The Skullcandy Sesh are straightforward truly wireless in-ears with a portable, breathable design. They have a bass-heavy sound profile that adds thump and punch to your audio. They're decently comfortable, and they even come with three different tip sizes to help you find the best possible fit. While their 3.7-hour continuous battery life may not last through your day, their portable charging case offers around two additional charges for when you're on the go.
Our Verdict
The Skullcandy Sesh are acceptable for neutral sound. Their bass-heavy sound profile may be overwhelming for some listeners, but their balanced mid-range keeps vocals and lead instruments present in the mix. Unfortunately, you can't customize their sound.
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Consistent audio delivery.
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No sound customization features.
The Skullcandy Sesh are good for commute and travel. They're portable and decently comfortable, though their in-ear fit isn't ideal for everyone. While they can block out background noises like voices, they struggle to block out the sound of bus or plane engines. Also, their 3.7-hour continuous battery life may not last through long international flights.
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Portable, breathable design.
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Don't leak a lot of sound.
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3.7-hour continuous battery life.
The Skullcandy Sesh are impressive for sports and fitness. These well-built, breathable in-ears have a stable fit, so they shouldn't fall out of your ears during your workout. They're easy to bring on-the-go, and they're decently comfortable, though their in-ear design won't be ideal for everyone.
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Stable enough for exercise.
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Portable, breathable design.
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In-ear design not comfortable for everyone.
The Skullcandy Sesh are adequate for office use. These headphones don't leak a lot of sound, and they can isolate against background noises like chatter from nearby coworkers. They're decently comfortable, but their 3.7-hour continuous battery life may not last through your day.
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Don't leak a lot of sound.
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3.7-hour continuous battery life.
The Skullcandy Sesh are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but their latency is likely too high to be suitable for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with Xbox One or PS4 consoles.
The Skullcandy Sesh are wireless-only headphones, so they aren't suitable for wired gaming.
The Skullcandy Sesh are middling for phone calls. Their integrated microphone has a poor recording quality, so your voice may sound thin and muffled, especially if you're calling from a noisy setting. These headphones are decent for noise isolation, so they block out some background noises to help you focus on your conversation.
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Integrated microphone.
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Poor recording quality.
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Struggles to separate voice in noisy environments.
- 6.5 Neutral Sound
- 7.4 Commute/Travel
- 8.1 Sports/Fitness
- 6.8 Office
- 5.1 Wireless Gaming
- 5.0 Wired Gaming
- 5.9 Phone Calls
- Updated Nov 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Nov 11, 2020: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Feb 05, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Review published.
- Updated Nov 07, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Nov 07, 2019: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 29, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Oct 25, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Skullcandy Sesh come in several different color variants: Black, Indigo Blue, and Red. We tested the Black variant, but we expect the other variants to perform similarly.
If you come across other variants of these headphones, let us know in the discussions.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Skullcandy Sesh are decent truly wireless headphones that perform well for their price. They may not feel quite as premium and well-built as some more expensive options but have a similar build to others in this price range. Their sound profile is decently well-balanced, though it's quite bass-heavy. They're decently comfortable and have great passive noise isolation, though unfortunately, they won't last a full day without needing one or two recharges in the case. See also our recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds, the best wireless earbuds under $100, and the best budget wireless headphones.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless are slightly better than the Skullcandy Push Truly Wireless. The Sesh have smaller earbuds that protrude out of the ear less but are equally comfortable and stable in the ear. They have similar bass-heavy sound profiles, though the Sesh are slightly better balanced. The microphone of the Push is much better due to better recording quality, though overall it's still unremarkable.
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 Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless and the Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless, are, unsurprisingly, very closely matched. The Evo have a case that supports wireless charging, switchable EQ modes, and a longer continuous battery life, not to mention a more neutral bass response. However, the Sesh have an integrated mic with superior noise-handling capability and a better-balanced treble response.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless are better truly wireless headphones than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless. The Skullcandy don't feel as well-built as the Apple, which have a very premium, lightweight feel, and they don't connect to Apple devices as seamlessly. Their battery life is also worse as their case is rated for only two additional charges unlike Apple's five. On the upside, the Skullcandy's sound profile is more bass rich, which some may prefer, and they offer a much more comprehensive control scheme. Their in-ear fit also gives them a more consistent sound profile among various users.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless are slightly better headphones for mixed use than the JLab Audio JBuds Air Truly Wireless. Although they're similar truly wireless in-ear headphones with an equally bass-heavy sound profile, the Sesh are generally better balanced. While the JBuds Air last a little less time on a single charge, their case will give you an additional ten charges, much better than the Sesh's two. Unfortunately, the JBuds have an integrated charging cable on their case, which means you'd have to replace the entire case should it get damaged.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Truly Wireless are better truly wireless headphones than the Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless. The Samsung are more comfortable in-ear headphones with a more stable fit for most people. Their sound profile is much more neutral than the Sesh and is better suited for a wider range of genres. They also have a significantly longer 7.5-hour battery life and offer preset EQ options through a companion app, which the Sesh doesn't have.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless and the Skullcandy Indy Evo Truly Wireless are broadly similar in performance, though, they each have slightly different advantages and disadvantages. The Evo charge much faster and have a better microphone and a marginally more comprehensive control scheme. That said, the Sesh last longer on a single charge.
The Skullcandy Jib True Wireless are better for mixed usage than the Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless. The Jib True deliver audio more consistently, last almost twice as long on a single charge, block out more ambient noise, and have a better-balanced sound profile, not to mention a superior integrated microphone. The Sesh have a more stable fit and are a little more compact.
The Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless are a bit better headphones than the Skullcandy Spoke True Wireless. The Sesh are more comfortable, and they come with a bass-heavy sound profile. However, some listeners may prefer the Spoke's V-shaped sound, longer battery life, and better microphone recording quality. The Spoke also have a few EQ presets.
The JLab Audio GO Air POP True Wireless are better for most purposes than the Skullcandy Sesh Truly Wireless. The JLab have a much longer continuous battery life and a better overall mic performance. They also come with basic sound customization features. Ηowever, some listeners may prefer the Skullcandy's more bass-heavy sound profile, which brings a lot of extra punch and boom to your audio. They're also rated IP55 for dust and water resistance, while the JLab are rated IPX4 for water resistance only.
Test Results
The Skullcandy Sesh are truly wireless headphones with a small earbud design that doesn't protrude too much out of your ears. The earbuds have an indent on the top which allows you to press the physical buttons without pushing the earbuds further into your ear.
These decently comfortable headphones come with three different size tips to help you achieve the best fit. While they don't put too much pressure on the ear, their in-ear design may not be for everyone, and some may feel fatigue after wearing them for extended periods.
The Skullcandy Sesh have okay controls. There's a clicky physical button on each earbud which may push the earbud slightly into your ear. Luckily, the design has a spot to place your finger to help prevent this. The control scheme is simple, with one tap to pause/play or answer calls, two taps to adjust volume (down on left earbud, up on right), a long press to skip tracks (previous on left earbud, next on right), and three taps to activate your phone's voice assistant. Unlike the Skullcandy Indy Evo Truly Wireless and Skullcandy Indy Fuel Truly Wireless, these in-ears don't feature a dedicated talk-through function to toggle ambient mode on and off.
The Skullcandy Sesh have a remarkable breathability performance. Their small earbuds don’t trap heat under an ear cup and you shouldn't feel a noticeable temperature difference when wearing them. This means you shouldn’t sweat more than usual when wearing them.
The Skullcandy Sesh are outstandingly portable headphones. They can easily be stored in your pockets or a bag. They also come with a small carrying case, which should fit in most pockets.
The case acts as a charging station. While it's a bit plasticky, it feels decently well-made and should be able to withstand a few accidental drops without sustaining damage.
These headphones have a good build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels quite solid and durable. They also have an IP55 rating for water resistance, though we don't test for this. The charging case is also made of plastic, and it seems sturdy.
The Skullcandy Sesh have good stability. They don't move around much in your ears, even during high-intensity movements. Even though they don't have stability fins, you should still be able to wear them during your workouts.
- Skullcandy Sesh headphones
- Charging case
- Micro-USB charging cable
- 3x tip size options
- Manuals
The Skullcandy Sesh have a bass-heavy sound profile with an extra boom and punch that can please fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop. Their mid-range is quite balanced, so vocals and lead instruments are clear and present in the mix.
The frequency response consistency of the Skullcandy Sesh is excellent. If you can achieve a proper air-tight fit using the assortment of included tips, you should get consistent bass and treble delivery every time you use these headphones.
These headphones have poor bass accuracy. The entire range is overemphasized, which adds a boomy and punchy quality to the mix. Some users may like a boomy bass, however, it may sound a bit muddy or overwhelming to some listeners. Consider the Skullcandy Jib True Wireless if you're looking for a pair of similarly-performing truly wireless with a slightly less overemphasized bass response.
These headphones have great mid accuracy. Vocals and lead instruments are clear, present, and detailed. However, the overemphasis in the low-mids may add a muddy quality to the mix.
These headphones have decent treble accuracy. The entire range is a bit underemphasized, which may push some vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix. The underemphasized mid-treble can also make sibilants like cymbals dull and lispy.
The Skullcandy Sesh have great peaks and dips performance. Most of the range is quite balanced, though there's a slight peak in the high-bass that adds a bit of a boomy and muddy quality to the mix. The slight dip in the mid-mid can push some vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix, while the dip in the mid-treble makes sibilants dull and lispy.
These headphones have fantastic imaging performance. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in amplitude, phase, and frequency response, so objects like footsteps are accurately placed in the stereo image. These results are only valid for our test unit, so your experience may vary.
The Skullcandy Sesh have a terrible passive soundstage performance. These headphones don't interact with the outer ear, which is one of the key components in creating a speaker-like soundstage. Also, because these headphones have a closed-back enclosure, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless and the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.
These headphones don't have a virtual soundstage feature.
These headphones have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. While there's a slight bump in the treble-range, this likely won't be audible to most and overall, these headphones should produce clean and pure audio.
These are the settings we used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these settings.
The Skullcandy Sesh have a decent noise isolation performance. They don't block out a lot of noise in the bass range, so you can hear bus and plane engines. However, they do a much better job blocking out higher-frequency sounds like voices or the hum of AC units.
The Skullcandy Sesh have an outstanding leakage performance. They leak very little noise, so your audio likely isn't audible to anyone around you.
The Skullcandy Sesh have an integrated microphone.
The microphone has a sub-par recording quality. Recorded speech is relatively thin, muffled, and lacking in detail. For truly wireless in-ears with a better recording quality, check out the Skullcandy Spoke True Wireless.
Update 11/04/2021: These headphones have been updated to test bench 1.5. In this update, we made changes to the way we test noise handling. We now use a subjective evaluation of our audio clips. This new method has resulted in different results than what we had reported in our previous test bench. As a result, the scoring of this box has changed, and we have updated our results.
The microphone has a middling noise handling performance. While it can transmit your voice clearly in a quiet environment, the mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise. If you're talking in an environment like a busy street, your voice may be drowned out.
The Skullcandy Sesh have a middling battery performance. They only last about four hours off of a single charge, which likely won't get you through your workday. Their portable charging case offers around two extra charges for when you're on the go, but they take over an hour and a half to charge. If you need to get out the door in a hurry, take a look at the similar Skullcandy Indy Fuel Truly Wireless, which offer a shorter continuous battery life but recharge far more quickly.
There isn't an app for these headphones.
These headphones have an adequate Bluetooth performance. They're compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, but you can't pair them with more than one device at a time. Also, their latency is high, so they may not be the best choice for watching videos or movies. However, some apps compensate for latency, so your real-world experience may vary.
These are Bluetooth-only headphones.
These headphones can't be used with a wired connection. They come with a micro-USB cable to charge their charging case.
These Bluetooth-only headphones aren't compatible with Xbox One.
The charging case charges via micro-USB, which is included. Unlike the Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless, their case doesn't support wireless charging.