Review: Honor’s Earbuds Open deliver surprising bass

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I am generally dubious about open-ear listening devices. I have tried multiple pairs in various guises, and unfortunately they tend to be… well… bad. However, Honor has had me testing its latest open headphones; the Earbuds Open.

These innovative earbuds are priced at £119.99 currently (US readers will need to import them) and have actually surprised me because they work properly. Let’s look at why.

In the box?

Inside the very typically minimalist Honor box, we have equally minimalist contents:

• 1 pair of Honor Earbuds Open
• 1 charging case
• Device literature

And that is all you need to start listening, aside from the actual music source.

Beautiful buds

Aesthetically, the Earbuds Open are really very pleasing to the eye. They are elegantly designed in much the same way that the colorway for our test unit is elegantly named; Polar Gold. You can also get them in Polar Black.

They follow a fairly typical form factor, as open earbuds go. They have a silicone-coated ear hook that extends over the top of the ear, with the driver housing positioned at the end of the hook, and taking a teardrop shape.

On the outer face of the earbud is the capacitive control, with a Polar Gold, high-luster faceplate. On the inner face is the speaker grille and two charging pads. 

The edges of each earbud you’ll find the surround bass subwoofer portals. More on that element later. There is also a mic on the stem of the hook, just as it joins the earbud.

Dimensions-wise we’ve got per earbud:

• Height: 49.22 mm
• Width: 39.52 mm
• Depth: 15.6 mm
• Weight: About 7.9g

And for the charging case:

• Height: 80.44 mm
• Width: 61.02 mm
• Depth: 20.45 mm
• Weight: About 52.5g (Without earbuds)

So, yeah, they look great like pretty much everything Honor!

Superior specs

Compared to other open-ear options I have tested in the past, the Earbuds Open have much better specifications. I mean, like, they are newer, so they obviously will have, but they are an incredibly competitive option in today’s open bud market.

First, the answer to the question on everyone’s lips; yes, they have ANC, which is a real boon with an open ear bud.

Anyway, here’s the full spec list:

• Driver: Φ16mm, Multi-magnetic circuit dynamic driver unit
• ANC: Active noise cancellation, call noise cancellation
• Battery: Earbud 58 mAh (rated capacity), Charging case 480 mAh (rated capacity)
• Playtime: Earbud (single use from 100%) 6 hours; with charging case 22 hours
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, pop-up pairing support, simultaneous connection support
• Ingress Protection: IP54

On to usage, then…

Dream team

OK so first things first, wearing the earbuds is super comfortable. As mentioned, they hook over your ear then the actual bud should nestle just inside your concha, under the antihelix of your ear.

I found that I experienced no outer ear fatigue or pain during wear, which can be the case with a hooked earbud. They’re good for extended wear, and remain comfortable throughout use. 

Operation is simple too. Obviously you can control playback via the source device, but the Opens have capacitive controls, as mentioned before. You can use these to do the following:

• Tap twice: Play/Pause music.
• Tap twice: Answer/End a call.
• Press and hold the earbud: Reject a call.
• Press and hold the earbud: Switch noise cancellation mode.
• Swipe up: Turning up the volume.
• Swipe down: Turning down the volume.
• Triple-tap the left/right earbud: Previous/Next track.

You can control the ANC via the earbud itself as mentioned above. You can also do this via the Honor AI Space app.

This intuitive app allows you to control multiple facets of the headphones, including the AI translator, which is very helpful (although not much different to the Google Translate app which is probably already on your handset).

You can also EQ the headphones in the AI app. I don’t find this necessary with open earbuds though as, well, they’re open, so sound isn’t going to be the same as it would with a pair of over-ear cans, for example. The buds do a fine job with their default settings.

The Honor Earbuds Open charge quickly and effectively, and I find that the stated battery life rings true.

Anyway, how do they perform?

Excellent, as open earbuds go

The Honor Earbuds Open are probably the best open earbuds I have used. Why? Well, I can actually hear the bass coming out of them for a start. 

A problem that has mired open earbuds since their inception is sound leakage; certain frequencies at headphone volume just don’t travel through open air very well.

Bass is one of them. However, Honor has managed to produce a pair of open earbuds that don’t skimp on the bottom end. This alone makes them a winner among their peers, in my book.

Loading up some bass heavy jungle from Kid Lib, I was very surprised that I could actually hear the lower end of the frequency spectrum.

This really is quite the accomplishment and I would recommend the Earbuds Open, on this basis alone, to anyone who loves their music but also wants a pair of open headphones.

Sound quality is great across the other frequencies as well. They naturally stand out a little more than the bass given the open nature of the headphones.

Mids are nicely pronounced without being too forward, and top end doesn’t fatigue the ears, while retaining its clarity.

In all, I am impressed by the Honor Earbuds Open and I would recommend them if you’re after a pair of headphones that afford awareness of your surroundings while you enjoy music.

If you’re invested in the larger Honor ecosystem (like their smartphones and tablets, for example) then investing in these is a no-brainer.

Buy ‘em

So, off you go then. If you are after a pair of open earbuds that sound great, deliver surprisingly well on the bass front, and have great battery life, plus ANC, then you should grab a pair of the Honor Earbuds Open and enjoy sound on the go!

Are you tired of choosing between enjoying your music and staying aware of your surroundings? Have you been disappointed by open-ear headphones that sacrifice bass and sound quality for comfort? Share your open-ear headphone experiences in the comments below or tell us via our Twitter or Facebook.