Closer Examination

The case is instrumental to true wireless earphones, providing storage and charging capability. It may also be the first thing you take out of the packaging. As I was, you may be surprised by the build quality and heft of this thing for its size. I also like the form factor with the logo in the center such that the case is naturally going to be placed like a square at a 45° angle. It is made out of zinc alloy, which explains the ~90 g mass, and has a 56 mm square footprint that is 30 mm tall with rounded corners. We see a lustrous gunmetal gray finish with the Shanling logo on the top, and specifications on the bottom confirming the 400 mAh battery inside. On the side is a Type-C port with a white indicator LED that flashes when charging and remains solid when completely charged. Open the case using the notch in the front and the hinge allows for the top to slide up and into the case itself, which is a cool design, although the hinge has some play. The underside of the lid has "Enjoy music anytime anywhere" etched in, and we see a mostly black interior with two cutouts for the ear buds.


Magnetic pins help align the ear buds for charging and storage, and each bud has a sole white LED on the top that flashes to indicate charging and pairing mode. On the front corner of the case is a mesh screen with three more LEDs, which in turn indicate the battery charge in increments of 33/67/100%. Shanling certainly has not shied away from indicator LEDs with the MTW300! At 400 mAh, which is 1.5 Wh on the 3.7 V operating voltage, battery capacity of the case is quite low even for its petite size. With charging limited to USB 2.0 at a maximum current of 0.5 A over 5 V (2.5 W), charging should theoretically take a little over half an hour, but Shanling rates the case to take 1.5 hours to charge—a case of its engineers being quite conservative to account for some less-than-ideal charging solutions. In practice, I was able to charge the case in ~45 min, half the rated time! Unfortunately, it only provides ~2.5-3 charge cycles to the earphones, which makes this a less-than-impressive charging case in function even if it is quite the dapper in form. I will mention that the case and openings being so small means that aftermarket ear tips may not fit in, so the many included size options are good at least, even if out of the same silicone material.


Using the optional silicone case is simple enough, but you may have to conduct a few different trials to ensure the port cutouts are spot on. This is still easier to get right than the lid itself, where you get fewer chances once you get the tape to stick to the case itself ready. The silicone case protects the charging case, which prevent scratches to the case when you throw it inside a bag with other things. Functionality is not affected whatsoever, with notches in the case for the hinge to function normally and you to open the case with your fingers. It does feel worth the price at the ~$7 it will go for.


The actual ear buds are the first ergonomically designed TWS earphones I have tested to date, which on its own makes them worth considering. Each ear bud is also quite small at ~22x23x17 mm and weighs all of 4.5 g, which is categorically tiny and lightweight for TWS earphones. The ear buds are IPX7 rated, which should be plenty for a workout in the gym or outdoors. The design language is nice throughout even with the plastic face plate that has the logo in black over the gunmetal gray base that matches the zinc alloy charging case itself. There is a circular indentation on the face plate, which is where a touch sensor is placed for any available touch controls. We have already seen the indicator LED on the face plate, and this opening also acts as a vent for pressure equalization and comfort, as well as an opening for one of the microphones inside.

The second microphone opening also is another vent, this time on the side. As such, both vents are near the top and further away from your mouth, so I am not convinced voice pick-up will be great, but let's still see how it fares in due time. A look at the side also shows the transition over to black silicone, which is skin-friendly and makes sense here given it direct touches the concha. The relatively soft insulating material is also a good choice overall—you don't want something hot or cold to touch the ear all the time. A mark at the bottom indicates the L/R channels, and at the extreme bottom is a third vent that may well address my concerns from before. There are three magnetic pins per ear bud to help with the charging itself, and removing the medium-sized ear tips shows a relatively narrow and short nozzle with a retaining lip at the end. A mesh filter on the end also helps prevent contaminants and ear wax from entering the acoustic chamber. Installing different ear tips is quite simple owing to the nozzle geometry, and definitely try out the different options to get the best-possible fit.