After a long wait, Creative is finally able to build their Super X-Fi spatial holography technology directly into their products. The new Creative Zen Air SXFI is a pair of true wireless earbuds and is the first to offer this feature for S$109.
Unboxing
Here’s what you’ll find in the box:
- Creative Zen Air SXFI
- USB-C Charging Case
- USB-C Charging Cable
- Pair of (S), (M), and (L) Silicone Ear Tips
- Quick Start Guide / Warranty and Compliance Leaflet
Tech specs
| Zen Air SXFI | Zen Air Pro | Zen Air Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 10mm Neodymium Driver | 10mm Dynamic Driver | 10mm Dynamic Driver |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours per charge Total up to 39 hours | Up to 9 Hours per charge Total up to 33 Hours | Up to 8 hours per charge Total up to 32 hours |
| Weight | Earbuds: 5.5g each Charging Case: 40g | Earbuds: 5.3g each Charging Case: 41g | Earbuds: 4.3g each Charging Case: 40g |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Water resistance | IPX5 | IPX5 | IPX4 |
| Controls | Touch | Touch | Touch |
| Charging | USB-C, Wireless | USB-C, Wireless | USB-C, Wireless |
Build quality and features
On first look, the Creative Zen Air SXFI resembles the Zen Air Pro, with a similar design for both the earbuds and case. In fact, you can even swap the charging cases. The Zen Air SXFI cost S$10 more, for the benefit of longer battery life, adaptive noise cancellation, multipoint connectivity, and built-in Super X-Fi, but dropping support for the LC3 codecs.
Design wise, the Creative Zen Air SXFI offers a clean and simple look with its matte light grey plastic finish on both the case and earbuds. I quite like how the internal of the case has a metallic finish as it exudes a premium feeling to it compared to a typical internal plastic finish. It would be great if the case was slightly slimmer, but they are still decently pocketable. The earbuds have a flat edges which gives a more touch surface area. Build quality is good. The earbuds are rated at IPX5 water-resistance so they can handle a sweaty workout.
Controls and App
Creative Zen Air SXFI is supported by the Creative app, and given the earbuds have built-in SXFI, you’d likely want to SXFI app to create your head mapping. Creative has recently upgrade their Super X-Fi to Gen4, which is expected to improve dynamic range, clarity, and spatial awareness.
The Creative app lets users adjust ambient and ANC levels, customize touch controls, tweak EQ settings, toggle on/off SXFI, and update firmware. The EQ offers a number of ready-made presets that you can choose from, or you can make your own curve and save it as a preset.
Creative Zen Air SXFI uses touch controls, which has a good hit box size and is reliable enough for everyday use. There is no ‘Single Tap’ option to prevent accidental touches. If you’re not a fan of the default touch controls, you can change them to your preference in the Creative app.
Fit and comfort
Creative Zen Air SXFI offers a comfortable fit, with the ear tips doing most of the heavy lifting. The shape of the earbuds is not exactly tapered so the earbuds doesn’t sit too flushed into my ears. As a result, the stem of the earbuds doesn’t stick too close the side of my face.
Each earbud weighs around 5.5g each so they feel light in my ears after extended periods of using them.
Sound quality & Super X-Fi
By default, the Creative Zen Air SXFI has a sound signature that has an emphasis on bass that is typically preferred by general consumers. Midrange is clear and present, while treble offers some sparkle. Before the release of Creative Zen Air SXFI, Super X-Fi feature on wireless options required playing media through the Creative SXFI App. This means Super X-Fi was not able to work with streaming apps. But now, the new Creative Zen Air SXFI allows you to play any audio in SXFI mode, including Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, TikTok, etc.
Super X-Fi mode can be toggled on/off via a triple tap on the left earbud/ With Super X-Fi enabled, the soundstage expands drastically as though the audio is coming outside of the earbuds. Bass becomes more airy with slightly lesser extension, with treble become more laid back. It does take some time to get used to this shift in sound signature. I must admit that not everything sounds better with Super X-Fi. Songs streamed of Spotify tend to sound more echoey and usually lack the intimate feeling of bass notes and vocals playing right into your ears. But I found that Super X-Fi works really well with live music, movies, and open-world gaming.
Zen Air SXFI vs Zen Air Pro vs Zen Air Plus
The Zen Air SXFI and Zen Air Pro are the most similar, with the Zen Air Plus adopting a slightly different look and sound profile. The only main difference between the Zen Air SXFI and Zen Air Pro is in the bass tuning – Zen Air Pro has a more balanced profile, while the The Zen Air SXFI elevates the bass response. When it comes to the Zen Air Plus, it also has a deep hitting bass which unfortunately clouds the midrange and has subdued treble. It is a warm listening experience that is quite noticeable vs the Zen Air SXFI as it still retains a clear and refined presentation of the midrange and treble.
ANC performance & Ambient mode
ANC of the Creative Zen Air SXFI offers decent performance – low frequency noises such as engine rumble in buses and airplanes are removed effectively, while higher frequency noises tend to struggle at times. You can choose between Adaptive ANC or regular ANC (which you can adjust the intensity), but I found Adaptive ANC to offer a better experience.
Ambient mode allows the Creative Zen Air SXFI to let in external sounds into the earbuds so you can be aware of your surroundings. The effect at the maximum setting does have an over-emphasis on the midrange but thankfully doesn’t lead any robotic or overly processed sound. Reducing the strength by one level helps to create a more natural sounding environmental sound.
Microphone quality
The microphone performance of the Creative Zen Air SXFI is very similar to that of the Aurvana Ace 2, but does have a little more clarity and bass. I’d recommend relying on the microphone of the Zen Air SXFI in controlled and quiet environments as voice pickup is clear, loud and even possess depth for a warm sound. But when it is noisy, I find the Zen Air SXFI struggling to cancel the noise and keep my voice forward.
Connectivity & Battery life
Creative Zen Air SXFI and its siblings (Zen Air Pro and Zen Air Plus) are all equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, and the connection stability is good. I did not encounter any dropouts and there is also no audio-video sync lag when watching videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11. You can use either side of the earbuds if you just want to wear one for usage. One trick the Zen Air SXFI has over its siblings is its multipoint connectivity which allows you to pair the earbuds to up to two devices and switch between the audio sources seamlessly. It is nice to see multipoint connectivity available on a pair of earbuds at the S$100+ price point.
When it comes to battery life, Creative Zen Air SXFI is packed with the longest battery at 12 hours on a single charge and you get a total 39 hours with the case. You can charge the case either by wired with USB-C or wirelessly with any Qi wireless charger.
Conclusion
I’d consider the Creative Zen Air SXFI an upgrade over the Zen Air Pro, though I might actually prefer the default EQ of the Zen Air Pro. For S$10 more, the added upgrades of longer battery life, adaptive noise cancellation, multipoint connectivity, and built-in Super X-Fi feels worth it. Creative Zen Air SXFI becomes a more versatile product. Built-in Super X-Fi comes in handy, and would be enjoyable when using it to watch movies on flights.