Good sound, IPX5 and aptX for only 22$! The Haylou GT1 Plus is a worthy upgrade of the standard GT1, but they’re still not perfect in my opinion. Let’s have a closer look at them, do a latency test, microphone test and more.
Review continues under the video.
In the video review we go through all content of the box, we have a close look at the case and the earphones, we show how media controls work, test the microphone and the latency in games. We also try them on. Check it out!
Get one here
Aliexpress – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusAliexpress
Banggood – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusBanggood
Gearbest – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusGearbest
Haylou GT1 Plus Review
So you may already know about the GT1 and GT1 Pro, but what about the GT1 Plus?
That’s what we have here today, so let’s have a closer look!
In the box
The box is the same as the other models, so there’s really nothing special to see here, except for the aptX mark in the lower left corner. Since these earphones have aptX, the sound quality, latency and battery life should be better than the other models.
Inside the box we have the case, a manual, and the accessories.
For charging we get the typical Micro USB cable, so again for some reason, we don’t get USB type C.
The rubber buds are the same type as we have seen before. They’re cone-shaped, soft and come in three different sizes. These are comfortable and they do a good job blocking the surrounding sound.
We also get an English user manual that describes everything very well.
The Case
The case itself looks nice and is pretty much identical to the other GT1 case. The main difference from the GT1 is that it’s got a slightly larger battery. This one has 310 mAh while the GT1 has 300 mAh. For comparison, the GT1 Pro has 800 mAh, so the Plus has less than half the capacity of the Pro, but almost the same as the standard GT1. Sadly there’s no battery indicator on the Plus-model.
In the pictures above, i have the Haylou GT1 case in my right hand, and in the left hand is the case for the Haylou T15.
I do like this black colour, as it’s not very glossy, and I guess we can say it’s a semi-matte finish.
The Earphones
The earphones look just like the GT1 and GT1 pro, with the same rounded boxy design. It’s not really my favourite design, but they sit well in the ears, and are comfortable to wear, so it’s just a matter of personal taste.
They are quite small, and weigh only 3.9 grams each, so you’ll hardly notice them in the ears.
They’re also of the longer type so they do go deeper into the ears, compared to for example the Haylou T15 – Click here to watch Haylou T15 video.
The rubber buds are easy to take off and put back on, so changing to a different size is very easy. Please do try the different sizes, as the sound quality will change a lot depending on the fit in your ears.
Even though these earphones are shaped like rounded boxes, they do sit very well in the ears. Mostly because they go quite deep into the ear canal, but they also rest a bit inside the ears cavity. They haven’t fallen out while using them, and I think they could be good for jogging as well. If you get very sweaty in the ears, they may move a bit, but It’s not really a problem.
The earphones battery is said to last about 5 hours, but in my tests at about 80% volume, I got around 4.5 hours. Charging the earphones from empty to full takes about 1.5 hours.
The case is said to give us up to 12 hours of extra battery, which isn’t a lot…
Pairing and connection
To pair them with the phone, all we need to do is take both of them out of the case, and click Haylou GT1 Plus on the phone. If you wish, these can also be used in single mode, and they have master-slave switch. So you can choose which one is the master.
We can of course also see the remaining battery on the phone.
Since they have Bluetooth 5 and the Qualcom aptX chip I haven’t had a single drop in the connection, so it has been perfectly stable during my test period.
The touch area is responsive and reacts quickly, so it works very well. It’s also placed in the middle of the front, so I’ve had no problems with accidental touches.
Latency in games and video
Regarding latency in videos the aptX chip is doing a very good job. There’s almost no lag, which makes it very good for apps like Youtube, netflix and so on.
But when it comes to gameplay, the latency is noticeable. I played a few hours of PUBG, and it is playable, but there’s a bit too much delay in my opinion. If you want earphones for games, I recommend getting some with Gaming Mode.
Check out the video for latency tests – https://youtu.be/7NvKtHtDuhg
Microphone for calls
There are of course also microphones on these earphones, and the quality is quite good. I find the sound to be clear and I don’t have to talk very loud for it to pick up the voice. There’s also DSP and CVC for noise reduction.. Here’s a sample I recorded, so you can judge for yourself. Not bad at all, was it? But if you’re in areas with more background noise, they only perform average. Still usable, but nothing special.
Check out the video for Microphone tests – https://youtu.be/7NvKtHtDuhg
Music controls
The front of the earphone is touch sensitive, and we have the usual Haylou commands here.
So to play or pause we tap once.
Tap twice on the right one to skip to the next song.
Tap twice on the left one to go back or the previous song.
Tap three times to open the assistant.
Sound Quality
The Sound quality is well balanced from top to bottom, so let’s start at the top.
The highs are nicely balanced, and have good details, without sounding harsh or creating any form of discomfort at louder volumes. I do feel that there is something lacking in the high range though, but it still sounds nice, so it’s not a dealbreaker.
The mids do a good job separating vocals, so both male and female voices sound nice and present. It also does a good job separating instruments.
When it comes to the bass, they have less than the standard GT1. They still have a nice punchy bass, with a bit of rumble, but they’re not the best in the class. There are many other earphones out there with better bass. The Haylou T15 for example, are much better for bass heavy music, and like I said, even the standard GT1s have more.
Although they have a nicely balanced sound, the missing portion of the highs and lows makes them feel less spacious than they could be. They don’t sound muffled in any way, but in my opinion they’re a little bit lacking in space. Overall the sound is very nice. It’s got a good and comfortable balance from high to low, and they do a good job separating vocals and different instruments.
Compared to the standard GT1, I can shortly say that the Plus have a wider and better balanced sound, but they do have less bass. The standard GT1 goes deeper and has a better rumble. The volume on the standard also goes higher than the Plus.
Overall a very nice set of earphones from Haylou. It’s not for audiophiles, but they sound quite good and well balanced. For the price it’s a very good deal!
Get one here:
Aliexpress – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusAliexpress
Banggood – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusBanggood
Gearbest – https://bit.ly/HaylouGT1PlusGearbest
