Baseus Inspire XH1 Review: Is It Worth Buying?

My Baseus Inspire XH1 review says buy it at around $100, which Amazon and Walmart charged in October 2026, and skip it at the $149.99 list price. At $100 it’s the pair I’d buy if you hate charging, sit at a desk or on a bus all day, and take a lot of calls. Baseus claims 65 hours of battery with noise cancelling on, it lasted about 48 hours in CNET’s rundown, and Amazon owners rate the comfort and battery highly.

Frequent flyers, gym-goers and anyone who leans on transparency mode should look elsewhere. At full price, I’d put the money toward stronger noise cancelling, such as the Sony ULT WEAR or the Soundcore Space One Pro.

“Baseus XH1”, “Inspire XH1” and “Baseus Inspire XH1” all name the same headphones, model A02036, and it’s the only generation so far.

Is the Baseus Inspire XH1 worth buying?

Yes, at $100 or less. Between $100 and $120 it’s still a fair buy if battery life and calls matter most to you, but first check whether the Sony ULT WEAR (about $130 in October 2026) or the Soundcore Space One Pro (about $140) has dropped close to it. At $130 to $150 I’d skip the XH1 and buy one of those two. That range covers Baseus’s own store, even with its code, and the used Twilight Blue pairs on Amazon.

Which XH1 this is: Model, colors and what’s in the box

The Baseus Inspire XH1 (model A02036) is the first and only generation. Baseus announced it on September 4, 2025, ahead of IFA 2025, at $149.99 (PR Newswire). Baseus hadn’t announced a successor as of October 2026.

It comes in four colors. Cosmic Black and Starlight Off-White are the core colors, and Baseus launched Twilight Blue and Sunset Coral (the orange one) as a limited set. On October 9, 2026, Baseus US showed Blue and Coral as unavailable.

The user manual lists the headphones, a 3.5 mm AUX cable, a USB-C charging cable, a carrying case, a quick start guide and safety instructions in the box. There’s no wall charger. The case is a hard case, and it only takes the headphones unfolded (video at 1:04), which the owner who wrote a long review of the XH1 confirms.

Don’t confuse the XH1 with these Baseus models:

• Inspire XP1. Noise cancelling earbuds from the same Sound by Bose line.
• Inspire XC1. Open-ear clip earbuds, and the model that carries the IP66 rating in Baseus’s launch release.
• Bowie H1. An older over-ear from a different line. Two of its setup videos show up when you search for the XH1 app.
• Bowie MH1. A newer, cheaper over-ear ($109.99 list at Baseus US in October 2026) from a different line, not an XH1 successor.

Baseus Inspire XH1 review scores and lab tests

Comfort, battery life and value are the XH1’s strengths, and they earned it 8/10 from WIRED and Digital Trends and 8.1 from CNET. Noise cancelling is its weak spot and the thing reviews disagree on most, so it gets its own section below.

The XH1 has no published lab numbers for noise cancelling depth, battery life or mic quality yet. RTINGS (whose XH1 page returns a 404) and SoundGuys haven’t reviewed it. DHRME publishes measured frequency-response graphs for it, but its ANC lab doesn’t include the XH1. Consumer Reports tested it in its lab but keeps the scores behind a membership, and its written notes come up in the sound and noise cancelling sections below.

Baseus supplied review units to several outlets and sponsored the DHRME and OCM Reviews videos.

Baseus Inspire XH1 specs

Baseus lists a few more specs that the table leaves out. All of them are maker claims:

• Frequency response of 20 Hz to 40 kHz.
• An 800 mAh (2.39 Wh) battery that takes about 1.5 hours to charge fully at 5 V, 1.1 A (manual).
• 80 ms of latency in Low Latency Mode.
• 8.07 x 6.57 x 3.14 in, in ABS, metal and PC, with protein-leather memory-foam cushions.
• 16 ohms impedance (on the Amazon listing only).
• A 24-month warranty (manual).

The cushions are replaceable. The XH1 has no wear sensor, no USB-C audio, no mute button and no Auracast support, you can’t listen while it charges, and Baseus lists no IP rating for it (more on that below). DHRME’s sponsored video covers the USB-C audio (13:44), mute button (15:25) and charging (13:24) limits.

For setup help and troubleshooting, Baseus publishes the user manual (PDF), the quick start guide (PDF) and an XH1 support page.

Sound: What “Sound by Bose” means for the XH1

Sound by Bose is a tuning by Bose engineers that Baseus ships as the XH1’s default EQ preset, on 35 mm drivers (Baseus US). Baseus designs and builds the headphones, and Bose’s part stops at the sound. No Bose technology went into the noise cancelling (video at 4:30).

The XH1 sounds warm and slightly V-shaped, with punchy bass, good clarity and a fairly wide soundstage. Its sub-bass beats plenty of headphones at twice the price. The treble lacks sparkle but stays free of sibilance and harshness, and the whole tune is less bass-heavy than the CMF Headphone Pro’s.

The default preset pushes the bass for most listeners. BGR heard exaggerated bass and scooped mids on it, and Consumer Reports tested at the default settings (ANC on at level 5, Sound by Bose, Bass Boost on) and put the sound in its “very good” range, with deep but somewhat boomy bass, grainy mids and slightly sizzly treble.

The noise cancelling mode changes the tuning. ANC thickens the lows and deepens the bass (video at 2:27). In WIRED’s test it turned everything up while Normal mode only lifted the bass slightly, which may explain why that review heard neutral bass on the default preset when most others heard a bass-forward tune.

The XH1 gets close to Bose’s own QC Ultra. The reviewer in the video below found the differences subtle (3:04), though he gives the QC Ultra a better soundstage and a little more warmth, and he doesn’t say which QC Ultra generation he used. My XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2023) and XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra comparisons cover those matchups in full.

If the treble sounds dull to you, start with the Clear Treble preset. The app has seven presets, a custom 8-band EQ (100 Hz to 10 kHz) and SoundFit, a hearing test that builds a personal profile. The EQ has limits. One video reviewer couldn’t dial in the treble clarity he wanted even with it (1:38), and in October 2025 the custom EQ kept freezing the app in another review. No later report confirms or clears that bug.

Volume may run a little low. One reviewer did most of his listening at 80% and wanted more headroom, and another had to turn the XH1 up a couple of notches to match the Space One Pro, though at maximum volume he called loudness a wash (17:27).

Video review

XH1 noise cancelling (ANC): Fine for the office, weak on a plane

The XH1’s noise cancelling handles steady noise like fans and hum, lets voices through and falls clearly short of the best for flights. Baseus claims 4-layer hybrid adaptive ANC that reaches up to -48 dB under its own lab conditions. The app gives you an Adaptive mode, four scenes (Indoor, Outdoor, Commuting, Traveling), a custom level from 1 to 5 and a wind noise reduction toggle (quick start guide; Galaxus for the 1-5 range).

Reviews disagree on the ANC more than on anything else about the XH1, so here’s who found what:

Only the first two rate it highly. The next five find it fine on steady noise and clearly short of the best, and SlashGear’s flight is the harshest result.

Owners land in the middle too. Amazon’s summary counts 33 of 39 noise cancelling mentions as positive but still calls the feedback mixed. The owner who wrote the long review rates the ANC medium, clearly below Sony and Bose flagships, and another owner calls it average, fine for hum but not for people talking nearby. One owner reports loud buzzing in every ANC mode except Indoor. Other owners say they don’t hear it, so I’d treat it as a single report.

The passive seal depends on fit. SlashGear found almost no passive isolation, while two other reviews and the owner who reported the buzzing found the seal decent or good, so fit probably explains the split. Baseus’s quick start guide tells you to press lightly on the cups. If the bass gets noticeably stronger, the seal isn’t right yet, so keep adjusting, and if you wear glasses, try moving the arms slightly.

My XH1 vs Soundcore Space One Pro and Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Soundcore Q45 comparisons go deeper on travel noise.

Transparency mode

I wouldn’t buy the XH1 for its transparency mode. Reviews split on whether it sounds natural. At best it’s natural even for your own voice, though short of the AirPods Pro 3. At worst it sounds unnatural (The Consumer’s Friend at 2:08) and over-amplifies what’s around you. It also hisses a little and favors bass over voices, though DHRME (sponsored) still ranks it tier A (15:56).

Transparency also switches off during calls. The ANC button cycles through ANC on, Transparency and ANC off, so moving between two modes can mean passing through the third. The app switches directly.

Battery life: Claims vs tests

Battery life is the XH1’s best trick, even though most tests come in under Baseus’s claims.

That 48 hours fell a little short of the 50-hour ANC-on rating CNET quoted, which is lower than the 65 hours on the US listings. Even so, 48 hours beats the measured results for every alternative below except the 1MORE SonoFlow Pro (61.5 h) and the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 (62 h), though a reviewer rundown isn’t a controlled lab test.

Owners back up the stamina. Amazon counts 33 of 36 battery mentions as positive. One owner charges after a week of about 7 hours a day (June 2026), another gets a full week of commuting, a third says it lasts weeks, and one Amazon reviewer got about a month.

Baseus claims a 10-minute charge gives about 12 hours. A full charge takes about 1.5 hours (manual), and you can’t listen while it charges. Galaxus quotes a 70-hour claim and 4 hours from 10 minutes, but neither matches Baseus’s US figures.

Nobody has published a rundown over LDAC, which needs more power than AAC, so expect less if you stream LDAC all day. You may also see a 30-35 hour figure for ANC with LDAC in search results. No test or Baseus document backs it up.

Calls and microphones

The XH1 handles calls well. Baseus claims five mics with AI noise reduction that keep calls clear in noise up to 75 dB(A) (PR Newswire), and that mostly holds up. CNET rated calls B+ or even A- on loud New York streets. DHRME’s sponsored test found the voice clear in quiet rooms and in about 70 dB of noise (14:44), but in wind it cut out (15:05).

Callers rarely hear your background noise, and in quieter places your voice comes through steadier and clearer than on the Soundcore Space One Pro. In very loud noise it fades somewhat, and it can sound slightly subdued or a little digitized. The owner who wrote the long review rates its noise filtering above the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 and Bose QC Ultra. The video in the sound section plays an outdoor mic sample at 5:16 if you want to hear it.

Three limits apply. There’s no mute button on the headphones. Transparency switches off during calls, so you don’t hear your own voice naturally. And one owner couldn’t get the mic working over Bluetooth on a PC, a single report.

Comfort, fit and build

The XH1 is comfortable. Baseus puts it at 275 g, with protein-leather memory-foam cushions and a light clamp, and the cups fit large ears inside. Amazon counts 46 of 50 comfort mentions as positive, and owners with big ears and glasses report a good fit.

The light clamp has a cost. The XH1 slips when you tilt your head, lean far forward, lie down or exercise, and it slides on a sweaty head. Amazon counts 24 of 40 fit mentions as negative, and one owner wrote in June 2026 that it can fall off when you tilt your head forward or back, as when you tie your shoes. The pads put moderate pressure around the ears and can feel hot or sticky.

The cups get warm after about an hour, and the rubberized headband can tug on your hair. The internal ANC mics also brush against some ear shapes. One reviewer felt the left cup’s mic press on his ear after an hour, until he shifted the cup forward.

The hinges are the weak spot of the build. They’re loose and the yokes spin with no resistance, and Galaxus found that the cups fold in on their own, the plastic creaks and a hinge pinched the skin on its reviewer’s neck. Loomis T. Johnson disagrees and calls the build as good as you’ll find at this price. One owner had an earcup loosen at the hinge, and Baseus support resolved it with a refund, but that’s a single report.

All the controls are physical buttons. The left cup has power and ANC, and the right cup has volume and a multifunction button. Long-pressing a volume button skips tracks, but backwards from the usual layout, with volume up going back a track. One Amazon owner says the power button needs a long hold and has no clear on/off light.

Baseus Inspire XH1 app setup, pairing and firmware

The XH1 uses the general Baseus app, which covers every Baseus device. The steps below follow the XH1 manual and quick start guide. Skip the two setup videos that turn up when you search for the app, because they show the older Bowie H1.

How to pair the XH1 with your phone

1. Hold the power button for 2 seconds. The light turns blue, and the XH1 goes into pairing mode on its own (the blue light flashes quickly).
2. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and pick “Baseus Inspire XH1”.
3. From then on, the XH1 reconnects to the last devices it used when you power it on.

To add a second device for multipoint, the manual tells you to connect device A, turn off A’s Bluetooth, connect device B, then turn A’s Bluetooth back on and select “Baseus Inspire XH1” from its list.

To factory reset the XH1, power it on and hold the volume up and volume down buttons for about 5 seconds, until the red light flashes three times. The reset also returns your app settings to their defaults (quick start guide).

Setting up the Baseus app

The app goes by the name Baseus on both the App Store and Google Play. On October 9, 2026, the iPhone version (2.17.0, an October 1 update) had 4.3 stars from 320 US ratings, and the Android version had 3.4 stars from 7.76K reviews and over 1 million downloads.

1. Open the app’s Settings and set your country or region. Baseus says the app may not work properly without it.
2. Tap Add Device and choose “Inspire XH1”.

The quick start guide also tells you to register and log in. Most settings work in guest mode, but SoundFit needs an account (OCM Reviews at 6:52, sponsored), and so does the last-known-location Find My feature (DHRME at 17:51, sponsored). The login requirement may vary with the app version.

To update the firmware, tap Settings in the top right corner of the app’s home page, then Version. Baseus says to update if SoundFit is missing or Bluetooth misbehaves, and not to update while music or a call is playing. The quick start guide’s screenshot shows V1.1.02, and an Amazon listing note names V1.1.07 or later as the minimum for SoundFit. One owner updated to v1.1.11 in January 2026, and a June 2026 review lists the same version in its test setup. Baseus publishes no changelog, so nobody can say what each update fixed.

Features worth knowing, and the ones that cancel each other

The app covers ANC scenes and levels, wind noise reduction, seven EQ presets (including Sound by Bose and Clear Treble), the custom 8-band EQ, Bass Boost, SoundFit, Dolby Audio (Music and Cinema), an LDAC toggle, an 80 ms Low Latency Mode, a sleep mode with a timer and ambient sounds, a volume limiter from 75 to 100 dB, button customization, a multipoint device list and Find My.

Some of these switch each other off:

• Dolby Audio disables your EQ (DHRME at 12:28), and a 3-star Amazon owner says it can’t run with Bass Boost either.
• LDAC and Low Latency Mode can’t run at the same time (12:44 in the same video).
• Wind noise reduction isn’t on the buttons, and one owner says it resets to off after every power cycle (a single report).

A later update probably added the multipoint device list. The app didn’t have one in September 2025, but a January 2026 owner says it shows one, and Baseus hasn’t said which version added it.

Compatibility: iPhone, Android, laptops and wired

On Android, LDAC and two-device multipoint work at the same time, which is a real edge over Soundcore’s models. DHRME (sponsored) kept a Samsung phone on LDAC while an iPhone stayed connected (17:25), and the owner who wrote the long review confirms LDAC on both connected devices. Soundcore says the Space One and Space One Pro turn multipoint off while LDAC is on, and the Space Q45 drops LDAC in multipoint.

You switch between the two devices by pausing on one and pressing play on the other (17:15 in the same video). The XH1 runs Bluetooth 6.1, and OCM Reviews (sponsored) stayed connected after leaving the headphones on the ground floor and walking up to the top floor (8:53). Published range figures disagree, so I’d ignore them.

The 3.5 mm cable in the box keeps ANC and the volume buttons working in wired mode (manual). The XH1 also plays passively when you switch it off, but it sounds thin that way, with a noticeable drop in quality. One owner hears a slight hiss through a high-end DAC (a single report). On laptops it pairs like any Bluetooth headset, though one owner couldn’t get the hands-free mic to work on a PC.

Is the XH1 waterproof, and does it have spatial audio?

Treat the XH1 as not water resistant. Baseus lists no IP rating on its US product page, support specs, manual or quick start guide, and Consumer Reports shows the rating as NA. WIRED and Digital Trends both state IP66, and Best Buy’s spec sheet says “Water Resistant: Yes”, but IP66 is the rating Baseus’s launch release gives the XC1 earbuds. Until Baseus lists a rating for the XH1, keep it away from sweat and rain.

The XH1 does have spatial audio. It’s Dolby Audio, with Music and Cinema modes that you toggle with a double press of the multifunction button (manual), and there’s no head tracking. I’d leave it off. In most reviews neither mode improves the sound, Dolby can make music harsh in the treble, and turning it on overrides your EQ. CEONTHEMAKING is the one reviewer who liked the Music mode (2:49).

What owners report after months of use

Amazon US showed 4.4 stars from 475 ratings on October 9, 2026, and the color listings share those ratings. Amazon’s summary sorts the mentions like this:

The same complaints keep coming up. The fit slips when you move, the ANC lets voices through, transparency hisses, Dolby and LDAC switch off other features, the cups get warm after an hour, and the case doesn’t take the folded headphones.

Some problems come from one owner each, so I wouldn’t treat them as common. They cover buzzing in every ANC mode except Indoor, wind reduction resetting after power-off, PC mic trouble, hiss through a DAC, an earcup hinge that loosened (Baseus refunded it), and a pair that phones sometimes failed to find.

Owners like a battery that lasts weeks, the comfort with big ears and glasses, the mic’s noise filtering and the app. One Amazon reviewer, whose review 22 people marked helpful, recommends updating the firmware and running SoundFit before anything else.

Owner reports so far show no failure pattern, such as a run of dead units, battery failures or cracked headbands. The XH1 is only just over a year old, so that could still change.

Baseus Inspire XH1 price and where to buy in the US

These were the US prices on October 9, 2026. Treat them as a snapshot and check the current price before you buy:

• Amazon: $99.99 for Cosmic Black and Starlight Off-White, with Baseus Official Store as the seller.
• Walmart: $99.99 for Black. Walmart also listed Blue at $109.99 and Orange at $103.99, with Off-White out of stock. Check who the seller is before you buy.
• Best Buy: $115.99 in Google’s search result, though Best Buy’s own page showed no price.
• Baseus US: $149.99, or $129.99 with the on-page code “Inspire”.
• Twilight Blue on Amazon: Used offers only, from $134.99. Sunset Coral has no Amazon US listing.

Some of these may be Prime Big Deal Days prices, but $100 isn’t a one-off. In December 2025 the XH1 listed for $150 but often sold for closer to $100, 9to5Toys saw $94.99 that same month, and one Amazon reviewer paid $99.99 on Black Friday 2025. In September 2026 one shopper reported an offer of a new pair for $74.

Baseus backs the XH1 with a 24-month warranty (manual). Its US return terms make you pay shipping on warranty claims for items taken outside the original country of purchase and refuse refunds on purchases from unauthorized resellers, so a grey-import pair is a risk.

What to buy instead (and when)

If the XH1 doesn’t fit how you listen, these are the pairs I’d buy instead. The prices in this section are typical US prices from October 2026, so check them before you buy.

The XH1’s measured-battery cell is empty because its battery numbers come only from reviewers, while the CMF and ULT WEAR figures come from lab rundowns.

Cheaper, with lab data: CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro (about $59). The CMF lasted a lab-tested 43 hours with ANC on. It supports LDAC and AAC, carries an IPX2 rating and comes with a cloth pouch instead of a case. The XH1 sounds clearer and less bass-heavy.

Wear detection under $90: Soundcore Space One (about $85). The Space One has the wear detection the XH1 lacks, and it lasted 42 h 57 min in a lab rundown. It has LDAC, but multipoint turns off while LDAC is on.

Light and iPhone-friendly: Sony WH-CH720N (about $72-$88). It weighs 192 g against the XH1’s 275 g, and RTINGS measured 38.4 hours with ANC on. It tops out at AAC (no LDAC), and its noise cancelling is weak against low rumble such as airplane and train noise. Sony replaced it with the WH-CH730N in September 2026, but it still sells new. My Sony WH-CH720N review has the details.

Hard case and a measured 60-hour battery under $90: 1MORE SonoFlow Pro (HQ51, about $73-$90). The SonoFlow Pro lasted 61.5 hours with ANC on in Gough’s Tech Zone’s rundown. 1MORE’s US store no longer lists it, so Amazon is where to buy it new.

If $100 is too much: Edifier W80 (about $40-$50). The W80 is the cheapest pair here. Edifier claims 40 hours with ANC on and includes LDAC, but no lab has tested it yet. My Edifier W80 review has the details.

Stronger ANC for $30-$50 more: Sony ULT WEAR (about $130-$148) or Soundcore Space One Pro (about $140). This is where I’d put the extra money. RTINGS rates the ULT WEAR’s noise cancelling and the Space One Pro’s isolation excellent, and it measured 44 hours for the ULT WEAR and 36.1 hours for the Space One Pro. The Space One Pro ships with a soft pouch and turns multipoint off with LDAC on. My XH1 vs Soundcore Space One Pro comparison goes through the trade.

Flights on a budget: Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2023), about $169 on sale. Bose, Amazon and B&H all had it at $169 on October 9, 2026, against a $359 list price, and bose.com’s sale runs through October 11. Its isolation rates amazing in lab tests, but Bose claims only 24 hours of battery, and a 2nd Gen model replaced it in August 2026. My XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2023) comparison covers the trade. The Soundcore Space Q45 is the other budget flight pick, but in the US it now sells only renewed, for about $100-$130 (see my Soundcore Space Q45 review and the Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Soundcore Q45 comparison).

Better treble and a 60-hour battery: Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless (about $200-$230). Its treble measures right on target, and its battery lasted a lab-tested 62 hours. Sennheiser launched the MOMENTUM 5 in May 2026, but the 4 still sells new. My XH1 vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 comparison weighs the extra $100 or more.

Flagship ANC: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), $369-$449. Its noise cancelling is best-in-class, alongside the Sony WH-1000XM6’s. At roughly four times the XH1’s price, buy it only if quiet matters more to you than anything else. See my XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra comparison. The original Sony WH-1000XM4 only makes sense used or renewed now, and my Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 comparison explains why.

For every XH1 matchup in one place, see all my comparisons, or start with my best budget headphones picks.

Written by Marius

Audio enthusiast. I've worn a lot of headphones, and I tell you which pair is worth your money and which one isn't.

I check every verdict against lab measurements and long-term owner feedback, and I update pages when prices or models change. How I judge headphones.