Skullcandy Indy, Indy Evo and Indy Fuel earbuds review

Skullcandy is one of those brands that stand out. Thanks to its eye-catching designs and distinctive logo, Skullcandy headphones definitely make it to the shortlist of a lot of consumers. With that said, Skullcandy does have a LOT of headphones and models and you may want to learn about what sets each model apart from its cousins. I recently had the chance to review three new Skullcandy headphones: Skullcandy Indy, Skullcandy Indy Evo and Skullcandy Indy Fuel. In this review, I’ll look at each model, and I’ll also get into some of the similarities and differences.

Skullcandy earbuds review: What each model has

I’ll try to keep this simple and organized, by starting out sharing what each of these headphones has first: all are truly wireless in-ear earbuds with Bluetooth connectivity, each comes with a charging case, each is IP55 water resistant, and they all have touch controls on the buds. They are also all shaped with that very familiar ‘handle’ design that looks like some other famous earbuds.

Skullcandy Indy line: What’s different?

Let’s look at some of the features that set each earbud apart:

I don’t usually mention price in these reviews, mainly because prices can change over time, but price is a major differentiating factor in these earbuds, so I will include it here in case it helps you make your decision. A reminder to check the Best Buy website via the links I’ve included here for most current prices.

Skullcandy Indy

Let’s start with the entry-level Skullcandy Indy:

• 16 hours battery life
• Colours: just two: black and navy
• Charging: Micro-USB
• Fit: small rubber fin to hold it in the ear
• Price: about $59

Skullcandy Indy Evo

Moving up the Indy line, check out the Skullcandy Indy Evo:

• 30 hours battery life
• Ambient Mode
• Listen with a single bud
• Find My Earbuds using Tile tracking
• 5 colours
• Charger: USB-C
• Fit: large rubber loop to hold it in the ear
• Price: about $119

Skullcandy Indy Fuel

Skullcandy Indy Fuel is the top of this line:

• 30 hours battery life
• Ambient Mode
• Wireless charging
• Listen with a single bud
• Find My Earbuds using Tile tracking
• Charger: USB-C
• Fit: large rubber loop to hold it in the ear
• Price: about $139

Now that you know what sets each one apart, I’ll dive in on what it’s like to use each one.

Review: Skullcandy Indy

Fit & feel

These earbuds have a good sound isolating fit that seals out outside noise very well. They may feel a bit big and bulky, and they do fill up the ear concha. While I was only wearing them for short bursts, I could see these becoming uncomfortable after a while… They also stick out from the ears a lot, but the rounded edges mean they don’t feel like they’re catching on hair and hands.

The touch controls work quite well once you figure out the tap sequence too.

Sound quality

What these earbuds lack in colour options and creative design, they make up for in bass. The moment I put these on, I was wowed by the bass and how substantial it is. Overall the sound quality is amazing and I was quite surprised that this entry level model sounds as good as it does.

For $60, I think these are an outstanding value.

Review: Skullcandy Indy Evo

Pairing problems

Right away the biggest downside of these for me is the pairing process (the fact there’s an entire page of instructions with 8 steps in the manual should be a clue). It’s complicated and difficult, and I struggled to get them to pair to my iPhone. Their biggest issue seems to be that each bud wants to try to pair to the phone individually (two versions of Indy Evo show up in the Bluetooth menu) and once one bud is paired, the other won’t connect (I tried pairing to both an iPhone 11 and a new Samsung Note 20 and had the same issues).

I paired about half a dozen times and only one bud would ever connect. Just when I was about to give up, I tried one last time and they paired and I had sound in both earbuds. (Even though they still showed up separately in my Bluetooth menu, and only one showed as connected).

Fit & feel

With their edgy silicone loops, these definitely fit snugly in the ear. With a much more rounded design than the Indy, they seem like they protrude a lot less too. Even so, I found these quite ear-filling and uncomfortable after just 20 minutes.

Sound quality

I was surprised that I found these didn’t sound as good as the Indys. The overall sound quality was a bit flat and the bass wasn’t as striking. But all told they sounded pretty well balanced if a bit flat and lacking in some of the clarity you’d get in more expensive headphones.

I never got a good chance to use Ambient Mode, where the earbuds let in some noise so you can hear what’s happening around you. The tap sequence to get this turned on is extremely difficult to manage: ‘tap once and hold two seconds’. The buds kept reverting to adjusting the volume and skipping a track (other tap controls). Only once was I able to get Ambient Mode turned on and it sounded really kind of rough and staticky and hollow.

Review: Skullcandy Indy Fuel

Pairing process

I had a similar issue pairing these as I did with the Evo. See above.

Fit & feel

The fit on these is identical to the Evos. With those silicone loops, these are similarly snug in the ear. With a much more rounded design than the Indy, they seem like they protrude a lot less too. Even so, I found these quite ear-filling and uncomfortable after just 20 minutes. I asked my husband to try them out and he said they felt pretty comfortable for him (and kind of stole them from me).

Sound quality

The sound quality is good. I’d say it’s pretty much equal to the Evo.

Overall, while these are supposed to be the top of the line model, they just didn’t wow me any more than the Indy.

Which Skullcandy Indy should you choose?

For me, this is an easy choice: it’s the Skullcandy Indy all the way. For the price, these are an excellent set of earbuds with great sound quality and easy pairing. There’s no pairing problems, and no finicky fiddling with things like Ambient Mode.

Find more Skullcandy headphones, or shop all headphones at Best Buy.