I’ve known UGREEN as an accessory brand fluently pumping out innovative charging equipment. While I’m familiar with their audio devices, I haven’t explored what the brand can offer.

So when the UGREEN HiTune X6 came as a package right in time for the holidays, I knew I had to try it and be open to trying out new wearables that I might come to love.

Unboxing

The HiTune X6 came in a streamlined black box emanating a classy, functional wearable.

There are no extra gimmicks when you open the box. It’s just the charging case containing a pair of wireless earbuds, along with extra silicone tips to fit your ears comfortably. Underneath, you can find the manual and a charging cable.

Taking the HiTune X6’s charging case out of the box, you can feel it’s light enough to carry — with or without the pair of wireless earbuds inserted.

In-ear design

But before we talk about the listening experience, let’s talk about the weird in-ear design. The first time I took the pair of wireless earbuds, I was baffled, trying to put in my ears and back on its case.

The bizarre design was quite compliqué to figure out at first, but you’ll get the hang of it, too. And when you do so, you’ll find this pair of wireless earbuds sitting snugly in your ears without any extra heft. It’s just like wearing a light earring; you’ll barely notice you have a wearable stuck on you unless a sound starts coming off it.

Real, rich sound

The HiTune X6 uses Bluetooth 5.1, making it easy to pair with several smartphones. I had no trouble pairing it with the latest smartphones from this year, as well as old slates from three to four years ago.

It supports both AAC and SBC — high-quality audio codecs suitable for different music types from any device. I’m no audiophile but knowing the compatibility between your devices, the platform you play your music with, and the codecs used can help elevate your listening experience.

I used to just enjoy rich detail in high-end wireless earbuds, so it comes as a surprise that the HiTune X6 can deliver a natural, real, yet deep audio experience.

Easy controls

I like how it connects easily as soon as you take one pair of wireless earbuds out of the charging case. And in a single tap, you can play or pause your music. Or even answer or hang up a phone call.

Tap twice on the left earbuds, and you lower the volume. Tap twice on the right earbuds, then you can increase the volume. When you tap three times, you can go back to the previous song via the left earbuds, or switch to the next song through the right earbuds.

However, you can toggle between music and gaming mode when you tap four times either through the left or right earbud. In between my medical appointments and visits to the hospital, I enjoyed listening to the beautiful soundtracks of my favorite game, Sprite Fantasia. There was no delay in the music and sound effects despite using the HiTune X6.

On another note, one second of long press can toggle the ANC mode. Meanwhile, two seconds of long press allows you to reject a call or access your voice assistant. Yes, it works with Alexa.

Keeping everything isolated

The HiTune X6 takes pride in using a 35dB hybrid active noise cancellation, along with six microphones. My morning drives and afternoon chill-outs made me feel like I’m in a summer romance montage while I listen to Lany, Lauv, and Ben&Ben.

This also helped me block out noise since the holiday season invites people, coming over and bringing laughter. It helped me take a rest in my only vacation and found repose.

When it comes to calls, I was astounded how crystal-clear everything was. While I know that the HiTune X6 uses six microphones — a feedback microphone, feedforward, and call to name a few — I didn’t realize my friends would be elated to have juicy catch-up sessions at night while I was wearing the pair of wireless earbuds.

From both calls, the wearable perfectly isolates the environmental noise and the vocal voice. It ensures clear calls so that you can focus on hearing what the person on the other line is saying.

I once got a late-night check-in with my best friend for the holidays, and I realized halfway we weren’t complaining how we didn’t hear any noise coming from an electric fan. And we both have a habit of sitting in front of the fan, no matter how cold the weather is.

Lasts longer than expected

One thing I’m going to point out first is how thrilled I was to see a budget device sporting USB-C. It’s like… “wow, they’re keeping up with the times, ‘no?”

Nevertheless, it makes it easy for the Type-C folks, since you can bring a universal cable for your trips and not worry about having to bring separate cables for all your devices.

And with that, you can fully charge the pair of wireless earbuds in just an hour and a half. Further, you can fully charge the case in two hours.

You’re guaranteed a total of 26 hours of battery life if you include the charging case’s reserves. Though, the HiTune X6 really lasts six hours of music playback in just a single charge. That’s quite long for a device carrying a 50mAh battery in each earbud.

And if you quickly charge them for ten minutes, you already get an extra boost of one-hour playtime. Sweet, isn’t it?

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The UGREEN HiTune X6, while it looks sleek due to its matte finish and serious colorway, doesn’t appease the upper-class. But that’s probably not what they’re going for.

This wearable offers a stellar audio experience without costing an arm and a leg. Proof that you can get a decent audio quality without breaking your wallet.

What I’m most euphoric about is the crystal-clear call experience — I rarely get good feedback about my voice quality when going through calls. And that’s what you can delight in if you decide to try the HiTune X6.

It only retails for US$ 80. So, if you’re looking for a value-for-money pair of wireless earbuds, then the HiTune X6 might be the one you’re looking for.

The HiTune X6 is available for purchase on their official website, as well as local e-commerce platforms in the Philippines such as Shopee and Lazada.