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Unboxing

We’ve seen a similar design of packaging at the Meizu EP52 Lite. The box has a picture of the product on the front, some information on the back and some features on the side of the box. On the inside, we find the information booklet and the charging cable. With the Alfawise HBQ-BX, you are not getting any eartips, since they won’t fit on them. This is a shame if you ask me. With eartips, they close off better and they are adjustable to every ear. Maybe in the second version?

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Hardware & Design

Unboxing the Alfawise HBQ-BX, I cannot say that I’m really impressed by the built quality. It looks fragile, the earbuds look like cheap plastic earbuds and the controller looks somewhat cheap and fragile too. The band in your neck and the battery pods on each side are looking solid and good though.

I hope the Alfawise HBQ-BX will last long enough, but seeing the quality of the materials used, I don’t have high expectations. The buttons are easily clickable, which is a good thing. You can easily recognize them as you can really feel which button is which. The micro-USB charger port is protected with a waterproof lid (Blog: What Does IP Rating Mean?), but this doesn’t seem very well put together either. For now, it works, but I don’t have high expectations again. I won’t dare to use the Alfawise HBQ-BX when it is raining outside, even if it is light rain.

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Do They Fit?

As you can see in the image below, the earbud is really simple and looks kind of cheap. This does not have any negative effect on how it fits. For me, the Alfawise HBQ-BX fits good, but not perfectly. I rather have an earbud with eartips that you can replace when necessary, but unfortunately, that is not the case. The Alfawise HBQ-BX fits well and they stay in my ear while walking. The Alfawise HBQ-BX are not super tight and they sometimes feel a bit loose, especially when running or sporting.

How To Connect?

First, you have to turn the Alfawise HBQ-BX on with the middle button on the controller. On your smartphone, you have to go to your Bluetooth settings and connect with the “HBQ-BX”. The connection with be made within a few seconds and you are good to go! Enjoy listening to your favorite artist with the Alfawise HBQ-BX.

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Functions

Just playing music is not enough. The market is really strong, and there are a lot of (semi) wireless earbuds that offer a variety of functions. Can the Alfawise HBQ-BX compete and provide innovating features? Or will this pair of (semi) wireless earbuds fall short?

Call Handeling

Press the middle button once and you will either answer or hang up the call.
Want to switch to the speaker of your smartphone? Press and hold the “-” button.
Sometimes you just want the microphone muted for a second. When you hold the “+” button, the microphone will be muted.

Music Handeling

If you want to pause or play a song, you just have to press the middle button once.
Playing a song from the beginning or going back to the previous song? Press and hold the “+” button.
Don’t you like this song? Press and hold the “-” button to go to the next song.

Power On/Off

This is the same at almost all the (semi) wireless earbuds out there. You have to press the middle button for 3-5 seconds and the Alfawise HBQ-BX is turning on. The voice which tells what the Alfawise HBQ-BX is doing is in English. If you want to turn it off, you have to press the button for 3 to 5 seconds again.

Sound Quality

The main feature of the Alfawise HBQ-BX is, of course, listening to music. I’ve used several Alfawise products and they, most of the time, surprised me with good functionality. The Alfawise HBQ-BX is a bit of disappointment. The sound is flat, there is almost no bass and it sounds cheap if you know what I mean.

With a bass booster, as I used in the Xiaomi AirDots review, will improve the quality a bit, but it’s just not enough.

Call Quality

When you want to make a phone call with the Alfawise HBQ-BX, you are in good hands! The sound of the phone call is good and the conversation comes through via both earbuds, which I love! If you want to ignore the incoming call, hold the middle button and you will ignore it. I’m happy to use the Alfawise HBQ-BX for a phone call, using both earbuds is just so nice!

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Battery Life

This is just impressive! The Alfawise HBQ-BX last long! There are two batteries in the neckband, which will double the playtime from other pairs of (semi) wireless earbuds. When you are just playing music, you can do so for around 10 to 12 hours! I’ve not seen such a great amount of playing hours on a relatively cheap pair of earbuds! Job done very well with the Alfawise HBQ-BX.

Charging goes quick, with just 1 to 2 hours, you are able to listen to music for 10 to 12 hours! Just great.

Conclusion

With the Alfawise being under €15, you get what you pay for. The battery life is fantastic, the sound quality is not so good. Calling is fine and the conversation is coming through both earbuds, which is a plus. The Alfawise HBQ-BX is made of cheaper plastic on the earbuds, while the neckband and the battery capsules are feeling solid.

In general, this is not the best pair of cheap wireless earbuds out there. There are others who are doing a better job, but they cost more too. If you are on a budget (and you are willing to use a bass booster), this is a good and affordable option for you.

Alfawise HBQ-BX

€15

6.7

Battery Life

9.0/10

Call Quality/Functions

7.0/10

Price/Quality

6.5/10

Performance

6.0/10

Sound Quality/Functions

5.0/10

Pros

• Battery life is amazing!
• Price is competitive
• Neckband feels solid

Cons

• Cheap materials used
• Sound quality is not great

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