REVIEW – I have owned just about every kind of wired/wireless earbuds you can imagine. And I have discarded more than I can possibly remember. There seem to be 2 main camps of earbud products these days: the kind that have a wire of some kind, and those that are ‘true wireless’. There are of course benefits to both kinds of configurations and drawbacks. But I tend to like the true wireless earbuds the most. I just don’t like the wires. I have tried the kind where the wire connects directly to my phone, and those are just a plain hassle. Don’t get me started on how many times I’ve caught them on a door handle and yanked my ears. And I have tried the kind with the around-the-back-of-the-head wires, and those are better, but they still get caught on things and pull the earbuds out of my ears. And of course all true wireless earbuds aren’t created equal either. The smaller the earbud, the smaller the battery and the less likely there will be buttons to control anything. But I think I finally found the sweet spot with a set of earbuds that has all the best features that I like, with a price that is more than worth the feature set that you get: The Treblab X3 Pro True Wireless Waterproof Earbuds.
What is it?
Over-the-ear true wireless earbuds that are waterproof and can be used together or independently.
What’s in the box?
- X3 Pro true wireless earbuds
- USB-C charging cable
- Charging case
- 3 different sizes of earbud tips
- User’s manual
And for those folks who want the specifications:
Playtime: Up to 9 hours + 4 additional charges with Charging Case
Charging Time: 2 hours
Bluetooth: 5.0 with aptX
Battery: Earbud (each): 60 mAh
Charging Case: 650 mAh
Signal Range: 33 feet / 10 m
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Driver: 11 mm diameter
Noise Cancelation: cVc 8.0
Phone Calls: Built-in mic
Water Resistance: IPX7
Voice Assistant: Siri, Google Assistant
Color: Black
Earbuds (each) Dimensions: 1.89 x 1.49 x 1.18 in
Charging Case dimensions: 2.99 x 2.72 x 1.65 in
Earbuds (each) weight: 0.25 oz / 0.021 lb
Charging Case weight: 0.74 oz / 0.126 lb
Features and performance
The charging case is something you would expect with true wireless earbuds, because of course, you have to have someplace to hold them when not in use, right? This case would probably be considered by most people to be bulkier than other cases you have seen because the shape of the Treblab X3 Pro earbuds require that the case be bigger. Each earbud has an over-the-ear hook that is made a soft flexible plastic, so the shape of each earbud is awkward when it comes to putting them inside a case. You can see that here:
The earbuds are really comfortable and I never got any fatigue wearing them. They say I should get 9 hours of use from 1 charge and I can attest to that. I never ran out of juice during the day wearing them. The charging case provides about 4 extra charges for the earbuds, and it takes a couple of hours to charge them when they are dead. The USB-C cable that is included is used to charge up the case, and I should mention that the earbuds do not have a USB port on them, so the only way you can charge them is with the case. That means you have to keep the charging case charged and you can’t lose the charging case either or you are out of luck.
The sound quality is pretty good with the X3 Pro. I say ‘pretty good’ instead of ‘great’ because while the volume and the quality of the sound is superb, you won’t get a deep rich base sound from these. In fact, when I first tried them I thought that the sound was way too ‘tinny’. What I discovered was that the earbud wasn’t far enough into my ear and I was losing the seal inside my ear canal. I changed the earbud tip to a small tip and was able to get a tighter seal inside my ear and the problem was solved. But I still am not going to get as deep and rich a base sound as I do with my SHIVR over the head headphones that I use for listening to music. But I can live with that honestly. The convenience of the form factor with the X3 Pro outweighs any loss of not having a subwoofer.
As far as features you would expect with true wireless earbuds, you’ll be able to answer/hangup/reject calls of course. You’ll be able to wear just 1 earbud if you want, or both if you choose. Both of them connected by Bluetooth flawlessly for me. When I remove them from the case they automatically connect to my phone, and when I place them back into the case they automatically turn off. Nice. And one of the nicest features of the X3 Pro earbuds that I never knew I would enjoy is the fact that both of them have a large, round multi-function button that controls all the features, and both of them have a volume rocker button. So I don’t lose any features or functionality at all if I choose to just wear one of the earbuds. Really nice!
The X3 Pro is compatible with both Siri and Google Assistant, which is a plus. You get voice prompts in your ear for turning off and on, paring, etc. The earbuds have noise cancellation which I found work really well. In my opinion, you can’t ever get true noise cancellation with earbuds unless the fit is just perfect in your ears, but these do a pretty decent job of it. And the over-the-ear design pretty much seals the deal for me. I have enjoyed several sets of true wireless earbuds, but I never found any that never, ever fell out of my ears at some point. That problem has been solved with the X3 Pro. These are the ones you need if you work out or do any kind of activity and you don’t need the earbud falling out. And did I mention that these are IPX7 waterproof? Did I also mention that these are less than $70?
What I like
- Over-the-ear form factor
- Each earbud can be used independently without losing any features
- 9 hours of playing time
- Charging case that provides 4 additional full charges
- Great price!
What I would change
- Maybe a smaller case?? But not sure how that would be possible.
Final thoughts
For a price of less than $70, you get a great product! The Treblab X3 Pro earbuds feature set is solid. The sound is great. The play time is more than sufficient for me. And the over-the-ear design seals the deal. These would make a great gift to anyone who wants true wireless, waterproof earbuds and leads an active lifestyle. I highly recommend them.
Price: $69.97
Where to buy: Buy here on Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Treblab.
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Does waterproof mean you can swim with them?
Great question Terry. So, Treblab says this about the X3 Pro’s IPX7 rating: “The X3 Pro waterproof Bluetooth headphones can resist excess sweat or rain so they can endure any intense workout, indoors or outdoors.”
Now, according to the organization that provides those ratings (the International Electrotechnical Commission), a rating of IPX7 means you should be able to submerse the device into up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.
But Treblab doesn’t say anything in any of their literature or information about being able to submerse them in water. And I don’t swim, so I can’t speak to dunking them in water. If they state a rating of IPX7, then that is what they are going to have to go by. They didn’t pick IPX5 or another rating. They picked IPX7. But I am not telling you to go swimming in them. So how is that for a non-answer?? – Steve
How is the charging connection? My similar style brand has trouble connecting to the small pins in the charging case. Is there any difficulty connecting to consistently charge?
Ellen, I have never had that issue with these earbuds. I have used them now for about 2 yrs with no issues. Hope this helps.
Steve