ELEPHONE Elepods X review: lots of autonomy and ANC, but are they a bargain?
The panorama of true wireless headphones is full of products that all promise excellent sound performance net of a high quality / price ratio and precisely in this crowded jungle the new Elephone Elepods X, smart earphones of the Chinese brand that stand out for their their Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system. So here they are the protagonists of this complete review.
As usual we start from the contents of the package, which in the case of the Elephone Elepods X is configured in a white hardcover with some key specifications on the profiles of the box while in plain sight we have the image of the product. Inside we find the following equipment:
- Elephone Elepods
- USB charging cable -Type C;
- Instruction manual (English and Chinese only);
- Pair of silicone plugs of different sizes to adapt the earphones to our ear.
The Elepods X are available in two colors, white and black, the latter being the subject of our test. The charging socket does not show anything particular in terms of design but the plastics used and the construction are of good value. In fact, the closing lid is very stable and with a magnetic attachment. The magnets for attaching the headphones are also excellent, keeping them firmly in their position even giving strong jolts.
On the front we have the brand logo printed, as well as on the lower side we find the various writings relating to certifications and general info of the charging case. On the back side we find the Type-C charging input. In this regard, the Elephone Elepods X integrate a 50 mAh battery while the charging box uses a 600 mAh unit that allows you to recharge the headphones 3 times.
Charging, both of the case and of the earphones takes place in about 1,5 hours, but what is surprising is the autonomy that at a listening level of about 80% allows you to even reach 6 hours of continuous use. This means that on balance we take home at least 24 hours of listening performance and / or calls, thus covering an entire working week. Moreover, the brand's earphones, to preserve battery, after 3 minutes that are out of their seat, if not connected to any device, they turn off automatically.
What is particular is the large RGB LED that the company has inserted below the small slot to facilitate the opening of the charging box. From this point of view, Elephone has really indulged itself, as this status LED boasts a real rainbow of colors that identify different charging situations that I now list:
- RED LED: charging status of the box (the LED may blink when the remaining charge is less than 20%);
- GREEN LED: we only have the left earphone charging;
- BLUE LED: we only have the right earphone charging;
- CYAN LED: both earphones are charging;
- WHITE LED: both the case and both earphones are charging;
- YELLOW LED: identifies that the case and only the left earphone are in charge;
- MAGENTA LED: identifies that the case and only the right earphone are in charge.
While the work done to diversify the various charging states can be appreciated, it becomes difficult to memorize them all, perhaps it would have been better to opt for a small LCD display.
The comfort of these Elepods X is noteworthy, which for what concerns the headphones are identified in a weight of only 5,1 grams (for single earphone) which reaches 42,5 grams for the case complete with headphones. Moreover, minimal dimensions that allow you to insert the cup comfortably inside a trouser pocket without annoying. But the real comfort is related to wearability, despite the fact that we are in the presence of an in-ear design.
The Elephone Elepods X are clearly inspired by the most famous model proposed by Apple, but on the other hand it is difficult to be original on this type of products. However, the headphones are made with a glossy plastic that slightly retains dirt and fingerprints, but at the same time not easy to clean. On the inside of the small stem, we find the letter L or R to identify the headset, while in the terminal part the two small magnets for charging inside the case are inserted.
Continuing on the external stem, we find the presence of 2 microphones and a small protuberance, which is nothing more than a small touch surface from which to issue the management commands for music and calls. Positive thing is that despite the presence of a small status LED, positioned below the touch surface, this is almost invisible, avoiding creating discomfort during night use before going to sleep.
A bit like said for the RGB LED colors of the case, even on the touch controls Elephone has made a bit of a mess and therefore for convenience I summarize them in a handy list:
- EXTENDED TAP: on left earphone, active ANC function with suppression of ambient noise up to 30 db. By repeating the command I can switch to Sport or Ambient mode;
- EXTENDED TAP: on the right earphone I can skip to the next track;
- DOUBLE TAP: both on the left and right earphones in music listening mode I play / pause the track while on a call I can answer or hang up. Moreover, in the headphones we will hear a small ringtone;
- TRIPLE TAP: both on the left and right earphones, I can reject incoming calls;
- TRIPLE TAP: performed on the left earphone, from standby, I can enable the Game Mode which further reduces the latency between the audio sync with the video;
- TRIPLE TAP: carried out on the right earphone, from standby, I can call up the voice assistant.
Overall, however, the controls were always responsive, despite the touch surface available is not so generous. For the rest, the Elephone Elepods X rely on an Airoha AB1562A audio chip with support for SBC / AAC codecs, while the connection with our smartphone takes place via a Bluetooth 5.2 BLE + EDR with an operating range of up to 20 meters. In addition, the proposal of the Chinese brand has IPX5 certification, therefore resistant to splashes of water, light rain and sweat, making them also suitable for use during sports activities.
In fact, the Ambient mode is used to amplify environmental noises, without compromising the listening quality, thus allowing us to remain vigilant about what is happening around us. This function is useful, for example, if we love to run in country lanes where we may not notice the arrival of a car in time. Strange to say, in reality the Sport mode actually refers to the standard listening mode, that is, we will enjoy a reduction of passive environmental noise, therefore by means of the silicone caps. In this regard, to make the headphones more stable, once worn, it is recommended to make a slight rotation towards the outside to better adhere with our ear.
And finally we have the ANC mode, therefore the active noise cancellation, which in reality has not turned out to be so efficient. In fact, this is more concerned with suppressing the high frequencies of external noise, but there is no real cancellation. Overall, however, the mode has proved useful for example if you are in the same room with whoever is watching TV at a normal volume while you are intent on watching our video reviews on YouTube. Of course with this function, the autonomy suffers, going down to about 4 hours of use, which is still an excellent value.
If I can overlook the fact that the ANC is not that functional, what I did not appreciate is that the earphones can be used independently for listening to music, but for calls we have a master earphone, which is the left one. .
Ok but how do they sound? The Elephone Elepods X rely on 9 mW 20 mm drivers that overall offer a rather balanced audio, with a good presence of low tones, without overcoming one or the other frequency of the sound spectrum. To be clear, you can appreciate the most particular musical genres such as jazz and blues. But to excel is the quality in telephone conversation. Symptom that the microphones of these headphones are of excellent quality, so much so that my interlocutors did not believe that I was talking with earphones.
PROJECTED IMPACT
We just have to reveal the price, which leads to a value of poco less than 43 euros, directly on the company's official shop with shipping from Europe and payment with PayPal. A rather focused price, considering that generally at the same figure there are only clones of other products and, moreover, of poor quality, but also with little autonomy. Instead, the Elephone Elepods X I recommend them precisely for the battery life and for the excellent if not excellent quality in conversation, without detracting from the sound quality for multimedia content, being able to count on a delay between video and audio almost zero and in any case in line with what is offered by products even with a much higher cost. You may not make a bargain but you will certainly not have spent your money in vain.
