INTRODUCTION

   Even though TWS (true wireless stereo) headsets haven't reached very high popularity levels where i live (not yet anyways) sales numbers all over the globe tell another story and clearly place them right at the top. That being said I’ve always enjoyed listening to music while working out or on the road using public transportation so whenever i come across a TWS model I’d like to test i do my best to get a sample in the office/lab. Lenovo may not be the very first manufacturer to come in mind when talking about TWS models but their somewhat affordable HT10 True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds have not only won numerous awards from media all over the world (primarily India) but most buyers have only the best to say about them so last month i received a sample which I’ve been using ever since.

   Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$45 billion Fortune Global 500 company and a global technology leader in driving Intelligent Transformation through smart devices and infrastructure that create the best user experience. Lenovo manufactures one of the world’s widest portfolios of connected products, including smartphones (Motorola), tablets, PCs (ThinkPad, Yoga, Lenovo Legion) and workstations as well as AR/VR devices and smart home/office solutions. Lenovo’s data center solutions (ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile) are creating the capacity and computing power for the connections that are changing business and society. Lenovo works to inspire the difference in everyone and build a smarter future where everyone thrives.

   For the HT10 True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds (currently available in black and black & red colors) Lenovo has paired the tri-core QCC3020 programmable Bluetooth v5.0 Audio SoC by Qualcomm (features support for the aptX HD/AAC/SBC codecs, Kalimba DSP, cVc Noise Cancellation and the TWS and TWS Plus technologies) with two 6mm moving coil horn graphene coated drivers (for improved bass), dual noise-cancelling microphones and two 60mAh rechargeable lithium-ion batteries which can keep the earbuds going for up to 8 hours (10 hours for gaming). Not surprising the enclosures of both earbuds are IPX5 certified which means you can use them even while in the rain or while working out (water and sweat resistant, not to be submerged into water however - you need IPX7 for that). Lenovo also bundles a small storage box for the HT10 earbuds which also doubles as a recharging case and thanks to its 800mAh internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack it can provide almost 40 extra hours of use to the earbuds.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Lenovo ships the HT10 TWS earbuds inside a white box that has a product picture at the front right over the main features and beneath the company logo.

The specifications are printed at the rear of the box right over the serial numbers and barcodes.

Although the box is very small there are no packaging issues.

Along with the HT10 TWS Earbuds and their charging/storage case you're also getting two sets of silicone ear tips (three with the already mounted one), USB charging cable, warranty information paper and the user guide.

THE HT10

The silver plastic enclosure of the HT10 earbuds may not be the most compact we've seen to date but at just 4.5g in weight it's certainly among the lightest ones.

To give you all a better idea about their size we placed the HT10 right next to the BP81 by Silicon Power, E1026BT-I by 1MORE, Q29 by SoundPEATS, Bluetooth Earbuds by Sandberg and the X11 by Trelab.

At the front of both earbuds we see the main button (play/pause track, answer/end/reject call and voice assistant for both earbuds - next track/volume up for the right earbud and previous track/volume down for the left).

The activity LED ring is also located at the front (blue/white).

Each of the microphones is placed at the base of the earbuds as seen above.

Left and right markings are located at the rear of both earbuds just next to the three charging contacts.

Lenovo has placed a single 6mm moving coil horn graphene coated driver inside each earpiece.

The compact charging/storage case is rubber coated and weighs just 45g.

4 charging white LEDs are placed at the front of the case while at the rear we see the micro USB charging port.

Inside the case we also see left and right markings and three charging contacts on each side.

Obviously the moment you place both earbuds in the case they will start charging.

CONCLUSION

   After using/testing the HT10 True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds by Lenovo for almost 20 days i too have many good things to say about them. First and foremost, audio quality is far better than expected for a TWS model of its class with clear mids and highs (without distortion even at high volume levels) and quite rich bass levels (especially for the size of drivers used). Things are especially well when it comes to making/answering calls since the noise cancelling feature works quite well and i really can't complain about volume levels. The IPX5 certified enclosures also held their ground after several hours on the treadmill and having "terminated" quite a few wireless earbuds over the years on that treadmill it's now become part of my tests. As for battery life i sincerely doubt you will be able to hit 8 hours of continuous use (perhaps with the volume set at 50% that's possible). The best i was able to get was almost 7 hours (with the volume turned at roughly 80%), a number which is not really bad either, not for such lightweight earbuds. Unfortunately, there is room for improvement when it comes to the dual microphones since at times people on the other end couldn't hear me well regardless of the where i was at (even in a quiet room at night). Τhere's always the possibility that this was due to a network or bluetooth error and not the earbuds themselves but that possibility diminishes when it happens more than just once.

   Currently the Lenovo HT10 True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds are on flash sale for USD55.99/52.08Euros (Banggood.com) a price tag which is extremely balanced for what you're getting. As with most things in the market if you can climb further in price there are better choices out there such as the new Elite 75T models by Jabra or the new EHD9001TA model by 1MORE (reviews soon) but both cost at least 3 times as much as the HT10 so for people on tight budgets these are not really valid options. At the end of the day it all comes down to how much you're willing to spend on a pair of TWS earbuds and what your needs are but if you're looking for an affordable model with very good audio quality and equally good battery life the Lenovo HT10 is for you.

PROS

- Good Audio Quality / Amount of Bass
- Signal Strength
- IPX5 Certified
- Bluetooth V5.0
- Bundled Charging Case (Up To 48 Hours of Music Playback)
- Available In Black & Black/Red Colors

CONS

- Microphone Quality