True wireless earbuds can be equipped with nifty extra features such as hear-through, wireless charging and hot swappable Bluetooth/multipoint pairing, which allows true wireless earbuds to be connected to multiple devices at the same time.
While extra features are always good to have, if you don't need them there is no point paying the extra if all you are after is good sound, comfortable fit and long battery life. The Edifier TWS5 deliver on these three key features (sound, fit and battery life) and without being too expensive.
The Edifier TWS5 retain a similar design to the TWS1 version and even have the same IPX5 sweat/water resistance rating so, you can wear them out on a rainy day. Depending on your ears though, the fit will feel more or less snug but, generally the fit will be comfortable because of the smooth finish on the earbuds.
The charging case that comes with the TWS5 earbuds has a non-glossy treasure chest type design so, it has a tall, square frame. While the coat finish on the TWS5 charging case is matte, which doesn't attract oily smudges, the body of the TWS5 earbuds does have a high gloss finish.
The touch control panels though, have the same matte finish found on the exterior of the charging case. The control panels integrate a single touch sensitive button that can be operated with bare fingers and gloves since the touch sensor that is embedded it's an accelerometer sensor.
True wireless earbuds with capacitive touch buttons cannot be operated with gloves, making accelerometer sensing a better choice. That said, the accelerometer sensor in some earbuds can require forceful taps or light touches like in the case of the Edifier TWS5, which only require a light finger touch to operate, eliminating any possible discomfort (i.e. tingling/tapping pressure).
When both TWS5 earbuds are paired at the same time for stereo audio, you can quickly switch to mono audio but only with the left earbud. This is because when you pair both earbuds, the left earbud becomes the dominant earbud, preventing the right earbud to operate independently. That being said, the right earbud can be used independently of the left earbud but, in order to do this, you have to un-pair both earbuds and then, connect the right earbud by itself, while keeping the left earbud inside the charging case.
After initial pairing, automatic re-connection takes just 2 seconds so, there is only a 2 second delay when switching from stereo to mono audio. The Edifier TWS5 earbuds take just 1 hour to fully charge and can deliver up to 8 hours of playtime. How much playtime you get, of course, depends on volume level and connectivity. You will get closer to 8 hours if you keep the Edifier TWS5 earbuds on 50% volume and connected to another Bluetooth 5.0 device.
The included TWS5 charging case provides a further 24 hours of additional charge that allows the earbuds to be recharged up to 3 times. The charging case itself, recharges via micro USB connection at a maximum rate of 5volt/0.5-amp, which isn't quick/fast charge; hence charging the Edifier TWS5 charging case (500mAh) takes 1 hour to charge.
You can check how much battery there is left on the charging case via the small, three green leds on the front of the charging case. The micro USB charging port is located on the rear of the charging case. You will also hear various voices prompts for low battery, power on/off and bluetooth connection.
The narrow, tall frame of the TWS5 charging case weighs 45 grams and measures 6.5cm long, 3cm wide and 4cm tall so, it's fairly slimline and compact to be stored comfortably inside a pocket. The base is flat with a proportioned cover, that allows the charging case to remain upright on a surface without toppling over.
The earbud docking area and earbuds are magnetized so, they won't fall out of the case if the lid opens accidentally. The lid also closes shut magnetically. Thanks to the round body of the earbuds and angled design of the charging case, it is easy to take the earbuds out of the charging case.
The Edifier TWS5 earbuds do have a larger body than the TWS1 model so, the earbuds occupy a larger footprint on the ear. That said, the TWS5 earbuds don't stick out of the ears very much, thanks to the short nozzle necks.
Overall, the TWS5 are a slightly stockier pair of the earbuds (6 grams each) than the TWS1 but, with the larger frame the TWS5 are able to deliver better midrange and highs with clear vocals and instruments, as well as deeper bass and louder max volume.
Speaking of volume, it can only be controlled from the connected device since there is no on-board volume support on the TWS5 earbuds. Other functions that can be controlled from the earbuds, include skipping tracks (next/previous), play/pause, and calls (answer/reject/hang up). There is no voice assistant support from the earbuds either.
The TWS5 Bluetooth 5.0 chip does support aptX and microphone noise cancelling, which suppresses enough background noise to let your voice come through clearly at the other end.
After the Edifier TWS5 earbuds are connected, the status led flashes blue every 3 seconds and, remains flashing blue every 3 seconds while playing audio.
A long and flexible micro USB silicone charging cable is also included, alongside different size silicone eartips and a user guide.