In this article, I’m reviewing the Pamu Slide 2 TWS earphones. It has been 2 years since the successful launch of the original Pamu Slide and now the popular model has been upgraded with a bunch of new hardware and features. The Early Bird price on Indiegogo is $79.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Padmate for an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

Pamu Slide 2

Here are some of the features of the Pamu Slide 2:

• Hybrid active noise cancelling (ANC)
• Voice enhancement
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Wireless charging
• In-ear detection
• Low-latency game mode
• Touch/Slide + App controls
• IPX4 water-resistance
• 26 hours of playback time

Design

As the name implies, you slide up the cover to open the charging case and get to the earbuds. The slide action is smooth and spring-loaded so it won’t open unintentionally. There’s a USB-C port on the top of the case for charging. On the bottom, there’s an LED strip that shows the battery status. This is much more useful than the single or triple lights used on most other TWS earphones and gives you a clear indication of the power level at a glance.

As for the earbuds themselves, they have a stem design and use silicone eartips to give you a better fit and seal. The stems are fairly wide and cylindrical in shape; this is because they have a slide function used to control the volume.

The earbuds are lightweight and feel secure in my ears. They never feel as though they might fall out even when I’m moving about or exercising. You don’t have to worry about sweat or moderate rain either: the Pamu Slide 2 has an IPX4 water-resistance rating.

Functionality and App Controls

The Pamu app gives you a lot of extra control and customization options. You can control the ANC mode, game mode, EQ setting, ANC passthrough (transparency) mode, and enable/disable in-ear detection all within the app.

Furthermore, you can customize the button functionality with the app too, which enables you to set up the controls just the way you like them. The app shows you the individual battery level of each earpiece and also lets you do firmware updates.

Calls, Video and Game Performance

The call quality on the Pamu Slide 2 is pretty good, especially when in Wind Noise Reduction mode. My voice sounds clear and there’s hardly any noticeable compression. In normal ANC mode, the voice quality is slightly degraded and there’s more typical Bluetooth compression.

Video performance is great on my iPhone and even in normal mode, the audio stays in sync with YouTube videos. There’s very little latency in games too and in Ultra-Low Latency mode, the gaming performance is excellent.

Active Noise Cancellation

The transparency mode is probably the best I’ve ever heard on a TWS earphone. I have it enabled and am using “high grade” transparency mode right now and I can clearly hear the light rain falling outside. Each key I press on my keyboard comes through clear as day and this is the first time I’ve felt comfortable having a conversation with earbuds in my ears.

As for the regular ANC mode, the Pamu Slide 2 excels here as well. Low-frequency sounds are almost entirely muted and things such as air conditioners or fans are pretty much inaudible.

Sound

There are a total of 6 preset EQ modes in the Pamu app. Each one has its own distinct sound and gives you a wide range of customization options. For example, the POP EQ mode (enabled by default) is slightly V-shaped: warm and full-bodied with boosted bass and treble. The Normal EQ setting sounds flatter and less dynamic but that would be good for people who want minimal colouring of the music.

The Classical EQ setting is leaner and increases the treble extension. As a result, the size of the soundstage increases and it gives a greater sense of scale. I won’t cover all of the EQ settings but I just wanted to confirm that they do all indeed have their own unique tone which people should find useful.

Regardless of which EQ setting you use, Pamu Slide 2 has a nice, meaty and full-bodied bass. It’s punchy and hits with impact but is never overpowering. Midrange notes are rounded (especially with the Vocal EQ setting) and rich but not oversaturated. The instrument separation and overall resolution are quite good for sub $100 TWS earbuds.

The treble is crisp and provides good clarity to the sound. It’s a slightly warm treble so it doesn’t sound sharp or sibilant, although in Classical EQ mode, it has more sparkle and energy which might be too aggressive when listening to other music genres like rock.

Verdict

The Pamu Slide 2 is a clear improvement over the original Slide in almost every sense. It has excellent app support, above-average ANC quality plus a host of features and customization options. On top of all that, it has good all-round sound quality with 6 EQ preset modes. It’s easy to see why the Pamu TWS earphones are so popular.

The Pamu Slide 2 is available now on for the super early bird price of $79. Early bird orders get a free Padmate Magnetic Phone Stand.