X-mini, the company known for making speakers is giving shot at true wireless earbuds. Enter the Liberty Xoundpods. They are available only exclusively online at the initial release price of S$69.
Unboxing
- Liberty Xoundpods
- Charging dock case
- S/M/L sizes silicone eartips
- Micro-USB cable
- User manual
Tech specs
- Net weight: 72g (incl. charging case)
- Waterproof rating: IPX4
- Transducer: 6mm dynamic driver (Graphene-coated)
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Impedance: 16Ω
- Battery capacity: 50mAh
- Case battery capacity: 380mAH
- Charging voltage: 5V (DC)
- Battery charge time: 2 hours
- Bluetooth version: 5.0
- Bluetooth profile support: HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
- Playback time: Up to 3.5 hours on a single charge (14 hours with full charging case)
Build quality and features
The Liberty Xoundpods has a IPX4 waterproof rating, which means it is resistant to water splashes from any direction. Also, it has SinglePod and DualPod modes, which means you can choose to use both and one earbud if you want to. Each side has its own microphone so it gives you freedom to choose either side to answer calls. X-mini claims the Liberty Xoundpods have an effortless pair & play connectivity. We will analyse these features in the next section.
Build quality of the Liberty Xoundpods are pretty decent. They are made from plastic, with a bronze accent rounding the earbuds.
The charging case can be pretty big when you compare the clamshells cases from Jabra, Soundcore or Samsung. You slide the case open using the silicon strap to reveal the earbuds. Battery indicator is displayed by the blue lights. When you put the earbuds back, they magnetically snap back.
Fit
The fit of the Liberty Xoundpods is great on my ears. It is not the “snug fit” like what you will get on the Samsung IconX or the Jabra Elite 65t because those earbuds are designed to fit your ear shape. However, this does not mean the fit of the Liberty Xoundpods isn’t good. If any, you might find the fit to be better since everyone’s er shapes differ. For me, I found that the Liberty Xoundpods provide a secure fit, which I kinda prefer over the Jabra Elite 65t. I tried shaking my head vigorously and the earbuds still remained tight in my ears.
Of course, if you want the best fit you should always invest in Comply Truly Wireless Foam Tips. Here are some pictures to show that these tips do work on the Liberty Xoundpods.
Sound quality
X-mini claims the Liberty Xoundpods has a 6mm dynamic driver with a revolutionary graphene coating that delivers superior and exceptional crisp, clear sound. So how does it really sound?
I generally use this list as a first checkpoint for sound quality. Try it out and you can determine the quality yourself as well! I’ll be exploring other playlists when I have more time.
The Liberty Xoundpods have great bass, and when tested with “Lil Wayne — A Milli” for low resonating bass, it performs very well. I then test with “Radiohead — The National Anthem”, it surprises me that I am still able to hear many frequencies of sound during the horn solo. Mids and highs face decently. Bass is definitely the strong side of the X-mini Liberty Xoundpods.
Overall, I have to say that I am quite impressed by the sound that the Liberty Xoundpods is producing at its price point. It is a well-balanced sound that I really enjoy, bass is ear thumping enough with punchy kicks, vocals remain nicely tuned.
X-mini Xoundpods vs Jabra Elite 65t
This might not be a fair comparison since they belong on different price category. Both have Bluetooth 5.0 and fits great in your ears. But it surprises me to say that I prefer the sound that the Liberty Xoundpods provide. It provides a fuller sound while the Jabra sounds more flat. X-Mini wins the one.
X-mini Liberty Xoundpods vs Creative Outlier Air
They are almost in the same price range. The X-Mini Liberty Xoundpods comes in at S$69, while the Creative Outlier Air is priced at S$119. Despite both having Bluetooth 5.0, the Outlier Air feels more reliable in connectivity during my use. The Outlier Air also feels more premium and provides better fit and sound isolation. But when it comes to sound quality, it is where both earbuds comes close. Both offer very good bass and produces well balanced sound. Ultimately, the Creative Outlier Air edges out for me due to the wider soundstage, better mid-range and clearer clarity. Playing “Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles”, you will be able to tell the difference in sound quality of both earbuds. It is still amazing that the X-Mini Liberty Xoundpods can come so close at this price point.
Microphone
Now let’s talk the microphone ability. I tried a phone call with radio playing in the background. The audio that I received from the Liberty Xoundpods is pretty good. It sounded like the person was on speaker mode. Even though I picked up the radio playing, the voice of the person remained clear and I could hear every word he was saying.
Pairing and connectivity
I absolutely hate going into settings to pair my bluetooth earbuds every time I want to use it (eg. Jaybird Run has really poor connectivity). I tested this by leaving my phone in my pocket with bluetooth turned on, then I proceeded to remove the earbuds from the charging case and put them straight into my ears. After initial pairing is successful, it will auto connect/pair to your phone in around 3-4 seconds the next time you take out the earbuds.
After using the earbuds for a few weeks, I noticed that there are some audio dropouts in crowded areas. As of now, the rate of dropouts is acceptable, but I will have to monitor. If you do face issues with connecting the earbuds to your phone – try the following steps:
Step 1: Make sure you forget all pairing on all devices with the Liberty Xoundpods.
Step 2: Put the earbuds back into the respective LEFT/RIGHT nests of the charging case. Then close the case.
Step 3: Wait for up to 10 seconds for the blue battery indicator light to fade off.
Step 4: With bluetooth turned on on your phone, slide open the case and remove the earbuds.
Step 5: Quickly put on the earbuds. You should hear a “Power on” voice prompt. Afterwards, if you hear a “Connected, left channel/right channel” voice prompts, then it means the Liberty Xoundpods have entered the True Wireless pairing stage. You can check the new bluetooth listings on your phone – you should only see one entry for “X-mini LIBERTY”. You will then hear the “pairing” voice prompt and you can go ahead to pair with your phone.
(If after the “Power on” voice prompts, you only hear the “pairing” voice prompt, it means they have failed to go into True Wireless Pairing stage)
Latency
Update: YouTube on iPhone seemed to have updated their app such that there is no audio-video lag anymore.
Conclusion
If you want to own a truly wireless earbuds, there aren’t many that are at this price point with a reliable audio brand reputation. Sound is really good which I think is the biggest upside, while connectivity may be somewhat the downside. And at only S$69, I think it is an absolute steal if you’re looking to own your first truly wireless earbuds, and especially since it even has Bluetooth 5.0 (some more expensive ones don’t even have, yes I’m looking at you Jaybird Run XT)
Where to buy
The best place to buy would be at Qoo10 as there is an ability to use coupons (which are issued regularly) to get a cheaper price. I purchased my Liberty Xoundpods for only S$55 ($14 discount) due to coupons. Here is the link to get it:
If you liked this review, follow @techjioblog on Instagram, to get updates on great tech and lifestyle tips. Don’t say bojio!