- Very comfortable
- Great sound quality
- Long battery life
- Stylish design
- No wireless charging
- Call quality could be better
The Baseus Inspire XC1 delivers one of the most convincing open-ear experiences at its price. It’s lightweight, comfortable, surprisingly good-sounding with Bose-tuned audio, and packed with premium features. It won’t replace in-ear ANC buds, but for open-ear fans, it’s an easy recommendation.
I didn’t expect to like the Baseus Inspire XC1 as much as I do.
Baseus has always been one of those brands I respect for value, not for audio excellence. Cables, chargers, accessories — sure. But open-ear earbuds with “Sound by Bose” stamped on the box? That raised my eyebrows. Big claim, especially in a category where sound quality is usually the compromise you accept for comfort.
After using the Inspire XC1 for a few weeks — daily walks, gym sessions, office work, calls, and way too many hours of background music — I can safely say this: these are not just okay open-ear earbuds. They’re genuinely good.
Baseus Inspire XC1 – Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Driver Unit | 10.8 mm dynamic |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 40 kHz |
| Audio Codec | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 6.1 |
| Multipoint | Yes |
| Low Latency | 60 ms |
| Earbud Capacity | 48 mAh / 0.185 Wh |
| Charging Case | 600 mAh / 2.22 Wh |
| Playback Time | Approx. 8 hours |
| Playback with Case | Approx. 40 hours |
| Water Resistance | IP66 |
| Materials | ABS + PC, Silicone cushions |
| Weight | Approx. 54.7 g |
A quick look at what you get
The unboxing experience is simple and clean. Inside the box, you get the XC1 earbuds in their charging case, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and the usual paperwork.
Wireless charging isn’t supported, which I would’ve liked to see, but it’s also something many open-ear earbuds still skip.
Comfort is the main reason these exist
Open-ear earbuds live and die by comfort, and this is where the Inspire XC1 really shines.
Baseus went with a clip-on design that sits around your ear instead of inside it. In real life, that means zero pressure in your ear canal and no “plugged” feeling. Once they’re on, you almost forget you’re wearing them. I’ve had days where I kept them on for hours without any discomfort.
The charging case is compact and easy to carry around. It’s made of plastic, but not the cheap, hollow kind. The matte finish feels nice in the hand and doesn’t attract fingerprints too easily. The lid opens smoothly, magnets are strong, and the earbuds lock into place securely. It’s one of those cases you stop thinking about — and that’s usually a good sign.
They’re also more secure than they look. Running, walking, cycling — they stayed in place without needing adjustment. The IP66 rating helps too, especially if you plan to use them for workouts or outdoor activities.
One thing I absolutely loved is the physical button behind the ear. Most brands push touch controls, but they’re often unreliable. Here, the button is easy to find blindly and works every time. Play, pause, skip tracks, volume control — all done without frustration. You can customize the controls in the app as well.
The Baseus app is actually good
I didn’t expect much from the Baseus app, but it turned out to be surprisingly polished.
Everything is easy to navigate, and there’s a lot to tweak if you want to. You get LDAC support, Dolby Spatial Audio, low-latency mode for gaming, and proper multipoint connectivity. Switching between my phone and laptop was seamless, and Bluetooth stability was solid throughout my testing.
The EQ section deserves special mention. There are plenty of presets, a custom EQ, and a dedicated Bose sound profile. This isn’t just branding for the sake of it — enabling the Bose tuning actually changes how these sound.
Sound quality: better than expected, honestly
Let’s be realistic for a second. These are open-ear earbuds. They will never match the isolation or bass depth of in-ear earbuds with ANC. That’s just physics.
But for what they are, the Baseus Inspire XC1 sounds excellent.
The hybrid two-way driver setup works well. Bass is present and controlled — not overpowering, but far from weak. Mids sound natural and clear, which makes voices, podcasts, and acoustic tracks really enjoyable. Highs are clean and detailed without becoming sharp or tiring.
With the Bose sound profile enabled, the tuning leans warm and balanced. It doesn’t try to impress you with artificial bass boosts or aggressive treble. It just sounds smooth and pleasant, which made me listen longer than I planned more than once.
LDAC support is a nice bonus if you care about audio quality, and even at higher volumes, the sound stays clean. For a clip-on open-ear design, this is about as good as I’ve heard so far.
Call quality: good, not the best I’ve heard
Call quality is solid overall. Baseus uses four microphones with noise reduction, and in most situations, my voice came through clearly. Indoor calls were clean, and outdoor calls handled wind noise reasonably well.
That said, I’ve tested a few open-ear earbuds with different designs that still perform slightly better for calls. This isn’t a dealbreaker — it’s just not the strongest point of the XC1.
Battery life you don’t need to worry about
Battery life is another strong area.
With SBC or AAC, I regularly got close to the claimed 8 hours on a single charge. Switching to LDAC drops that a bit, which is expected, but it’s still enough for a full day of use. With the charging case, total playback goes up to around 40 hours.
Fast charging is genuinely useful here. Ten minutes of charging gives you roughly two and a half hours of listening time, which is perfect for quick top-ups before heading out.
Final verdict
The Baseus Inspire XC1 caught me off guard — in a good way.
They’re extremely comfortable, stay securely in place, sound far better than most open-ear earbuds, and come with features you’d usually expect from more expensive products. The official price of $129.99 is fair, but when these drop closer to $100, they become an easy recommendation.
If you’re looking for open-ear earbuds that don’t feel like a compromise and don’t cost premium-brand money, the Inspire XC1 is absolutely worth considering. I didn’t expect to enjoy them this much — and that’s probably the best compliment I can give.
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Nick, the Co-founder of Earbuds Arena, is a seasoned freelance tech journalist with over ten years of experience covering wearables, apps, headphones, and gadgets. When he’s not immersed in the tech world, you’ll likely find him unwinding with video games, going for a run, or enjoying a game of soccer on the field.
