True wireless earbuds for EQ tinkerers

The Lenovo Smart Wireless Earbuds deliver a surprisingly strong audio experience for the price, with more precise EQ adjustments than you get with most wire-free models.

Lenovo's $99.99 Smart Wireless Earbuds are one of the rare pairs of noise-cancelling true wireless earphones that cost less than $100. They deliver an impressive, bass-forward sound signature by default, and let you make precise adjustments with a 10-band EQ. Their active noise cancellation (ANC) circuitry isn't overly effective, however, and we don’t like how prone the on-ear controls are to accidental taps. In the same price range, the Editors’ Choice-winning Anker Soundcore Life P3 earphones remain your best option at $79.99, offering more effective ANC and better physical controls. But if you value being able to tune the sound signature exactly to your liking, the Lenovo Smart Wireless Earbuds are a worthwhile alternative.

Available in black or white, the Smart Wireless Earbuds have a stem-style design with touch-sensitive panels on the outside. The earpieces fit securely and comfortably despite the lack of earfins—the box includes four pairs of silicone eartips in various sizes.

Internally, 11mm dynamic drivers power the audio. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AAC and SBC codecs, but not AptX.

A single tap on either earpiece’s outer panel controls playback, a double tap skips forward a track (as well as ends or answers a call), and a triple tap takes you to the previous track. Press and hold the left earpiece for about two seconds to reject incoming calls or summon your voice assistant. The same action on the right earpiece cycles through the ANC modes (On, Off, or Ambient). These controls all make sense, but the touch panels are very sensitive. If you ever need to adjust the earpieces, for example, you might trigger a function accidentally. In testing, we paused music that was playing, played music when none was playing, and skipped tracks at least half the times we were simply trying to reposition the earpieces.

An IPX4 rating means the Smart Wireless Earbuds can withstand sweat and light rain, but you shouldn’t submerge them or rinse them off under a faucet. This rating is modest, but consistent with that of other ANC models. The rating doesn’t extend to the charging case, however, so be sure to fully dry the earpieces before you place them in the case to charge.

The case is compact and has rounded corners. Once you flip open the lid, simply lie the earpieces flat inside to charge them. The back of the case houses a USB-C port for charging via the short charging cable that Lenovo includes in the package. Notably, the case also supports the Qi wireless charging standard.

Lenovo estimates that the Smart Wireless Earbuds can last roughly 7 hours on battery and that the case holds an additional 21 hours of charge. Whether you experience these estimates depends on how loud you typically listen to your audio and how often you engage the ANC.

The Lenovo Smart Wearable app (available for Android and iOS) doesn’t have a fancy design, but it's reliable and useful. For instance, it provides firmware updates and lets you make EQ adjustments. The EQ offers several presets, but also has a custom section with an impressive 10 customizable bands. You can also toggle between the ANC and Ambient modes in the app (though you can't make any specific adjustments to these modes). Additionally, you can change how the on-ear controls work and enable a sound-based Find My Earbuds feature.

You also have the option to set up Google Assistant on Android devices through the app. (If you want that feature on an iOS device, you need to download the Google Assistant app.) When enabled, you can hold the left earpiece for a few seconds and say “OK Google” to trigger the voice assistant.

The earphones can intelligently pair with Android and Windows 10 devices; a pop-up window appears on the screen that lets you easily connect the earphones. For all other devices, including those that run iOS, you need to manually pair via the Bluetooth menu and the reset button inside the charging case—hold it down for three seconds and the Smart Wireless Earbuds enter pairing mode.

Given their price, the Smart Wireless Earbuds deliver decent noise cancellation consistent with our expectations. The circuitry significantly dials back powerful low-frequency rumble (like you hear on an airplane), but some higher frequencies make it through. The pair cut back the lows and mids from a recording of a busy restaurant with clanging dishes and boisterous conversation in testing, but the highs seemed a bit louder than without the ANC on—this is a common issue among less expensive ANC earphones.

When you switch between ANC On and Off modes in a quiet room, you can hear the slight hiss the ANC adds to the signal. This isn’t ideal, but again is a typical issue with affordable noise-cancellation circuitry. The good news is that the ANC doesn’t alter the sound signature much when you activate it, something that’s often an issue in this price range.

Although the Smart Earbuds have a sculpted sound signature out of the box that won’t appeal to purists, plenty of listeners will enjoy how well the pair balances the lows, mids, and highs in the mix. And don’t forget about that 10-band EQ—it enables you to dial up just about any sound signature you want (within reason).

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency response, and at top, unwise listening levels, the drivers don’t distort. At more moderate levels, the lows still sound full, with sculpted highs to match.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the sound profile. The drums on this track get some extra low-frequency power, but not to an unreasonable extent. The earphones lend some additional low mid richness to Callahan’s baritone vocals, but the high-mids remain equally present. The drivers sound pretty bright—the acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits exhibit a fair amount of sculpting.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punch, but we hear a bit more from the highs than typical—the vinyl crackle and hiss take a step forward. Bass lovers should appreciate how forcefully the sub-bass synth hits punctuate the beat—the earphones can recreate sub-bass proficiently. The vocals on this track sound clear, too.

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower-register instrumentation steps forward slightly in the mix. But the spotlight remains on the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals, which sound crisp and defined.  

The multi-mic array performed well in testing. We had no trouble picking out every word from a recording we took via the Voice Memos app on an iPhone. We detected Bluetooth audio artifacts in the signal, but it still sounded strong and full. Neither audio nor video calls should pose a problem.

Lenovo's Smart Wireless Earbuds are sonically impressive thanks to the flexibility their 10-band EQ offers, while their ANC is about as effective as we expect in this price range. If you can look past the somewhat finicky controls and enjoy tuning your sound signature to taste, these earphones are worth a look, especially if you can find them for below their list price. The $79.99 Anker Soundcore Life P3 earphones have the best noise cancellation we've tested under $100, however, while Anker's $129.99 Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earphones offer even better performance all around. And if you can stretch your budget, the $179.99 Jabra Elite 7 Active earphones offer a fully waterproof build, making them best suited for working out.

The Lenovo Smart Wireless Earbuds deliver a surprisingly strong audio experience for the price, with more precise EQ adjustments than you get with most wire-free models.

Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Contributing Editor Tim Gideon has been writing for PCMag since 2006. He specializes in reviewing audio products, and is obsessed with headphones, speakers, and recording gear.

PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

© 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. PCMag Digital Group

PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.