• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Accessories HTC "hands free" Evo Earbuds Review

daytonaUSA

Member
Jun 9, 2010
59
13
Hey guys, I figured I'd do a review for these new earbuds I bought. In short, if you have been looking for an inexpensive way to have earphones that sound great, and have the conveniences of the iPhone, look no further.

You can find them here:

OEM HTC Stereo Hands-Free Headset with Remote for HTC 36H00880-04M

Now, for the review...

A few things I always hated about the iPhone's buds were the fact they had a horrible build quality and would fall apart with little to no effort, would not fit my ears well and depending on the set I bought would either have one or two that didn't fit my ears and would fall out, were VERY expensive, and well, now... didn't match my Evo.

However, the iPhone's earbuds did have one thing that was going for it.. the hands free remote on the cord.

These new HTC earphones are made for the Evo, and many other Android sets, so that means, even when you're not in the music program, just like with iPhone's earbuds on the iPhone, you can start and stop music and skip ahead or back. No more annoying double or triple presses.. each of the 3 functions has it's own button. There is one downside, there is no volume control, but since I always used my phone's volume rocker, this wasn't a bad thing for me. What was important to me were the functions I had to do by normally having to turn the screen on.

But there are many earphones that have remotes, so why are these so great? First off, they're only 19.99... so Apple can shove that up their *** ;). These earbuds are actually a bit bigger, and ...ACTUALLY FIT MY EARS! This was the best part when I got these, and I've been in heaven since. I can move quickly, even tug hard on the cord and the earbuds will not come out, not even budge! If for some reason you have HUGE ears, it even comes with the foam pads to make it fit better. But honestly, you won't need them.

So how is the sound? Well, they beat the iPhone's hands down once again. They are loud and very clear. The base is picked up with good clarity and there is no buzzing, or awkward abnormalities. I have listened to techno, modern rock, classic rock, classical... all sounds beautiful. If you want an example, for as long as I've had Apple earbuds, when I put these in and hit play, and Aerosmith came on, it sounded so good, and the earphones were so secure in my ears (keeping the sound in) I had a huge beaming smile on my face. I was really surprised. :eek:

These earbuds actually look like they were made to match the EVO as well. They are very stylish, and the build quality is great. One thing I had a problem with with the Apple buds, is that the jack didn't fit in the EVO very well, often times wanting to come out with little effort. These fit perfectly and snuggly, and have a nice reassuring "click" when it goes in (not sound, but feel).

These are wonderful earbuds, and I was honestly very nervous when I bought them. But I'm actually throwing away my Apple earbuds tonight because these are that much better.

For anyone looking for good buds, these are top notch. If you have had troubles finding a good pair, or avoided these because you were afraid of their quality, let your worries fly away and buy these immediately. You won't be disappointed!

D-
 
Interesting, so the remote functions DO work on the Evo. I had read elsewhere that HTC never made Android drivers, thus considered Android based phones unsupported.

Thanks for taking the plunge for the rest of us and reporting back your findings. You're going to make a lot of folks happy.

No problemo. :D

Btw, just to let you guys know, on the box on the front/bottom it says:

Compatible with:
HTC EVO 4G


And that's it LOL. I know it's compatible with more than that, but I found it funny they made a point of that right on the front of the box.

And yea, the remote works perfectly. I was very pleasantly surprised when I was on my home screen and hit play and the music came on :). Then even more surprised when I realized how well built and how comfortable these are.

You really can't go wrong, and at this price, in my opinion, they're a freakin' steal.


I hope more people see this review. These really need to just be included with the EVO, or at least be in stores and advertised well.
 
Upvote 0
How is it handling the switching to and from calls? These are made by a company other than HTC though. This company makes a lot of different audio products and OEM Company is actually it's name. Wonder if they contract/license to use HTC's name and product names?


Everything says HTC on the buds and the packaging.. I see no "OEM company".

Anywho, not sure about the calls, but considering the play/pause button has a phone symbol on it, I'm sure it works like the iPhone where it picks up and hands up and resumes music when you're done. Again, I've not had a call while listening to music so I can't tell you if that's true, but I somehow doubt this wouldn't work well.

I'll report though asap when I get to test this function.
 
Upvote 0
Everything says HTC on the buds and the packaging.. I see no "OEM company".

Anywho, not sure about the calls, but considering the play/pause button has a phone symbol on it, I'm sure it works like the iPhone where it picks up and hands up and resumes music when you're done. Again, I've not had a call while listening to music so I can't tell you if that's true, but I somehow doubt this wouldn't work well.

I'll report though asap when I get to test this function.

They may be making them for HTC, but it's this company's product. I don't think HTC would set out to make phones to be used with so many other makers' phones.

Can't wait to see your full test results and review.
 
Upvote 0
UPDATE!

When music is on, and you get a call, it will cut the music automatically when you hit the "phone/play/pause" button. The microphone on the remote is wonderful, and unlike my iPhone's, I didn't need to make sure it was right near my mouth for me to be heard. When I was done with the call, i hit the "phone/play/pause" button again and the call ended, and the music automatically resumed! Easy! Also, the earbuds don't emit as much sound when the sound is fully blasting and the buds are in the table, like iPhone buds, which is advantageous at work.

I really would recommend these.




WARNING:
I did a test on my friend's 3GS iPhone, and these do NOT work all the way on those phones. So if you are getting these for replacements for your iPhone buds, I wouldn't fully recommend it.. although even my friend was amazed with the sound and how well the buds stayed in his ears, and considered buying them despite the messed up remote controls. I'm assuming the calls and remote mic work, but as far as music, only Play works. Skips do nothing, and pause will start up "voice control".


So there you have it. Go buy yourself a pair. You won't regret it!
 
Upvote 0
One last thing. Note that the symbol on the top toolbar is different than when you just have regular earphones plugged in.

snap20100622_093635.png
 
Upvote 0
I prefer the in ear plug design so I am hoping that these work with this accessory--

EBud Earbud Covers

It's sold on the same site so hopefully they are compatible since these seem like a really great pair of headphones.


In the picture, it looks like the covers are going over iPhone earbuds, and those are significantly smaller than these.

Once again, these aren't your typical buds. They won't fall out of your ear, and they won't fall out when you pull on the wire. I don't think those covers will work for you, but I'd still give these a shot. I've not shown these to anyone who didn't end up loving them.
 
Upvote 0
In the picture, it looks like the covers are going over iPhone earbuds, and those are significantly smaller than these.

Once again, these aren't your typical buds. They won't fall out of your ear, and they won't fall out when you pull on the wire. I don't think those covers will work for you, but I'd still give these a shot. I've not shown these to anyone who didn't end up loving them.


I am sure they are great. It's just that since I travel on the subway around town, the plug headphones help to block out some of the outside sound but the pair I have has no inline controls so I am constantly going into my pocket to change songs. I'll give these a try when they are back in stock.
 
Upvote 0
I am sure they are great. It's just that since I travel on the subway around town, the plug headphones help to block out some of the outside sound but the pair I have has no inline controls so I am constantly going into my pocket to change songs. I'll give these a try when they are back in stock.


Didn't realize they were out of stock, haha. Hmm, yea I understand your needs now. These are pretty loud, but if those covers worked it would be nice. I'd just hate for you to waste money on them if they didn't fit. Is there a compatibility list on those covers?
 
Upvote 0
Since it has the TRRS jack it will work better with the FM Radio. I only have a TRS jack on my headphones, put my email down on the site when it becomes availaible again.

Most sites are saying its a pre-order for these, were they just released?


I'm not too sure, honestly. When I found them, they were available and I simply went through the check out process. They must be popular if they're already gone.. I just ordered these not even a week or so ago.
 
Upvote 0
what is the cord like?

I bought Sprint's over-the-ear stereo headphones/mic and while their is no volume controls on them, the cord is an extremely flexible wire with a fabric coating on top of it which is entirely awesome. After using them, I'm loathe to use plastic-coated headphones again.

It's a rubbery coating. Nothing abnormal like what you described. Doesn't bother me in the slightest, and is much more durable to bending on the ends than iPod buds. IE: rubber will not split at the connector, exposing wires.
 
Upvote 0
Mine just came in on saturday, and I've used it for two days now. The overall quality is great, the control works well with the stock music player. My only problem is that the earphone feels uncomfortable in my ears and if I use it for more than 15 mins, my ears are in pain because I think the earphone is a little bigger than other earphones that I've used before(ipod touch and some JVC jelly earphone). It's just my personal problem, nothing wrong with the earphone itself, maybe bigger earbuds are just not for me =(

Sigh, I was so excited that I found a pair of earphone that has controls and work for the EVO...... I guess I will have to keep on finding another pair that will fit my ear =(

-----------------------
After using this for more than two months, I have to come back and say that... the control on this headphone just stop working... and the other party can't hear me when I'm using the mic during phone call..
 
Upvote 0
Mine came in yesterday, I'm really happy with them so far. They work great with the FM radio, stations that I was just getting a static filled noise with 2 other pairs of ear buds come in clear as a bell now.

I wish they had added a couple extra pairs of the foam covers, has anyone found a source for replacements or tried the ibuds with these to see if they fit?
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones