Going water-resistant is the latest fad amongst gadget-makers. Even Apple has joined the wave with its latest iPhone being built to IP67 standards. Audio devices maker Altec Lansing is, however, trying to take the bar a notch higher by creating a pair of wireless earphones that are waterproof, dust proof, shockproof and sand proof.

We tested the new MZW100 wireless stereo earphones to check if the brand's claims were foolproof.

At first glance, these come across as standard issue wireless Bluetooth earphones with in-ear buds and silicone moulds. The slightly heavy battery attached to the cable and the in-line controls seem a little ungainly. A curved battery housing would been more intuitive, compared to the flat, trapezoidal battery in the unit. But choice of flat cables to avoid tangles is a neat idea.

The ear hooks in the MZW100 are not the most pleasing to look at, but the design along with the silicone plugs manage to keep the phones hooked to your ears. You should be able to easily find your fit from amongst the three pairs of plugs and hooks in the box. These do not feature active noise cancellation as mentioned by a few online retailers, but the noise isolation is pretty effective, thanks to the snug fit of the plugs.

These Altec Lansing earphones connect using Bluetooth 4.1 protocol and can simultaneously be connected to two audio sources (handsets or tablets). Connecting to an iPhone was easy, though detecting the signal took nearly a minute while connecting the first time. Audio track controls, volume and call management are all available in-line.

Coming to performance, we can confirm that the phones are dust and sand proof. Washing off any grime or dust is fine and can be a blessing if you take this pair to the beach. We put its claim to be waterproof to the ultimate test by taking it into the pool. Bluetooth signal loss is inevitable while in water, but the phones connected back and played our songs every time we surfaced. In the shower the earphones worked just fine.

The quality of reproduction by the 9mm neodymium drivers are good, though it was not the richest experience we have had from a pair of in-ear phones. Bluetooth range was about 30 feet and the battery lasted us about 5 hours of continuous playback.

Price: ₹3,090

Love: Noise isolation, Comfy Freebit ear buds

Hate: Dangly battery, in-line controls not easy to use

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