If you’re looking for a pair of simple, Bluetooth earphones with few frills but which provide you with decent sound, ample battery (for some) and some water-shrugging skills, then pick up a pair of these earphones.
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Sound
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Waterproof
Who doesn’t love a great pair of Bluetooth earphones? They’re light, discreet and less of a choking hazard. However, there’s more to a pair of Bluetooth earphones than the whole ‘being able to play music without an aux port’, and that’s what CrossCall’s new XPlay Bluetooth Earphones do their best to provide.
Lightweights
These earphones are incredibly light, so much so that if it wasn’t for the blaring sound in your ears, you’d forget that you were wearing them. The last thing you’ll want to endure is being weighed down by a set of heavy earphones, all while you’re trying to get lost in your favourite song.
The XPlays come with the earbuds, a USB charge cable, as well as a circular carrying pouch that hosts a selection of bud replacements. You know — to help make the earphones more comfortable for just about any ear shape. Maybe you have weird-shaped ear-holes or something – the various tips mean you’ll always have a great fit.
Set up for success
It’s easy to connect the earphones to whatever you’ll be playing your music from – simply press the play button, switch on Bluetooth on your phone/laptop/tablet, wait for ‘XPlay’ to pop up in your Bluetooth list and voila – sound ahoy!
There are only 3 simple physical controls on the XPlays, which are the pause/play button, and the volume up as well as the volume down button. So, if you’re looking for a pair of earphones that boast numerous buttons that perform various functions, the XPlay is not one of those.
Since these are Bluetooth-connected, it’s advisable to not walk too far from where the sound is being emitted. Basically, don’t move too far away from your phone or laptop as you’ll start to hear static and it won’t be long before the sound completely shuts down.
Our only qualm in regards to their shape is the fact that you have to wrap the cable around the back of your neck. This makes the earphones vulnerable to a hook in a door or, if you’re visiting the wrong side of the tracks, hungry hands.
What about the bass?
As lightweight as they are, the sound produced by the XPlay earphones is quite decent although, as one would expect with such light earphones, they are definitely not all about the bass.
Additionally, while they may make your co-workers privy to your favourite Britney Spears song, they, unfortunately, will not mute their pleas to turn down the music. If you’re looking for a decent pair of earphones with great sound, then, by all means, grab the XPlays. Just don’t do it with the hopes of noise-cancellation — because frankly, it’s non-existent.
Feeling power-full
In terms of battery life, the XPlays take about an hour and a half to fully charge. However, if you’re the type who wears a pair of ‘phones more than you do shoes, then you may be disappointed to find that the battery won’t last you the entire day. Luckily, the charging port (which can be found on the cable that connects the two earbuds) requires a simple micro-USB cable that’s included in your nifty pouch.
You won’t have to worry about spending your day without a sick beat in your ears. The charging port for our review unit was a little sensitive, so you’ll need to be very careful when charging as to not damage the port.
The XPlay headphones do have one cool feature, though. That’s an IPX5 rating, which allows these in-ears to shrug off sweat and even some light rain. Since they’re being pitched at active types, who are all about getting wet in weird and wonderful ways, the feature is a welcome one. Even if you’re not routinely sweating in the rain.
CrossCall XPlay Bluetooth Earphones Verdict
If you’re looking for a pair of simple, Bluetooth earphones with few frills but which provide you with decent sound, ample battery (for some) and some water-shrugging skills, then pick up a pair of these earphones.
They’re not the most innovative or game-changing when it comes to buds, but CrossCall provides a decent pair of earphones for you to enjoy. Especially if you’re also rocking one of CrossCall’s rugged smartphones – more on that in a future review.
You can get these for R1,300 from CrossCall South Africa.
