Affordable perfect starter TWS earbuds for those looking for a gift
Only ten days left before Christmas and we’ve been looking day and night to purchase gifts for our friends and family members, including our nieces and nephews, and cousins. Luckily, we have a suggestion. So we stumbled across the Lenovo LP40 on Shopee. Its surprisingly affordable price is already enticing, but what caught my attention here is the Lenovo branding, so my trust is full here.
How does it perform though? For Lenovo-branded TWS earbuds, it should sound decent.
These ear pods are meant to be sold in China only, according to the box they came with but a legitimate seller authorized by Lenovo has brought it here in the Philippines. They come in a variety of colours including white which almost mimics that of Apple’s Airpods. The one we bought is the black one, for no particular reason at all.
By the way, these ear pods connect using Bluetooth 5.0 and they connect really fast with my Android phone. I have not tested it yet on an iOS device so if you’re using an iPhone, I recommend testing it out yourself. However, in my experience, the connection is really easy and nearly instantaneous, as I would expect from Bluetooth 5.0 earphones.
UNBOXING:
The box it came with is pretty simple. As these don’t have silicone buds, the only things it came with are a manual, a USB-C cable, and of course, the earbuds itself along with its charging case.
The charging case does not hold on its own and will often fall down due to its curved design. Also, the construction feels really cheap. If Lenovo actually made these, they’re hitting themselves on the foot. But I digress, they are sold really cheap so I don’t think Lenovo prioritizes quality materials for these.
BATTERY LIFE:
Lenovo opted to use a USB-C port for this one which is advantageous considering most will probably opt for an outdated MicroUSB port instead at this price range. Lenovo provided a short USB-C cable to charge this one with.
In terms of battery life, these ear pods lasted five hours upon normal usage. For Php 400, I’d say this is pretty okay. Nothing too great here, but also I honestly expected worse. They probably won’t die out when you’re on and about on a long family trip.
The box said that each earbud has a 35mAh battery while the charging case has 230mAh. The case will light green to indicate that the buds, while inside, are charging. It charges the buds really fast and with only 35mAh each, that’s to be expected.
CONTROLS:
The Lenovo Live Pods LP40 has two gesture controls on the bottom of each bud. The lags are located on the lower portion, where your hands are supposed to be touching so that you can adjust them properly. Because of that, I often touch it, and then the music I play suddenly skips to the next, pauses, and plays unintentionally. It’s also inconsistently sensitive. I recommend caution before adjusting it comfortably to your ears.
The earbuds connect almost instantaneously and you only need a one-time setup for it to work. If it’s paired with your device already and you wear the earbuds, they will instantly connect without the need for you to reconnect them. Also, each earbud can be turned off separately so if you only need to use one, it’s entirely possible. Though, I don’t recommend that you put that one inactive earbud inside the charging case as there may be a possibility that they will turn themselves off.
COMFORTABILITY:
This is just a personal opinion but I prefer my earbuds to have silicone buds in them because they are more comfortable for me to use, and you can experience all music and sound coming right from the player throughout. The Lenovo LivePods LP40 is uncomfortable for me to use and I feel like every second one of the earbuds might fall off. However, to my surprise, these buds hold on pretty nicely and they hold tight.
The listing on Shopee, where I bought it from, stated an IPX5 rating but I couldn’t find that info on the box and in the manual, so I’m setting that feature aside.
SOUND QUALITY:
These earphones sound really cheap to me. It feels too “deep” as if the sound came from the depths of the abyss. However, it is loud and somewhat immersive for its price. So if you’re not really that observant to how it feels, or you got used to cheap wired earphones, these will definitely sound mind-blowing to you.
Don’t expect any form of noise cancellation or bass boost. Lenovo did not provide customization for these. Nor did they ever advertise that. These are as basic as you can get.
CALL/RECORDING QUALITY:
The manual mentioned that these earphones will turn themselves off after reaching a distance of more than 10 meters. However, upon testing, the earphones will start to distort at around 6-7 meters and then cut themselves off around 8 meters. The range is too short for my liking
The call quality is also not good. It’s distorted and shallow, even for cheap buds like these. So while you may hear the other end, you might not comprehend it well.
SUMMARY:
The Lenovo LivePods LP40 is as basic as you can get. Very cheap and very good for starters. However, do not expect superb quality and audio enhancements, as Lenovo did not provide any app to customize it for the better. It also has sensitive controls, distorted call quality, and a mediocre music experience. If you could not afford better earphones, then these are good to go. However, if you can, please do so. Not only will you get a better sound experience but you may also be able to customize the gesture controls the way you want them.
Are they good Christmas gifts? Yes, definitely. Thanks to the Lenovo branding and due to them being wireless earphones, they will definitely see the value in it while also saving you a lot of money in buying more expensive earbuds. So go ahead and put this on your next Christmas wishlist.
PROS:
- Thanks to the 13mm dynamic driver, these earbuds are loud
- Instantly connects when paired. It also reconnects automatically
- USB-C charging
- Very affordable pricing. Perfect as a gift
- Decent battery life for both the case and buds
CONS:
- Cheap and flimsy construction
- Very short range, shorter than the advertised 10m range
- Terrible call quality
- Sensitive controls that cannot be customized
- Shallow sound with little to no bass, mids, or highs.
WHERE TO PURCHASE:
These earbuds, as I mentioned, are purchasable through Shopee. We bought it for Php 400 but the price may have fluctuated since then. Click on the blue link and it will redirect you there. If you prefer Lazada, then you can go to this link.
Take note that we may earn a commission for every purchase from the links given above.
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