In a somewhat similar fashion to the Haylou W1, the X1 Neo also follows the traditional earbuds look, sporting an elongated neck, but it doesn’t rely on silicone tips. Instead, the plastic earbud has the speaker on the side which is an approach widely used by Apple with its TWS earbuds. I suppose that some of the advantages are the extra space for the antenna and even the battery, while the main section (the one that you insert in your ear) can be a bit smaller.
The disadvantage is that you don’t get that passive sound sealing which does help quite a bit with the sound quality, especially considering the small speaker of the earbuds. One Haylou X1 Neo earbud measures 1.35 x 0.7 x 0.65 inches (1.79 x 3.43 x 1.67cm) so they’re quite literally not larger than the traditional earbuds heads.
The Haylou X1 Neo buds out.
And each X1 Neo bud is covered by a black matte finish (there is also a white variant) plus at the end of the elongated neck, there’s a faux metallic ring – I suppose it does enhance the aesthetic value of the earbuds. The manufacturer seems to have added two microphones, one at the end of the aforementioned faux metallic ring and one near the speaker, so the Haylou X1 Neo is built in a manner as to potentially provide a decent noise canceling while taking a call (we’ll see that during the test).
On the other side of a Haylou X1 Neo earbud, there is a narrow glossy area where there’s a status LED which will quickly flash white when the earbuds are ready to be paired and then once in a while after the pairing with a source device has been successful. You may have noticed that there are no buttons and yes, the Haylou X1 Neo does have a dedicated touch-sensitive area (within the glossy section) for controlling the way the earbuds will function. Tap once on any earbud to Pause or Play the current track, double tap the right earbud to skip the track and double tap the left one to return to the previous track.
The LEDs shining through.
If you press and hold the finger on any earbud for two seconds, it will switch to gaming mode and back, and, in case of a call, you can answer it with a simple tap. Unfortunately there is no volume control, but I wasn’t really expecting it at this price point – I barely expect it even when going past $100.. Now let’s talk about just how comfortable the Haylou X1 Neo actually are. I barely felt them in my ears which is not something that I can say about other TWS earbuds. But at the same time, the Haylou X1 Neo always feel like they may fall off and, while most of the time, they will sit tightly in your ear, it is possible to dislodge them depending on how you move your jaw (while eating).
But the good news is that you won’t be bothered by any pressure point and can wear these earbuds for hours at a time. As for sport and workout sessions outdoors, I don’t really recommend anything that doesn’t have a silicone hook to keep the earbuds in the ears. And, as for the Haylou X1 Neo, I noticed that the earbuds can become slippery and it’s very easy to drop them which makes it tricky using them outdoors even when not doing any physical activity. I do need to mention that the Haylou X1 Neo are indeed IPX4-rated, so rain and sweat should have no negative impact.
Up: Haylou X1 Neo. Down: Haylou W1.
The Haylou X1 Neo Charging Case
Most charging cases are designed to be compact and easy to carry around, but painfully plain (the GravaStar Sirius being the exception), but the Haylou X1 Neo went with a slight different approach. The case itself is made of plastic and it measures 1.3 x 0.68 x 0.65 inches (3.43 x 1.73 x 1.67 cm), so it’s very, very compact. And it’s pill-shaped, so it’s very easy to carry in your pocket. The interesting element is the semi-transparent lid which will let the LEDs to shine through and, since the light from the earbuds is strong, it creates a nice visual effect.
or
