TWS true wireless earphones - under $25
FOUR STARS - With strong bass and clear vocals, the Haylou GT3 offers a more engaging listen than the previous Haylou GT1 Plus and GT1 XR, but battery life could have been better.
Haylou GT3 specs:
Bluetooth 5.0
3,5 - 4 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips and USB-C cable
$25 on AliExpress (check latest price)
Below this Haylou GT3 review you will find comparisons between the Haylou GT3 vs Haylou GT1 Plus/ GT1 XR, QCY T10, Edifier X3, Mpow Mbit S, and Fiil T1 Lite.
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Design, comfort and battery life
If it wasn't clear before, it should be visible now: Haylou is a sub-brand of QCY. The QCY T10 and Haylou GT3 were released around the same time, and their earpieces have a lot in common. Both models have a short stem (although the Haylou one is a bit longer) and a compact oval part that goes into your ears. You place this part diagonally in your ears, and it resides there very snugly for a longer amount of time.
The Haylou GT3 is comfortable to wear for hours, and because of a better use of materials than its sibling, it has a tighter fit than the QCY T10. Smiling or shaking your head won't alter the fit of these buds. A shiny black stripe over the middle part of the stems also prevents them from looking too generic.
The earbuds deliver up to 4 hours of playtime on a single charge, slightly below average for this price. You can recharge them up to 3-4 times fully with the case, which can recharge via USB-C itself. A full recharge of the case and the buds takes up to 2,5 hours.
The charging case differs quite a bit from the QCY T10. The GT3 has a medium-compact case comparable with the previous released QCY T5, although with rounded corners. The earbuds lie in it and can be picked up easily. It feels robust enough, and three LED-lights on the front indicate the charging status handily when you put the buds in.
Connectivity and controls
The Haylou GT3 offers solid connectivity, with a small flaw. Sometimes when you take them out of the case, one of the earbuds may not play rightaway and needs a 1,5-second press to join in on the fun. Otherwise, the earbuds find each other without problems, and the Bluetooth signal stays stable up to 10 meters from your device.
It's also possible to switch between listening to one or two earbuds. Listen to one bud, charge the other, take the charged bud out again, and you'll jump to stereo listening without problems.
Controls on the Haylou GT3 are limited, like other offerings from the same brand:
Tap L or R once to play/ pause music
Tap R twice to skip a track
Tap L twice to return a song
Tap L or R three times (in paused mode) to activate the voice assistant
It's not possible to change the volume via controls on the earbuds, unfortunately. The touch panels do respond well to your touch.
Calling and watching movies
Watching videos with the Haylou GT3 is great on Android and iPhone, with perfect lipsync on videos in the YouTube-app and different video services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
There is a noticeable delay in sound effects when playing games, as is the case on almost all wireless earbuds. Unlike the Haylou GT1 Plus, this model doesn't have a low-latency gaming mode you can activate with a few touches. However, the video synchronization is a pleasant surprise as the QCY T10 doesn't fare very well there.
Taking a call with the Haylou GT3 is doable. Your voice is on the softer side, especially compared to the QCY T10 sibling, but it sounds crisp and clear. In crowded outdoor scenes, amidst traffic passing by, a construction site or people talking nearby, the volume of these sounds is reduced wonderfully - but your voice is sometimes dragged along with it, making you inaudible for a short instance. Indoors, the GT3 call quality is better still.
Also read: The best earbuds under $25!
Sound quality of Haylou GT3: Engaging
There's a solid amount of bass in the Haylou GT3. The mid-bass has a strong punch, giving dance, hip-hop, and electronic music a fierce pump. The bass sounds lovely deep as well. The sub-bass can rumble actively in the lowest frequencies, although both the mid-bass and sub-bass can bloat a bit in very crowded songs - they aren't the most articulated.
Even though the bass is pronounced, the higher frequencies take center stage on the GT3. Upper-mids are heavily elevated, which makes especially female and higher-pitched male vocals sound prominent. Instruments like violins, cymbals, and lighter piano keystrokes benefit from this approach as well - they appear lively. Like every so often, emphasizing the highs results in an airy sound, and this Haylou is no exception. The music feels around you rather than shouting directly in your ears. There's a decent separation between left and right too, although it's hard to place instruments precisely.
Happily, there's something in between the bass and highs as well. The GT3 has a pleasant weight in the lower-mids, accentuating darker electronic tones, drums, and lower vocals. This boost prevents the music from sounding thin and gives the GT3 warmth, both a balanced and engaging sound.
While there's little to complain about for a $25 wireless earphone, some things prevent the Haylou GT3 from scoring higher. You can sweep the volume up well on Android and iPhone, but the highest notes may come across sharp when you do so. Also, the bass can pump so hard it distorts the music somewhat in crowded, energetic songs. This is an annoyance when you really want that bassy song to go all-out - quite a few competitors score better on this aspect.
These higher-volume cons aside, the Haylou GT3 often delivers a lively, engaging sound for the price, suited for many genres.
Haylou GT3 comparisons
Haylou GT3 vs QCY T10
It's clear Haylou is a sister brand of QCY. The shape of the QCY T10 earbuds the same, but the GT3 earbuds are a bit longer than the QCY's, and the QCY comes in a smaller, less robust case. The QCY has a slight advantage in phone calls making your voice clearer; the Haylou has a better fit. QCY uses another kind of rubber ear-tip, one that causes the T10 to move in your ears. You'll often lose the bass because of it. The Taylor has stronger mid-bass and sub-bass, and its lows enjoy more weight, making the sound warmer and more energetic. The T10 does come with multiple equalizers, but not a single one is so engaging as the Haylou. The Haylou GT3 is a more convenient product.
Haylou GT3 vs Haylou GT1 Plus
The big difference between the GT3 and the older GT1 Plus? Volume and bass output - they are both much stronger on the newcomer. The Haylou GT1 Plus (and GT1 XR) is one of the most friendly sounding, balanced sounding wireless earbuds on a low budget, and while its bass can strike occasionally, the Haylou GT3 fires the bass much quicker, with a fiercer thump and deeper-diving sub-bass. Meanwhile, its upper-mids and highs extend further, presenting vocals more forward and prominent and giving them more clarity. It has a more outspoken and engaging sound.
Haylou GT3 vs Edifier X3
The Haylou GT3 makes lower-mid tones more prominent in the music than the hugely popular Edifier X3 does. The Edifier has a smoother bass with a nice thump, but not as solid as the Haylou. As the GT3 also adds more weight to the lower-mids and extends highs further, it sounds more pronounced and engaging than the Edifier. The X3 sounds friendlier, with more smoothed-oud upper-mids and lower tones, and without the distortion that can occur when the bass of the Haylou intensifies. Furthermore, the Edifier makes your voice louder in phone calls, offers 6 instead of 4 hours of playtime on a single charge, and has a more compact charging case.
Haylou GT3 vs Mpow Mbit S
The Mpow Mbit S has longer stems than the Haylou, and puts them to good use: it offers 6 instead of 4 hours playtime on a single charge. The Mpow has a warmer sound, with more rounded, earlier rolled-off highs. It may not give the same clarity in vocals, but also doesn't reach the harsh territory the Haylou enters sometimes. The Mpow bass is a bit mushier on lower volumes, and its sub-bass doesn't have the same tightness, but it increases in impact and body when you turn the volume up - precisely when the Haylou starts to have its little bass distortion. As your voice remains clearer in calls under heavy circumstances, the Mpow is a bigger allrounder than the Haylou.
QCY T10 vs Fiil T1 Lite
If you can go from paying $25 for the Haylou GT3 to $35 for the Fiil T1 Lite, it may be worth spending some more. The Fiil offers up to 2 hours longer playtime on a single charge, and the case is more compact and looks more polished. It sounds fuller than the GT3, with more weight in the bass and more detail in the sub-bass. It resolves more detail in the mid-tones and provides vocals with more nuances. Both earbuds can have a little sharp edge in the highs on the highest volumes - but on the plus side: both can go lovely loud.
Verdict
With strong bass and clear vocals, the Haylou GT3 is not only a far more active listen than the previous GT1 Plus and XR - but it's also much more convenient than its QCY T10-sibling.
FOUR stars - Very Good
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