UGREEN HiTune TWS Headphones Review

Truly wireless headphones (often called TWS headphones) have become increasingly popular with a few companies creating models of widely varying quality and success.

Gadget maker UGREEN has entered the market with the UGREEN HiTune, a set of TWS headphones that boast a 9-hour runtime, Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX support for an affordable price. Are they any good? Keep reading to find out.

UGREEN HiTune Specifications and Features

Bluetooth Version:Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth Protocol:HSP, HFP, AVRCP, A2DP
Bluetooth Range:10M / 33ft
Audio Codec:Qualcomm aptX, AAC, SBC
Frequency Response:20Hz-20,000 Hz
Speaker Impedance:32Ω ± 15%
Speaker Sensitivity:105 ± 3dB at 1KHz
Microphone Sensitivity:8dB
Earbuds Capacity:2*60mAh
Charging Case Capacity:300mAh 3.7V (1.11Wh)

Some of the UGREEN HiTune’s best features include:

  • Completely wireless headphones – no wires to get tangled anywhere
  • A 9-hour runtime on a single charge for all-day listening
  • Can be used in either stereo or mono modes for ultimate flexibility
View Full Specifications
UGREEN HiTune Deal

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UGREEN HiTune Video Review

What’s in the Box?

Inside the box, you get:

  • HiTunes TWS Earphones
  • USB-C Charging Case
  • USB-C Charging Cable
  • 3x Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L)
  • User Manual

UGREEN HiTune Review: Design & Features

The first impression of the UGREEN HiTune truly wireless earphones is positive, with a solid feeling case with a strong magnetic grip. The magnets keep the lid shut – even with my aggressive shaking. You can rest knowing that that your headphones will be where you left them – even if the case is rattling around inside your bag.

The charging case is bulkier compared to other TWS headphones such as the Haylou GT1. I wouldn’t say that it’s uncomfortable, but I did notice the extra bulk in my front pockets.

Charging the case is handled via the USB-C port on the back which is great to see as USB Type-C offers a much nicer experience.

There’s a nice 3 LED power indicator on the front of the unit. It turns on automatically when lid is opened showing you the case’s remaining charge. The other two LEDs will also light up to tell you which earphones are charging – a nice touch.

The earbuds are held in place with the same strong connection as the case. They automatically align and snap into place to start charging automatically. That said, I occasionally had the earphones attach the lid’s magnet, so I had to make sure I guided the earphones into their slot.

The earbuds themselves offer a comfortable, moulded design. Their matte plastic body, subtle gloss trim and minimal branding make for a stylish look.

It’s good to see multiple ear tips are included inside the package to get a good fit. I found that the pre-installed ones felt right in my ears, so I didn’t need to swap out to any others. The overall fit was good too, with the headphones sitting securely in my ears. They didn’t move when running or shaking my head. Coupled with being IPX5 sweatproof and waterproof, this makes the HiTune TWS headphones an excellent gym partner (COVID-permitting).

UGREEN HiTune TWS Earphones Fit

UGREEN HiTune Review: Setup & Usage

Pairing the HiTunes earphones with my Samsung Galaxy S10 was simple – just like pairing any other Bluetooth headphones. I didn’t need to worry about pairing the left and right earphones to each other as they’re automatically paired out of the box.

Inserting into earphones into the case disconnects them from your phone and taking them out reconnects them – all automatically. It only takes a second to be listening to music again.

For those that only want to use a single earbud, you can use the left and right units in mono mode – perfect if you need to keep an ear free. I was impressed that you can use either the left or right earbud, with the right unit able to be paired separately. This is different to most TWS headphones which only support using the “main” headset in mono mode (if at all).

Hidden on earbud are a set of touch-based controls. The button is nicely indented making it easy to know exactly where to tap which was a complaint I had when I reviewed the Haylou GT1.

There’re a few functions available:

  • Tap: Play/Pause or Answer/End a Call
    • Double Tap: Next Track
    • Triple Tap: Previous Track
    • Hold for 2 Seconds: Reject Call/Activate virtual assistant

The touch-sensitive controls work well but I did accidentally pause my music a few times when adjusting the earbuds but this was the exception rather than the rule.

My biggest criticism is probably the fact that UGREEN opted to use tones instead of spoken prompts on the headphones. This meant that sometimes I wasn’t sure if I’d turned off the headphones or put them in pairing mode. This ambiguity is frustrating and voice prompts would have offered a better user experience.

Being a Bluetooth connection, your experience is only as good as the connection itself and I’m happy to say that the HiTune’s connection seems stable. I didn’t have any dropouts or issues. Whilst UGREEN quote a range of 10m between your phone and the headphones, I was able to get to around 13m with 2-3 walls between before hearing the music break up. This was great as I could leave my phone on my desk and move around the house without any issues.

UGREEN HiTune Review: Battery Life

The battery lift is often where TWS headphones suffer, as their small form-factors translates to small batteries and poor battery life. However, battery life has been excellent.

Despite multi-hour listening sessions, I get approximately 9 hours (more when using lower volumes) which is plenty for a full day of listening. Of course, you can use the charging case for top-ups during the day which UGREEN says you can get to a total of 27 hours which is a solid figure.

The earbuds charge quickly too, with 15 minutes of charging adding around 2 hours of listening time. The case itself can be charged in around 2 hours. Just be aware that if you’re wanting to have mammoth listening sessions, these are not the headphones for you as you’ll need to take breaks to top up the earphones charge. You’re far better off opting for a good set of wired headphones to avoid the limitations of batteries.

UGREEN HiTune Review: Sound Quality

Playback

A pair of headphones are only as good as their sound quality. I’m a metalhead which often proves to be one of the harder genres for headphones to handle. An over-emphasis in highs means the music becomes shrill and painful to listen to. Too much bass and your vocals and instruments get drowned out.

Thankfully, the HiTunes sound great, offering balanced audio – I really appreciated the well-defined mids and highs which allows detailed tracks to shine. Bass-lovers may find bass lacking but I prefer the more balanced approach as it lends the headphones to a wider variety of uses. That’s not to say bass is non-existent with there being plenty of lows when listening to heavier tracks or movie trailers.

Just be aware that as these are earbuds, sound quality is dependent on getting a good fit and seal so make sure that you select the right sized earbud and ensure that the earbuds are securely in your ear. Otherwise, you’ll lose lows and music will tend to sound harsh (as with all in-ear headphones).

Most tracks I listened to showed good vocal separation and acoustic tracks showed excellent detail:

  • King 810 – Devil Don’t Cry: I tested my 24-bit lossless track for this one. There was excellent clarity and instrument separation making it easy to hear texture in the singer’s voice.
  • Hotel California – The Eagles: Subtle notes were crystal clear resulting in a sound super clean. Instrument separation is excellent.
  • Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen:  Piano sounds great whilst harmonies were clear.
  • Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes: Clean bass lines, with a satisfying punch
  • Insomnium – Mortal Share:  This track has a muddy mix that makes it difficult to hear the lyrics on bass-heavy headphones but the HiTunes did a decent job.

I also watched a few movie trailers and the HiTune earphones coped well extra bass that trailers typically use for dramatic effect.

Microphone

The included microphone can be used for hands-free calling and seemed to do a good job. In quiet environments, the other party couldn’t tell I was using headphones. In noisier surrounds, I was still able to be heard clearly but the other party mentioned that they could hear the background noise as well.

Verdict: Should You Buy the UGREEN HiTune TWS Earphones?

I was genuinely impressed by the UGREEN HiTune truly wireless headphones. Whilst I wasn’t a fan of the beeping audio cues, the sound quality and battery life make this a solid addition to my audio collection. I loved the more balanced sound, though bass-heads may find the lows lacking the punch of some units.

For under $50, the UGREEN HiTune earbuds are excellent value and definitely worth picking up if you’re wanting a pair of TWS headphones.

I’d recommend the UGREEN HiTune TWS Earphones if you’re looking for the following features:

  • Balanced sound signature
  • Long battery life
  • Budget-friendly price tag

To find out more about UGREEN HiTune TWS Earphones and its capabilities, click here.

UGREEN HiTune Deal

Get almost 42% off the UGREEN HiTune

Use our exclusive coupon “HTHITUNE” plus the $15 off Amazon coupon on the product page to save get almost 42% off the HiTune’s price – making it a real bargain

UGREEN HiTune TWS Earphones
For under $50, the UGREEN HiTune earbuds are excellent value and definitely worth picking up if you’re wanting a pair of TWS headphones.
Design
8
Features
8
Performance
9
Usability
8
Value
9
Pros
Excellent balanced audio quality
Good battery life for TWS headphones
Can be used in either Stereo or Mono modes
Cons
Charging case is a little bulky
Hard to get a precise read on the charging case’s battery
Beeps instead of voice prompts for notifications is ambiguous
8.4

Michael

Michael is a technology expert with over 15 years of experience in IT, Home Theatre and Automation. Feel free to send Michael a message here.

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