The trio of new audio products launched by Baseus at this year’s IFA trade show in Berlin
Ben Sin
Throughout its decade-plus of existence, Shenzhen-headquartered Baseus is best known for making smartphone accessories, like portable power banks and phone chargers. But the company is now branching out to other consumer electronics products, and at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin this week, it has unveiled a new line of audio products named Inspire.
The Inspire line of products stand out from the sea of other wireless audio products by carrying official Sound by Bose branding — making these products a joint development between Baseus and iconic audio brand Bose.
The Inspire line consists of three earphones each covering a specific need. We have a standard in-ear active noise cancelation earbuds, the Inspire XP1; an open-ear, clip-on earbud dubbed the Inspire XC1; and an over-the-ear, premium headphone, the Inspire XH1. The three products share some strengths: they each have the industry-leading battery life for its class of product; and all three have audio fine-tuned by Bose.
The Baseus XH1 over-ear headphones.
Ben Sin
We’ll start with the “hero product,” the $149 Inspire XH1 over-the-ear headphones. I’ve been using these for the past few weeks on multiple flights and I can vouch that the battery life is indeed amazing. A 13-hour flight, with active noise cancelation (ANC) on only drained about 20%. That means I should easily be able to get close to 65 hours of ANC-enabled listen time on a single charge.
Baseus says with ANC on, the headphones can last over 100 hours, but I think that number doesn’t matter much, as most people wearing these will want to use ANC (or transparency mode), and both are very good.
The Baseus headphones
Ben Sin
I’d describe the build and design of the XH1 as functional and business-like. From the thick foam headband and ear cushions, to the plasticky (but painted to look metallic) earcups and practical clicky buttons, the XH1 looks perfectly fine, but doesn’t bring anything new or unique to the design. They’re inoffensive looking, and will blend into the sea of over-the-ear headphones manufactured by Bose or Sony. They are fine, just not attention grabbing with a unique look the way Apple and Nothing’s headphones do, nor do they offer new-age touch controls like some headphones.
The XH1 are comfortable to wear, thanks to a flexible band, and the cups connected to a pivot that allows the cups to fold up and inwards (this allows it to sit around my neck easier than headphones that do not pivot as much, like the aforementioned headphones from Apple and Nothing.
The XH1 has five microphones and they offer excellent ANC and transparency mode. The former I’d say is as good as any of the very premium headphones (from Apple, Sony and Bose). The latter is not as great as Apple’s best-in-class transparency, but gets the job done.
Considering its price point is almost half of the aforementioned headphones from Apple, Nothing, and Sony, the Baseus Inspire XH1 is perhaps the best performing headphones under $200 right now.
Baseus Inspire XP1
The Baseus Inspire XP1
Ben Sin
These $129 earbuds are the typical conventional wireless buds with a silicone foam tip and ANC that are a dime a dozen in today’s market. What stands out here is, again, battery life, as the earbuds can play for eight hours on a single charge, nearly double that of Apple’s AirPods Pro.
The earbuds weigh just 5g each so I could, and have, worn them all day without feeling the weight. They feature six microphones, which combine to produce decent ANC and transparency mode. Neither features are going to come close to say the AirPods Pro’s, but Apple’s earbuds are an extra $100.
Controlling the earbuds is done via a touch capacitive panel located on the top end of the stem. I find the controls a bit finicky — sometimes it wouldn’t register a clear tap. Baseus, however, wants to mention I am testing a prototype early sample unit, and promises the final retail unit won’t have these minor bugs.
The Baseus Inspire XP1 earbuds.
Ben Sin
The problem with the XP1 is it has far stiffer competition in this category than the over-ear XH1. So while these earbuds are comfortable to wear and pumps out great audio with LDAC support, it doesn’t impress me as much as the headphones do, because I have literally 20-30 other sets of wireless earbuds in my drawer, 90% of which perform very well too.
Still, for the industry-leading battery life alone, these are worth a look.
Inspire XC1
The Baseus Inspire XC1
Ben Sin
The Inspire XC1, priced at $129, are open-ear earclips, meaning they pump audio towards your ear canal, without actually touching or blocking it. This means you will be able to hear your surroundings even when using the XC1.
This clip design is relatively new to the industry, first pioneered by Bose or Huawei (each company released similar clips within weeks of each other in 2023), and Baseus has clearly taken inspiration from both. I think the XC1 finds a great balance between a secure fit (the clip stays on without feeling loose or floppy) and comfort (the clips do not apply much pressure on the ear itself).
The XC1 weighs 6g each bud, and can play music for eight hours on a single charge. Due to the open-ear design, there are no ANC or transparency mode. But you can still make calls with them via four built-in microphones.
There are two drivers — an 11mm driver and a woofer — producing audio that is surprisingly strong in bass for an open-ear design buds. Baseus is claiming these are the best sounding open-ear design earbuds yet, and I don’t think I’d dispute it.
Official product render of the XC1.
Baseus
Overall, I think Baseus first set of flagship audio products are enticing offerings that come at a very great price. Company reps say its chargers have been a very profitable business over the years, and now it’s looking to expand and grow its product portfolio.
