When it comes to the Huami brand, you can think of many products such as smart bracelets and smartwatches. With the in-depth cooperation with Xiaomi, Huami has made great progress in the field of smart wearables. But in addition to smart bracelet products, Huami also launched a true wireless Bluetooth sports headset – Amazfit PowerBuds. The headset is currently priced at 699 yuan ($99) and supports heart rate detection. Though the charging box has limited space, the company has added a pair of magnetic detachable ear hooks. So this headset is worth buying, let’s take a look.
Appearance: small size and light weight
The Amazfit PowerBuds is an in-ear Bluetooth headset. Its charging case is about the size of Apple’s AirPods Pro, but thicker than AirPods Pro. It feels good to hold in your hand, thanks to a layer of matte coating on the outside of the box. So the overall scratch resistance and anti-fingerprint capabilities have also been enhanced.
The Amazfit PowerBuds charging box uses Type-C interface. There is an LED indicator on the surface. Through different colors and flashing ways, it notifies the user about pairing, battery state and other information. The overall weight of Amazfit PowerBuds is not light. In addition to a battery that supports 24-hour battery life, two magnetic ear hooks are hidden in the cover.
When reviewing wireless earphones, it is a big concern of falling off from the ears. Generally speaking, the stability of the in-ear Bluetooth headset is not as high as that of the semi-in-ear headset. If you add an earhook to the wireless headset, it will greatly reduce the shedding phenomenon of the headset in motion. However, most of the in-ear wireless earphones on the market basically have no earhook. For earphones with earhook structure, the volume of the charging box will become very large, which is not so convenient to carry.
The Amazfit PowerBuds has made a very clever design – it separates the earhook and the headphone body, and assembles it by magnetic attraction when using it. After removing the earhook, it can be stored inside the lid of the charging case. This solves the problem of excessive volume. Users can choose how to wear it. So it takes into account both sports and daily use scenarios.
Functionality: Heart rate detection and noise reduction
The Amazfit PowerBuds earphones are available in three colors, refreshing white, dark black, and racing yellow. What we get is dark black. At the same time, this earphone also supports IP55 dustproof and waterproof, which can effectively prevent the erosion of the earphone by sweat during exercise. On the surface of the headset, there is a gradient red dot matrix. The dot matrix surface supports gesture operations. By default, tapping the surface twice switches the “ambient sound monitoring” mode.
Here we need to talk about Amazfit PowerBuds’ “Ambient Sound Monitor” mode, which is actually the “noise reduction” function in general. When the “ambient sound monitoring” is turned off, the headphones can actively shield a part of low-frequency noise. The company did not say “ambient sound monitoring” as a “noise reduction” function, but it does filter out some low-frequency noise when the surrounding environment is noisy. In actual use, the effect is not bad.
After connecting with the Amazfit software, you can open the “beat enhancement” function and “sport heart rate broadcast” function. Beat Enhancement can automatically enhance the bass effect of music, allowing users to hear the music beat more clearly. When doing aerobic exercise, if you can synchronize the action rhythm or cadence with the music beat, this can greatly enhance the exercise efficiency. The “sports heart rate broadcast” function is another key feature of Amazfit PowerBuds.
Heart rate is an important indicator of exercise. The Amazfit PowerBuds is equipped with a PPG heart rate sensor. In sports mode, it can detect the user’s heart rate. Combined with the “sports heart rate broadcast” function, it allows users to understand their own heart rate without looking at the phone screen, thereby adjusting the movement state. Since it is the epidemic period, there is no way to actually test these two functions. But we have to say that “heart rate detection” and “rhythm enhancement” will undoubtedly bring a good experience to fitness enthusiasts.
Sound quality: the overall sound performance is generally good
As a headphone product that focuses on “sports scenes”, the sound quality will naturally not be the first. After all, when we run, it is difficult to focus on “appreciating music”. But we have to say that the sound quality of Amazfit PowerBuds is acceptable, especially the bass performance, which surprised us a bit.
Testing sound quality is often more subjective. So here we will simply share our views on this headset. The Amazfit PowerBuds is equipped with a high-sensitivity rubidium magnet and a composite diaphragm unit. The overall sound performance is as follows: the bass performance is good, but the treble is not clear enough, and the details need to be strengthened. After turning off the “ambient sound monitoring”, the overall sound quality has been improved.
Conclusion
The battery capacity of Amazfit PowerBuds is 55mAh, while the battery capacity of the charging box is 450 mAh. The company says that after the headset is fully charged, it has 8 hours of battery life. At the same time, with the charging box, it can provide another 16 hours of battery life. The comprehensive battery life can reach 24 hours.
Finally, in combination with the selling price of 699 yuan, compared with the commercially available true wireless Bluetooth headsets with “active noise reduction” function, the cost performance is still very high. In the relatively small size, the removable earhook design is added. Although the manufacturer does not advertise that this headset supports the “noise reduction” function, it can indeed achieve a partial effect of reducing environmental noise. In general, for the users who regularly exercise and do fitness, Huami Amazfit PowerBuds may be a product with a better comprehensive experience now.