At Digital Trends, we see a lot of true wireless earbuds. Tons of them, in fact. You might even say we’ve become a little jaded — when new models come out, it takes a lot to impress us at this point. But when we laid our eyes on the Tiger and Rose, a set of true wireless earbuds “inspired by panther,” we knew we were looking at the cat’s pajamas.
Before we get into the all-out oddness of these buds, we should point out they’re a crowdfunded project on Indiegogo. That means all of the usual warnings around crowdfunding apply: It’s very much backer-beware. Tiger and Rose do not appear to have an official website (always a bit of a red flag) and there’s precious little info about the company on the campaign page. OK, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way …
The unique panther-shaped earbuds are virtually guaranteed to get you a second look on your daily commute, but if you’re concerned about whether they’ll clash with your makeup or clothing choice, we have more good news: The Tiger and Rose come in your choice of five different colors, including rose gold, Tiffany blue, black, spotted white, and white.
While they certainly aren’t the most subdued choice, the Tiger and Rose might actually be a solid set of midrange earbuds, assuming you’re a fan of the way they look. On the specifications side of things, they have all of the features we look for these days. If the campaign page is to be trusted, these buds will have 6 hours of battery life per charge, 24 hours of reserve battery in the charging case, voice assistant access, and a very decent IPX5 rating for water and sweat resistance.
All of their features are handled via a single multifunction touch control, which does not include volume adjustments.
That charging case is even wireless when used with a Qi charging mat, something you don’t always find on true wireless earbuds — even those that cost hundreds of dollars more. Tiger and Rose’s campaign page claims the panther buds are highly ergonomic. We’re not entirely sure about that given how far the panther heads appear to stick out.
Despite the extreme caution we urge you to exert around any crowdfunded project, we are somewhat heartened that at least one publication has had a chance to actually try the Tiger and Rose earbuds. They are “actually comfortable — considerably more comfortable than several other pair that I own,” a reviewer at AppleInsider said. “They also sit securely in the ear with the added benefit of a soft, silicone ear hooks.”
We should caution you, however: Do not expect miracles in terms of sound quality. As cool as these cats may be, at this price they’re likely going to be fine for casual listening, but not much else.
The biggest downside to the only earbuds with nine lives is the estimated ship date: January 2020. That means there’s no hope for the cat-crazy person on your holiday shopping list. But with any luck, you’ll be able to make your mate meow come Valentine’s Day. So far, Tiger and Rose’s backers sound pretty psyched. “As an owner of 10 cats I absolutely couldn’t say no to these wireless earbuds!” one comment reads. “It was an absolute no brainer, and I bought three pairs.” Could that be a totally fake comment? Absolutely. But then again, people do really love cats on the internet.
So far the campaign has raised much more than its flexible goal of $10,000. It wraps up on January 12.
Think these earbuds should claw their way into your device collection? You can back them here.
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