When I first heard back from Shanling, I was not expecting to do a true wireless earphones review first up. The brand is famous for its portable accessories that elevate the listening experience on the go, so in hindsight, it makes sense that there are now Shanling-branded TWS earphones too. The MTW100 came out in 2019, and the object of this review, the Shanling MTW300, is clearly based on it. The design of the ear buds is similar, as is the case itself, which is a good thing. Shanling has a working formula with ergonomically designed, small, super-comfortable earphones here, and these also come with a vast plethora of ear tips in more sizes than any other I have handled to date. This really addresses the big challenge of allowing the earphones to be used for long periods of time, and having a long battery life further helps in this regard. The case too is quite unique in shape and material composition, so much so that it actually punches above the price tag in terms of design, build quality, and overall first impressions.

Tuning is also quite good, and it does seem like Shanling already had a target curve in mind and worked the hardware around it. This approach mostly paid off, especially with the surprisingly good treble response. The bass is detailed and punchy too, and vocals also benefit from the boosted lows and highs. There is only so much possible with a single small dynamic driver no matter what you coat the diaphragm with, though. Sub-bass gets thumpy but loses detail, and the recessed mids expose the poor resolution further courtesy the expanded range that is just begging for more power. The upper treble range gets dark quick, but overall, I still think this will appeal to many who have been accustomed to listening to single dynamic driver IEMs that cost more and now want a wireless experience on top.

IPX7 rating, logically programmed touch controls, Bluetooth 5.2 with stable connectivity, and the small and well-built case all positively add to the portable nature, too. I do wish the case had a higher battery capacity, though. The optional silicone case is also handy for preventing the zinc alloy case from scratching up over time. I also miss LDAC support, and there's not even aptX Low Latency or aptX HD support, although this is generally the case for TWS earphones as a whole. Some weird decisions were made by the company, including not having ANC or voice assistant support even though the Qualcomm chipset supports it. It could be a price issue, which at $119 is easier to justify, but it also does not seem like retailers are selling it for as much. There are still voice cues to help, and then there is the weird case of the mobile app being supported and then not, wherein the MTW300 isn't supposed to have native support with the Shanling Control app, but still does to an extent. Having the app working fully will favor Shanling's case further. There are no doubt issues here, but Shanling ultimately managed the basics better than any other TWS earphones I have tested to date.

[Update: I have since tested multiple other TWS earphones for lower cost which provide an equivalent-to-better result, as such making the Shanling MTW300 harder to recommend.]