Review: Skullcandy GRIND 420 wireless earbuds

If you’re tired of everything in technology being released in either black or white colours, then Skullcandy has a bold product for you. A new limited edition of their popular GRIND wireless earbuds have been released.

Inspired by a legendary Purple Haze strain of cannabis, the 420 Edition GRIND earbuds feature a unique purple, green and orange colour scheme, mirroring the flowers from the actual plant.

The striking design certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste and to be honest, I’m not sure I love it, but it certainly stands out, there’s no escaping that. I think of wearing these earbuds like people who wear bright red basketball shoes to go shopping, you’re still wearing shoes like everyone else, but you’re making a statement about your personality to the world.

Design

I had the opportunity to test out the 420 Edition GRIND earbuds for a few weeks, and I was very impressed with their performance. The sound quality was excellent, with clear and balanced audio that was perfect for listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. The earbuds were also very comfortable to wear, even for extended periods of time.

I also appreciated the Tile technology, which made it easy to find my earbuds if I ever misplaced them. Overall, I was very impressed with the 420 Edition GRIND earbuds, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a stylish and affordable pair of wireless earbuds.

The colour of the earbuds is one thing, but the design of the entire product actually goes much further. The earbuds have a green felt finish to them which is really unique but has the added advantage of feeling nice in the hand when inserting the buds, but also sits comfortably in the ear while in use. I’m sure this is more expensive than manufacturing these with the standard black plastic or rubber, but does serve as a nice touch to help these stand out further.

The charging case of the GRIND 420 earbuds is white in colour which actually works great next to my white PC build or for anyone with white bedside tables. The lid of the case is actually semi-transparent, allowing you easily tell at a glance if you’ve forgotten to return the buds to the case or not.

The partially see-through case is a great design choice, a throwback to the 80s and 90s when hardware like the Gameboy first came out with a see-through exterior like the manufacturers had just discovered how to achieve that material science and wanted to show it off everywhere they could.

Features and Specs

In addition to their stylish design, the 420 Edition GRIND earbuds also offer a number of other features, including:

• Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity
• IPX4 water resistance
• 5 hours of battery life (24 hours total with the charging case)
• Tile technology for easy tracking
• Skull-iQ Technology for hands-free voice control
• Excellent sound quality
• Impedance: 22Ω±15%
• Driver Diameter: 6mm
• THD: <3%
• Sound Pressure Level: 101+/-3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
• Weight: 62.5g

In the box, you’ll also find Ear Gels (S, M, L), a USB-C Charging Cable, User Guide (they could have skipped this and sent you directly to the app.

Issues

Noise cancellation takes far too long to enable/disable. While I appreciate Skullcandy wants a unique name for this, hearing and waiting for the noise cancelling to complete the sentence ‘Stay aware on’ or ‘Stay aware on’ just takes too long. Just let me press and hold the button and play a tone.. this should take a second max, instead, it feels like 3 or 4.

Just today, during Apple’s WWDC keynote, they perfectly outlined the challenge many of us face, which is being confronted by someone who wants to talk to you while you’re wearing the earbuds. You then have to do the awkward dance of pulling one earbud out of your ear and asking them to repeat the question. Apple’s AirPod Pros will detect when you speak (like saying hello to the person) and automatically disable the noise cancelling so you can have a friction-free conversation.

This is a feature Skullcandy and others should replicate immediately, as it solves a common, everyday use case and makes out lives easier.

Price and Availability

The Skullcandy GRID 420 Wireless Earbuds are available for purchase in Australia from a variety of retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and Officeworks.

The cost is $179.95 and for the features and audio quality on offer here, that represents really great budget.

The biggest question in considering these, shouldn’t be the cost, but the design and if that works for you.

Overall

The Skullcandy GRIND 420 Wireless Earbuds are a great option for anyone looking for a stylish and affordable pair of wireless earbuds. Would I recommend them to everyone? No. These are unique and won’t suit all tastes, but if you have that quirky friend, perhaps someone who loves green or purple, then this could be the perfect gift for them.

The great news is. Skullcandy offers a range of regular-looking earbuds if that’s more your style. I can say the inclusion of a USB-C port is amazing, as it offers the convenience of charging anywhere, in the home office as I work, ont he bedside table overnight or on the side table near the couch in the lounge room or rumpus.

When you do use them, I found the battery life was great for day-to-day use and they automatically turn on when you place them in your ears thanks to some smart sensors and a bit of software.

I did enjoy the customisation of the buttons through the mobile app, helping you make the technology fit into your preferences like being able to have play/pause on the right earbud, and volume up/down on the left, then a whole other set of options like voice assistant by pressing and holding for a second, or even double-tapping.

The GRIND 420s are something else design-wise, but I’m happy to confirm they offer excellent sound quality, comfortable fit, and a number of other features.