Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
Like the original Creative Outlier Air, the Creative Outlier Air V2 is made out of hard plastic. Because of this, fingerprints are easily left on the surface. The exterior color scheme consists of a mix of black, blue, and grey. Both earbuds have the Creative logo in grey facing outside. The overall size of the Creative Outlier Air V2 is the same as the Creative Air Outlier, which is to say it is a little larger than other earbuds we have seen here at APH Networks. The earbuds weigh 6g each or 12g for both, but it does not feel too dense due to the dimensions. Ultimately, the exterior of the Creative Outlier Air V2 is solidly built. While I wish more work had been done to prevent fingerprints and oil marks from appearing, I do like the new addition of the metallic blue color, which was not present on its predecessor.
Unlike the Creative Outlier, the Creative Outlier Air V2 has tap controls as opposed to tactile buttons. Right off the bat, this is a major improvement over the predecessor as it does not feel like you are pushing into your ears. These touch controls work different for three different modes: Playback, pause, and call. When it comes to playback mode, several combinations can be used for the Play/Pause, Next, Previous Track commands. Play/Pause can be done by tapping either earbud twice. Tapping the right earbud will skip to the next track, while tapping the left earbud will rewind to the previous track. Holding your finger on the left earbud will gradually lower the volume, while holding your finger on the right earbud will raise the volume. When in pause mode, tapping either earbud three times will bring up Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby, depending on what phone you are using. Holding your finger on either earbud in this case will put them into pairing mode. When it comes to call mode, tapping the left earbud twice will answer a call, while tapping the right earbud twice will decline or hang up a call. Holding your finger on either earbud for three seconds will end the call. Finally, holding your finger for a longer period on the left earbud will lower the call volume while holding your finger on the right earbud will increase the volume. It should be noted that you must have your fingers directly on the shell outside the earphones -- the commands will not register if your finger falls anywhere else. I found these controls to be very intuitive and easy to use. Overall, lightly tapping the outside shell of the earbuds proved to be a comfortable experience when dealing with controls.
Like most wireless earbuds, the Creative Outlier Air V2 utilizes Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your electronic devices. Like with its predecessor, the supported codecs for the Outlier Air V2 are SBC, AAC, and aptX. Subband Coding, or SBC, is the default Bluetooth audio codec with reasonable audio quality and low processing power requirements, maxing out at 328 kbps. AAC, or Advanced Audio Coding, works better for Apple devices and maxes out at 250 kbps. However, AAC is still known for better sound quality despite the lower wireless data transfer rate. On the other side, Qualcomm’s aptX offers a higher wireless data transfer rate than AAC and promises "CD-like quality". While this term seems to be vague and overused, this codec still offers a more efficient audio encoding. It should be noted that aptX does provide more efficient audio encoding. You will need a source with aptX support, which has not been implemented with Apple devices.
Looking closer at the Creative Outlier Air V2, we can see the size of the wireless in-ear monitors compared to the tips. Each earbud uses a 5.6mm neodymium driver with a graphene diaphragm, which is rated for a frequency response ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz, being the normal hearing range for humans. The company also advertises Super X-Fi technology for sound enhancement. The silicone sleeves on the drivers serve the purpose of creating a passive noise canceling effect along with aiming at the user’s ear canals. This is also true for the drivers, which are pointed straight into your ear for sound reproduction. These sleeves come in two different sizes and styles, including a flatter tip and a more normal tip. These earbuds are also IPX5 rated, meaning they are protected from a light water spray from any angle. This is great for rain and sweat, which is those looking to listen to their favorite jams while running or performing other outdoor activities.
Each side of the Creative Outlier Air V2 contains two pogo pin pads to charge the set when inside the case. We also have some magnets inside to hold the pair of earphones inside its charging case. This will prevent the earbuds from falling out; something I found very helpful on many outings. Printed “R” and “L” letters can be found near the pin pads on their respective earbuds to indicate to users which ear the earbuds should enter. Flipping over the earbuds, we can see a large LED ring around the outside rubber, exactly like its predecessor. This ring will flash red and blue, which is dependent on the status. Each earbud also contains microphones for picking up voice during calls, although this is not seen in the photos. The microphones have Qualcomm cVc 8.0 technology for better voice pickup, which we will test on the next page.
Like its predecessor, the carrying case is made out of metal and plastic. The metal feels very solid and is a design choice I am glad they decided to keep. It has a nice cold feeling when grabbing it. Another design choice I am glad they kept was to have the case act as a charger for the headphones. The case dimensions measure 79mm in length, 44mm in width, and 28mm in height when closed. The case opens from the right side to show the placement positions for both earbuds. We also have three pinhole LEDs on the right side with a USB Type-C input. This slightly differs from the Creative Outlier Air, which had four pinhole LEDs. The three LEDs display the battery status for the charging status of the left ear, battery life of the case, and charging status of the right ear. I do respect the removal of the battery status of the case when in the middle of charging, as the battery status of just the case alone works fine.
The Creative Outlier Air V2 uses lithium polymer batteries for its earbuds. The carrying case has a battery installed in it and thus acts as a charger for the earbuds as well. Each earbud has an 80mAh battery inside, while the case has a 450mAh battery. Creative has advertised these earbuds to last 12 hours on one charge, which is two hours longer than its predecessor. In my day-to-day use, I got about 11.5 hours at 50% volume, which is very close and quite impressive. You can get two extra charges with the carrying case, so the total time comes out to just over 34 hours, which is a good amount of playtime and an improvement over its predecessor.
The pairing process for the Creative Outlier Air V2 is different from the Creative Outlier Air, although, like its predecessor, it still works in a similar way as other Bluetooth earbuds out on the market. The left earbud must be removed from the charging case first, and the device must be set on Bluetooth mode. From there, you should be able to find the Creative Outlier Air V2 for pairing. The right earbud will automatically pair as well, which at that point, the pairing is finished. Like its predecessor, Android devices will only report the battery life of the primary side. As a result, the primary side will have its battery drain faster than the secondary side. It should be noted that this only applies for whichever side you pair first, so you can switch which side you pair first to get the most out of both earbuds.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
