Swedish brand Sudio’s latest addition to their line-up is the Sudio Nivå – the company’s first foray into true wireless earbuds. 

Featuring BlueTooth 4.2 technology and a 10m wireless range as well as 3.5 hours of battery life on a single charge, the Sudio Nivå earphones also encompass the Sudio brand distinctive minimalist style.

And according to Sudio, the charging case also doubles up as a contemporary design piece that you can take on the go with you and charge the earphones for an additional four times, meaning that the total play time is a whopping 17.4 hours before you need to plug the Nivå into a power socket.

There are two different colours available, white and black, in order to cater to people with varying preferences.

My unit for review

Sudio recently sent me a unit of their new Nivå earphones for my review.

I had picked the Black colour unit because I felt that Black is a colour that does not get dirty easily with prolonged usage.

The package containing the Sudio Nivå earphones looks to be fuss-free, yet quite simple and elegant at the same time. 

It is in the form of a clean, white, square box that I admit had initially reminded me of the packaging of another brand, Apple. 

And on opening up the box, the earphones are packaged inside their charging cum carrying case, together with an owner’s manual, mini USB power plug, a certificate of guarantee and a range of earbuds that come in varying sizes to cater to different sizes of ears.

Functional and straightforward design 

Taking out the earphones, I think that the design looks quite functional and straightforward and the earbuds appear basic, sophisticated and streamlined. 

So I think that Sudio has definitely nailed it with the design of the Nivå earphones.

The carrying cum charging case for the Nivå is also quite stylish looking and this will blend in well with our clothes or whatever we are carrying the case with. 

And the case is a circular shape, with the size being quite easy to fit into our pockets without much trouble.

As well, I thought that the little carrying string that is attached to the case is an interesting and eye-catching addition, possibly a nod back to Sudio’s Swedish origins.

Easy to pair

The Sudio Nivå earphones are also quite easy to pair to my iPhone 7 Plus using the BlueTooth technology. 

In fact all you need to do is to press the ON button which is located on the outside face of each earphone, and your phone will automatically detect the earbuds and make a connection. This is quite fuss-free and simple.

This button is quite easy to spot too, as it is the only button on the Nivå earphones and the one on both earphones works identically so you can choose to push the one that is more comfortable for you.

Pushing on the button, you can play and pause music with a single click, as well as skip music tracks when you double click on it, and power off the earphones inside your ear when you hold onto the button. 

Sometimes, when you are trying to skip music tracks though, you may accidentally end up powering the earphones off. This had happened to me on a couple of occasions when I was using the Nivå. 

I also found that the Nivå is not automatically detected when you take it out of the case to put into your ears. It would have been nice if such a feature could be enabled.

Instead you need to power ON the Nivå on both sides, with the same ON switch. But to turn off the Nivå, you need only put it back into the case.

Running with the Sudio Nivå

And since getting the earphones, I have used them for my runs as well as on the bus for music and also making a couple of phone calls.

In terms of running, the Nivå earphones stay securely in my ears, even when I am pushing the pace and running faster. I have taken them on a various range of runs, lasting from about half an hour to a maximum of about three hours and they have held up well.

Though there had been a couple of times during my runs when my ears had felt a little sweaty because of the heat, and the Nivå earphones had threatened to drop out, but I simply pushed them back into my ears, and then they were good to go again.

It must be noted though, that the Nivå does not have any sweat or waterproof specifications stated, so it is not advisable to put yourself in a situation where you may be caught in the rain together with your Sudio Nivå earbuds. 

If you are taking them running or for any other outdoor activities, do check the weather forecast first.

But that said, it had definitely felt quite liberating to be running with music and having no wires hanging off me. So I will definitely continue to use these earbuds for my running.

Making Calls

It is a fuss-free affair, to make calls with the Nivå earphones as the inbuilt earphones had worked quite well and my iPhone 7 Plus was able to intuitively use the Nivå to pick up the call rather than using the iPhone’s inbuilt speaker. This is quite convenient.

However, I realised that positioning of the audio and microphone for calls is in the right ear only, so I was basically using one ear to listen to the person on the other end of the call. 

I have to admit that this had been quite jarring for me, especially if I had been using the Nivå for listening to music prior to the call.

Sound Quality

For the sound quality, I thought the Nivå  earphones are good, and it will suit most users who want to get a pair of true wireless earphones to meet their daily needs.

In my opinion, the bass is good, though I felt that it is not particularly strong or punchy. And for the mids, these are well rounded and there is good stereo representation. The trebles are also pleasant enough, too.

And in terms of the sound dropping, I would say that personally, I did not face this issue when I was using the Nivå earphones, despite the fact that some of my runs with the earphones had brought me through heavily built-up areas or construction sites.

Battery Life

As for the battery life, this does last about three and a half hours as stated on the package, so I have no complaints there. 

In fact, when I took the fully charged Nivå out on my long three hour runs, they were still going strong towards the end of my runs without letting up in any way at all.

However, I must point out that there is very little warning with regards to when the battery power is low. On one occasion, I had forgotten to charge my Sudio Nivå earphones before I brought them out for a run.

I didn’t know that the battery level had been low until the Nivå had suddenly started beeping in my ears, whilst intoning that the battery was low. I didn’t really know how much time I had left with the Nivå, but then, five minutes after the beeping had begun, the Nivå abruptly died.

So I think that it would be good if the Sudio Nivå could give users some warning in advance when say, the battery level is 20 or 30 per cent full, or else have a feature whereby we can check the amount of battery power remaining, so that we would not be caught off-guard.

PROMO CODE to Get 15 per cent off

The Sudio Nivå has a retail price of S$169 and you can purchase it here.

Psst, and here is a special promo code for readers of Prischew Dot Com. If you key in prischew15 upon checkout, you will get 15 PER CENT off the price of your order.

Your purchase of the Sudio Nivå will also come with FREE International Shipping as well as a One Year Guarantee. So with the discount that you will be getting, they are definitely worth your money.

Get a FREE four piece coaster set

Moreover, from now till the end of September, with every online purchase of not only the Sudio Nivå, but anything from Sudio’s online store, you will be given a FREE four-piece coaster set courtesy of Sudio.

My review unit of the Nivå earphones was also accompanied by a coaster set, and I think that the design of the coasters are simple but elegant and sophisticated at the same time, with their unassuming brown, black and white tones and angular-based designs.

So this means that they would be a great addition to your dining table.

Thank you Sudio for the complimentary review pair of the Sudio Nivå earbuds.