The TOZO T12 Truly Wireless are a decent pair of budget-friendly truly wireless earbuds. They’re lacking in frills and features but have a sturdy, somewhat comfortable design. Their sound profile is excited, which delivers extra thump, rumble, and boom while vocals and lead instruments are bright. Unfortunately, their battery performance isn’t particularly impressive, their integrated mic is sub-par, and their deep in-ear fit may not suit everyone. Still, if you’re looking for a fairly versatile set of earbuds and don't want the hassle of a wired connection, they aren’t a bad choice.
Our Verdict
The TOZO T12 are alright for neutral sound. They have an overemphasized bass that creates a fair bit of boominess, but their amazingly well-reproduced mids prevent vocals and lead instruments from sounding overly muddy or cluttered. Their treble accuracy is satisfactory, though some listeners may experience a bit of harshness. Unfortunately, they don't have a companion app with EQ presets to personalize your listening experience. Like most in-ears, they provide a very closed-off, narrow soundstage.
- Bass-heavy but not overwhelming sound profile.
- No EQ in companion app.
The TOZO T12 are good for commute and travel. They’re small enough to be easily tossed into your pocket or a bag and do an excellent job of blocking out chatter from fellow commuters. That said, the rumble of bus and train engines may disturb your listening experience on the way home. They also don’t have an especially long continuous battery life, so if you’ve used most of their charge at work, you may have to put them back in their case. It's possible to listen to one bud at a time while the other recharges.
- Very good passive noise isolation.
- Sturdy build quality.
- Remarkably low audio leakage.
- Short continuous battery life.
The TOZO T12 are great for sports. They feel sturdy, have a secure fit that shouldn’t fall out of your ears, even during moderately strenuous exercise, and are certified IPX8 for protection against water immersion. Meanwhile, their bass-heavy sound profile should keep you pumped up during your next workout session, while their intuitive control scheme lets you make simple adjustments without interrupting your rhythm.
- Stable fit.
- Sturdy build quality.
- Bass-heavy but not overwhelming sound profile.
- Short continuous battery life.
The TOZO T12 are alright for office use. They do an outstanding job of blocking out the chatter of coworkers and the high-pitched hum of a noisy AC unit, meaning you can stay focused on your work. They also barely leak any audio, so even if you’re the type to blast your music at high volumes, you won’t disturb people nearby, even in a quiet workplace. Unfortunately, their 5.3-hour battery life won’t last you the day without a stint in their charging case. Meanwhile, their deep in-ear fit may become a little fatiguing during longer listening sessions.
- Very good passive noise isolation.
- Remarkably low audio leakage.
- Short continuous battery life.
- No multi-device pairing.
The TOZO T12 can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but their audio latency is a little too high for them to be well-suited for wireless gaming. They also aren’t compatible with PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
The TOZO T12 are Bluetooth-only, and you can't use them with a wired connection.
The TOZO T12 are passable for phone calls. While your voice should sound somewhat natural over the line, it’s perceived as being thin and muffled. Their integrated mic also does a mediocre job of isolating speech from background noise, so people may have a hard time understanding you if you call from a noisy or crowded environment. Thankfully, you should hear people talking to you more clearly as these in-ears do a very good job of passively isolating you from background noise.
- Very good passive noise isolation.
- Mediocre noise handling capability.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 27, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Oct 15, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Aug 25, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Aug 18, 2020: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The TOZO T12 Earbuds come in one variation: Black. You can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The TOZO T12 are a decently versatile pair of truly wireless earbuds that won’t break the bank. They’re well-built, very stable, and have a good noise isolation performance. Unfortunately, they don’t last that long on a single charge, their integrated mic is sub-par, and their deep in-ear fit may not suit everyone.
Check out our list of recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds, the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, and the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds under $50.
The TOZO NC9 Truly Wireless and the TOZO T12 Truly Wireless are very similarly performing headphones, so depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The NC9 have an ANC feature that offers better noise isolation, especially against bass-heavy background noises like bus and plane engines. However, the T12 have a better leakage performance, and their continuous battery life is a bit longer.
The TOZO T12 Truly Wireless are better for mixed usage than the TOZO T10 Truly Wireless. The T12 are more comfortable, have an easier-to-use control scheme, and a far better-balanced sound profile. They also last longer on a single charge. Conversely, the T10 have a better-performing integrated mic and block out even more ambient noise.
The TOZO T6 Truly Wireless and the TOZO T12 Truly Wireless are very similarly performing headphones, though the T6 hold a slight advantage. The T6 block out marginally more ambient noise, have a better-performing mic, and have a slightly longer total battery life. That said, the T12 provide a marginally more accurate listening experience.
The Mpow M30 Truly Wireless are slightly better than the TOZO T12 Truly Wireless for mixed usage. The Mpow have a more comfortable, stable fit, a better-balanced sound profile, and a microphone that isolates speech from background noise more effectively. However, the TOZO last longer on a single charge, block out more ambient noise, and have lower wireless latency.
The Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless are slightly better for mixed usage than the TOZO T12 Truly Wireless. The Anker offer a more neutral listening experience, block out a greater amount of ambient noise, and have a better-integrated microphone. However, their largest advantage is their battery life: not only do they last longer off of a single charge, but they also have a case that yields almost 100 hours of total runtime, which comfortably eclipses the TOZO’s 23.9-hour total battery life. With that said, the TOZO have slightly lower latency on PCs as well as iOS devices, charge a bit faster, and have a higher IPX8 rating for water resistance.
The ENACFIRE E60 Truly Wireless are slightly better truly wireless in-ears than the TOZO T12 Truly Wireless. The ENACFIRE are more comfortable, their sound profile is more balanced and neutral-sounding, and they have longer continuous battery life. Their charging case also holds more charges and they support aptX codec. However, the TOZO's integrated mic has a significantly better recording quality.
The TOZO T12 Truly Wireless and the TOZO NC2 Truly Wireless are quite similar headphones, but the T12 are better for most uses. The T12 have a more stable fit and deliver sound more consistently. They don't have an ANC feature, but block out more noise than the NC9s, and don't leak as much audio when you're listening at high volumes. On the other hand, the NC9s have much better battery life and a more neutral, less bass-heavy sound profile, which some users may prefer.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The TOZO T12 are conventional-looking, truly wireless earbuds. They have a primarily matte plastic construction that resists fingerprints, although they’re accented with a glossy outer ring. Aesthetically, they're similar to the TOZO T10 Truly Wireless, though they're slightly larger and rounder. They only come in one color: Black.
The TOZO T12 are decently comfortable. They enter the ear canal pretty deeply but come with a wide assortment of ear tips, which should help you find a suitable fit. Thanks to their touch-sensitive controls, you won’t need to exert nearly as much force to make an input compared to the TOZO T10 Truly Wireless’ stiff physical buttons. Combined with their plusher tips, the T12 are less tiring to wear during long listening sessions.
The TOZO T12 have an okay control scheme. There's a touch-sensitive surface on both buds, which are decently easy to use. There are a lot of voice prompts for commands but only beeps for adjusting the volume up or down.
On the left earbud:
- Double-tap: Skips your track backward.
- Two-second hold: Lowers the volume.
On the right earbud:
- Double-tap: Skips your track forward.
- Two-second hold: Raises the volume.
On either earbud:
- One tap: Plays and pauses audio. This also allows you to answer a call.
- Two-second hold: Ends a call.
- Tap and two-second hold: Rejects an incoming call.
Like most truly wireless headphones, the TOZO T12 are exceptionally portable. It’s easy to put them into your pocket or throw them into a bag. Though their charging case is a little on the tall side, it’s still not too big and is pretty easy to carry around with you.
These headphones have a good charging case. It feels sturdy and should protect the headphones from bumps, drops, and falls without issues. It’s also certified IPX8 for protection against water immersion. Much like the TOZO T10 Truly Wireless’ case, it supports wireless charging. It also features a small interior display for the buds’ and case’s battery status, between the buds' charging cradles.
The TOZO T12’s build quality is good. The buds and case are made of dense, high-grade plastic that shouldn’t be damaged by small drops and falls. The buds are also rated IPX8 for total submersion in water.
The TOZO T12 have good stability. They should stay in your ears during mildly intense workouts, despite lacking stability fins or ear hooks.
- TOZO T12 Wireless earbuds
- 6x ear tips
- Charging case
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Manuals
These headphones have a somewhat excited V-shaped sound profile that provides more than enough low-end thump and rumble for fans of EDM and hip-hop, as well as an overly bright treble response that occasionally sounds a little piercing. That said, mids are sufficiently well-reproduced so that vocals and lead instruments won’t be drowned out, making them more musically versatile than the muddier and more cluttered-sounding TOZO T10 Truly Wireless. However, they lack a companion app or sound customization features to help adjust them to your liking.
The TOZO T12's frequency response consistency is fantastic. So long as you find a secure, airtight seal with the included ear tips, you should get a consistent listening experience every time you wear them.
The bass accuracy of these in-ears is mediocre. It’s heavily overemphasized across the range, which results in a fair bit of boominess in some tracks. That said, fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop may prefer the added thump and rumble.
These headphones' mid accuracy is excellent. Aside from a slight dip in the mid-mid range that nudges vocals and lead instruments toward the back of the mix, sounds in this frequency range are amazingly well-reproduced. This results in clear, full-bodied vocals and lead instruments without any clutter or harshness.
The TOZO T12 have satisfactory treble accuracy. The low-treble is overemphasized, so vocals and lead instruments sound harsh and painful. However, the mid-treble is more balanced, so sibilants like cymbals are bright but not piercing.
Their peaks and dips performance is good. Most of the entire frequency range is fairly flat, with a couple of noticeable deviations. There’s a dip in the mid-mids that pushes vocals and lead instruments toward the back of the mix, as well as a sharp peak in the low-treble that causes some harshness. That's followed by a drop in the mid-treble range that makes some sibilants sound dull and lispy.
The TOZO T12 deliver remarkable stereo imaging performance. Their weighted group delay falls entirely beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also exceptionally well-matched in regards to amplitude, frequency, and phase response. These traits are important in accurately localizing objects and sound effects in the stereo image, making for a more immersive listening experience. That said, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
These in-ears have a terrible passive soundstage, which is to be expected from in-ear headphones. By design, they bypass your outer ear, which needs to be activated by sound resonances to produce a more out-of-head listening experience. As a result, sound seems closed-off and as if it's coming from inside your head.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance of these in-ears is excellent. There are no significant spikes across the frequency spectrum, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the TOZO T12. Our results are only valid when the headphones are configured this way.
The TOZO T12’s noise isolation performance is very good. You likely won’t hear too much background chatter or ambient high-pitched noise, as these headphones block out a substantial amount of sound in the mid and treble ranges. They struggle somewhat with lower-pitched frequencies like the rumble of bus, plane, and train engines. For headphones with an ANC feature that offer a better noise isolation performance, check out the TOZO NC9 Truly Wireless.
These in-ears leak almost no audio. You should be able to listen to your music at very high volumes without disturbing anyone nearby, even if you’re in a quiet setting like a library.
The TOZO T12’s mic recording quality is mediocre. Your voice should sound fairly natural but also thin and somewhat muffled, so someone on the other end of the line may occasionally have a hard time understanding you.
Update 10/28/2021: 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 mic's noise handling performance is mediocre. It struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you. Your voice may be drowned out if you're taking a call from a busy street.
The TOZO T12 have a passable battery performance. They're advertised to deliver five hours of continuous playback time, and we measured slightly more than this. While it may not be enough to get you through long days on the go, their carrying case supplies roughly 3.5 additional charges if you need it, and you can use one bud while the other charges. However, it still doesn't compare favorably to the Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless, which have a case capable of delivering over 12 additional full charges. That said, battery performance depends on your usage, so your real-life results may differ.
Update 10/28/2021: These headphones were updated to Test Bench 1.5 and their latency values have changed. Our previous Test Bench 1.4 measurements reported 'Android Latency' at 139 ms. However, our new test bench uses an average of three measurements instead of one, resulting in 251 ms of latency on Android devices. As a result, we have updated our text to better reflect test bench 1.5 measurements.
These in-ears have okay Bluetooth connectivity. Unfortunately, they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. Their latency on PC and Android is high, which could negatively impact the synching of audio and visuals. However, their latency on iOS devices is much lower. Some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may be different.
You can't use the TOZO T12 with a wired connection, though they do come with a USB-A to USB-C cable to recharge their case.