Urbanears Luma

There’s an area in Stockholm just across the water from Södermalm named Luma after its historic light bulb factory. It’s an area known for its functionalist Swedish architecture.

The Urbanears Luma are a pair of earbuds that embrace the functionalist design. These budget earbuds come in five vibrant colours that rival the brilliance of a light bulb factory.

The Luma earbuds mark Urbanears’ first foray into true wireless, alongside the cheaper Alby. For an extra £20, the Luma offer a wear-detection sensor, dual mics and a longer battery life.

So, let’s find out if these cheap wireless earbud’s audio is as interesting as its design.

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Urbanears Luma design – A colourful AirPods alternative

Visually, the Luma are AirPods with more personality. The earbuds have the same round in-ear shape and elongated stem design as the Apple buds, plus a more rectangular tail that’s home to the Urbanears logo.

The most obvious difference between the Luma and the AirPods is the generous array of colours in which the former are available. The Luma come in Charcoal Black, Teal Green, Ultra Violet and True Maroon. There’s also a Dusty White pair if you’re looking for more of an Apple duplicate.

Looks aside, the earbuds are incredibly lightweight and comfortable in the ear. I’m a little puzzled as to the reason Urbanears doesn’t offer silicone ear tips with the Luma as it does for the Alby, since this means the Luma don’t benefit from the passive noise cancellation or custom fit of their cheaper sibling.

The lack of ear tips doesn’t lessen the comfort of the earbuds, however; but neither did they feel completely secure during a jog. The earbuds didn’t fall out, but I can see fit being an issue during more intense workout sessions.

The Luma feature touch controls. You can double-tap on either earbud to play/pause or start/end a call, triple-tap the left earbud to go back a song, triple-tap the right earbud to skip a song, and press and hold either bud for two seconds to wake up the voice assistant.

The earbuds come in a matching lightweight case that can be charged via the USB-C cable or a wireless charging pad. For the security conscious, the case also features a thick cord, which you can use to secure the unit to your bag.

Urbanears Luma features – A good set of features

Beneath the playful exterior, the Luma are packed with some great everyday features. The earbuds feature two microphones on each earbud, promising crisp calls even in noisy environments whether using both earbuds or just one. I found that calls were clear, but no more so than using my phone’s speaker.

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The wear-detect sensor might be my favourite feature. The earbuds can sense when you remove them from your ears, automatically pausing music. When you’re ready to continue listening, put them back in and music will continue from where you left off. It’s a simple feature but one that’s welcome.

Along with the previously mentioned touch controls, there’s voice control too. This means you can press and hold either earbud to activate your device’s voice assistant, control tunes and answer calls hands-free.

The Luma boast five hours of battery life, a number I found they surpassed with ease. There’s also an additional four charges available through the wireless charging case, offering a total of 25 hours. There’s no quick-charging facility; it takes around two hours to get to full capacity. I found 10 minutes was more than enough time to get the earbuds up and running again.

Urbanears Luma sound – Decent, but lacks balance

The Urbanears Luma offer decent audio for casual listeners, but audiophiles and bass lovers may feel disappointed by the sound they produce.

Blueberry Eyes by MAX is dynamic and packed with energy, and there’s plenty of detail to be found in the vocals and even more so in the track’s higher range. The tonal balance isn’t perfect, though – I found that the bass suffers. The beat behind Suga’s rap verse loses impact, depending on the position of the earbuds in the ears.

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The bass takes centre stage in DaBaby’s Rockstar and, while the low-end rumbles more prominently, it lacks the depth and gravity it requires. The guitar, on the other hand, is crisp and filled with detail.

These earbuds offer good-quality audio for casual music lovers at a low price, but more astute listeners will likely find they leave something to be desired.

Should you buy the Urbanears Luma?

The Urbanears Luma are a fun pair of earbuds for anyone looking for the AirPod style and decent audio at a cheaper price.

The design is lightweight and compact, and the earbuds are available in five vivid colours for a more personalised feel. They’re packed with useful features, too, including four mics for clear calls, a wear-detect sensor and voice controls.

If your music library consists primarily of bass, you’ll find issues here. Likewise, gym buffs might have better luck with the cheaper Alby earbuds, since these come with silicone ear tips and the same IPX4 sweat-proof rating as their more expensive sibling.

Looking for AirPod style at a discount? Then check out the Urbanista London. Like the Luma, these earbuds come in a range of bright colours, boast an IPX4 rating and a 25-hour battery. The London earbuds also come with ANC, making them a rarity among the cheap true wireless crowd.

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