Honor recently entered the AIOT market in India. Alongside the mid-range Honor X9b smartphone, the brand also launched the Honor CHOICE Smartwatch and CHOICE Earbuds X5. Out of these two wearables, we received the CHOICE X5 Earbuds for review purposes. These TWS buds have been announced for Rs. 1999 in India.
These are the first earbuds from Honor and there are many other competitors available in the under 5000 segment like OnePlus, Realme, boAt, etc. In such a competitive market, Honor’s earbuds will be able to make its mark, which is an interesting question. Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 comes with features like 30dB ANC, companion app support, low latency mode, and IP54 rating. We have been using these buds for a while now and in our review, we will focus on audio, design, and other features of this TWS Buds.
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Pro Review Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 3.5/5
Design
Control
Hardware
Sound Quality
Noise Cancellation
Battery
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Pros
- Good ANC
- Honor AI Space app support
- IP54 rating
- Long battery life
Cons
- Not a good case
- The sound quality could have been better.
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 is priced at Rs. 1999. It went on sale on February 16 and can be purchased via Amazon.
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Review: Design
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 don’t have a unique or different design, it looks very regular. There is nothing about the case that has the power to attract the user at first look. The design has been inspired by Apple Airpods, but there is certainly a lack of premium touch. The case looks regular but this doesn’t mean it looks bad. It comes in a single white color variant which we received for review purposes. This white colored case acts as a magnet for dirt and scratches, which means it gets dirty easily. The most surprising part was the lack of any branding on the case. It is a plain case that has a battery indicator LED and a USB-C port at the bottom.
The earbuds have a semi-in-ear design and are lightweight, thus easily able to fit into your pocket. The earbuds are small and the case can be opened with one hand. Earbuds X5 does look cheaper when compared to OnePlus Nord 2 and 2r buds, but since these have been priced way lower, one can’t complain about the design. Talking about fit and comfort, wearing the buds for long durations posed no problems for me. I used them while taking a walk in the park in the evening, and faced no issues at all. Honor has bundled various ear tips inside the box, so you can choose the best one for you as per size. At a price, this competitive, Honor Buds come with an IP54 rating as well.
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Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Review: Connectivity, Controls & Features
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 might be priced less, but these are loaded with features. The buds offer up to 30dB of Active Noise Cancellation, which cancels out all the voices around you as soon as it is enabled. ANC can be switched on by pressing and holding buds for a few seconds. Voices of TV, Fan, AC, and other things become inaudible and you can get a better audio experience. In outdoor conditions, it doesn’t work well with loud horns or noises of vehicles, but inside a moderately crowded metro, ANC performs decently. There is an Awareness Mode as well, which allows you to listen to sounds around you at a louder level.
CHOICE Earbuds X5 should preferably be used with the Honor AI Space app, otherwise, you won’t be able to use half of its features. There are three E Profile options, Bass boost, and Treble boost modes. I loved the treble boost mode the most as the audio sounds uninhabited and beats are punchy in this mode. You can use this feature with a companion app only. You can also check the case battery, battery life of buds, EQ profiles, ANC Toggle, and software updates using the app. In-ear detection is absent, which feels like a drawback.
There is a low-latency gaming mode too along with ENC and two microphones for a better calling experience. Low latency mode also works well.
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Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Review: Sound & ANC
CHOICE Earbuds X5 comes with a 10mm driver supported by SBC and AAC audio codes. If you are a casual music listener, you will like the quality of audio in treble mode. However, if you are an avid listener who knows about the technicalities of music, then you will find shortcomings in the audio. Audio is not clear in default mode and even the bass isn’t balanced. In the treble mode, vocals are crystal clear but the music or instruments playing in the background are suppressed.
If you are a fan of bass, you will like the performance of these earbuds. However, if you want clear vocals with depth and clarity, you will be disappointed.
Let’s talk about connectivity now. These buds used Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to my OnePlus 12 smartphone within seconds. After connecting, I could easily operate the buds using the Honor AI Space app. I tried attending calls using these buds and though voices weren’t sharp what the other person was saying was easily audible. Microphones are average so you will feel a problem when you try to attend calls in a noisy environment, as voices around you won’t be canceled.
All in all, for those of you who need earbuds to listen to music in the metro or attend calls while traveling on the bike, CHOICE Earbuds X5 are a good option. You won’t find many faults with the sound quality in these situations. However, if you love music and want the best audio quality, opt for OnePlus, boAt, or Oppo Buds.
Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Review: Battery Life and Charging
Honor claims that CHOICE Earbuds X5 will offer 35 hours long battery life with the case and 9 hours of battery life itself, on a single charge. While testing, these numbers mostly came out to be true, but only when ANC is turned off. With ANC turned off, the buds lasted for over 2 days at a single charge. Only buds too lasted for 9 hours.
When ANC is turned on, buds offer a battery backup of 6 hours and the case lasts one day. If you charge them after discharging 100% battery, it will take almost 2 hours to recharge. The charging time feels particularly long.
Review Verdict: Should you buy Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5?
Priced under 2000, Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 offers various features with the companion app. The best feature is ANC for a price of under 2k and that too works well outdoors. Although it isn’t able to drown out loud outdoor voices, then the same problem is encountered with other devices as well. The companion app works well and there are features like low latency mode and IP54 rating. The most important feature of any buds is its sound quality and we feel Honor should have worked more on it. Battery and charging speed are also less, but this can be adjusted for such a low price. OnePlus Nord Buds 2 cost slightly more but they give a much better sound quality than this one
Reasons to buy
- Good ANC
- Honor AI Space app support
- IP54 rating
- Long battery life
Reasons to not buy
- Not a good case
- The sound quality could have been better.
