At this point in the historical evolution of the audio world, if there is a dominant product this is certainly that of full wireless earphones. Apple with its AirPods has certainly conquered the first step of the podium, just below and in some respects even at its side there are several big brands.
Then an endless plethora of small brands that navigate between the temptation to make real clones and the attempt to generate something original, high quality and palatable. One of these is 1More a Chinese company which in our latitudes we hear little about but which in various countries of the world is beginning to gain some attention , attention that it has given its Stylish full wireless earphones significant visibility.
Who is 1More
We don't usually start a product review with a profile of the company that makes it, but here it is needed. 1More is a Chinese company born thanks to an important investment by Xiaomi (hence the fact that in some cases you will find the name of Xiaomi combined with that of 1More).
While not technically a part of the Xiaomi ecosystem, there are certainly Xiaomi technologies and also the Xiaomi spirit inside the 1More products. The company was founded by three former managers of Foxconn, the company that builds a large portion of Apple products. After all 1More CEO Gary Hsieh was the Foxconn manager who managed the agreement between Apple and Foxconn for the construction of the first iPod .
The goal of 1More is to free Chinese products from the reputation of cheap but low-quality accessories, a goal that Xiaomi, 1More's inspirational muse, has managed to achieve and that 1More has begun to approach. “We don't want to be BMW or Mercedes – says Hsieh – but Lexus. Provide high quality products at an affordable price “.
1More Stylish in their charging case
1More Stylish as they are made
That we are not dealing with just any product, it can already be perceived from the box. Nothing to do with the sparse and a little squalid boxes of many Chinese manufacturers who sail between eBay and Amazon, Here we are definitely at a higher level for materials (note the magnetic closure flap) and design.
Inside the earphones are presented in an accurate way even if there is a bit of over-packing (nothing to do with Apple's minimalism). However, 1More did not spare herself. In addition to the earphones and the charging case, the package also includes 4 sets of rubber inserts for the ear cable, three rings to hold the earphones in place while using them and a small bag to keep … the case.
In addition these earphones are very light and small ; indeed, they are full wireless earphones that are not smaller AirPods that we have had the opportunity to handle recently. The case is also very small even if it does not compete with that of the Airpods.
The 1More Stylish box The effort of translation into Italian is appreciable. But maybe a human would have done better … The contents of the box The Micro USB connector The small oval box Here the earphones are housed Here they are worn
An aspect to underline is the design, given that 1More has called its product “stylish” which in Italian would be “fashionable” or, precisely, “design” but which we could better translate jargon as “stylish”.
In fact we have noticed some effort from this point of view but even while admitting that we are faced with an attempt to distinguish ourselves from other competitors, it does not seem to us that from the point of view of the personal trait there is nothing particularly exciting in the design of the case or the earphones. All pieces are dominated by an oval design and the dimensions are minimal, but the feeling is of déjà vu.
As for the materials we are talking about opaque plastic and with an appearance without infamy and without praise. The impression is better than that obtained by handling “no brand” earphones but also far from that obtained from the Airpods.
1More Stylish have an ergonomic shape that makes them not easy to wear “blindly”
1more Stylish: ergonomics and controls
From an ergonomic point of view, we were faced with a dilemma. From a certain point of view the Stylish seemed to us comfortable and very well studied . Thanks to the earplugs and the rings once worn, the earphones are almost one piece with the ear. Difficult that they can fall and equally difficult that they can cause discomfort or discomfort in keeping them worn for a long time.
From a second point of view, that of those who are faced with the moment they need to be worn, it is an accessory that is hard to understand . It is not easy to understand the angle, direction and placement inside the ear. The two pieces are in fact identical and perfectly symmetrical; there is certainly the writing and the O-Hooks, the stabilizing rings, should help, but when you take them quickly you must always keep a careful eye so as not to mistake right with left and vice versa. Finally, if by any chance you decide to remove the O-Hooks, you will not know which is the right and which is the left, because this indication is printed above.
The control system has two physical buttons one on the right and one on the left, each of which, as often happens in these accessories, partly perform the same role and partly different tasks. The keys turn the earphones on and off (although the action of putting them in and out of the case plays the same role) but the left key calls Siri and activates the answer to the phone call, while the key on the right earphone manages the music.
With the latest software update (which is called up using the 1More application for iPhone) the two left and right buttons should also control the volume, which would certainly be a positive aspect in terms of ease of use. Too bad that the writer was unable to follow the instructions to update the firmware …
The multifunction button of 1More Stylish
1More Stylish how they sound
The strong point of these earphones is certainly the sound quality . Once you have found the right earplug you get good soundproofing, excellent definition, excellent separation. There is also an excellent balance in the tones even if in the end the bass is the dominant. The effort was to create earphones that have an engaging, warm and “exciting” sound. The mids therefore pay a bit of duty as they exhaust themselves to be sacrificed by the bass.
But we are talking about a detail: the Stylish by 1More are one of the best pairs of full wireless earphones we have tried , not very far from the AirPods Pro and the PowerBeats perhaps even on a par for yield. in the sound. From this perspective we are faced with excellent earphones for workouts in the gym, running and all physical activities, this also thanks to the resistance to sweat and rain.
If anything, speaking of music reproduction, we must highlight a certain instability in the connection of the earphones to our iPhone 11 Pro Max. Even from a modest distance, five or six meters, it is easy to lose for a few moments the connection and have very short moments of silence with an effect of micro disconnections and hiccup sound.
A connection problem, also and of a different nature, in reality we also had it when wearing them Stylish with a connection not always ready. In some moments we also had the connection of only one earphone while the other remained off and we had to activate it manually.
Battery and phone calls
The claimed battery life is amazing. We are talking about 6.5 hours, much more than what any other competitor is able to do except the PowerBeats Pro which are in another category, as we explained during our review.
In reality, if the Powerbeats do even better than the declared autonomy, here it is not surprisingly a worse figure, although still remarkable: in our test at 50% of the volume we arrived at about 5 hours .
It should be noted that the case can guarantee about 3 refills, certainly not a little here too. Finally the Stylish have a function similar to the Fast Fuel of the Powerbeats Pro ; 15 minutes inside the case means about three hours of autonomy.
As for the telephone function , the volume of both the caller and the called one is satisfactory even if perhaps our voice is not perfect as it happens with AirPods. The most annoying effect is a certain soft effect, probably determined by the microphone for attenuating the ambient sound.
The driver grid of 1More Stylish
In conclusion
The 1More Stylish are a excellent product from the musical point of view whose value is higher than that of the asking price for them. Also from the construction point of view we are one step above the products Chinese classics with good materials and a design that is not as trivial as those of other competitors. Overall, however, there are some flaws, perhaps not too obvious but which make the Stylish not perfect.
The ergonomics and design are revisable , the control system is complicated and there are some connectivity problems. 1More could be headed towards the goal of being the Lexus of the earphones, ready to offer a valid alternative to BMWs and Mercedes (Apple, Sony or Bose), but the road is still relatively long and difficult and there is also the risk of be overcome because competitors are moving behind it who always come from China and already have a long experience in the world of earphones …
Price and availability
The 1More Stylish can be purchased for about 50 euros by clicking on this direct link and applying the coupon HYPAXMME during the purchase phase.