Honor Choice Earbuds X5 review: Affordable earbuds that deliver

Rating -- 3/5
Honor launched its first-ever earbuds in India after making a comeback in the country under the HTech branding in 2023. The TWS earbuds debuted along with the Honor X9b 5G and the Honor Choice Watch earlier this year.
Priced at Rs 1,999, the earbuds support Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and claim to offer a long-lasting battery life. The Honor Choice Earbuds X5 also has a lightweight design, supports dual device connectivity and can be easily located when misplaced.
These earbuds are available in a single white colour option and we’ve been using them for a few weeks now. Here are our thoughts on how these earbuds sound:

The look of the charging case as well as the earbuds is pretty minimalistic. The round charging case houses the stem-styled earbuds, and both the case, as well as buds, have an all-plastic build.

Weighing less than 50 grams (with the earbuds inside), the charging case had a decent in-hand feeling. The case felt a little slippery but we could open or close it easily with one finger. The glossy finish of the charging case also attracted some dust and fingerprints.
The USB Type-C charging port is placed at the bottom of the case while an LED indicator at the front shows the battery status of the device.
Coming to the earbuds, each one weighs below 4 grams and its semi-in-ear design offers a snug and stable fit. The lightweight earbuds were also quite gentle on the ear as prolonged usage didn’t cause ear fatigue.

The touchpad is located on the top of the stem but their accuracy and responsiveness weren’t impressive. We feel that the company needs to do some work on that front.
The Honor Choice Earbuds X5 also has an IP54 dust and water-resistant rating to handle water splashes and sweaty workout sessions.

The Honor Choice Earbuds X5 are equipped with a 10mm dynamic driver and offer support for up to 30dB ANC. To offer a clear calling experience, the earbuds also feature environmental noise cancellation (ENC).
At this price point, the ANC on the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 felt decent enough. The earbuds tackled low-frequency noises from household appliances like ACs or vacuum cleaners and were even able to suppress high-pitched sounds like construction or traffic noises to some extent.

The indoor calling experience on the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 was average. The audio was loud and clear, and the ENC seemed to work effectively against domestic noises. But, the performance wasn’t good enough in outdoor scenarios, especially in busy localities or strong winds.
These earbuds come with a companion app that is available on Android only. However, iPhone users will be able to pair and set up the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 with their devices but won’t be able to access the Honor AI Space app.
With this app, users can customise the touch gestures and switch between three pre-set audio modes-- Default, Treble boost and Bass boost -- which can be used for different genres of music and content.

The default mode offered clear audio playback but sounded a little bass-heavy for most genres of songs. The Treble mode is good for watching movies and playing multiplayer games with friends while the Bass Boost mode sounds better when playing songs by artists like Drake and The Weeknd.
These earbuds also support a dedicated low-latency mode for gaming. We had a nice time playing games like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile with the Honor Choice Earbuds X5. Special features like switching between devices and locating lost earbuds worked just fine.

The battery life on the Choice Earbuds X5 is commendable. With ANC enabled, the earbuds last easily for a full day. However, without ANC the device can go on for nearly two days. To get fully juiced up, the earbuds took nearly an hour while the charging case took even more time.

With a sub-Rs 2,000 price tag, the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 earbuds can be a go-to option for those looking for a pair of ANC-enabled earbuds on a budget. The earphones have a stylish design and a good battery life. The calling experience on the Honor Choice Earbuds X5 is quite good, though the touch controls could’ve been better.
Overall, the TWS earbuds offer a fine experience at this price point. Some of the sought-after features in Honor Choice Earbuds X5 include dual-device connectivity, pop-up pairing and the ability to locate them when misplaced.