Creative Outlier Air V3 vs Outlier Pro true wireless earbuds review: Kings of value

Introduction & design 

There's no shortage of true wireless earbuds these days and there are, broadly speaking, two ways you can go about shopping for one.

You can go the value route and check out Lazada or Shopee, which is awash with cheap options from brands you may have never heard of (and quality that's probably pegged to their pricing tier unless you know what to look out for). 

Or you can shell out for the brands you know and the features you want, but pay a much higher price tag. 

Last year, Creative threw that dilemma out the window with the Outlier Air V3, an excellent pair of true wireless earbuds that is not only affordable but also backed with the promise of quality that we've come to expect from one of the world's most well-known audio brands. 

Without missing a beat, Creative recently followed up with its new Outlier Pro, which has a launch price of $119 - just a tad more than the Outlier Air V3 at $99.

The Outlier Pro continues to refine Creative's approach to true wireless earbuds, but the real question is: which model should you buy? 

In almost every case, newer is better. The Outlier Pro trounces the Outlier Air V3 in every aspect on paper. However, you can also expect generous discounts on the Outlier Air V3 now that its successor is out. As I'm writing this, I see an official listing for the latter on Shopee for just $59, which is an insanely low price for a great pair of earbuds. 

What's more, in a very rare scenario, you might even prefer the Outlier Air V2 instead!

In this review, let's take a look at the key differences between the Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3, and help you decide which purchase works best for you. 

Design

The design of both Outlier models - Air V3 and Pro - offer a hint as to why it might be so affordable. There's barely any difference between the successive generations of Outlier earbuds. You probably won't be able to identify any differences between them without putting them side by side and looking closely.

From their hard plastic shells down to the sliding mechanism, both gadgets are virtually identical on the outside, except for slight differences in their sizes.

Even the placement of the charging port, LED indicator lights, and the Super X-Fi logo is identical. 

Take a look at the photo below and see if you can tell which one is the Outlier Air V3 and which one's the Pro. To make things more interesting, I've also thrown in the older Outlier Air V2.

The upside to all this is that without any fancy new external materials or design bells and whistles, it looks like Creative has been able to minimise cost and keep prices low.

While the design isn't the sleekest out there, what Creative has works. You get a large charging case and two earbuds that stay safe and secure within, all encased in solid plastic that can looks and feels like it could take a couple of hit.

The differences between the Outlier Air V3 and the Outlier Pro become more obvious once you slide the earbuds out.

The Outlier Pro takes the Outlier Air V3's design and puts a slight spin on it. It has a glossy finish that makes it look more expensive than its $119 asking price. 

They may look like metal, but once you pick them up, there's no mistake that they are actually plastic. Still, remember that this is a gadget that retails below $120, so it's hard to have any complaints.

The Outlier Pro's earbuds are slightly larger but I found that, because of the way they are shaped, they fit better. And because they are larger, I also found them easier to grasp and remove from my ears when I'm done listening. Of course, because fit is such a personal thing, your mileage may vary.

Sadly, the striking LED ring light on the Outlier Air V3 is gone on the Outlier Pro. Instead, you get a regular blinking dot of light that shows you whether the earbuds are charging or connected.

That's kind of a bummer, as the LED lights really helped the Outlier Air V3 stand out and I was hoping that Creative would do more with it, like adding customisable RGB lighting to it.

Features

For a model that Creative calls "Pro," you'd expect a serious spec upgrade over the Outlier Air V3, and for the most part, Creative delivers.

The key difference between the two earbuds lies in their active noise cancellation capabilities. The Outlier Air Pro features an active noise cancellation implementation that is similar to other top-tier flagship earbuds in that it uses microphones to pick up unwanted noises outside the earbuds and inside your ears. Some brands might call such a setup "hybrid ANC."

The Outlier Air V3, on the other hand, only uses mics to pick up noise outside the earbuds. Consequently, Creative says the Outlier Air V3 only has "active noise reduction." 

There's no contest. The Outlier Pro is much more effective at nullifying outside noise. At home, it completely cancelled out the hum of my air conditioner and fan, something that the Outlier Air V3 couldn't do completely. 

If microphone performance is crucial, it's worth noting that the Outlier Pro has three mics on each earbud as opposed to the two on the Outlier Air V3. Now, the number of mics alone usually doesn't determine mic performance, but I did find the Outlier Pro to sound more clear and more natural than the Outlier Air V3. 

Battery life is mostly quite similar. Creative says the Outlier Air V3 can last for up to ten hours on a single charge and up to 40 hours if you include the charging case. Creative quotes identical figures for the Outlier Pro.

However, if you turn ANC off on the Outlier Air Pro, you can stretch the battery to up to 15 hours on a single charge and up to 60 hours with the charging case. Both earbuds also feature quick charging where ten minutes in their charging cases is enough to provide the earbuds with enough juice to last up to two hours. 

In practice, both earbuds will easily last over a week (with their charging cases), before you need to charge them. And speaking of charging, both can be charged over a USB-C cable or wirelessly with any Qi-compatible wireless charger.

Other features worth mentioning and common to the two earbuds is their IPX5 water resistance ratings. This means you can take them to exercise and not worry about sweat messing them up. Both earbuds also support voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant. 

Insofar as features are concerned, the Outlier Pro is clearly the one to go for. For just $119, you get flagship-level features that other brands charge hundreds of dollars for, so it's really a no-brainer unless you're on a very tight budget.

How do they sound? 

Despite being similar in many ways, the Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3 have completely different drivers. Both earbuds are Super X-Fi ready but the Outlier Pro uses 10mm large graphene dynamic drivers while the Outlier Air V3 has smaller 6mm, bio-cellulose drivers.

Size and material differences alone do not determine how something sounds. But having said that, graphene drivers generally have a punchier sound while bio-cellulose drivers are favoured by some for having a more natural tone.

After careful evaluation, my preference is for the Outlier Pro. I think it's hands down the best-sounding earbuds Creative has made to date. The sound is full-bodied and the overall tonality is warm because of the slightly emphasised bass.

Bass was a standout feature of songs like Justin Bieber's Ghost, Charlie Puth's Light Switch, or Harry Styles' As It Was. While the bass was certainly strong and impactful, it didn't muddy the rest of the spectrum too much and the vocals were still intelligible.
 

If I had to nitpick, I'd say the treble could use more bite and sparkle. Luckily, this can be rectified by using the Creative app to customise the earbuds' EQ settings.

As for the Outlier Air V3, it actually has a more balanced signature compared to the Outlier Pro. Treble performance is certainly superior but that has come at the expense of less energy in the bass. Some listeners might prefer this more refined sound, but some might find it a little less exciting. As is the case with sound, this is all a matter of personal tastes.

Wait, didn't you mention Outlier Air V2 earlier?

Why yes, yes I did.

If you pour over the detailed spec sheets of Creative's recent true wireless earbuds models, you'll notice a glaring omission from the Outlier Air V3 and the Outlier Pro.

Neither model supports the aptX codec. Both earbuds only support AAC and SBC. Now, this isn't necessarily an issue. In fact, if these abbreviations sound like gibberish to you, feel free to skip this section. However, for more discerning listeners, this is something to take note of. iOS device users need not worry since all iPhones and iPads support AAC.

This is mostly an issue with Android users since newer Android devices mostly rely on the aptX and LDAC wireless audio codecs. This means they will have to use the SBC codec when connecting to the Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3. There's nothing inherently wrong with SBC, just that it is, in theory at least, a lower bit-rate codec, which means more audio data is thrown away.

If this is important to you, then unfortunately you'll have to hunt for an Outlier Air V2. This might be easier than you think, as Carousell is awash with the same models both new and used.

Value kings

The Outlier Pro is Creative's best true wireless earbuds. There's absolutely no doubt about that. It looks and feels a little more expensive than the Outlier Air V3 and pumps out sound that, in this reviewer's opinion, is more pleasurable.

And best of all, you're not paying a lot more for the Outlier Pro. It has the same $119 launch price as the older Outlier Air V2 and is incredibly affordable when you consider its improved feature set. Even Nothing's very solid Ear 1s (which also has ANC) is considerably more pricey at $179.

That said, the Outlier Air V3 is also a very capable performance and is even more affordable now that its successor is available. Although it was launched at $99, you can easily find it for a lot less if you look around (even from Creative's own store at under $60 during promotions). If you need a solid pair of earbuds in a pinch, you could do a lot worse than that.

But as capable as Creative's new true wireless earbuds are, there are reasons why more expensive options exist. While sound is subjective, there's no denying that earbuds like Sony's WF-1000XM4 have significantly better ANC performance, while others like Bang & Olufsen's BeoPlay EQ8 and Master & Dynamic's MW08 are better crafted and made of more luxurious materials.

But for those after excellent features and sound on a tight budget, the Creative's Outlier Pro is really in a class of one.

The Outlier Pro is available on Creative's online store here. The Outlier Air V3 can be found on Lazada and Shopee, in addition to Creative's own store.

ALSO READ: Google unveils the Pixel Buds Pro, its first earbuds with ANC

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.