The only downside is that their chunky design can make them a little clunky to wear during specific workouts, such as boxing or climbing. Adidas estimates roughly 16 hours of battery life, but your results will vary with your volume levels. Performance Now, right off the bat, I’d be the first to admit that even as a self-described audio junkie, I didn’t realize that Adidas even made audio devices. At least not prior to this review of the company’s Adidas FWD-01 earbuds. But that doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot since there are hundreds of brands to keep tabs on. The Adidas FWD-01 aren’t a subtle bit of kit. Chunky left and right buds with a spidery mesh pattern, they look like they’ve been through a Tough Mudder or three straight out of the box.

Being Adidas’ first-ever range of audio equipment, the FWD-01 does a decent enough job in the audio department, though it doesn’t yet match up to the likes of Jaybird or Bose, both of which have been in the industry for much, much longer. The base preset EQ is pretty solid, which is by default bass-forward, which certainly pumps some adrenaline in your workout. As such, bass-heavy genres such as EDM and hip hop will no doubt benefit from it. But if that’s not for you, there are other EQ presets available in the app, or it can be manually edited, giving you a bevvy of audio options.The fabric also covers the button housing found in both the left- and right-hand lines. And there are textures on the earbuds themselves too, though that only makes them more comfortable to grip for placing in or taking out. There are no buttons at all on the earbuds. The only interactive element there is the embedded USB-C port.

Now, Adidas FWD-01 is part of the company’s “Running” line of wireless earbuds. And, as such, it isn’t necessarily the best option if you happen to need to put a lot of distance between yourself and your smartphone. In fact, compared to other earbuds I’ve had the opportunity to review, Adidas FWD-01 performed among the worst I’ve tested on range. Since there’s no ANC, battery life matches the Z.N.E. 01 ANC with 6 and 25 hours. This is an area where the Adidas give up a little time to the likes of the Jabra Elite 7 Pro and JBL Reflect Flow Pro. Like the Z.N.E, the figures bandied about are fine for gym use, but they’re just about okay if we’re talking about using them more often.The FWD-02 Sport are the third in a trio of true wireless buds from the Adidas and Zound Industries collaboration, with this model specifically aimed at runners. While they aren’t the prettiest gym headphones around, when it comes to functionality they easily match competing sets from the likes of Jaybird. Otherwise, the battery in Adidas FWD-01 lasts even longer than the company claimed. And that’s under conditions that would drain most devices over a far shorter period than is claimed. And that’s bearing in mind that conditions such as distance from a source device, volume, media type, and other factors drastically change battery life from user to user. I listened at 90-percent volume from a distance averaging 20-feet. So my use was more intensive than most users’ will be. The sound quality of the FWD-01 is excellent, with a deep range of sound, full, clean rich bass and can easily be customized within the app. Finally, Adidas includes a fold-to-close carry case. Adidas made that from a mesh material and even added a slot specifically for the charging cable. But it’s also small enough that the accessories just barely fit without being difficult to place inside. So, unlike many other companies’ included carry cases, this one from Adidas doesn’t take up much more extra room than the earbuds themselves would.