Buzz
If you're looking for wireless headphones with ANC, modern over-ear design, and packed with technologies like Bluetooth 5.2 supporting high-resolution LHDC codec, low latency, all for under 2 million dong, then Baseus Bowei H1i is perhaps the precise and deserving choice.
Right from the box, I was quite impressed; the box is sizable and neatly designed, with beautiful, clear colors. The way the box is made is very meticulous, showing clear images of the product's design. Below is a note that Baseus Bowie H1i is equipped with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a battery that lasts up to 100 hours.
From the front, it emphasizes the Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certifications as well as the LDHC codec, which is one of the differences compared to the previous Bowie H1 version. Thanks to this, the Baseus Bowie H1i promises to deliver a high-quality listening experience with very low latency. I'll describe more in the following section.
Returning to the product's focus, when you open the box, you'll find an instruction manual with a set of stickers, followed by a Type-C charging cable and a 3.5mm headphone jack cable for wired listening for more stable quality when needed.
And here's our main character, the Baseus Bowei H1i Over-Ear Wireless Headphones. Overall, the design doesn't differ much from its predecessor, Bowei H1. It still boasts a modern, compact design with a hint of resemblance to the iconic Apple AirPods Max.
The earcup part is sleek and soft. The outer shell of this earcup is made of transparent plastic, so it tends to attract fingerprints, so remember to take note. Perhaps we should opt for the white version to mitigate this drawback.
The headband frame is made of matte plastic, so it feels sturdy and appealing to hold. Underneath the headband and earcup are padded with rubber, providing a comfortable wearing experience, without causing heaviness or ear pain.
One thing I quite like about these headphones is that the extending frame for adjusting the ear size is reinforced with metal, ensuring device durability while adding a touch of sophistication.
Moreover, perhaps this is one of the rare headphones in the price range of under 1 million dong that features this part made of metal. Typically, other models on the market are made of plastic, so I highly appreciate Baseus's meticulous investment.
On the right side of the Baseus Bowie H1i are the volume up/down buttons and the power button with LED indicators for connection status and identifying whether the headphones are powered on or off. Moving down, there's the USB-C charging port and the 3.5mm jack. On the left side, there's only the ANC toggle button.
On the outer side of the earcup are the microphones for filtering and noise cancellation, which are meticulously finished with an attractive design. These microphones are also made of metal.
The overall design of the Baseus Bowie H1i headphones is good, with beautiful finishing and notably, there's no 'creaking' sound when handling or putting on the headphones, unlike some other models on the market.
With its lightweight and compact design, we can easily pack it into a backpack or handbag for school, work, or even travel. However, for extra care, investing in fabric or leather cases would be advisable.
In addition to the comfortable EQ customization, the app also provides 12 pre-tuned EQ modes for users who are not too familiar or professional to intervene deeply. Just choose the suitable mode according to your needs.
Furthermore, there's a Cinema Mode that allows us to enjoy immersive sound with wide and realistic soundstages from popular movies. Moreover, users can assign functions to the power button with gesture controls in this app. This advantage is truly worthwhile; typically, apps for headphones under 1 million dong often focus more on just having features rather than providing extensive customization.
A quick experience reveals that, first of all, in terms of wearing comfort, the Baseus Bowei H1i provides a comfortable, light, and pleasant feeling without any sensation of pressure, ear heaviness, or head heaviness even during long listening sessions.
I've had some friends try these on, most of them with different head sizes, and they all reported a comfortable fit. However, since these are snug-fitting headphones, if used in a humid or hot environment, you might feel a bit suffocated or even have sweat sticking to your ears.
Regarding noise cancellation, I feel like this one is just adequate. In public places like cafes or parks, you can still perceive some ambient noise. Essentially, it primarily aims to minimize external noise.
But anyhow, I hardly think we'd often take our headphones to cafes or outings unless there's a need for work or some quiet reading time, which this headphone fulfills quite well. Also, despite being comfortable and lightweight, prolonged wear might still cause ear fatigue due to the snug fit. So, keep this in mind if you have a habit of long listening sessions.
As for sound quality, similar to other tech-savvy headphones, the Baseus Bowei H1i reproduces sound in a balanced manner, decent across all three ranges of treble, mid, and bass, although it tends to lean towards bass with not very deep and somewhat 'flat' bass sound.
The headphone's soundstage reproduction is quite wide, with a certain degree of openness and spatiality, especially noticeable when watching movies. Explosions or wind tearing sounds are accurately and vividly portrayed from different positions and directions. Vocal sound quality is also well expressed with clear separation, although when tested with some acoustic tracks, the sound comes off somewhat high but not quite enough, feeling somewhat lacking, stiff, or constrained.
I also tried making calls, and the call quality is quite good. I purposely sat in a noisy cafe, and despite the background noise, I could clearly hear the other person's voice, which sounded warm and genuine, and they could hear me clearly too, even the rustling sound on my end was audible.
Basically, the sound quality from this headphone feels entirely good for a price under 1 million dong. Moreover, we also have Hi-Res Audio certification, Bluetooth 5.2 with LHDC codec, so the latency when watching YouTube, Netflix, or other platforms is hardly noticeable.
The battery life as advertised on the box is 70 hours of music playback (with ANC on and volume at 70%). After a quick 2-hour listening session, the battery remains at 100%. I'll provide a detailed battery review in the upcoming review. Basically, for those who listen to music for 1-2 hours a day like me, this headphone completely meets the requirements.
Overall, with a price tag under 1 million dong, users can own a tech-savvy headphone with a contemporary design, without any 'cheap' details, suitable for confidently wearing to work or outings, regardless of gender.
Moreover, the sound reproduction is good, well-rounded in all tasks from listening to music, watching movies to making calls, if considered from a basic user's perspective. However, for an audiophile, perhaps more demands such as sharper treble, deeper bass would make it even better.
The unfortunate thing about this Baseus Bowie H1i version is the removal of the Transparency Mode feature, which allows us to listen to the surrounding environment without removing the headphones. If Baseus had retained it as in the Bowie H1 version, perhaps this headphone would have been even more perfect.
Some other real-life images of Baseus Bowie H1i:
