The LG xboom Buds were first shown off earlier this year at CES and are now available to buy for £119.99 – if you're on the market for a pair of comfortable earbuds in this price range, they’re certainly worth considering.
The headphones were made in collaboration with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and The Voice, although outside of it saying his name on the box, you wouldn’t know. According to LG's website, he helped ensure they sounded good in the ear and aided with the call quality, which has been quite good. I’m sure he had more involvement here than with the Tooth Tunes Toothbrush someone bought me as a boy—at the very least, these buds are much more subtle.
I’ve been using the xboom Buds for the last couple of weeks now as my go-to every day, and they’ve been a joy to use, seamlessly sinking and satiating all of my daily needs. Although I haven’t listened to any will.i.am songs on them, they’ve still served me well. Keep reading for the five most notable features of the buds and my final thoughts below.
1. Comfortable fit and design
Some things will always be more down to personal preference, but I’ve had no issues with how these fit at all. They never felt like they’re going to fall out, whether I've been walking the dog or running for the tube. There’s a chance this is just because they fit perfectly in my ears, but fortunately, the box contains a few different sizes to ensure you can find what fits you best.
It’s pretty much standard practice now to include these in the box, especially within this price range, but regardless of my activity— although this doesn't include going to the gym or anything because I’m not about that life— one thing that helped them stick in the ear was a hook which helps the Buds slot handily into the ear. It was a welcome addition to the Buds, which may seem small but makes a world of difference. It also helps with noise cancelling, too, and they were always nice and snug.
2. Nice and compact
The fit is helped by how compact these little fellas are. They never leave any excess to dangle out and slot in flush with the rest of the ear for a clean look that still satiates my fantasy of being a top-notch spy.
Being so small also means they’re incredibly easy to transport, helping reduce the size of the case—there are few things I hate more than having a bulging case in my pockets pushing my trousers all out of shape.
3. Easy to use, easy to connect and easy to customise
After popping these out of the box, setting up and getting going was remarkably simple. After that, every additional device I added was super easy-to-use. The app also has some great customisation options, allowing the user to change how different commands work and what they are – a massive plus for me. Considering the volume button on my phone is busted, this was a big plus for me - I finally have complete control.
The app also allows for tweaks and changes to be made to your music, so you can knock the bass up if you’re more into big, beefy beats. There are a few pre-sets for anyone who isn’t quite as audio-literate or doesn’t feel like faffing about for too long in the settings.
4. Meeting expectations
Given its price point (£119.99), you need to have realistic expectations about features. For example, the noise-cancelling is decent compared to the competition, but it’s never going to be exceptional at this price.
There are a lot of splitting hairs when compared with competition, but ultimately the differences come down to taste and aesthetic more than anything more substantial. The aforementioned hook does go a long way with helping this though, and it isn’t as common as I would like, which makes all the difference for me.
5. Battery life to get you through the day
On my first major outing with the xboom Buds, I took them out of the case, popped them in my ears, finished getting ready and trotted off to work; it was only once I got to work I realised I put the case on the side whilst tying my shoe laces and forgot to pick them up. It was a situation nothing short of a mare given my two hour journey to work - most of which heavily relies on having headphones to drown out my fellow commuters. After patting my pockets like a man covered in the dustings of a Greggs sausage roll, I realised my blunder, but luckily, it didn’t matter.
Even without the case, the Buds had enough juice for me to do my commute both ways, which is no mean feat given it clocks in at about four hours total. And, this was on top of being used for extended periods whilst I was working. Despite initially thinking I had completely botched it, it became clear the battery life here was so good, I was okay. When I got home, the case awaited me on the side, welcoming my nearly lifeless Buds into an electro-powered embrace.
xboom Buds review: Final verdict
The xboom Buds are an excellent option for anyone looking to enter at this price point. Although there's no standout feature or detail, there’s enough here on offer that these trusty little things won’t let you down and look pretty smart in your ear, too.
