The time came to replace my headphones
I bought new small headphones. My previous ones were Huawei AM61 which I bought in 2018. I try to use any electronic device I buy to the fullest and as long as possible, but they were getting long in the tooth, with the rubber parts falling off. The cable was getting in the way in thick clothing, and the Huaweis were the only portable device that I had with a micro-USB cable, which meant I had to remember about yet another cable when traveling. I lost the rubber earcup a few days ago and I had enough. And so I searched for a replacement.
I had very simple criteria for new headphones:
- small so that they can fit under a beanie in winter, and so that I can take them anywhere without reducing my backpack capacity
- sound quality good enough to listen to podcasts
- charge via USB-C cable as my laptop, phone and powerbank
- cheap so that I won’t be too sad when I lose or drown them
As you can see those criteria were basic, as I already have good, large headphones with ANC for work and leisure indoors (Sony WH1000XM3). The new ones were meant to just be something I can throw in my backpack or my pocket anytime and allow me to listen to stuff and isolate from the environment on the train of on a walk.
I also decided I want to try out separate earbuds, AirPods style, to see if being totally cable free will be something I like (spoiler alert: I like it very much).
After doing some searching, reading and comparing I went with Edifier X3s
Why Edifier X3s
The answer is short: they fit all of the criteria listed above and they are the cheapest earbuds from a brand I somewhat recognize.
I paid for them 99PLN (~22EUR, 25USD) with free shipping on Allegro, a Polish Amazon equivalent, and with my experience so far I can say that for the price they are almost perfect, with minor issues.
I’ve been testing them for two days now, mostly walking and listening to podcasts, with occasional music and a call from my mum.
Pros
- They just work, pairing was super fast
- Sound quality for podcasts is very good, the sound is clean and crisp
- I had no problem having a call using them, even though they were covered under a beanie, the caller had no problem understanding me
- USB-C!
- Cheap
Cons
- While the earbuds themselves feel sturdy and have a nice weight to them, the case feels super cheap, but hey, you get what you pay for
- It is not easy to pull them out of the case, there is no good handle on the buds and the plastic is slippery, this I think is the biggest con so far
- I wish there was a way to temporarily lock the touch functionality on them so that I can handle the earbuds and not change track/volume/whatever by mistake
Summary
If you are looking for basic earbuds that just do their job, then those will be good for you. I’m happy and would recommend them.
Of course, this is not a sponsored article, I bought them with my own money after doing some searching myself.
Thanks for reading!
