over-ear headphones, but the new AirPods Pro, the Freebuds 3 from Huawei and the Xiaomi AirDots Pro 2 have also successfully implemented this.

Noise suppression is also available for phone calls, and the dual-mic technology also filters out wind noise or other background noises. For this purpose, two microphones are integrated, one for the actual voice recording of the telephone call, the other to capture background noise, which can then be suppressed.

The Aukey Key Series T18NC offer a playback time of up to 7 hours or 4 to 5 hours at high volume. In combination with the charging case, this results in a playback time of up to 24 hours, although the manufacturer has not yet disclosed the exact mAh specifications here. The headphones can also be recharged wirelessly in the case!

Evaluation

So far we have been very positive about the Aukey Key Series products and the new T18NCs sound very promising. We are especially excited about the integrated ANC, there is not much competition here yet. The Key Series T18NC can now be ordered for $139 on the official Key Series website, and soon they should also be available on Amazon.