Haylou W1 Earbuds

Although Apple’s Air Pods continue to be one of the most popular earbuds on the market, many people still look for alternatives. It you fall into that category, take a look at the Haylou W1 Wireles Earbuds.

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Haylou W1 Earbuds – Unboxing

In the box is the Haylou W1 Earbuds, a charging case, a package with additional tips for the earbuds, a USB-C to USB-A cord to charge the case and a User Manual.

These items are pretty typical of all of the earbuds we have reviewed over time. However, it took us a minute to find the accessories as they are tucked away inside the box insert that holds the earbuds and the case.

Granted there are some icons at the top of the box that implies that those items are inside but they are not that visible because of the black on black printing.

We also had an unusually difficult time getting the earbuds and the case out of the packaging. At one point, we were afraid we might break the earbuds by pulling on the stems. We ultimately opened the box so we could press up on the plastic holders to release the case and the earbuds. It was opening the box that led us to the accessories.

Haylou W1 Earbuds – Specifications

The Haylou W1 Earbuds is powered by the Qualcomm 3040 chip and Bluetooth 5.2. Compared to the older Qualcomm 3020 chip with Bluetooth 5.0, the Haylou W1 Earbuds have increased transmission speed by 125%, power consumption decreased by 40% and a 50% increase in Bluetooth stability.

The Haylou W1 Earbuds use Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers.

“Balanced armature drivers use an electronic signal to vibrate a tiny reed that is balanced between two magnets inside a tiny enclosure. The motion of the reed is transferred to a very stiff aluminum diaphragm. This diaphragm is free of unwanted resonances in the audio band, allowing it to produce excellent clarity.”Knowles Electronics LLC

Using balanced drivers allows the Haylou W1 Earbuds to provide a wider audio spectrum for richer high notes and less overall distortion.

Add to that a dynamic driver containing composite mental diaphragms for richer bass and mid-tones for a fuller listening experience.

The Haylou W1 Earbuds are IPX4 water-resistant. They contain an anti-oxidation coating that helps protect against the occasional splash, light drizzle or perspiration from an intense workout.

The earbuds contain a 32mAh li-ion battery that is rated to provide up to 6-hours of listening with a recharge time of about 2-hours.

The included charging case contains a 310mAh li-ion battery that can recharge the earbuds a couple of times for a total of 20-hours of battery life. Recharge time for the battery case is 3-hours.

Haylou W1 Earbuds – Set-up

As is usually the case, our Haylou W1 Earbuds arrived with only a partial charge and per the instructions, we charged the earbuds and the case before our first use.

The charging case has three (3) LEDs on the front, which provide both the available power, indicated by a solid LED and active charging by a flashing LED.

One LED represents capacity up to about 29%, two LEDs 30% – 69% and three LEDs 70% to 100%.

Charging is accomplished by connecting a USB-C cable to the back of the charging case and connecting the other end to a USB-A power source.

The included charging cord only measures 9.5” tip-to-tip, and may not be very useful depending on where your power source is. We would have liked to see a longer cord but this short charging cord is not unique to the Haylou W1 Earbuds. Most of the earbud models we have tested, included cords of similar lengths. Fortunately, a USB-C to USB-A cord is fairly common and many people may already have an extra cord in their collection. We used a longer cord from a third party and the earbuds and case charged without issue.

With everything charged, it was time to pair the Haylou W1 Earbuds with our iPhone. This may be one of the easiest earbuds we have ever worked with.

With the earbuds still in the case, we raised the case cover and opened the Bluetooth panel in System Preferences. We immediately saw the Haylou W1 Earbuds listed as a new device and selected it. It only took a couple of seconds for the earbuds and the iPhone to establish a connection. After that, whenever we took the earbuds out of the case, they immediately connected to our iPhone.

We found the connection to be extremely stable. We did not experience drop-outs or interruptions. We even left the iPhone on the lower level of a house and moved upstairs and about 20 feet from the phone and still had no interruption of the signal.

Haylou W1 Earbuds – Test Results

As we have said in the past, it’s difficult to rate the sound quality of any device. Just as no two people see color the same way, people have their own unique experience of sound.

That said, we were impressed with the overall sound quality of the Haylou W1 Earbuds. There was the perfect balance of lows, mid-range and highs. Vocals were crisp and clear. The bass was distinctive without being overpowering.

In the past we have found some earbuds need every bit of volume that the iPhone could produce but that was not the case here. The Haylou W1 Earbuds produce adequate volume for enjoyable listening with plenty in reserve if needed.

Earbud functions are control by one or more taps on the earbud stems (known as a Multi-Function Button (MFB)) as follows;

We liked the touch control layout. It was fairly easy to learn and worked well.

Each earbud contains two microphones, one at the top and one at the bottom of the MFB. The User Manual suggests that for phone calls, you turn the bottom of the MFB to face forward. We found that the earbuds were most comfortable in that position anyway so we did not need any adjustment when using Siri or making/receiving phone calls.

Finally, we found the Haylou W1 Earbuds to be very comfortable to wear. We wore them for extended periods of time during our testing and did not experience any discomfort which we sometimes got from other brands. We also intentionally moved around a lot but they stayed well seated in our ears.

Returning the earbuds to the charging case disconnects them from the iPhone and turns them off.

The Bottom Line

Some people say that nothing can compare to the sound of AirPods. There is no question that they sound great but with a starting price of $129.00 for the second generation model, they may be out of reach for some and for others, just not worth the money. That’s why it’s great to have alternatives, and we think the Haylou W1 Earbuds is a solid contender. With their high quality components, long battery life and sleek styling, they are easy to carry and comfortable to wear. They are available is an attractive dark blue and white. The Haylou W1 Earbuds come with a 12-month warranty against manufacturer defects. Perhaps best of all is the price. As of this writing, they are available for $39.99 from Amazon, and in our opinion, well worth the price.

We would like to thank the folks at Haylou for providing the Haylou W1 Earbuds for our testing and review.

What are your favorite earbuds? Why not join the conversation and leave a comment below.

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