India’s budget audio market is flooded with a number of earbuds and headphones from several brands. This makes it challenging for consumers to choose the most affordable option. Smartphone brands, such as InfinixCompanies primarily known for their phones are moving quickly to introduce these accessories. The possibilities have ultimately influenced consumer choices, which has contributed to these companies expanding their accessory lineups in recent years.
Infinix’s latest XE 27 earbuds, which are currently listed at Rs 1,999, are exclusively available on Flipkart. This pricing positions them as a budget-friendly option, making them one of the most affordable earbuds that support Active noise cancellation (ANC)
Infinix has given some features in these earbuds that are not usually available in this price segment, such as Google Fast Pair and a dedicated low-latency mode. Due to the affordable price, these earbuds can be liked by more people and the company has also promised good battery life and durable design.
These features are aimed at making the Infinix XE 27 stand out from its competitors. Still, the question remains: do these earbuds deliver audio quality that can compete with other options in this price range? We have been using the white variant (also available in blue) of the Infinix XE 27 TWS earbuds for quite some time now. Here is our opinion about these new earbuds.
design
Upon unboxing the product, we found a charging case with a familiar rectangular shape and rounded edges. Despite its light weight, the case houses a 450mAh battery, offering a standard-sized footprint that easily fit into our pocket.
The case is made entirely of plastic, it feels well made and has a smooth, glossy finish that adds to its appeal but does attract dust and fingerprints. Although the hinge is also plastic, it feels quite solid.
We were particularly impressed with the case’s opening and closing mechanism. The magnetic closure is so smooth that we fiddled with it for a while. We opened and closed the case repeatedly to test its durability and didn’t see any signs of wear.
There is a Type-C port at the bottom of the case and just below the lid is an LED light that indicates various actions like pairing and charging. The earbuds have an IPX4 rating, which ensures protection against sweat and water splashes. A small Infinix branding can be seen on the back of the case.
The design of the case is also reflected in the earbuds, which have the same glossy finish, giving them a sleek and shiny look. The short stems not only enhance the aesthetics but also improve the in-ear grip.
In terms of comfort, the familiar stem design fits snugly in the ear canal, providing a comfortable and secure fit that doesn’t fall out. Infinix includes medium tips pre-installed with the earbuds, as well as two additional sets of ear tips – small and large. However, an extra-small option would have been a welcome addition.
The lightweight design of the earbuds is ideal for long-term use – a feature we particularly liked in the XE 27. Each earbud is equipped with an LED light just above the touchpad, which indicates the pairing status.
During our testing, the touch controls were responsive and rarely failed to register taps and presses. We were also able to connect each earbud to the smartphone separately in mono mode. The earbuds also turn off automatically after being idle for some time.
A single tap adjusts the volume, a double tap plays/pauses the music, a triple tap changes the song, and a long press changes the ANC mode.
Performance and connectivity
With Google Fast Pair, pairing the earbuds to our smartphone was very easy. Since it doesn’t support a companion app, we didn’t even have to put in extra effort to set up the earbuds. As soon as we opened the case, the earbuds automatically went into pairing mode within a few seconds and the LED on each bud flashed white and red alternately. The earbuds were easily discoverable on our smartphone and we were able to connect the device quickly.
However, if you face any issues while pairing, the earbuds can also be paired manually. Users will have to reboot the earbuds again to manually put them into pairing mode.
Each earbud is equipped with a 10mm dynamic driver and a dual-array microphone setup for calls. The earbuds support Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) up to 25dB and include a voice-through mode for better ambient sound awareness.
The XE 27 lacks support for companion apps, which means you can’t customize touch gestures or fine-tune the audio quality to your liking. Also, they don’t support high-end codecs like LDAC, but given their price, this isn’t a major drawback.
The audio quality of the Infinix XE 27 earbuds is good – neither exceptional nor disappointing. The sound tuning is well balanced, with a focus on the mids and lows, but the treble frequencies seem less prominent.
For instance, bass-heavy tracks like Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” or “Baaja” from the Netflix film Amar Singh Chamkila didn’t have the emphasis you’d expect at higher volumes, yet the vocals remained clear and didn’t show any signs of distortion.
When listening to songs with multiple instruments, such as “Beats of Passion” from the Hindi movie “Taal”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen or “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, the earbuds allow for separate identification of each instrument and vocal.
The audio was smooth and pleasant, although there was less of an impact at volume levels below 70%. Despite this, clarity remained intact. Watching movies like “X-Men: Days of Future Past” on Disney+ with these earbuds provided a satisfactory experience.
The 60ms low-latency mode was particularly useful while gaming, especially in games like BGMI, where the earbuds accurately captured enemy movements and sounds of gunfire and explosions in real-time.
ANC performance was good, effectively blocking out noise from less busy environments, while the voice-through mode kept us aware of public announcements. Both ANC and voice-through modes can be toggled via the earbuds’ touch controls.
The quad-microphone setup (two on each earbud), coupled with an environmental noise cancellation algorithm, delivers clear call quality. During calls, audio was clear on both ends, and the earbuds effectively filtered out wind noise and heavy breathing.
Battery
The Infinix XE 27 TWS earbuds are powered by a 450mAh battery and support fast charging via a USB Type-C port. Each earbud is designed to offer around 4.5 hours of playback time, with the charging case taking the total playtime up to 28 hours on a full charge.
The company also claims that 10 minutes of charging can provide up to 60 minutes of playback. In our testing, these claims were pretty much true, though actual battery life may vary depending on individual listening habits.
Decision
The Infinix XE 27 offers an attractive package for its Rs 1,999 price tag. With features like ANC mode and Google Fast Pair, it stands out somewhat in the budget TWS market.
The audio quality is well balanced and sounds good across all genres, making it versatile for different listening preferences. The design is durable with great build quality, though the earbuds don’t support features like a companion app or multi-point connectivity
Overall, the Infinix XE 27 offers excellent value for money, making it a solid choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for affordable ANC.
