I made a decision two years in the past so as to add a little bit of RGB lighting to my gaming rig, and in attribute vogue, I went overboard. I now have RGB lighting on nearly each product on my desk, together with my keyboard, gaming mouse, the mouse floor, and gaming rig (Corsair’s towering 5000T chassis). Even the DAC that I exploit — Fiio’s K9 Professional — has an RGB mild ring that modifications primarily based on the audio supply materials, and I’ve Corsair’s mild stands and Govee’s desk lights that add vibrant RGB lighting throughout the entrance floor of my desk.
The one space the place I have been missing RGB is wi-fi audio, and fortunately, HHOGene is catering to that individual area of interest. The Chinese language model was established simply two years in the past, and its first product is the GPods, a $125 pair of wi-fi earbuds which have an RGB mild bar operating throughout the size of every stalk.
I used to be clearly intrigued when requested to try the GPods, so here is what it’s good to find out about these distinctive wi-fi earbuds.
HHOGene GPods: Pricing and availability
HHOGene launched the GPods on the finish of 2022, and so they’re now out there on Amazon for $125 (opens in new tab) (with a $15 coupon). You may discover a limited-time deal on HHOGene’s web site that lowers the price to $112. The earbuds can be found in white and black, and there is additionally a premium set that features 4 add-on shells, retailing for $140.
HHOGene GPods: Design
On condition that the GPods are marketed because the world’s first earbuds with RGB lighting, I figured that will be nearly as good a spot to start out as any. The lighting extends throughout the stalk, and it’s vibrant and extremely customizable — these earbuds are certain to show heads whenever you’re out in public.
The stalk itself is broad and tall, making the RGB lighting that rather more outstanding. You get full management over the colours, with the model noting that there are 300,000 combos that you should utilize. You may alter the brightness of the sunshine bar on every stalk, and HHOGene gives 4 lighting results out of the field: Ripple sees the sunshine shifting from the middle to each ends, and it adjusts dynamically to music. Equally, the Pulse mode is a dynamic possibility that strikes the sunshine from the underside to the highest.
If you wish to exhibit the earbuds, Vivid is the mode that is perfect. This delivers a continuing mild throughout the floor of the stalks, and it is not dynamic. Lastly, there is a Breath mode that pulses the lights on or off. Even with the brightness set to medium, the lighting is shiny sufficient that it’s seen in daylight, and the vivid lighting is certainly the largest differentiator right here.
There’s lots to love concerning the GPods should you’re into customization; you may discover 46 coloration choices out there as commonplace, and you may arrange your personal colours through a palette, launch the digital camera to take a photograph and match the colours of the topic, or use an present picture.
The bundled colours are a whole lot of enjoyable to discover, and you may simply swap between themes. However if you wish to arrange your personal sample, you may need to flip to the colour palette — there are six distinct LEDs on every stalk, and you may change the person coloration of every LED.
A singular function on the GPods is the power to customise the outer design by add-on shells; the outer casing is removable, and HHOGene sells all kinds of equipment that change the look of the earbuds. This provides the earbuds a degree of customization that you just simply do not discover anyplace else, and you may even add customized engraving to the shells. The shells value an extra $20, and HHOGene additionally sells a bundle for $139 that features the earbuds together with 4 customized shells.
The remainder of the design is not fairly as thrilling, with the GPods that includes a plastic interior shell with the sound nozzle extending at an angle. The match that you just get with these is just like that of the Nothing Ear (2), and whereas there’s nothing flawed with the construct high quality, the shiny end makes these really feel extra like finances wi-fi earbuds.
Similarly, the design of the case is strictly utilitarian, and it would not look premium. That is forgivable whenever you have a look at the design of the earbuds, however it will have been good to see a extra cohesive aesthetic.
HHOGene GPods: Options and battery life
As for the {hardware} on supply, the GPods pair over Bluetooth 5.2, and I had these related to the Xiaomi 13 Professional, Galaxy S23 Extremely, and the Pixel 7a, and did not have any points with connectivity. You get simply the fundamental SBC and AAC codecs right here — there is no AptX or LHDC.
Fortunately, there’s ANC right here, and it’s efficient with sounds of as much as 25dB. It does a good job tuning out the hum of an air conditioner or visitors noises, nevertheless it is not fairly as highly effective as what you may discover on most wi-fi earbuds nowadays.
You may additionally discover IPX4 ingress safety, making these an appropriate alternative for exercises, and there is in-ear detection, with music routinely pausing whenever you take the GPods out of your ear. They weigh simply 5.4g, so you do not essentially really feel any fatigue whereas sporting the earbuds, and the sound tube nuzzles into the interior ear and would not exert any stress on the ear canal.
Now, there are a couple of annoyances with these earbuds, and key amongst them is that the HHOGene app asks for location entry. I have never seen this on different utilities designed to work with wi-fi earbuds, and what’s bothersome is that the Ask each time setting that is been current in Android beginning Android 12 would not do the trick; you may want to decide on Enable solely whereas utilizing the app possibility, and it is best to choose exact location — approximate will not work. I am unsure why this permission is required in any respect, and it’s worrisome.
One other bugbear is gesture management. As a result of the outer shell has a sequence of LEDs, it could’t be used for controlling music playback. As an alternative, there is a small zone simply tucked beneath the stalk that has a gesture zone, and you may take calls, swap between songs, flip off lighting results, and extra. The scale of the zone and its location — subsequent to the ridge of the outer ear — makes utilizing gesture controls an train in futility, and so they’re simply not well worth the trouble.
As for battery life, every earbud homes a 50mAh battery, and the case has a 500mAh battery. HHOGene claims 5 hours of battery life between prices, however with the lighting results turned as much as excessive, I received simply over 4 hours of music playback earlier than I needed to cost the buds. Clearly, the lighting takes a toll on battery life, and these aren’t the earbuds to get if you’d like nice battery life. On the plus facet, there’s quick charging, with a 10-minute cost delivering simply over 75 minutes of music playback.
HHOGene GPods: Sound high quality
Persevering with the development of battery life, the sound high quality is strictly common. The GPods use a 11mm driver, and so they aren’t tuned notably properly, so you aren’t getting the identical tonal constancy as different wi-fi earbuds on this class, just like the Galaxy Buds 2 or Nothing Ear (2).
The low-end has a whole lot of vitality and vigor, so that you get a superb rumble in bass-focused songs. The mid-range is first rate as properly, nevertheless it tends to get a bit muddled at instances, and the treble lacks extension, so that you miss out on among the extra intricate particulars.
There’s an equalizer of kinds that permits you to enhance the bass, treble, or mids, and doing so makes a slight distinction. Look, these earbuds sound first rate sufficient in their very own proper, however they do not fairly measure as much as established audio manufacturers.
HHOGene GPods: The competitors
Nothing Ear (2) additionally has a novel design due to its see-through stalk, and whereas there is no RGB lighting (take be aware, Nothing), the earbuds look refined and so they have a snug match. Nothing did an awesome job with the sound tuning this technology, and the Ear (2) ship a wonderful sound that is on par with the greatest wi-fi earbuds.
When you have a Samsung cellphone, it is onerous to not recommend the Galaxy Buds 2. They’ve nice battery life, a enjoyable design that is out there in thrilling colours, and so they sound nice. You can too swap between varied Samsung gadgets seamlessly, and they’re an awesome worth proper now.
HHOGene GPods: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase these if:
- You need wi-fi earbuds that can flip heads
- You want earbuds with customizable outer shells
- You need ANC and IPX4 water resistance for exercises
- You’ve got been ready for earbuds with RGB lighting
You should not purchase these if:
- You want the most effective sound high quality on this class
- You need nice battery life
- You want high-res wi-fi audio codecs
- You need dependable gesture controls
General, the GPods are an attention-grabbing product that cater to a distinct segment, and I like that. HHOGene nailed the design of the outer shell, and the RGB lighting actually does make these earbuds stand out. The customizability is a big differentiator as properly, and the truth that you possibly can change out the outer shells and add engraving shall be an attractive possibility for a lot of.
It additionally has a whole lot of desk stakes options for earbuds on this class, and the sound high quality itself is first rate sufficient. That stated, the earbuds lack general polish with regards to issues like gesture controls, and the sound tuning is not as refined as different manufacturers. If you’d like wi-fi earbuds that can seize consideration in public, I’ve no hesitation in recommending the GPods.
On a private be aware, the truth that these have RGB lighting offsets among the limitations for my very own use case, and I fairly like the concept of add-on shells to alter the look of the earbuds. However if you’d like a cultured sound, high-res codecs, and higher battery life, there are many options out there.
With a particular design and flashy RGB lighting, the GPods are certain to show heads wherever you go. The excessive diploma of customizability means you possibly can tailor these earbuds to your liking, and it would not miss out on a lot. Whereas the general refinement is not on par with different earbuds on this class, the distinctiveness of the design mixed with the RGB lighting makes these earbuds worthy of your consideration.