New compact Skullcandy Dime wireless earbuds challenge Apple Airpods for a fraction of the price
Skullcandy Dime offers a great fit and full suite of media controls on the buds, for less than a takeaway for two
Looking for a cheap Apple Airpods alternative? The new Skullcandy Dime true wireless earbuds offer a lot of premium features for a very little price, making them all the more appealing for audio enthusiasts on a budget. And when we say budget, we mean it: the Dime costs less than a takeaway from two. That's pretty good for quality IPX4 sweat- and water-resistant earbuds with and noise-isolating fit.
Skullcandy Dime: price and availability
Available in Dark Blue/Green, Light Grey/Blue, Dark Grey and True Black colourways, the Skullcandy Dime is available now at Skullcandy US and Skullcandy UK for a recommended retail price of $24.95/£29.99. The Dime don't appear to be currently available with Skullcandy Australia, but they're likely to come in around the AU$50 mark if they do reach Aussie shores.
The Skullcandy Dime is backed by Skullcandy’s Fearless Use Promise: if you happen to lose or break any of the components, you can purchase buds and cases separately from Skullcandy to replace them with ease.
Skullcandy Dime: features
The Skullcandy Dime offers an 'up to' 12 hours of battery life with 3.5 hours of battery life in the earbuds and 8.5 hours in the charging case. The Dime connects to smartphones and media players via Bluetooth 5.0 and also has built-in microphones in each bud so you can use either bud solo without losing the ability to take calls.
Take calls, change tracks, adjust volume controls and activate native device assistants (Google, Siri, etc.) using media controls on the buds: no need to unearth the phone from the bottom of the bag. The Dime also has an Auto On/Connect feature that automatically turns on and pairs the buds with the last device used.
As for sound quality, there isn't much information available but we don't expect the Dime to have a mind blowing sound, considering the price point. It definitely won't beat Skullcandy Crusher Evo, nor the excellent , but the noise-isolating fit might help enhancing listening quality without having to press the buds way down the ear canal.
The Dime is IPX4 sweat- and water-resistance and has an integrated lanyard. You can charge the buds with a Micro-USB cable.
