Infinix XE 27 TWS earbuds review: Stands out in the crowded budget space

Star rating -- 3.5/5

India's budget audio market is teeming with numerous earbuds and headphones from multiple brands. This makes it challenging for consumers to choose the best affordable options. Smartphone brands, like Infinix, primarily known for their phones, are increasingly venturing into offering these accessories. The possibilities have eventually influenced consumer choices, which has contributed to these companies expanding their accessory lineups in recent years.

Infinix’s latest XE 27 earbuds, currently listed at Rs 1,999, are available exclusively 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 packed these earbuds with some features not typically found in this price segment, such as Google Fast Pair and a dedicated low-latency mode. The affordable price point makes these earbuds accessible to a wider audience, and the company also promises a decent battery life and a durable design.

These features are intended to set the Infinix XE 27 apart from its competitors. Still, the question remains: do these earbuds deliver audio quality that can compete with other options in this price range? We’ve been using the white variant of the Infinix XE 27 TWS earbuds (also available in blue) for some time now. Here’s our take on these new earbuds.

Design

Upon unboxing the product, we found a charging case with a familiar rectangular shape and rounded edges. Despite its lightweight feel, the case houses a 450mAh battery, offering a standard-sized footprint that easily fits in our pockets.

The case, entirely made of plastic, feels well-built and has a smooth, glossy finish that adds to its appeal but attracts dust and fingerprints. Although the hinge is also plastic, it provides a reasonably solid feel.

We were particularly impressed with the case's opening and closing mechanism. The magnetic closure is so smooth that we found ourselves fidgeting with it for a while. We repeatedly opened and closed the case to test its strength and we didn’t notice any signs of wear.

At the bottom of the case, there is a Type-C port and an LED light indicates various actions like pairing and charging is placed just below the lid. The earbuds have an IPX4 rating, ensuring protection against sweat and water splashes. A tiny Infinix branding can be seen on the back of the case.

The design of the case is mirrored in the earbuds, which feature the same glossy finish, giving them a sleek and shiny appearance. The shorter stems not only enhance the aesthetic but also improve the in-ear grip.

In terms of comfort, the familiar stem design fits well in the ear canal, offering a snug and secure fit that doesn’t tend to fall out. Infinix includes two additional sets of ear tips—small and large—along with the medium tips that come pre-installed with the earbuds. However, an extra-small option would have been a welcome addition.

The lightweight design of the earbuds is ideal for extended use—a feature we particularly appreciated about the XE 27. Each earbud is also equipped with an LED light just above the touchpad, indicating 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 separately to a smartphone in mono mode. The earbuds even turn off automatically after being inactive for a while.

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 a breeze. As it doesn’t support a companion app we also didn’t have to put in an extra effort to set up the earbuds. Once we opened the case, the earbuds automatically entered paring mode within seconds and the LED on each bud started flashing white and red alternatively. The earbuds were easily discoverable on our smartphones and we were able to swiftly connect the devices.

However, if you face issues while pairing, the earbuds also offer a manual way to do the same. Users have to reboot them back to make the earbuds enter the pairing mode manually.

Each earbud is equipped with 10mm dynamic drivers 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 a companion app, which means you can't customise touch gestures or fine-tune the audio quality to your liking. Additionally, they do not support higher-end codecs like LDAC, but given their price point, this isn't a major drawback.

The audio quality of the Infinix XE 27 earbuds is decent—neither exceptional nor disappointing. The sound tuning is well-balanced, with a focus on mids and lows, but the treble frequencies sounded less prominent.

For instance, bass-heavy tracks like Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" or "Baaja" from the Netflix movie Amar Singh Chmakila lacked the punch 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”, Queen's “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” or Creedence Clearwater Revival's “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” the earbuds allowed for distinct identification of each instrument and vocal.

The audio was smooth and pleasant, though it lacked impact at volume levels below 70%. Despite this, the 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 titles like BGMI, where the earbuds accurately picked up enemy movements and sounds of bullets and explosions in real-time.

The ANC performance was decent, effectively blocking out noise from less busy environments, while the voice-through mode kept us aware of public announcements. Both ANC and voice-through mode can be toggled via the earbuds' touch controls.

The quad-microphone setup (two on each earbud), combined with an Environmental Noise Cancellation algorithm, delivered clear call quality. During calls, the audio was crisp on both ends, and the earbuds effectively filtered out wind noise and heavy breathing.

Battery

Infinix XE 27 TWS earbuds come equipped with a 450mAh battery and support fast charging via a USB Type-C port. Each earbud is designed to provide around 4.5 hours of playback time, with the charging case extending the total playtime to up to 28 hours on a full charge.

The company also claims that a quick 10-minute charge can provide up to 60 minutes of playback. In our testing, these claims were largely accurate, though the actual battery life may vary depending on individual listening habits.

Verdict

The Infinix XE 27 offers a compelling package for its Rs 1,999 price tag. With features like ANC mode and Google Fast Pair, it somewhat stands out in the budget TWS market.

The audio quality is well-balanced and sounds decent across all genres, making it versatile for different listening preferences. The design is durable with fine build quality, though the earbuds don’t support a companion app or features like multi-point connectivity

Overall, the Infinix XE 27 delivers excellent value for money, making it a solid choice for budget-conscious buyers seeking ANC in affordability.


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