Timekettle WT2 Edge / W3

Timekettle WT2 Edge are earbuds supporting 40 languages online and 13 language pairs in offline mode, with the latter mainly being pairs with English or Chinese as the base language. The device offers various operating modes, including Simul Mode for conversations and Listen Mode for translating lectures. The earbuds rely solely on internet from the user’s phone or Wi-Fi, and the manufacturer doesn’t offer any data package to start with, so you need to consider roaming costs during foreign travel. In practice, the device has problems with speech recognition in noisy environments and suffers from significant delays in translation. Micropayments for offline languages ($12.50 per pair) are also a disadvantage.

Review

After taking the Timekettle WT2 Edge out of the box, we immediately noticed the minimalist design of the earbuds and handy charging case. The earbuds are light and compact, which is an advantage when traveling, but for people with smaller ears, they may be problematic. The configuration initially seems simple – just download the Timekettle app, register, and take the earbuds out of the case for them to automatically connect with your phone.

However, the first issue appeared during configuration – the app requires registration and completing a survey to even start using the device. The initial survey, like the entire app and tutorials, is available in only a few languages, so some users may have problems with setting the device up.

A serious limitation is the fact that the earbuds must rely solely on the connection from the user’s phone. Even worse, the manufacturer doesn’t offer any data package to start with, unlike some competitive solutions. This means that during foreign travel, you need to consider potentially high data roaming costs, which significantly limits the usefulness of the device in situations for which it was created. In places without Wi-Fi access or with limited mobile network coverage, the device loses most of its features.

Functions and Operating Modes

During our tests, we checked all available operating modes:

• Simul Mode – theoretically the most advanced feature, allowing free conversation between two people without the need to press any buttons. In practice, we detected problems with language recognition – the earbuds sometimes confused which speaker was talking and in what language. In ideal conditions, with slow and clear speaking, the mode worked very well, but it’s hard to call this a free conversation.

• Touch Mode – requires touching the earbud before saying a phrase, but works much more stably than Simul Mode. Not very convenient to use, but at least it didn’t confuse languages. Speaker Mode – similar to Touch Mode, but one translation is played through the phone’s speaker. Useful when only one person has an earbud.

• Listen Mode – dedicated to listening to lectures or presentations. In our tests, it often had trouble sensing context and generated significant delays, even when the speaker was talking slowly and clearly. Translation accuracy left much to be desired.

The manufacturer advertises the translation speed of WT2 Edge at 0.5 seconds in online mode, which in ideal conditions is indeed impressive. However, in real situations, especially with longer statements or in noisy environments, the delays were much longer. The device has microphones in both earbuds, which is currently standard in this product category. Theoretically, this should provide better voice capture and more effective noise reduction. In practice, however, in noisy conditions, the noise reduction didn’t work well enough.

Languages and Translations

WT2 Edge offers support for 40 languages online with claimed 95% accuracy, and in offline mode, 8 languages are available. Unfortunately, these are mainly language pairs with Chinese or English as the base language, which makes using the device in offline mode difficult for people who aren’t fluent in these languages. Moreover, each offline language pair is an additional cost – 5 ""fish coins"" (we don’t know where this name comes from) or about $12.50. The micropayment system may seem expensive for some users.

Comfort and Ergonomics

The in-ear earbuds raise hygiene concerns, especially when we have to share them with other people in conversation mode. The manufacturer does include 4 plastic covers that are supposed to ensure hygiene, but this is definitely not enough for intensive use – they wear out quickly, are easy to lose, and putting them on is an additional task that can be cumbersome. The earbuds themselves are quite thick, which for people with smaller ears can be problematic during longer use. The included 2 attachments that are supposed to prevent the earbuds from falling out of the ears are very small and difficult to attach. In our tests, mounting them was troublesome, and the effect didn’t significantly improve user comfort. The charging case is handy and provides an additional 12 hours of operation. The earbuds themselves last up to 3 hours of continuous translation, which our tests confirmed.

Translation Quality

The quality of online translations is generally good for simple, everyday conversations. Under ideal circumstances, with slow and clear speech, the device performs very well. Problems arise in noisier environments – the noise reduction feature is ineffective, which leads to numerous errors in speech recognition. Translations become more generic when dealing with specialized topics (finance, medicine), which can be problematic when we want to use them at work or during a doctor’s visit. Listen Mode often struggles with sensing context and generates significant delays, making it not very useful for translating lectures or longer statements.

Summary

The device offers interesting solutions, such as quick translation in online mode and flexible operating modes adapted to different situations. The quality of translations in quiet environments with clear speech is at a satisfactory level, especially for everyday, simple conversations. The compact design and handy case are also advantages when traveling. Unfortunately, the device also has its limitations – the necessity to use the user’s phone Internet without any data package from the manufacturer, limited availability of interface language versions, problems with translations in noisy environments, the need to hold the phone with the app open while using the device, and a micropayment system for offline languages. For people who know English, need simple translations in controlled conditions, and have good Internet access, the Timekettle WT2 Edge can be a valuable tool facilitating basic communication while traveling.