Outlier Air V2: The next generation of Creative’s Wireless-In-Ears

Creative has once again tinkered in its audio lab and launched wireless in-ears with touch controls. Right, with touch controls on both earpieces. Gone are the wild presses of any buttons to answer a call. The Outlier Air V2 are sleek, sweat resistant and are designed to deliver improved call quality – matching the touch aspects.

The whole thing is connected via Bluetooth 5.0 with cell phone, tablet and co. In addition, the batteries last for 12 hours. That means one can hear music in the morning while jogging, when one comes from work, until one goes to bed and in the morning still the next jogging round flits, without it also in the least the audio quality too close. And if you need more, the pocket-sized charging station comes with it.

Everything sounds nice and good. We took a closer look and not only examined Creative’s data but also tested the new Outlier Air V2 thoroughly. Let’s see how generation two differs from the first Outlier Air.

Technical data

From now on for touching

Particularly moving compared to its predecessors, the Creative Outlier Air V2 features touch controls. Instead of the obligatory click on the earplug buttons, a gentle tap is now all that is needed to pause music, select the next track and answer a call. This means that you can continue your current activity without any major complications, while a light tap on the earphones is enough to connect to a caller.

And that’s exactly what Creative put more emphasis on this time than the Outlier Airs, which already entered the audio market last year.

Clear phone calls

In addition to sleek touch functions, the Outlier Air V2 enhances its capabilities with improved call quality. In addition, the use of the smart assistants Siri and Google Assistant has been further expanded.

This is due to the two integrated microphones, which in the V2 version were equipped with Qualcomm’s cVc 8.0 technology. This means that a new chip has been installed compared to the predecessors, which gives the new Outlier Airs a significant increase in voice pickup. The voice is filtered out of the background noise and transmitted crystal clear. Two omnidirectional microphones have been installed, which record in all directions, but can pick out the best voice result.

After our tests we can definitely confirm that Qualcomm technology does its job excellently and that the built-in microphones deliver crystal-clear conversation by call.

Listen up, there’s a lot to hear here

Normally, in our headset tests, we start with the listeners before we work our way to the microphone. In this case, the transition from touch to call quality was delivered to us on a silver platter by Creative. We then turn our attention to the audio quality of the wireless in-ears.

In order to hear not only detailed sound in the treble through the Outlier Air V2, but also matching bass, Creative has stayed with the 5.6mm graph driver diaphragms that the hardware manufacturer has already built into its predecessors – and which have already proven themselves.

But the scoop is yet to come: as in many Creative audio products, the Outlier Air V2 also features Super X-Fi. We can understand why Creative calls it the holy grail of headphone sound. With the app that comes with it, parameters based on photos (one of the face, two of each ear) ensure that the spatial sound can be heard so impressively that you think you are in a recording studio with a professional surround system. You quickly forget that you are actually wearing headphones. The whole thing is then called holographic audio.

However, this does not work with Netflix, YouTube, Spotify or other streaming services; only the SX-Fi app does.

Like many before us, we can unpack the gold award for the Outlier Air V2 for Super X-Fi alone. But let’s wait for the conclusion.

First class connection for first class sound

All audio is transmitted to the end device via Bluetooth 5.0. It is supported by the AAC procedure, which provides for loss-free stereo sound, as well as aptX, an audio encoder from the house Qualcomm, which makes the frequency response possible between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. The latter, however, has the disadvantage that it must also be integrated on the mobile device in use, since the reduction of the bit rate does not work on one side. If this is the case, nothing stands in the way of a proper sound.

From the Outlier Air V2 you have something longer

We don’t want to allude to the warranty of the product with that, much more the battery life is now in focus. Compared to the Outlier Air from 2019, this has been increased. The latest version comes with a total battery life of 34 hours, while it is still 12 hours when running.

Since the Creative Outlier Air V2 is intended for on the road, this time is absolutely sufficient. However, the battery life has only increased compared to the Outlier Airs. The Outlier Gold, which was also released in 2019, still leads the field with 39 hours total battery life and 14 hours playing time.

The same charging case is used for recharging as for the predecessor. Only one LED on the side is omitted, namely the one of the power indicator. But in our opinion this is not relevant at all. The case is also painted in the matt grey-blue color. If you put the earplugs inside, it takes 2 to 3 hours to get the perfect audio experience on the go again. Of course, charging is done via a USB type C cable. The magnets in the charging case are stronger than on the predecessor, which prevents the in-ears from slipping out of the charging cradle during transport.

Smart design and robust

Externally, the Outlier Air V2 is both visually and haptically high quality and tasteful – just like its predecessors. This time, however, there is no gold version and so Creative’s latest Wireless-In-Ears come in a matt grey-blue. The touch surfaces, on the other hand, are finished with a high-gloss finish. In our opinion, the combination of both surfaces is a stunning success.

IPX5-certified, the Outlier Air V2 can also be used in the rain in style and can withstand any sweat – whether during sports or in summer at 35 degrees in the track.

Finally a small but nice extra should be mentioned: Creative has learned and gives the Outlier Air V2 three different earplug attachments. So everyone gets the perfect fit for their ears.

Conclusion and price

The firecracker first: Although the new Outlier Air V2 has missed some modifications, they will be cheaper than their predecessors with a price of 69,99 € at market launch. These came at that time for 10,00 € more around the corner. For us an absolutely reasonable price, for what the new Wireless-In-Ears from Creative can do.

The bottom line is that we can actually give them a brilliant award. From the holographic audio via Super X-Fi, to the touch functions, to the improved call quality, the Creative Outlier Air V2 are absolutely successful. And if design is still important to you, you will get a perfect package with these.