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The tech industry has an identity problem. When a company hits on a product that becomes so successful, every other tech company rushes to mimic it. Thankfully, there's ANC here, and it is effective with sounds of up to 25dB. It does a decent job tuning out the hum of an air conditioner or traffic noises, but it isn't quite as powerful as what you'll find on most wireless earbuds these days. The earbuds can also glow in sync with the rhythm of the song being played over them, with four modes for users to choose from – Ripple, Pulse, Bright, and Breath. A demonstration of how the customizable light works. Credit: TechNode/Li Yang
I was obviously intrigued when asked to take a look at the GPods, so here's what you need to know about these unique wireless earbuds. As for the hardware on offer, the GPods pair over Bluetooth 5.2, and I had these connected to the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the Pixel 7a, and didn't have any issues with connectivity. You get just the basic SBC and AAC codecs here — there's no AptX or LHDC. The beats (rhythmic modes) are very smooth. We talked about this in our latest update. The light on the earbuds moves in a well-defined wavy way depending on which music you are listening to. If I set the volume mid-way or lower, I could have a full conversation with someone without pausing my content. Touch controls and IPX4 rated The body design of the earbuds looks plain, but when you turn it on, its eye-catching light effects set it apart from other true wireless stereos (TWS).
A special point lies in its presentation of the human voice, which feels especially close to our ears. HHOGene GPods and its pairing app. Credit: TechNode/Ward Zhou The potential of the earbuds’ sound quality is limited by its audio codec. It’s particularly telling when connecting to an Android device, as most of them have aptX codec, delivering higher-quality sound than the AAC codec, which GPods use. iPhone users don’t have such concerns as the devices only support AAC. Noise cancellation and other specs Initially, I was skeptical that the price was inflated due to its unique light-up design. Those worries melted away the moment I began to use them.
The rest of the design isn't quite as exciting, with the GPods featuring a plastic inner shell with the sound nozzle extending at an angle. The fit that you get with these is similar to that of the Nothing Ear (2), and while there's nothing wrong with the build quality, the glossy finish makes these feel more like budget wireless earbuds.One can adjust brightness. However, the maximum brightness is still not enough, meaning the effect can be lost in bright daylight. In-ear experience To make the earbuds even more customizable, the company offers snap-on shells Image: Steve Smith / KnowTechie The earbuds also offer controls on the handles. One can set different functions, such as skipping songs, pausing play, and answering phone calls, for gestures including single, double, or triple taps, and long presses for each side separately. Clear sound with unique tone During my testing, these numbers proved accurate. With a combination of ANC on and off, I got about four hours and 15 minutes before I had to charge them. Undoubtedly, the HHOGene GPods offer us a very original and attractive headphones. If we are looking for something different, and we are passionate about RGB LED lighting, this is definitely your product. Where to buy
The lights are fully adjustable within the app. You even have the ability to create a custom color profile from a photo. Innovative, personalized snap-ons hold GPods in place. The result is a visible, personalized display that in no way interferes with the sound quality of the speaker. Customize your GPods shell, show your personality. The bundled colors are a lot of fun to explore, and you can easily switch between themes. But if you want to set up your own pattern, you'll want to turn to the color palette — there are six distinct LEDs on each stalk, and you can change the individual color of each LED. The HHOGene GPods offer great sound quality, and their customizable design helps them stand out in a sea of bland-looking earbuds. I wish they were IPX5 for better protection, but IPX4 should be enough to take them out in the rain without worrying about ruining them. Battery life Image: Steve Smith / KnowTechieYou can also enable transparency mode if you want to hear the world around you. This allows ambient noise to come in, keeping you in tune with your surroundings. Open your mobile device, tap settings > bluetooth and then connect earbuds and mobile services. Launch the HHOGene GPods app and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the connection.
Given that the GPods are marketed as the world's first earbuds with RGB lighting, I figured that would be as good a place to start as any. The lighting extends across the stalk, and it is vibrant and highly customizable — these earbuds are sure to turn heads when you're out in public. HHOGene says these earbuds display over 300,000 color combinations in addition to four lighting modes: ripple, pulse, bright, and breath.Selecting the Light tab lets you change the brightness level, turn the lights on or off, and adjust its lighting modes. The GPods light effect is better now than in our last samples. The light is brighter and eye-catching than the one we had before. I am terrible at shooting, but you can refer to the video in this blog. We still need to modify the light, but the progress is encouraging.
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