The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are Bluetooth in-ears that are alright for mixed use. They have a very dark sound profile and while they're better for bass-heavy music, they still sound fairly boomy and muffled. Also, our unit's left and right drivers are mismatched and the right earbud is noticeably louder. On the upside, these headphones are decently comfortable and have a good IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, although we don't currently have a test to confirm this. These headphones are a decent option with good value for people who want a stable and breathable truly wireless design for sports.
Our Verdict
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are alright for mixed use. These truly wireless headphones aren't ideal for critical listeners as they have a very dark sound profile. On the upside, their in-ear fit is quite comfortable and blocks a good amount of ambient noise, which can make them a decent option for commuting and at the office. Their portable and breathable design is great for sports, especially if you also use the stability fins for a more secure fit. However, like most truly wireless headphones, these shouldn’t be used for watching TV or gaming due to their high latency and mediocre microphone performance.
- Decently comfortable in-ear fit.
- Durable design with a good IP55 rating.
- Portable, stable and breathable design for sports.
- Dark sound profile.
- Our unit has mismatched drivers.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are mediocre for neutral sound as they don’t have the most neutral sound profile. They have an overemphasized bass that sounds thumpy and boomy. They also lack quite a bit of detail and brightness too. Overall, they sound very dark and are better suited for bass-heavy genres. Also, our unit has mismatched drivers which skew the stereo image to the right side as the right driver is noticeably louder than the left.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are decent for commuting. These headphones are lightweight and fairly comfortable, but they might not be as comfortable as over-ear headphones for long trips. On the upside, their battery life should be enough for your daily commute and their in-ear fit does a decent job at isolating ambient noise, although they shouldn't completely block out the rumbling noise of a bus engine. They are very easy to carry around and their charging case can easily fit in your pockets.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are very good for sports. These headphones are a bit bulkier than most truly wireless headphones but they shouldn't trap heat inside your ears, which means you shouldn’t sweat more than usual when working out. They also come with stability fins, which offer a more secure fit in the ear. They shouldn’t fall out of your ears when working out, but it’s possible that heavy head movements can break the air-tight seal, and you may need to reposition them. They are also rated IP55 for dust and water resistance, which is great, but we don't test this internally.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are okay for office use. They have very good isolation performance against work environment noise like ambient chatter and A/C systems. Unfortunately, their 4.5-hour battery life might not be ideal for a full workday and you’ll need to charge them during your breaks. Also, the in-ear fit may not be the most comfortable as their bulky design can put a bit of pressure inside your ears during long listening sessions. This shouldn’t be a problem if you listen to music from time to time during your day and often take them out of your ears.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones and aren't recommended for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with PS4 or Xbox One and while you can use them on Bluetooth-enabled PCs or mobile devices, their latency is likely too high for any competitive gaming.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones and can't be used wired.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless are unremarkable for phone calls. While you should still be intelligible to whoever is on the other line, voices recorded with its integrated microphone sound thin, muffled, and lacking in detail. The microphone also struggles to separate voice from background noise in even moderately noisy environments. The headphones themselves do an okay job of passively isolating noise but you may struggle to hear your conversation as some noise can still seep in.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 05, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jun 28, 2019: Review published.
Check Price
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Skullcandy Indy are okay truly wireless headphones that are better suited for bass-heavy music. Unfortunately, our unit had noticeably mismatched drivers, and their overall performance is quite disappointing. They won’t be the best option and their value gets beaten by most other budget truly wireless headphones we’ve reviewed so far. See our recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds, the best wireless earbuds under $50, the best earbuds for small ears, and the best noise cancelling earbuds.
The Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless and the Skullcandy Push Truly Wireless are fairly similar performing headphones. However, since our Indy unit had mismatched drivers, the Push might be a better option. The Push have a bulkier case, which isn't as easy to carry around, but they have an overall better-balanced sound profile and still pack a powerful bass. You also get 6.5 hours of battery life on one charge, which is two hours more than the Indy. On the other hand, the Indy have a sleeker stalk design and a smaller case but might sound too dark for some.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless are a little bit better than the Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless. The Sesh feel slightly better made and have a better-balanced sound profile, though it's still quite bass-heavy. On the downside, their battery life is almost an hour less off a single charge, and you get one less full charge from the case. Overall, the Sesh are better value for most people.
The Apple AirPods (2nd generation) and the Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless have different strengths. The Apple have a better build quality and recharge much more quickly. They also have a more neutral sound profile, which some may prefer, although it lacks low-bass. On the other hand, the Skullcandy have a dark, bass-heavy sound profile that EDM and hip-hop fans may like. They also leak less sound at high volumes and do a much better job blocking out noise like background conversations.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air are better mixed-usage truly wireless headphones than the Skullcandy Indy Truly Wireless. The Anker have a much better-balanced sound profile, and their fit isolates against more ambient noise than the Skullcandy. The Anker design is also a bit less bulky, making them easier to fit in most ears. On the other hand, the Skullcandy have volume controls, unlike the Anker. The Skullcandy microphone has a better recording quality for calls. However, our unit has noticeably mismatched drivers, and overall, the Anker offers better performance and value.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
