The Honor Choice Earbuds X5 recently launched in the Indian market with a budget price tag of Rs 1999. I have been testing the earbuds for the last two days, and here is my full detailed review of this product. The features wise the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 seem very promising; it also offers up to 30db of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). However, there are some notable compromises. Let’s dig into detail.
Please note: Like always, we purchased this product for review; so it is a simple point-to-point review; we didn’t try to cover the compromise with extra butter.
Honor Choice Earbuds X5 Specifications
| Colors | White |
| Drivers | 10 mm |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC |
| ANC | Yes, 30db |
| Mic | 4-mics array |
| Water-resistance | IP54 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Support | Android 6.0+, iOS 12+ |
| App Support | Yes, Honor AI Connect |
| Battery | 45mAh (earbuds) / 460mAh (charging case), 7-8h (single charge) / 30h (with charging case) |
| Charging time | 2h |
| Other Features | Touch control customizes, ANC, three pre-set audio modes |
| Weight | 38G |
Box Content
- Earbuds
- Paperwork
- 2 x Ear-tips
Hey Honor, Where is the small charging cable that comes with every earbud? Honor: Cost cutting, sir!
Design, Build & Comfort
Starting with the design, the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 have a plain and simple look. You could say the design is inspired by the Apple AirPods, or you can even call them a cheaper version of the Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro. It has a good-looking compact pebble-shaped charging case. The charging case and earbuds have a glossy finish, which looks cool but can get scratched easily.
Yes, there is some compromise in the build quality. Of course, we can’t expect top-notch quality at this price point, but still, they feel a bit cheaply made. It looks flimsy around the hinge area. Compared to others in the same price range, like the Nord Buds 2R and the Realme Techlife T300, their build doesn’t feel as solid and robust.
On the positive side, the charging case is quite compact and lightweight, making it very easy to carry around for day-to-day use. It fits even in the tight pocket of jeans without any trouble.
The earbuds follow the same design pattern and are also quite lightweight. I didn’t find any problem regarding the comfort – the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 provided decent comfort overall. For testing, I continuously used the Earbuds X5 for about 2-3 hours and found that the comfort was fairly good or decent.
And yes, the earbuds offer a secure fit, so they don’t easily slip out of the ears. This means you can use Honor Choice Earbuds X5 be used confidently at the gym or in outdoor activities without issues. It also comes with an IP54 rating, protecting them against dust and sweat.
Control & Connectivity
The upper portion of the earbuds serves as the touch control area; however, it’s somewhat small and not that responsive, making it a bit challenging to use. Sometimes, it takes only one tap; other times, it takes 2-3 attempts. It’s a luck game. You can also customize the touch controls through an app (Honor AI Connect). There is no problem in terms of connectivity– it uses the latest Bluetooth 5.3, so the pairing process is quite fast, and the connection range is also good. However, the Google fast pair support is missing, which could have been a nice feature, but sadly, it’s not there.
Features & ANC
The ANC is the major selling point of the Honor Choice Earbuds X. It offers up to 30 dB of ANC, which works quite well, in my opinion. It easily silences the noise of an AC or a car engine during indoor use. It may not completely cancel out traffic noise or car horns in outdoor use, but it’s okay overall. The ANC performance is really good for the price. The other main competitors, Realme Techlife T300 and Nord Buds 2, also offer similar ANC performance.
It also has a transparency mode. To access all these features, you must download the Honor AI Space app, which is available for both Android and iOS platforms. Besides ANC settings, you get three preset EQ profiles, including a bass boost. You can also customize the touch controls. The app has all the basic control options except the custom EQ. Yes, the custom EQ is a must-have feature, and I believe HONOR should have included it with these earbuds. Yes, I agree with the argument that the low price comes with some compromise, but still, I want EQQ- OK, move on!
Additionally, the wear detection and dual pairing options are also not available. The good thing is latency is low. I tested it with BGMI, and there was no noticeable lag between audio and video, making them suitable for regular daily gaming.
Microphone
The microphone quality of the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 is average. The indoor use is fine, but in outdoor use, the earbuds struggle a little bit; they do not do a great job of cutting surrounding sound. Overall, the microphone is average; there is room for improvement.
Battery Life
The battery life of Honor Choice Earbuds X5 is also good. The Honor promises a total of 35 hours of battery life with the charging case and around 9 hours from a single earbud. During my 2 days of testing, I got approx 7-8 hours of battery life with normal volume.
If ANC is always on, you can expect approximately 5 hours of playback time with earbuds, leading to a total of around 30 hours of playtime when combining the earbuds and the charging case—which is pretty good. There’s no fast charging support, so it takes approximately 2 hours to fully charge.
Sound Quality
Finally, let’s talk about the sound quality. The Honor Choice Earbuds X5 comes with 10mm drivers and supports standard SBC and AAC codecs. Overall, the sound quality is average- the default tuning is not very impressive. It definitely requires tuning adjustment. Since there’s no equalizer in the app of these earbuds, you may need to use a third-party equalizer app to enhance the sound profile.
Let’s dive into the details. The overall sound output is clear; even at full volume, it remains clear. But the problem is that it feels slightly muddy, lacking crisp details. The bass response is not very high, so the mid-frequencies sound better, but they still lack some details, especially in the mid-high segment. The high frequencies are also average; it feels somewhat suppressed, so it lacks the energy you’d expect from audio. To describe in one line – the overall sound output is clear but doesn’t have enough detail—it’s not very enjoyable.
Worth To Buy Honor Choice Earbuds X5?
Overall, the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 is not a bad choice for the asking price; it is definitely a good option, but we have to accept that it’s not one of the best options in this price bucket. I will recommend these earbuds in my best earbuds under the 2000 Rs list, but in third or fourth position.
What about the comparison?
Its biggest competitors are the Nord Buds 2, Nothing Buds Pro, Realme TechLife T300, Nord Buds 2R, and Oppo Enco Buds 2. If your budget is up to 2,500 INR, you should definitely go with either the Nord Buds 2 or the Nothing Buds Pro because they offer the same features with better sound quality. If you need an option within the Rs 2000 budget, the Realme TechLife T300 is a slightly better choice in terms of features and sound quality. If you prefer a bass-oriented tuning, then you could also consider the Nord Buds 2R, which is also available for Rs 2000.
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