As more cell phone manufacturers opt to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack that’s been present ever since the 2.5mm line was rendered obsolete by a more uniform standard, Bluetooth devices have become more of a requirement. Let’s be honest, no one wants to wire in their headphones into a cumbersome dongle just to listen to whatever their daily motivation happens to be. Consumer audio has been a field that Philips has fit into for as long as I can remember and they’re now on their second rendition of in-ear Bluetooth earbuds with the Philips UpBeat SHB2505 Bluetooth Headphones.

Out of the box, the Philips UpBeat Bluetooth Headphones has a decent sound profile but lacked the punchy bass that I’ve enjoyed from other in-ear monitors while on my Samsung Galaxy S10+. During my usual chillout sessions of writing along to those lo-fi beats that dominate my YouTube rotation, I found the treble to be tweaked a little too high while the bass had a muddied layer beneath the rest of the music. Oh, how much of a difference just a quick check into the sound settings on the Galaxy to enable Dolby Atmos and Adapt sound makes. Even on the standard Equalizer, the clarity that should’ve been there to begin with shone through on the Philips UpBeats and instantly elevated their status as a worthy replacement for my Galaxy Buds. They still don’t quite have the skull-shaking bass that some may desire from their headphones, but when you’re working with 6mm drivers, some sacrifices need to be made for the form factor.