Perfect gift idea for the frequent traveler: Timekettle translator earbuds!

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Rebuild the tower of Babylon — Timekettle’s mission, since inception in 2016, has been to break down language barriers in the easiest, most effective, and most user-friendly way possible. And that dream has been supported by people around the globe, when the company’s first product was fully backed on Kickstarter back in 2017.

Today, Timekettle has a range of quality headphones, capable of translating foreign speech right into your ear, with support for 40 languages and 93 accents.

Here, we have two of the latest products — the Timekettle WT2 Edge and Timekettle M3, suited for different needs, use cases, and budgets.

Timekettle WT2 Edge vs Timekettle M3 in a nutshell:

• Timekettle WT2 Edge are dedicated translation earbuds, perfect for long, continuous conversations (business meetings)
• Timekettle M3 are good for listening to music and have ANC. They also work as translators better suited for short, quick conversations (tourism)
• Timekettle WT2 Edge - translate a conversation between up to 6 people
• Timekettle M3 - up to 2 people can participate
• Timekettle WT2 Edge supports simultaneous two-way interpretation

Timekettle WT2 Edge

This is the no-nonsense, no bars held, dedicated translation set of earphones. They have an earbud design with no silicone tip to go inside the ear, meaning they are a quick and easy fit for most ear shapes and sizes out there.

The technology used here is Timekettle’s proprietary Hybridcomm 2.0 engine — it does not require you to make awkward pauses and it continuously picks up speech, breaks it down, and translates it to logical sentences in the other language.

These are not meant for listening music from, and they only pair to the proprietary Timekettle app, which you will need to download (free).

The Timekettle WT2 Edge are the perfect fit for business men and organizations where multilingual meetings are a regular occurrence. They can also help cross-language families and fresh immigrants break language barriers and accelerate social integration by helping people understand each other quickly and easily.

There are four modes of translation you can choose from:

Simul Mode

Each speaker gets one earphone. Speak and listen with simultaneous translation for a more natural conversation.That means you can speak and hear translations of other people’s speech at the same time. So, you’re able to respond promptly and have excellent conversations without awkward pauses in between.

Touch Mode

Each speaker gets one earphone. Tap the earbud, speak, tap again to stop. Translation is then transmitted to the other listener.

Touch mode on the WT2 Edge can cover up to 6-Person bilingual meetings — that’s something the Timekettle M3 can’t do.

The group translations can work in any combination of teams — 1 to 5, 2 to 4, or 3 to 3 people.

Speaker Mode

One user wears the earbuds and speaks into them, the other user can speak into the paired smartphone and also get translations from it. This is a quick and easy way to ask for directions, make an order, check into a reservation, or shop at a store.

Listen mode

Listen mode is the same as speaker mode, but designed for listening through your earbuds only. For example — at lectures. The conversation is also transcribed into text and can be accessed later for review.

By default, you need to be online for the translations to work, but Timekettle also offers offline packages within the app. You will need Fish credits to acquire those — you can either get a coupon of credits with your purchase or choose to top up at a later stage.

Since connection quality can affect translation delay, it is recommended that you download offline files for the languages you most often use.

Timekettle M3

The Timekettle M3 is an all-in-one package at a lower price — you can use these to enjoy your music, take phone calls, and still get on-demand translation features for when you need them. They are meant for non-professional use and support 2-people conversations for quick exchanges — shopping at a store, asking for directions, etc.

These have a silicone tip for snug fit inside the ear and also provide active noise cancelation. At our hands-on at PhoneArena, we found their fit to be comfortable and non-intrusive, and the sound for music is pleasingly clear.

The M3 utilizes Hybridcomm 1.0, which will continuously pick up long speeches with no pausing needed. Then, it will logically translate them into coherent sentences for the other side to understand.

You will notice that their case is a very cool design — it is held by magnets and splits into two. This is because you can keep each bud in its own half of the case, which will charge it autonomously.



Since these aren’t the pro translation machines that the WT2 Edge are, they don’t have the simul mode and they don’t support group translations. Here are the modes that the Timekettle M3 support:

Touch Mode

Tap the earbud to begin translation, tap again when you are done speaking. This is excellent for quick conversations in crowded areas when you want your headphones to only pick up speech when they are meant to.

Listen Mode

This mode will continuously pick up speech and translate it into your earbuds. You can set down your paired smartphone and listen to a lecture or meeting. The text is also transcribed and saved into the app for later viewing.

Speaker Mode

Ideal for quick conversations, such as asking a question, directions, ordering or shopping. One person speaks into the smartphone, the other one uses the earbuds.

Just like the Timekettle WT2 Edge, the Timekettle M3 uses an online connection for the translation process, but you can download offline packages — and we recommend that you do so to avoid any issues while traveling.

Check out Timekettle M3 here: Amazon | Timekettle

Timekettle WT2 Edge or Timekettle M3: which one to buy?

Now that we have the differences laid out, it is pretty cut and dry. The Timekettle WT2 Edge are the choice for people who often find themselves communicating in foreign tongues. Maybe that professional who is always in meetings with a Translate app open on their phone. Or for families where the in-laws are having a hard time grasping a new language.

The Timekettle M3 is a perfect gift for someone in their early twenties — maybe they are off to college or planning a trip in 2023. They can still use the headphones to enjoy their favorite music and make calls. But when they arrive in their new destination — they can also have the assistance of the M3 for quick translations on the spot!