Honor CHOICE Earbuds X5 Review: A Smart TWS Option for Under 2000

Honor recently entered the AIOT market in India. Along with the mid-range Honor X9b smartphone, the brand also launched the Honor CHOICE smartwatch and CHOICE X5 earphones. Among these two wearables, we received the CHOICE X5 headphones for review purposes. These TWS buds have been announced for Rs. 9,999. 1999 in India.

These are Honor's first earphones and there are many other competitors available in the sub 5000 segment like OnePlus, Realme, boAt, etc. In such a competitive market, will Honor's headphones be able to stand out, which is an interesting question. The Honor CHOICE X5 earphones come with features like 30dB ANC, support for companion apps, low latency mode, and IP54 rating. We have been using these earbuds for a while now and in our review, we will focus on the audio, design, and other features of these TWS Buds.

Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones Review: Design

Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones doesn't have a unique or different design, it looks very regular. Nothing in the case has the power to attract the user at first glance. The design was inspired by Apple's Airpods, but it certainly lacks a premium feel. The case looks regular but that 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, meaning it gets dirty easily. The most surprising part was the lack of branding on the case. It's a simple case with an LED battery indicator and a USB-C port at the bottom.

The headphones have a semi-in-ear design and are lightweight, so they can easily fit into your pocket. The headphones are small and the case can be opened with one hand. The X5 earphones seem cheaper than the OnePlus Nord 2 and 2r earphones, but since they are priced much lower, we can't complain about the design. Speaking of fit and comfort, wearing the headphones for long durations gave me no issues. I used them on an evening walk in the park and had no problems. Honor has bundled different ear tips in the box, so you can choose the one that suits you best based on its size. At such a competitive price, the Honor Buds also come with an IP54 rating.

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Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones Goodbye: Connectivity, controls and features

Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones They may be priced lower, but they're packed with features. The headphones offer up to 30dB of active noise cancellation, which cancels out all the voices around you as soon as it is activated. ANC can be activated by long pressing the buttons for a few seconds. Voices from TV, fan, air conditioning and other things become inaudible and you can get a better audio experience. Outdoors, it doesn't work well with loud horns or vehicle noises, but in a moderately busy subway, the ANC works fine. There's also an Awareness mode, which lets you listen to sounds around you at a louder level.

The 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 liked the Treble Boost mode the most, as the sound seems uninhabited and the beats are punchy in this mode. You can use this feature only with a companion app. You can also check the case battery, earphone battery life, EQ profiles, ANC toggle, and software updates using the app. In-ear detection is absent, which seems to be a drawback.

There is also a low latency gaming mode with ENC and dual microphones for a better calling experience. Low latency mode also works well.

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Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones Review: Sound and ANC

CHOICE X5 Earphones comes with a 10mm driver supported by SBC and AAC audio codes. If you are a casual music listener, you will appreciate the audio quality in treble mode. However, if you are an avid listener who knows the technical aspects of music, you will notice gaps in the audio. The sound is not clear in default mode and even the bass is not balanced. In treble mode, vocals are perfectly clear but music or instruments playing in the background are suppressed.

If you are a fan of bass, you will appreciate the performance of these headphones. However, if you want clear, deep, clear vocals, you will be disappointed.

Now let's talk about connectivity. These earbuds used Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to my OnePlus 12 smartphone in seconds. Once connected, I was able to easily operate the earbuds using the Honor AI Space app. I tried answering calls using these headphones, and while the voices weren't clear, what the other person was saying was easily audible. The microphones are average, so you will feel a problem when trying to answer calls in a noisy environment as the voices around you will not be canceled out.

Overall, for those of you who need headphones to listen to music on the subway or answer calls while traveling by bike, the CHOICE Earbuds X5 are a good option. You won't find many flaws when it comes to sound quality in these situations. However, if you love music and want the best audio quality, go for OnePlus, boAt or Oppo Buds.

Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones Summary: battery life and charge

Honor claims that CHOICE X5 Earphones will offer 35 hours of battery life with the case and 9 hours of battery life itself, on a single charge. In testing, these numbers were mostly true, but only when ANC was turned off. With ANC turned off, the earbuds lasted over 2 days on a single charge. Just the buds also lasted 9 hours.

When ANC is enabled, the earbuds offer 6 hours of battery backup and the case lasts for a day. If you charge them after discharging 100% of the battery, it will take almost 2 hours to recharge them. The charging time seems particularly long.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones?

Price below 2000, Honor CHOICE X5 Earphones offers various features with the companion app. The best feature is ANC for a price of less than 2k and it also works well outdoors. Although it is not capable of muffling outside voices, the same problem occurs with other devices as well. The companion app works well and offers features like low latency mode and IP54 rating. The most important feature of any earphone is its sound quality and we think Honor should have worked more on this. The battery and charging speed are also less, but this can be adjusted for such a low price. The OnePlus Nord Buds 2 cost slightly more but offer much better sound quality than this one