Skullcandy Push ANC Active Review: Best Friend for Gymgoers

Earbuds For Gym Lovers: Skullcandy recently launched Push ANC Active, its new true wireless earbuds for the Indian market, featuring an ear hook design, a rugged build, and an active noise-cancelling feature. The company claims its new ANC earbuds can maximise the listening experience. We tested whether that is true and answered the question: Should you buy the Skullcandy Push ANC Active at a special price of ₹9,999 (the original price is ₹34,999)?

The Push ANC Active earbuds are specifically designed for gym goers, offering good battery life and a companion app that helps customise the earbuds according to your preferences. However, there are some areas where we felt the Skullcandy Push ANC Active earbuds could have been better.

What’s Good

– Sleek and Comfortable design:

Skullcandy Push ANC Active’s all-black shade with orange accents makes it stand out from the crowd, especially since it serves a high-end customer segment. These orange elements on the company logo and rocker button enhance the overall aesthetics of the earbuds. The earhook design further enhances the practicality as it fits in the ears completely and does not fall or move during intense workouts or exercises. With a single-handed use, you can easily wear them and they fit instantly and are comfortable over a long period.

– Decent sound:

The sound quality was good, but it could have been slightly better and more refined for clearer audio. That is because the sound has no distinction among instruments in a song. However, the bass was mostly good for our liking, and in some songs, the notes from the musical instruments were clear.

We listened to multiple songs across different genres on these earbuds. Punjabi songs like Defaulter and Pagol gave a good thump in the ears, while EDM tracks like Bilionera and Tokyo Drift were clear throughout our listening. The bass output varied in each song, and the treble was good, and the overall sound output with the ANC on at full level gives you a good music experience while working out. However, if you are looking for heavy bass output, you might look elsewhere.

–  Long battery life:

Skullcandy claims the Push ANC Active has a battery life of 58 hours on a single charge. With the ANC on, in real life, the earbuds gave a battery life of 5-6 hours easily, and the case provided a battery life of 26 hours. Eying at the price point, we expected slightly more battery from the case.

– Well-built:

Made of high-quality plastic, the Push ANC Active feels premium to use. The plastic feels durable and sturdy in the hands. Further, it is IP67 rated, which means the earbuds are both water- and dust-proof. The earbuds can easily endure occasional water dunks during swimming or a shower, or intense sweat after a workout session, and they work perfectly fine.

– Intuitive Buttons

The Skullcandy Push ANC Active earbuds have two rocker buttons that are placed on the top of each earbud, finished in orange paint shade. These buttons help in changing the audio tracks, increasing or decreasing the volume. However, we expected that the rocker button could have been offered with the customisation of different functions.

– App Experience

The Skullcandy app, available on both Android and iOS, has a user-friendly interface. The Push ANC Active earbuds connect quickly to the app, depending on their pairing status with your phone, and provide multiple functionalities. This app helps adjust settings, like switching from ANC to Stay Aware mode, setting the equaliser, and changing different modes.

Further, this app also lets you customise button settings according to your needs, which we felt is a good option for the users. That said, it usually takes a few seconds for the app to recognise the earbuds on my iPhone each time.

What’s Bad

– Charging Case

A major con of the Skullcandy Push ANC Active is the case’s size. It is too big to shove into the jeans pocket, and if done, it protrudes outside, making it difficult at times. The big size of the charging case can be a deal-breaker for multiple buyers.

– ANC

The next drawback, the main highlight of the Skullcandy earbuds, is the ANC and the sound quality output. Internally, it comes with 12mm drivers that deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz.

However, whenever on a call, specifically, the ANC mode automatically shuts off and comes on the Stay Aware mode, which does hamper the experience. Further, despite using the ANC mode, there is still some noise that filters in.

Read more: Apple’s AI Siri Launch Expected Next Year—Is It Worth Waiting For?

How to change the track on the Skullcandy Push ANC Active earbuds?

The rocker button on either side of the earbud helps in navigation of the song tracks with a press-and-hold gesture. A slightly long press changes the track from both sides.

How to increase or decrease the volume on the Skullcandy Push ANC Active earbuds?

The rocker button also helps in volume control. With the help of a single press, you can either increase or decrease the volume depending on the situation.

To play or pause the track or to answer a phone call directly from the earbuds, touch the Skullcandy logo, which is finished in orange colour. With a single tap, you can either play/pause the music track or answer your calls.

On triple tap, you can either switch on or off the ANC, or you can turn on the Stay Aware mode. This mode lets you listen to your surroundings without having to remove the earbuds. With a one-second hold, you can activate the Spotify Tap function on the Skullcandy Push ANC Active earbuds.

Should you buy the Skullcandy Push ANC Active?

The Skullcandy Push ANC Active is a solid choice for fitness lovers seeking a rugged, secure fit with long battery life and dependable app controls. While the ANC and sound detail may not wow audiophiles, and the chunky case might be a dealbreaker for commuters, gymgoers will appreciate what it offers at ₹9,999. If you value deeper bass or superior ANC, alternatives like OnePlus Buds Pro 3 might serve you better — but for active lifestyles, this one delivers.

Also Read: FASTag ₹3,000 Pass Explained: 10 Things You Didn’t Know Before August 15