Geek Review: UGREEN HiTune X6 Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds

Chinese accessory brand UGREEN has been building up its reputation over the recent years, producing reliable mobile phone accessories at a low price point, and the HiTune X6 Wireless Earbuds is its latest release for mobile devices. 

Compared to the previous HiTune X5, the HiTune X6 includes a hybrid active noise-canceling feature, improved gaming mode latency to 50m/s, as well as a redesign of the charging case. Allll for a fraction of the price from noted brands, at just US$59.99, which is a very competitive price.

Case Build Quality

The charging case for the HiTune X6 Wireless Earbuds measures 42.9mm X 61.5mm X 28.5mm, and comes in a sleek black and gun-metal case with smooth curves and chamfered edges, offering a premium feel to it. The matte finish makes wiping away fingerprints and dust easy, and the cover hinges even snaps close with a magnetic pull. There is also a pairing button and a USB-C charging port at the rear. 

Earbuds Build Quality

The two earbuds are easy to remove from the case, and are secured by magnets to ensure they do not fall off easily. These earbuds are rated at IPX5, which means that it is water and dust resistant. To ensure that the earbuds will be able to fit snugly in your ears, the package includes 2 extra pairs of silicone ear tips which come in small and large sizes. Each earbud weighs only 5 grams and is light and comfortable, and are ergonomically designed to fit to the ear snugly and securely to prevent them from falling off. This makes the earbuds suitable for outdoor exercises such as running and jogging even in light rain, just make sure that they do not get submerged fully into the water, or get exposed to high-pressure water jets, and they should work fine in wet environments.

Pairing and Operations

The HiTune X6 Wireless Earbuds uses a BlueTooth 5.1 to pair with the phone, and an intuitive user experience where after the first pairing, all you need to do is ensure that your phone’s Bluetooth is on and remove the earbuds from the charging case and they will connect to your phone. Putting them back in the case will auto disconnect the earbuds. The sides of the earbuds are touch-sensitive, where different numbers of taps on the different sides will perform different functions. It’s hard to remember how many taps on which sides do what, but at least there is a feature to cater to these. Thankfully, the earbuds have audio cues to announce which function you had just input.

Sound Quality

Powered by 10mm dynamic diamond-like carbon drivers, the sound quality for these earbuds exceeded expectations, offering powerful bass with textured and robust layers. Its mids are clear and natural, but might be a bit thin for some, especially with that empowering bass. Trebles were bright and chirpy, and you will be able to hear pronounced details of your music. Altogether, with support for the ACC and SBC audio codecs, the earbuds give a pleasant experience similar to a boombox with noise isolation.

A new addition is the active noise-canceling feature, which uses a form-fitting in-ear sealing and noise detecting microphones to reduce ambient noises by -35db. It is pretty effective, as ambient noises such as sounds of a train traveling through a tunnel were reduced. The microphone is clear, but has a tiny delay to pick up the voice, as it seems to need time to differentiate your voice and ambient noise. However, it was not very noticeable, and didn’t really affect conversations.

Also, it was interesting to note that the earbuds switch to mono mode once one of them is kept back into the case. The earbuds also have a gaming mode, which enhances the latency to 50m/s, ensuring sound effect cues are played faster.

Battery and Charging Efficiency 

Out of the case, the earbuds can last up to 6 hrs, and 26 hours with the charging case. It charges pretty efficiently as 10 minutes of charging can allow the earbuds to run for an hour.

When not in use, it would take up to 2 hours to fully charge the charging case. There is also an LED indicator on the case that is used to indicate the battery level, and if the battery is fully charged.

Conclusion

Overall, these are a fine pair of entry-level earbuds that come with ANC. At US$60, they offer great audio quality, and come packed in a magnetic case that makes it feel more premium than the price indicates.