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The Timekettle WT2 translation earbuds work surprisingly well, but are absolutely massive
The Timekettle WT2 translation earbuds work surprisingly well, but are absolutely massive IBTimes/Bob Fekete

Who Are The Timekettle WT2 Translation Earbuds For?

  • The Timekettle WT2 translation earbuds are made for those who want to converse with others who speak different languages
  • The WT2 earbuds offer language translation support for 40 languages and 93 accents
  • The WT2 earbuds offer three different voice translation modes
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The idea of being able to talk to anyone, regardless of the language they speak, is something out of a science fiction book. However, the Timekettle WT2 translation earbuds get pretty darn close to making that a reality. We have previously reviewed the Timekettle M2 earbuds here at International Business Times and can say that the WT2 earbuds have improved on the translation, but have taken a few steps back as a pair of earbuds.

Absolute Monster Size

The most immediate response I've had from a number of people who have seen the Timekettle WT2 earbuds is that everyone has been completely shocked at how large the earbuds are. These things look like weird insects, and have a shape I have not seen in any other earbud.

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That said, despite the monstrous size of the Timekettle WT2 earbuds, they do stay in my ears better than many other earbuds I've used in the past. The earbuds have this tendency to make it feel like they're about to pop out, but they've stayed firmly in place when using them better than I would have expected.

Speaking of size, the WT2 charge case is also gigantic. While most wireless earbud charge cases are roughly the size of a pack of dental floss, the WT2 case barely fits in my hand. I suppose large earbuds need a large case to hold them, but it seems like there could have been some way to make things a little smaller.

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The WT2 case is also built fairly poorly, even compared to the Timekettle M2 case. The WT2 case splits completely in two, but then doesn't really snap back together that well. I often had to make sure the case was fully closed and several times the case wasn't fully flush against itself, which prevented the earbuds from charging. The WT2 earbuds also need to be pushed all the way into their charge ports to charge, unlike other earbuds that magnetically snap into place without issue.

Improved Translations

The main reason why anyone would even consider getting the Timekettle WT2 earbuds are for their ability to translate languages. While we were not too impressed with the Timekettle M2's ability to translate, the WT2 is a much better experience and tends to be more accurate than the M2 while still maintaining the ability to translate between 40 different languages.

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There are three main translation modes for the WT2, a "Simul Mode," a "Touch Mode" and a "Speaker Mode." They all largely behave the same, but with minor differences. For example, the Simul Mode allows two people to talk to each other at the same time. The Timekettle app determines who is talking and starts translating what they're saying for the other person. This mode does require each person to have one earbud, so it might be a little difficult to get a stranger who doesn't speak your language to stick an earbud in their ear.

The Touch mode for the Timekettle WT2 is identical to the Simul Mode, except users have to touch their earbud to get the translation going on their side. Lastly is the "Speaker Mode,'' which allows one person to use the cell phone running the Timekettle app to talk into instead of handing a stranger an earbud.

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The translations provided by the Timekettle WT2 are a little slow, but that usually is fine. I tested the earbuds out with a friend who is fluent in German, and while there was a delay between him speaking and the translation that came from the WT2 earbud, I was more focused on what the earbud was saying instead of my friend. This meant I kind of tuned him out to listen to the WT2, helping to mentally eliminate the gap in conversation.

It seemed like when reviewing the Timekettle M2 earbuds, the translations were more often wrong than right. The M2 earbuds made many small mistakes, which really impacted the overall translation. While the WT2 still can make mistakes, it often corrects them during the translation process. I will say that the WT2 does tend to make more mistakes when translating multiple longer sentences and sometimes doesn't register when someone only says one word, but short phrases tend to be translated correctly without issue.

There are also ways to host and join group chats. This allows users to talk into their Timekettle WT2 earbuds and have their words be converted into text for others to read in their language.

Translations Only

Here's where the Timekettle WT2 stumbles. The earbuds can only be paired to a phone through the Timekettle app. That means they cannot be paired like other Bluetooth earbuds via a phone's Bluetooth settings. Because of this, the WT2 earbuds cannot be used as a normal pair of earbuds. They can only be used with the Timekettle app for translations.

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For a $200 pair of earbuds, that's pretty limiting. The WT2 earbuds are certainly no audiophile-grade pieces of equipment, but it would still be nice to be able to listen to music or answer phone calls with them. Now users will have to carry around two pairs of wireless earbuds, one for translations and one for everything else.

Final Thoughts

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I went into my time with the Timekettle WT2 expecting the worst, and came out pleasantly surprised. The translations provided by the WT2, while a little slow, were mostly accurate and did allow for me to have a conversation with someone who was speaking a completely different language. Despite the massive size, I also was impressed with how well the WT2 earbuds stayed in my ears without popping out.

It does seem like a missed opportunity to close the Timekettle WT2 earbuds off from other functions like listening to music or making phone calls. These earbuds are not cheap, so limiting their use to only translations is a bit of a bummer. That said, I would never pick the WT2 earbuds as a traditional pair of earbuds to begin with, so this might be a bit of a moot point.

The Timekettle WT2 earbuds are available now from Amazon and a number of other retailers. The WT2 earbuds retail for $200, but there is a coupon for $40 off that price available on Amazon right now.