Honor Earbuds 2 Lite test: Correct noise reduction headphones for a controlled price

Design Technical Sheet Use and Application Audio Noise Reduction Micro Autonomy Price and Release date Conclusion Competition COMMEMENTS PRODUCT PRODUCTIONS TO 58 €

Honor launched its second wireless headphones with active noise reduction, the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite.But what are it worth in use, that's what we will see in this full test.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite // Source: Frandroid

While Honor has so far been content to offer headphones similar to those of Huawei, the Chinese manufacturer has since taken his independence from his big brother.This results in particular the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite, full headphones who, although they seem inspired by the Huawei Freebuds 4i, are nevertheless distinguished themselves.Here is their full test.

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Honor Earbuds 2 Lite Technical Sheet

This test was carried out with headphones provided to us by Honor.

Honor Earbuds 2 Litedesign

At first glance, by discovering the housing of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite, it is a feeling of relief that occurs.It must be said that, on its previous headphones - notably the Honor Magic Earbuds - the Chinese brand was satisfied with the strict minimum, by taking up Huawei Freebuds 3i, by changing the logo, and by reselling them under its own brand.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite // Source box: Frandroid

Here, even if we doubt that the development of the Earbuds 2 Lite is completely distinct from that of the 4i freebuds, Honor has at least the merit of having designed headphones apparently distinct from those of his cousin.And it is noticed from the case.While Huawei has been decided for a few months to adopt a round box, with an oval pebble shape, for its headphones, this is not the case with the earbuds 2 Lite.Inspiration is more to look for Apple AirPods Pro side.We will indeed find a slightly elongated box in a rectangular shape with largely rounded angles.On the front, only the Honor logo is present, alongside an LED indicating the level of charge of headphones.On the underside, Honor has integrated a USB-C and on the right we find the traditional pairing button, well melted in the shell.

The opening of the case is rather simply using the thumb and the hinge of the lid seems rather solid, without any game which would fear a long -term fragility.Once the case is open, the headphones are rather easy to remove from their accommodation, despite a rather effective magnetic system.Regarding the case, however, we can regret a rather substantial template with dimensions of 45.5 x 61.2 x 24.35 mm which make it rather wide and high and can therefore hinder to put it in a pocket.

The opening of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite case is easily done // Source: Frandroid

Earbuds 2 Lite in themselves are intra-ear headphones.This means that they are endowed with silicone tips which will return within the hearing duct.This has advantages - in terms of audio quality and passive insulation - but can however hinder certain users due to a "plug" effect or simply of physical discomfort to have something in the atrial channel.Here we will find three pairs of tips, in S, M and L, to try according to your morphology.But it is precisely on the headphones themselves that the differences between the 4i freebuds and the earbuds 2 Lite stop, since their format is perfectly similar.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are intra-ear headphones // Source: Frandroid

Overall, the headphones of Honor offer a certain comfort of use, largely helped by their design with a rod down.Proven, this type of format has the advantage of fixing the headphones well to the esgourdes, preventing them from falling and ensuring good support, even during physical activity or by chewing.Note, however, that the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are not certified IPX4 and therefore, on paper, not resistant to perspiration or rain.

Finally, a comfortable question, the headphones of Honor never come to bother listening-provided, once again to bear the intra-ear format-and are forgotten in just a few minutes.Even after two to three hours of listening, no discomfort is felt on the ear.

Honor Earbuds 2 LITEUSING AND APPLICATION

To connect Honor headphones to your smartphone, two solutions are available to you.If you have a Honor or Huawei phone, you just have to open the case near your smartphone so that a small window appears at the bottom of the screen inviting you to pair the headphones.If this is not the case, you will have to press for several seconds on the discreet pairing button on the slice of the case until the LED flashes in white, then go to the Bluetooth settings of your phone.

Tactile controls

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are controlled thanks to tactile sensors present on the stems of each earpiece.Two types of gestures are taken into account by headphones.By default, a double support on the left earpiece or the right earpiece will set the music on a break, while a long support will modify the level of ambient noise reduction.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite have tactile surfaces on the stems // Source: Frandroid

The AI Life application will however make it possible to modify these touch parameters, in particular for the double support.We will thus be able to choose from five options for each earpiece: reading, next song, previous piece, voice assistant or no control.These parameters can also be chosen for the left earpiece and for the right earpiece.You can for example decide to keep the reading in double support on the left, but to use this same gesture to go to the next title on the right.For long support, unfortunately, you will only have the choice of noise reduction and nothing at all.Also a shame that Honor does not plan that we can modify the sound volume directly on his headphones: you will necessarily have to go through the volume keys of your phone.

Note, however, a small delay in ignition when you make a gesture on the earpiece: it is often almost a second so that the desired action does not occur.A rather long time, especially that it is often unknown if the gesture has been recorded - the headphones emitting no particular sound during tactile orders - and that they are often not recognized.One in three gestures is not detected by headphones and it's really a shame.

The Huawei Ai Life application

The AI Life application is the one that will allow you to best control the headphones.As we have just seen, it will in particular allow you to assign checks to each earpiece.This is also where you can update the Earbuds 2 Lite firmware, or you can control the battery level.The application also offers management of active noise reduction between three levels: noise reduction, none and perception.Nevertheless, these are the same levels as what we are going to have by pressing a listener with the touch controls at length.Finally, the last option offered by AI Life: intelligent device detection.In other words, once the option is activated, the music will automatically break up when you remove the headphones.A good way to save battery when you don't use them.

Be careful however, as is the case for several generations of headphones or helmets Honor and Huawei, the AI Life application of Google Play Store is not up to date.It will not allow you to control the earbuds 2 Lite.To do this, you will need to download the application to the Huawei application store, Appgallery.

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Bluetooth connection

For wireless connection, the headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2.During my test week, I only suffered from a slight loss of connection by going to run, my smartphone fixed to the right arm.Even with the phone in the front pocket of my jeans and my hand over it-generally a good test for the stability of headphones-the Earbuds 2 Lite d'Honor have kept their connection and continued to receive musicComing from my phone.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite manage to keep a stable Bluetooth connection // Source: Frandroid

Honor communicates on a reduced audio latency on his headphones.As often, it is mobile games that pose the most concern for headsets and wireless headphones, video platforms generally adapting to this latency by sending the video flow with a little delay.On a mobile game, the delay may be half a second.It's pretty long and it struggles to convince more than other wireless headphones.Do not count too much on the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite to hear your opponents perfectly arrive in mobile FPS, you will probably already be dead before hearing the steps of your enemies.

Finally, note that the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are not compatible with the Multipoint Bluetooth and therefore can only be connected to a single source at a time T.It is therefore impossible to use them at the same time on a smartphone and on a computer or tablet.

Honor Earbuds 2 Lite noise reduction

As we have seen, the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite benefit from an active noise reduction function.According to the manufacturer, this allows them to remove a volume up to 22 dB thanks to Feedfordward microphones integrated into headphones.

In fact, the headphones of Honor indeed offer a convincing noise reduction.Please note, there is no question here to measure them at the Sony WF-1000XM3 and WF-1000XM4 or even the Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds, they clearly do not play in the same category.But there is still a sufficient noise reduction to enjoy its music in public transport, in the street or in an open space without being excessively embarrassed by traffic noises, metro or its too talkative colleagues.It is indeed a reduction in ambient noise that is offered here, and not a pure and simple suppression.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite has an active noise // source reduction: Frandroid

Concretely, once the noise reduction has been activated, you will always hear the vehicles around you or your office neighbors chat with each other, but the sound level will be reduced enough for you to hear your music without having to raise the volume.It is well above all that we ask headphones with active noise reduction.

In addition to this ANC mode, headphones benefit from a perception mode.On the contrary, it will allow you to hear more what is happening around you by enjoying external microphones.However, do not expect crystalline sounds, it is quite clearly feeling that they come from microphones, but it will be enough to hear a message at the station for example.

Honor Earbuds 2 Liteaudio

For sound restitution, the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are equipped with dynamic transducers 10 mm in diameter.Headphones are also able to provide a frequency response of 20 to 20,000 Hz.Note, however, that they are only compatible with the two most classic Bluetooth audio codecs on the market, namely AAC and SBC.So do not count on it to take advantage of a transmission in Aptx or LDAC.

The loudspeaker of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite // Source: Frandroid

To test the audio quality of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite, I connected them in AAC with an Oppo Find X2 Pro, then I listened to titles on Spotify in "very high" quality, ie from the OGG Vorbis to 320 kbps.

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The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite offer overall a very warm sound, like the other brand's other, or Huawei headphones.We have a good highlighting of serious and low mediums.What produce a fairly energetic sound that has the advantage of not tiring the ear and pleased the greatest number.This does not mean that the sound is of excellent quality, far from it.If the bass is present, their quality can be a bit muddled.The same goes for the treble, already set back, but which clearly lack definition.We regret in particular a sibilance - the prolonged whistling of the sounds in "S" - too present.Finally, if the voices are well felt, there too we would have liked that more care was taken to the mediums which can quickly saturate at high volume.

If the sound signature of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite is therefore pleasant, we would have appreciated that the manufacturer is more careful the restitution of each frequency range.Unfortunately, it is often the batch of wireless headphones for this price range and as such, the earbuds 2 Lite remain in the average of what is done.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite offer a warm sound, but which lacks details // Source: Frandroid

Honor, however, compensates by a rather spaced sound scene which allows you to enjoy good audio spatialization even with classic stereo files - without having to launch titles in audio audio.The dynamic, however, is also quite average.Without offering a completely flat curve, the headphones are struggling to distinguish between sounds to be returned with a strong sound volume and those played more weakly.

Finally, note that the AI Life application does not allow you to modify the sound signature of the headphones of Honor.You will therefore necessarily have to go through the equalizer of your smartphone or your music application if you want to adjust the level of bass, mediums or treble.

Honor Earbuds 2 Litemicro

As for the quality of call and the microphones used by the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite to capture your voice, two microphones are used by Honor.

The microphone of the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite is at the end of the rod // Source: Frandroid

This results in a rather good quality when you are calm, but which - by dint of compression - can be much more random if you have noise around you.We will obviously hear the most punctual noises, such as the sound of a keyboard, but with a rise in compression which will become embarrassing for your interlocutor in the event of more constant sounds, like a trash truck or water thatflow.

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Note also that the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite are quite sensitive to wind noise in the microphones.

Honor Earbuds 2 Lite Autonomy

On the autonomy side, Honor indicates that the headphones themselves have 55 mAh battery, while the case benefits from a 410 mAh accumulator.According to the Chinese manufacturer, this would allow the earbuds 2 Lite to play music for 10 hours consecutive without reduction in active noise, and for 7:30 am with this activated functionality.Suffice to say that Honor's claims are high.

And yet, in practice, that's it.With the SBC codec, the noise reduction activated and an 80 %volume, I was able to use the headphones for just 8 hours before the two fall short of battery.The left earpiece turned off 40 minutes earlier, after 7:20 am.In any case, we can say that the promise of Honor is respected and that the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite offer among the best autonomy on the market.

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite recharged only with a USB-C // Source cable: Frandroid

For recharging, the manufacturer indicates that it is enough for an hour in their case to completely recharge the headphones.Again, Honor plays the modest since it was only 30 minutes to completely recharge the two headphones and that 15 minutes had already been enough to make them recover 80 % of autonomy.

Note, however, that the Honor Earbuds 2 Lite case can only recharge with a wireless with a USB-A cable to USB-C supplied, but without charger.The case therefore does not benefit from the wireless load.

Honor Earbuds 2 Liteprix and release date

The Honor Earbuds 2 Lite will be available from August 7.They will be offered only in white, at a price of 99.95 euros.

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