True Wireless Earbuds: AUKEY EP-N5 vs Haylou GT1 PRO

AUKEY introduced in the soundbar section a few years ago, and that, to this day, it presents us with a fairly wide and varied range. While not yet competing against the big manufacturers like JBL or Ultimate Ears, these are products capable of keeping the lower ranges at bay, with respectable superior quality. And to a certain degree, we expect something similar with these headphones from the moment we started to open the box.

Haylou, and his GT1 PRO (along with the Plus version that came together), has specialized in the field of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) to bring us a highly polished product at a challenging price to beat. Whether we have the opportunity to acquire the PRO or Plus version, the characteristics are the same, and the only thing that will change is the autonomy of the dock and some improvements in the sound chipset of the Plus version.

Let’s check out and compare these two True Wireless Earbuds: AUKEY EP-N5 vs. Haylou GT1 PRO.

Pros and Cons

AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
Sound quality above its range	IPX5 water protection
Strong and durable design	Best battery life within its range
USB-C for faster dock charging	Bring replacement silicone pads
Active noise cancellation	Bass is below average
IPX7 would have been more appropriate	Charging station is a bit cumbersome

General

	AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
$	CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE
Brand	Aukey	Beats
Type	Over-Ear	In-Ear
Colors	Black, Silver	Black
Battery life	Up to 20 hours	Up to 4 hours
Weight	596 g	3.3 g (Charging case)
Connectivity	Wireless, Bluetooth	Wireless, Bluetooth

AUKEY EP-N5

At the time of putting on the headphones, we must insist that the expectations were shallow, similar to those we would have with models of such a size. But the first impressions were quite pleasant. The range of sound was very clear from bass to treble, through clean vocal notes, and a volume range more than appropriate for a TWS in this category.

But, as expected, neither can we regulated the volume from the headset, nor do we have a custom application to equalize these headphones at your convenience. This means that there are some points below other versions that do have it in terms of total sound quality.

Haylou GT1 PRO

As usually happens in this type of low-budget headphones, we cannot expect great results in this section. Although it has not ceased to surprise us how well balanced the responses are to all types of frequencies, we observe that it does not stand out in anyone in particular.

Nor can we ignore that we have detected that the low frequency of the bass is quite weak compared to other headphones of similar price. We have tried different funk and jazz music pieces with a higher bass dominance and noticed this lack of clarity almost immediately.

On the other hand, in the range of the mids, the highs, and the voices, the thing is much more stable, and this allows, in general, to enjoy more commercial music since it sounds quite acceptable. As for the soundstage, we can detect that sound envelopment, but it is not exceptional either.

Design

	AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
Type	In-Ear	In Ear
Wireless	Yes	Yes
Noise Cancelling	Yes	Yes
Dimensions	–	6.20 x 4.00 x 2.72 cm

AUKEY EP-N5

Many think that such simple packaging can only lead to a cheap and low-quality product, more typical of a Chinese private label than a strong competitor in the TWS segment that concerns us here. The truth is that, far from this reality, the AUKEY brand has always been characterized by investing little in the exterior and a lot in the interior.

As soon as we have the charging station in our hands, we realize that this is not a common low-end headset at an inflated price, but it does not stand out with a particularly striking design either. To a certain degree, it reminds us of AirPods with certain details such as the charging LEDs that light up to indicate the status of the battery and its USB-C connector, which is quite surprising for the price we find in this product.

The black plastic construction surprises by being a point above in quality and robustness compared to other lower-end headphones. It is important to bear in mind that technically, these headphones belong to the low range, although slightly higher. Therefore, anything that exceeds the gamut is worth highlighting.

The quality of the material demonstrates the ability to achieve IPX5 certification, which guarantees that the product can be wet (it works under the shower without problems) but not submerged, which would have been very appreciable.

Haylou GT1 PRO

Although we will focus on the GT1 Pro, we can see in general lines that the GT1 range is designed on the same structure. It is a simple headset, comfortable to place, and adaptable to most of the anatomies of the ear, which follows a widespread line in many headphones on the Asian market, as we have already seen in other Xiaomi AirDots types models.

To the comfort section, we have to add that we find three interchangeable silicone pads in the box.

It does not offer a range of colors or sizes. We will always find this extremely compact and imperceptible black version in weight (just 4 grams), making them extremely comfortable and easy to take with us anywhere.

As for the charging station, we have to say that the GT1 Pro version is a little larger than expected, and in the pocket, it could be a bit uncomfortable, something that does not happen in other GT1 versions such as the Plus, being so fine that it would barely bulge. But we have to justify that the station’s size is justifiable: the difference in load capacity is overwhelming, as we will see later.

Features

	AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
Impedance	32 Ohm	32 Ohm
USB	USB-C	USB-C
Microphone	Yes	Yes
Music Controls	Yes	Yes
Quick Charge	Yes	Yes
Speakers	No	Yes

Battery

	AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Battery Life	Up to 7 hours	Up to 4 hours
Battery Capacity	60 mAh	43 mAh
Charge Time	1.5 hours	1.5 hours
Charging Port	USB-C	USB-C

AUKEY EP-N5

The battery of the headphones also turns out to be another strong point. The brand does not promise more than what it offers: a range of 7 hours, something above the classic 4 hours that we find in mediocre headphones. We must add another 3 additional charges through the base (with 500 mAh of charge available). In this way, we can enjoy using this product for a whole day in a row.

Haylou GT1 PRO

These headphones offer us an incredible battery, with around 4 hours of use and 25 hours if stored in the charging station. We are talking about an 800 mAh battery in the charging station and 43 mAh in each earbud.

Although the headphone’s battery is not too surprising, we can see that we have about 18 full recharges available with the charging station, compared to the three recharges offered by the Plus version. We are talking about six times more autonomy than this version and several times the autonomy of most products of this type on the market.

Connectivity

	AUKEY EP-N5	Haylou GT1 PRO
Bluetooth	Yes	Bluetooth 5.0
Wireless range	10 mtr	10 mtr
Multi-Device Connection	No	No

AUKEY EP-N5

Not everything could be perfect. The section of the controls is, possibly, in which they falter a little and remind us of the low range completely. They have the typical controls based on the taps that we give in each of the respective headphones, which allows us: stop or restart the music, answer or hang up calls, and activate both the virtual assistant and active noise cancellation.

Having a USB-C connection, we find a faster charge than the classic micro USB headphones that abound in the low range. It might have been nice if they incorporated wireless charging, but surely that would have forced them to increase the price.

Haylou GT1 PRO

Starting with Bluetooth 5.0 and compatibility with the most common Android codecs, such as AAC and aptX in most smartphones.

We cannot stop noticing that the current connection is a micro USB. Therefore we will not have fast charging. Although it offers us an enormous load capacity, it is unlikely that we would need this functionality.

Conclusion!