Lenovo XT90 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Review

People always want a convenient pair of headphones to use during their daily commute, during their work hours, while exercising, or just to listen to music while relaxing after a long day. Nowadays, technology has advanced to a point where you don’t need to sacrifice commodities to obtain a high-fidelity sound quality. Lenovo’s XT90 is also proof that you also don’t need to spend too much money to get a decent audio experience. Built with the latest Bluetooth 5.0 chip in each earphone, you can be confident that the low latency and the independent functionality will make your life a bit easier when you pair them with any iOS or Android device. 

Overview

The package includes the charging case alongside the earbuds themselves, as well as the USB-C charging cable, some replaceable silicone pads in case the standard size doesn’t fit comfortably in your ear, and the user manual in English. It’s available in black and white, and the design is reminiscent of wired headphones from the same brand. The XT90 are direct in their proposal: you need to buy affordable, comfortable, true wireless earphones? Then you cannot miss the mark with these. They’re the ideal pick to use with your smartphone and play mobile games without missing any sound cue or epic music while still having an outstanding audio experience if you receive a phone call. These earphones are compatible with most devices that include Bluetooth and, once you go through the pairing process, you only need to take them out of their case, and they’re ready to use.

Certification and materials

While Lenovo’s XT90 are made out of ABS terpolymer, it’s also important to point out that these headphones have IP54 certification, which proves that these earphones are waterproof and dustproof. In theory, their design and materials protect the internal components from liquids, like sweat or rain, and small particles, which makes them the ideal companion to your workout sessions.

Battery life

At first glance, the small size of the XT90 might seem like it doesn’t have enough space to carry an efficient battery. But the charging case has a 300mAh capacity, and each earphone holds up to 35mAh. And, while on standby, they can last up to 300 hours without having to plug them into any electrical current. Compared to other Lenovo products, it does provide fewer working hours. If you want to listen to your favorite playlist, it only offers 3 hours of music playtime, depending on what volume you set. The average nowadays ranges between 4 and 5 hours, so this model, in particular, might not suit everyone. Still, you’ll be able to charge the earphones three times before depleting the charging case’s battery. It also comes with a Type-C connector, in case you already have a connecting cable with that type of entry, allowing fast charging to optimize your time.

Sound quality

Lenovo is well-known by now for delivering products with excellent sound quality without having to compromise their retail price. They achieve this thanks to their 13mm horn diameter that significantly reduces noise distortion compared to smaller diaphragms, with just a total harmonic distortion of 2%. Thanks to the high-elastic PU composite diaphragm in both earbuds, you will feel how the music’s vocals and instruments get enhanced, and experience surround 3D music. The ergonomic design also comes into play to improve sound quality since they fit nicely inside the ear canal. The silicone pads function as a passive noise cancellation barrier and a comfortable cushion for the horns. Unfortunately, the XT90 doesn’t include any other features to cancel noisy environments wholly and actively isolate the earphone’s sound. For music enthusiasts or people working in busy areas, this crucial missing technology might be more than enough to deter them from buying. Otherwise, any average customer will be more than satisfied with how good the music and voices sound while using these earbuds.

Microphone quality

Almost all headphones nowadays include a built-in microphone, and Lenovo’s XT90 also hops into that trend. Their HD calls are achieved thanks to Clear Voice Capture technology (CVC), which, as the name implies, isolates your voice and minimizes any noises from the background. Whenever you’re on a call, either through your phone or via any meeting software, the Bluetooth 5.0 chip reduces signal loss and disconnection caused by interferences in the 2.4GHZ frequency band. This also means that your transmission speed can reach up to 24Mbps, so you can be confident that you won’t have any communication issues originating from the earphones.

Touch controls

Following a similar trend with the rest of Lenovo’s products, the XT90 does not have buttons in their surface and, instead, rely on touch controls. For instance, to reject an incoming call, you just have to long-press for a second, while a single click will either answer or hang up the current conversation. If you’re listening to your favorite songs and you want to switch tracks, tapping three times in your left earphone will go to the previous music, while the right one will get you to the next piece.

They include an intelligent dual-processing chip that allows the left and right earphones to connect at the same time after the phone or tablet sends a signal, which results in a more stable and faster connection. If you want to use your voice assistant, you need to click any ear three times, and you can give voice commands with no problems. 

Final verdict

The most significant disadvantage for the XT90 is the battery life, which, compared to other headphones from the same manufacturer, don’t perform as much. Still, the reason behind this might be because of the 13mm large moving coil built inside the earbuds, which can demand more power consumption in the long term. Otherwise, each earphone is equipped with an internal ceramic antenna and two auxiliary chips to ensure a stable connection with your device, so in case you’re not bothered by its battery life, we feel like it’s still an affordable purchase. In the end, Lenovo’s XT90 are straightforward in their premise, and you would still get a high-quality product setting aside their retail price.