Recently, Haylou has introduced a new compact wireless TWS headset with noise cancellation during calls and a 12mm dynamic driver – Haylou X1 2023. We got the new product for review, so let’s see what it can do and compare it with similar models.
Read also: Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro review: great sound and high-quality noise cancellation
Technical specifications
- Type: TWS earbuds
- Bluetooth version: 5.3
- Bluetooth protocol: A2DP / AVRCP / HFP
- Dynamic driver: 12mm
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Headphone frequency range: 20-20000 Hz
- Support for low latency game mode
- Communication range: 10 metres (without obstacles)
- Battery capacity: headphones – 35 mAh, case – 300 mAh
- Charging time: Up to 1.5 hours
- Working time: Up to 5.5 hours without case, up to 24 hours with case
- Battery type: Lithium-polymer
- Audio codec: SBC / ACC
- Type of construction: В
- Ear cushion material: Plastic
- Noise reduction of the microphone: Є
- Water resistant housing: IPX4
- Charger connection port: USB-C
- Controls: Touch
- Colours: Silver, blue, black
Positioning and price of Haylou X1 2023
Given the price, Haylou X1 can be classified as a budget headphone. They cost $27.99 on the official website. But if you look hard enough, you can buy the headset even cheaper. We recommend using the link and discount code at the end of this article.
Haylou already has two similar models – Haylou X1 Pro and Haylou X1 Neo. The difference between the X1 and the Pro version is in the design, in-ear headphones, a battery that has almost twice the capacity, a flagship speaker system, and, of course, the price. Haylou X1 Pro costs about $50. As for the differences with the Neo, it has a 13 mm dynamic driver, a smaller battery, no moisture protection, APP control, and noise cancellation during calls. At the time of writing, the price of Haylou X1 Neo is $19 with a discount and $30 without it. The full list of Haylou TWS headsets is available on the company’s official website.
Package contents
We are greeted by a rather solid box with the headphones and the company logo on the cover. Inside we see the headphones themselves, a USB-A/USB-C charging cable and a manual in English and Chinese.
Read also: TOZO Golden X1 review: cool hybrid TWS earbuds for music lovers
Design, materials, and build
The headphones are housed in a minimalist oval case with a logo on the front. The outer part of the case is made of metal, which makes it scratch-resistant. At the bottom is a port for connecting the charger, which lights up in one of three colours: green, orange, and red when charging. Green indicates that the case has a high percentage of charge, orange indicates that about 50% is left, and red indicates that the case is almost discharged.
The inside of the case is made of plastic; inside, in addition to the headphones themselves, you can see the sync button. By the way, when you press the button, the charging port is highlighted, so you can check the charge level in the case.
As for the headset’s colours, there are three in total: silver, blue and black.
Moving on to the headphones themselves, they are ergonomically shaped, with a microphone and a metal contact for charging on the bottom. The headphones are made of plastic, the leg is tilted at 60º. The main speaker is covered with a black metal mesh, and there is another small slot near the sound guide. There is a touch control panel on the top of the headphones.
Read also: Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: which headphones to choose?
Haylou X1 2023 ergonomics
The Haylou X1 case is really compact and fits easily into any pocket. Thanks to a high-quality magnet, it will not open while running or walking. Inside, the headphones are also securely fixed with a magnet, so they do not fall out even when the case is open.
I liked the fit in my ears, the headphones do not fall out even during active movement, and they are lightweight – one earbud weighs only 3.5 g. Although it is worth noting that during the first use one earbud rubbed my ear a little, I did not have any such problems later.
Connection and control
Haylou X1 connects to devices in a standard way. When connecting for the first time, you need to open the case, press and hold the button for 2 seconds, and then select the headset from the list of Bluetooth devices available for connection. To reconnect to another gadget, you need to disconnect the headset from the current device and repeat the above steps. Both headphones are connected as one Bluetooth device. You can also connect the headset using the Haylou Sound app, but we will talk about it in more detail in the next section of the review.
Controls are made using gestures on the touch panels on each of the headphones – the control area is located slightly above the leg.
The default control scheme is extremely simple and straightforward, although it can be reassigned, which we’ll talk about later. Actions performed by default:
- Double-tap one of the earbuds to play/pause and answer/end a call when you have a call
- Triple tap the right earbud – play the next song, reject an incoming call
- Triple-tap the left earbud to play the previous song, reject an incoming call
- Press and hold the left/right earbud – switch on/off the game mode.
In the Haylou Sound app, you can additionally add and change a couple of functions: volume up, volume down, low latency mode.
As for the sensitivity and accuracy of the touch panels, they are very well tuned in this regard – I did not notice any false alarms during the testing period.
Haylou Sound app
To set up and control Haylou X1, you need to install the Haylou Sound app. It can be downloaded from the Play Market, the APP Store, or a simple browser APK file and installed.
for iOS:
for Android:
In the app, you can see the charge level of both headphones, select a sound mode (default, pop, heavy bass, rock, mellow, and classical), reassign control stiffness, clear pairing records, and update the headset firmware.
You can use the headphones without the app, but I would recommend installing it, especially for switching sound modes.
Sound and voice transmission
Haylou X1 has a 12mm dynamic driver, which gives the headphones strong bass, and hydrodynamic air holes provide a more natural sound.
In my opinion, the headphones transmit medium and high frequencies well, and the low frequencies are also very good, especially if you turn on the “heavy bass” mode in the Haylou Sound app. The volume level is sufficient for listening to music, even in the subway at 85% everything is clearly audible. The volume of the headphones allows you to hear the interlocutor perfectly during calls, even in crowded places. The headphones have a highly sensitive noise-cancelling microphone, the ENC algorithm intelligently filters out ambient noise and even if there is a sudden scream on the street, it will definitely attenuate it.
Haylou X1 also supports the “Game Effect Mode”, with which you can play with a low delay of all sound effects (0.06 seconds). In my opinion, the sound and microphone are very good for this price range.
Haylou X1 battery life and charging
Let’s talk about charging and retaining the charge of Haylou X1. The headphones are equipped with long-lasting 35 mAh batteries. They hold the charge, as stated by the manufacturer, for up to 5.5 hours, so you can definitely count on 4-5 hours of continuous operation. The battery of the case has a capacity of 300 mAh, which is enough for 4 full charges of the headphones, i.e. up to 24 hours of headphone operation when using the case. The case takes up to 1.5 hours to charge. As for the charging speed of the headphones themselves, it is quite fast, about 30 minutes.
Conclusions
Haylou X1 2023 is an excellent budget TWS headset. Among its main features, I would single out good ergonomics, a noise-cancelling microphone, convenient touch controls, the Haylou Sound app, good battery life, good bass, and the sound itself. This is definitely one of the best deals in its price segment. I definitely recommend it!
Where to buy Haylou X1 2023
- Official Haylou website – use the code HAYLOUTWS to get a discount
- Shopee – use the code HAYLOUTWS to get a discount (only for Brazil)
- AliExpress
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