I’ve been railing against phone makers doing away with 3.5mm headphone jacks for a while now, for a number of reasons including not being able to use my favorite audio gear with them. Most people buying new Android phones in 2017 are left with just Bluetooth and a lone USB-C port to connect their headphones, and there aren’t yet many decent wired options around.
Chinese gadget brand Xiaomi, which is steadily making inroads into Europe and the US after dominating in many countries in Asia, recently launched a pair of active noise canceling (ANC) earbuds that draw power from your phone’s USB-C port. That additional feature, and the low sticker price of $45, make them worth considering for most folks. I ditched all my other favorite cans over the past three weeks to see if Xiaomi’s buds are up to the task of silencing the world around me; here’s what that sounded like.
NOTE: While these buds plug into any USB-C port, they only work with certain phones (including Xiaomi’s). The company explained that this is a constraint of USB Type-C, wherein some devices don’t deliver audio output over Type-C connections (while handling other things like power or video).
This video sheds more light on the situation:
Why does USB-C suck so much? pic.twitter.com/8ZNqLCr9v3
— The Verge (@verge)
Neither the OnePlus 5 or 5T support audio over USB-C, for example. As such, it’s worth trying other USB-C audio gear with your phone before buying this Xiaomi set to be sure that they’ll work properly.
Design
Xiaomi’s ANC earphones feature a simple, straightforward in-ear design with a glossy black finish. There’s an in-line remote control with three buttons for handling audio playback, calls, and volume, as well a switch to turn noise cancellation on and off.
The cable that extends from the remote to the USB-C plug is braided with Kevlar fiber to reduce accidental damage and tangling, but sadly, the ones connecting to the buds are not. Overall, these feel fairly well built and aren’t showing any signs of wear and tear even after being chucked into various pockets and backpacks over the past few weeks.
The earphones come with a set of medium-sized buds already attached, along with three more pairs of interchangeable buds in varying sizes. I found the mediums comfortable enough to wear for hours on end, and they stayed in my ears through most of my daily workouts.
Noise cancellation performance
Let’s dive into the noise cancellation bit first: these buds are meant to tackle ambient noise that’s louder than above…
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