Is bigger really better, Skullcandy seems to think so, with both the earphones and the charging case taking up a large amount of space. The charging case struggles to fit in your pocket, especially when sharing space with your phone or wallet. Similarly, the earphones are quite bulky, with thick rubber earhooks circling around the ears. Opening the charging case puts the earbuds into pairing mode, so connecting them to your device is a simple tap; connecting to the Skullcandy app unlocks the Skull-iQ’s hands-free voice control.
Speak ‘Hey Skullcandy’ to control music playback or answer a phone call. You can also use the Skullcandy voice assistant to access Siri or Google Assistant for full voice control of the device (sending texts, making phone calls, setting timers, etc.) The Skullcandy Push Active supports standard SBC Bluetooth codecs only, so you will not get particularly high-quality streaming for either iOS or Android devices. This is no great loss, as these earphones are more for adventurous and sporty listeners than audiophiles or sound engineers. However, the Push Active measures a latency of 360ms, so you may experience a slight audio-visual delay when streaming video.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]It has a very stable fit to the ear thanks to the stability hook, a comfortable and well-crafted design, and is certified IP55 dust and waterproof. The customisable features, such as graphic EQ and presets, allow you to adjust the bass-rich sound profile to your liking, while the Skull-iQ smart feature allows voice control. On the other hand, it struggles to block out bass sounds such as bus and aircraft engine noise, and the microphone also struggles to separate your voice from the surrounding noise.
The design is comfortable and well-made, with IP55 dust and water protection. They also feature an earhook for a stable fit when running or working out. In addition to the physical controls, if you want to use voice commands, you can access the Skull-iQ feature in the companion app. The microphone struggles to separate your voice from surrounding noise, so it is best to make important calls from a quiet environment. It also has difficulty blocking out ambient noise, such as the sound of a bus engine.
The Skullcandy Push Active earphones offer a sculpted sound signature with boosted bass and bright highs. We like the companion app with its long battery life and adjustable EQ, but nothing sets these earphones apart from the competition. Ultimately, we’re big fans of Anker’s Soundcore Life P3 earphones if you’re more interested in accurate audio performance and active noise cancellation than exercise-friendly construction, and Jabra’s Elite 3 earphones if you want to exercise.