TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
THREE STARS - Havit kills all doubt about it: the Havit G1 is a dedicated true wireless earphone for sports, working out and running. From the rubber ear fins that keep the earpieces in your ear, to the text in the unique charging case. Is it any good?
Specs of the Havit G1:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IPX5 water proof (sweat and rain resistant)
3,5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4-5 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips, 3 sizes ear fins and micro-USB cable
$45 on Amazon US/ Europe/ UK or AliExpress - check current price!
Please note: this is a review of the Havit G1, not the renewed Havit G1 Pro. That version has IPX6 water proof rating instead of IPX5 and supports wireless charging - at almost double the price.
Design, charging and comfort
The Havit G1 has one of the most originally designed cases for any true wireless earphones. The box is like a fat, plastic cigarette lighter with a rubber handle so you can hang them on your backpack or belt. The rubber also holds the two parts of the case together. Open the case, and the left earpiece resides in the big compartment and the right one in the other. The parts are held firmly together with strong magnets. When you charge the case or the earpieces within it, Havit's H lights up on the upside of the case. It's a solid, fun case for sure.
The earpieces itself are geared towards outside use also. The outer part of the earpieces is made from rubber under which the physical buttons lie. Pressing the rubber controls the earphones. On the inside, the earpieces are made from a kind of plastic resistant to sweat. The Havit G1 comes with three sizes 'ear fins' you can pull around the earpieces, and define how big the hook is that keeps the earpieces in their place in your ears. It ensures a tight fit. However, the earpieces itself are quite large. Your ears may have to adjust to the size of them.
The battery life on the Havit G1, unfortunately, isn't convincing. The charging case doesn't hold on to its 720mAh charge very long. Before it empties on its batteries, it should be able to recharge the earpieces around 4 times fully, giving them 3,5 hours of battery life each charge.
Connectivity and controls
The Bluetooth 5.0 connection on the Havit G1 is quite strong, keeping the signal from your connected device to around 10 meters. It also holds well in areas crowded with more wireless signals.
The earpieces control in a simple way, which isn't a given on Havit earphones. A single press plays or pauses the music. Pressing twice activates the voice assistant on your device. A long press on the right one skips a song, on the left you return one. Changing the volume level on the earpieces isn't possible, unfortunately, which is a bit of a miss on a sports set.
Calling and watching movies on Havit G1
The call quality on the Havit G1 is fair. The other end of the line can hear your voice well, but prepare to compete heavily without any outside noise around you. Indoor, your voice is underlined with a hiss in the sound - although you will be audible. Calling for you, by the way, is in mono. Only the right earpiece is active during calls.
Watching videos on the Havit G1 is... interesting. Havit states it's a known issue of the G1 that the audio can have up to a second delay after video on different devices. On the iPhone, however, the Havit is one of the very few affordable true wireless earbuds to offer near-perfect video synchronization in the YouTube app on the iPhone. Services like Netflix and Amazon Prime work great on iPhone too.
Unlike on every Android device. Strange. It's a world turned upside down here.
Sound quality of Havit G1: bright
Strangely enough, the sound signature of the Havit G1 doesn't fit totally into the sports picture. There's no pumping bass to be found here. That, or the Havit G1 requires just a way deeper fit than practically all competing earphones. I don't think that's the case.
The sound on the Havit G1 is geared towards treble. Clear sounding vocals have the upper hand in the sound. Lighter sounding instruments, such as guitars and lighter piano strokes, are dominant as well. At the same time, the treble is controlled. The G1 isn't an overly bright earphone - it rarely sounds harsh or edgy.
Underneath the accentuated upper mids and highs lies a bass that doesn't rumble very deep and doesn't sound very big either. The bass just behaves, rarely giving more power than a gentle thump. Between those highs and bass, the lower mids are kept to a minimum on the G1. Music sounds bright, rather than warm. There's a good sense of stage in the music, but the level of detail and instrument placement are merely okay. Spacious, just engaging enough to get you going, but not as uplifting as you may expect.
It means that sports fans wanting that big bass should look elsewhere. You don't even have to look far by the way - as Havit's I93 fare better, bass-wise. The Havit G1 sounds crystal clear, and that may be its biggest mistake.
Verdict
The Havit G1 is a truly wireless earphone with a tight fit for sporting, running, biking, and working out. That's the purpose you should choose them for. The battery life and sound quality aren't its greatest powers.
THREE STARS - worth considering
Buy Havit G1/ check price:
Buy Havit G1 on Amazon Europe (Germany)
I bought the Havit G1 myself, to test and review. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
Consider buying this earphone? I'd really appreciate it if you use the links in this article. It won't cost you extra, yet it will financially support me a bit in my ongoing quest for great affordable audio. <3
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