Gaming accessories have existed in abundance in recent years, but ones that are actually useful in terms of how it changes or enhances your gameplay are hard to come by, especially when those in the budget segment. So naturally, when I received the pTron Tangent Jade, an ENC neckband that’s targeted at gamers, I had a lot of questions around its performance. I have now used the product for over a week and here’s what I think about them.
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pTron Tangent Jade: What’s good?
While it doesn’t steer far away from the traditional look of neckband earbuds, the pTron Tangent Jade does come with a unique design that has that edgy ‘gamer-vibe’ to it. It has large, tactile buttons to control the volume (single press) and playback (long-press) which are easy to reach and use. There is also IPX4 water resistance here, complete with a flap to cover the USB-C port, which is a great addition. The overall design is also easy to wear and use.
Coming to the sound quality, the pTron Tangent Jade sound nice for the price, but the audio quality isn’t anything special. The 10mm drivers output a slightly bass-heavy signature when listening to music, but all kinds of sounds are clearly audible when you play games like Battlegrounds Mobile India.
The neckband has nice button controls for the volume and music playback. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
The microphone quality is really good in both games and cellular calls. The neckbands also offer solid, reliable connectivity in this budget. You can simply connect and forget about them. The company claims 30ms latency which is low-enough to give you a smooth experience without any sound delays while playing. The pTron Tangent Jade also is comfortable and can be worn endlessly without the ears feeling sore or anything.
Thea earbuds are also comfortable in the ear over long hours. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
We also have good battery life here, with the neckband lasting easily over 20 hours on a full charge. Charging times are also good and about an hour of charging tops up the Tangent Jade completely.
pTron Tangent Jade: What’s not good?
The pTron Tangent Jade doesn’t get a lot wrong for its price, but there are still a few pointers I need to talk about. Although these aren’t really deal-breakers. For one, we wouldn’t recommend this for music alone, as in songs with multiple layers or instruments, the output felt flat and lacked depth.
The first element I disliked here were the weak magnets on the earbuds. The magnets do help tether the earbuds to each other when the neckband is hanging on your neck, but as mentioned before, they’re really weak.
If you drop the earbuds from your ears and expect them to find each other on the way below and stick to each other, that isn’t going to happen. You will have to manually bring them really close for them to stick. Even then, one tug and they’ll separate. However, note that this will not automatically turn your neckband on or off, as power on and off is controlled via a long-press on the buttons, and not the magnets.
The lighting on the neckband could be a problem during night times and can also be distracting to the person next to you. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
The second issue here is the lights on the neckband. While it looks cool and helps with the edgy aesthetic, they aren’t really practical. It doesn’t help that there’s no way to turn the constantly blinking RGB lights off or even change the blinking pattern.
While they do turn heads in the day, the lights may actually hamper your gaming during night, when they project their colours on nearby walls and other surfaces, which could be distracting to some people.
Verdict: Should you get the pTron Tangent Jade?
The pTron Tangent Jade offers a unique proposition and is pretty much the only product in its category under the Rs 1000 mark. With a metal body, unique looks, solid connectivity, good microphone, lasting battery life and comfortable usage, it really hits all the necessary tick marks for gamers on a budget. If you’re looking for a product in this budget for your gaming needs that also look cool, you should consider looking at the pTron Tangent Jade.