TREBLAB xFit Review

As technology progresses our portable headset and wireless earbuds options expand. Apple AirPods had many scrambling to get their hands on a true wireless earbud experience, but other companies soon found they could provide similar quality at a fraction of the price. The Treblab xFit boasts an earbud that has no wingtips and fits rather snugly in your ear. They provide excellent audio and build quality while keeping the costs low without compromising on value. In this review we will take a look at perhaps the best under $50 dollar wireless earbud device, and if the xFit is something you should be picking up.

Design

The first thing you’re likely to notice about the Treblab xFit is how incredibly lightweight and small they are. It’s not just the earbuds themselves that are minuscule in size, the charging case is far smaller in comparison next to competitors such as the Lenovo HT10’s or Apple AirPods. Although the xFit would likely cause a bulge in your pocket and are nowhere as flat as the Apple AirPods case, they’re still easy to carry. You could easily fit them in the palm of your hand and close them entirely. The charging case itself weighs 1.05 ounces, while each earbud comes in at 0.13 ounces. They’re simply the lightest and smallest true wireless earbuds I’ve ever used.

The case has a coated matte black rubbery finish, which is comfortable to hold and feels very well-made considering the $50 retail price. At the front of the case, you’ll find LEDs for charging indication, whereas the back will have a Micro-USB port. Upon opening the case you’ll see the earbuds themselves are magnetically fixed. These also have an LED status light that turns red to indicate that they’re currently charging. 

“Each earbud is smaller than a US quarter”

Now that you’ve got the earbuds in your hand you’ll realize the selling point of the Treblab xFit. Earlier I spoke about how small they are and it wasn’t an exaggeration. Each earbud is smaller than a US quarter. When examining the xFit, you’ll once again see the matte black finish logo on the frontal surface. These are actually clickable buttons, however, seeing as they’re not touch-sensitive you will have to apply some pressure.

These buttons are used for playing/pausing music, skipping tracks, turning the earbuds on / off, and for taking phone calls. Unfortunately, there are no volume controls so you’ll need to adjust the sound through your phone’s control. The earbuds are also labeled ‘left and right.’ You can, however, use either one interchangeably, with the labeling only serving to illustrate which of them is the master and slave. This is really great when you want quick access to a single earbud because it allows you to connect to each one independently.

Fit

On inspection, you’ll find the xFit earbuds have no ergonomic curve so you may wonder how comfortable they really are. Typical earbuds have a slide-in motion which is usually straight, whereas the xFit earbuds are inserted sideways. Part of the reason for this design change is the size, therefore Treblab had to engineer a new way for them to feel cozy and snug inside your ears. Most wireless earbuds also have some form of wingtip to fasten onto your ears so they don’t fall out. Treblab compromises with the xFit by adding small, medium and large ear tips.

Sound Quality

The Treblab xFit has such a compact design you’re probably wondering what the catch is. Surely with such small drivers, it may lack the performance of its competitors, right? Surprisingly when listening to the earbuds I was pleased to find how clear the xFit was right away. Apart from sound quality, there was no hissing sound or distortion when the music was put on pause. The only drawback I really found was when I opted for ‘bass’ or ‘bass boosted’ songs and there wasn’t an earth-shattering rumble. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the bass is still there and you can definitely feel the low frequencies. It may just not be enough for someone who primarily listens to bass-orientated music.

If you’re somebody who isn’t into high artificial levels of base, the xFit is still definitely a product you should consider. The mids and highs are emphasized, therefore if you enjoy listening to vocals or acoustic soundtracks the xFit delivers quite impressively with a clean performance. Music sounds vibrant and alive, even better is the snug fit so you’ll have no sound leakage and maximum immersion in your tracks.

Bluetooth and Microphone

Once I realized the sound was really good I decided to load up an audio sync test on YouTube to see if there was any latency that can be common around Bluetooth devices. There was a fraction of latency but it was around 0.2 seconds which wouldn’t be noticeable unless you were actually looking for it. As for how far you’ll be able to separate from your paired phone, I walked around 40 feet before the audio distorted and started breaking up.

The final test was a phone call, which as expected handled really well in a quiet environment. The voice quality was as if the caller was right there talking to me, the minimal sound leakage provides a ‘voice in your head’ experience. On the other hand, the call receiver did pick up some background noise when I moved to a louder environment. The xFit may block out the background noise for you, but the person you’re calling may pick it up. This, however, is an easy fix in most cases, you could move to an area with fewer people, which in turn brings back microphone clarity.

Battery Life and IPX Waterproofing

The battery life on the xFit earbuds is really commendable. Treblab claims that the device should give approximately 5 hours of playtime, and when testing I found that they went beyond that promise when using the earbuds at lower volume levels. When turning them up to the full 100% they lasted just over 4 hours, but you’ll rarely need to go that high.

The full charge time is also relatively fast at 1 hour 30 minutes from a completely depleted earbud. Treblab also states you can get 5 full charges out of a single fully charged case. The case takes around 2 hours to charge and would, therefore, give you around 30 hours of playtime if you were to have a fully charged earbud and case. There’s also a quick charge feature so you can quickly plug in your earbuds for a few minutes and have them going from approximately 20% to 50% in 10 minutes.  Again comparing the xFit to Apple Airpods, these charge results breed very similar results in performance.

The xFit also comes with an IPX6 waterproof rating which means it can withstand high-pressure water sprays. You, therefore, don’t have to worry about sweat while working out, or water damage when walking in the rain.

If you’re looking for good sound quality, extended battery life, and comfort then the Treblab xFit is going to give you what you’re after. Their audio quality is on the level of higher-tier earbuds such as AirPods and their battery life is enough to last you a day or two. With an IPX6 rating, Bluetooth 5, and durable build quality, it’s going to be difficult to find something better in the $50 dollar earbud market.

Conclusion

Straight out the box, you’ll find the medium ear tips attached, I found myself alternating between the small and medium fit as the large ear tips were too big for me. It’s all about personal preference and how snug you want the earbud nestled into your ear. Although they fit quite firmly and are perfect for activities such as running, more rigorous workouts might result in them falling out. This won’t always happen though if the mediums are already quite tight you could alternate to the small. Therefore only users with larger than average ears might find some difficulty.  Once inserted the earbuds feel as though they’re not even there, you’ll likely fall asleep with them inside without noticing.

I tried comparing the xFit sound quality with my Apple AirPods and was quite startled. When using the devices on Android they sounded nearly identical. The xFit’s only shortfall came when the AirPods AAC Bluetooth codec implementation gave it an edge on iOS in terms of clarity of sound. However when looking at the price difference, the AirPods are nearly five times more expensive, so you’re really getting bang for your buck with these earbuds.

Editors Note: 02/21/2022 – For those looking for true wireless earbuds to exercise with, Treblab has launched their new Treblab X3 Pro Earphones. Well worth considering.