I often use and review headphones at a very different price point than these, but sometimes a piece of gear will surprise you in the value it brings.
The Fifine X3 have a pretty satisfying batch of features for $50, taking elements from more expensive headphones into a pretty solid offering that’s within a lot more people’s budgets.
Features like:
- 3.5mm jack for optional corded use
- Included attachable microphone
- Active noise cancellation mode & transparency mode
- Soft, comfortable headband and earpads
- Foldable design
- USB-C charging
In testing, I synced these headphones to my phone, my iPad, and also my Steam Deck for games.
Sound Quality & Bluetooth
I was pleasantly surprised here. When I gamed with these headphones the crispness of detail was pretty solid, and the bass during gunplay and explosions was also respectable for a headphone under $100.
The bass tapers off when you reach the really low frequencies and has less presence than my other headphones, but I expected that. Still, for the bass frequencies these headphones reach, they have a somewhat warm presence that isn’t overdone. It’s solid, especially at the price point.
Sound stage is fairly small, which is also to be expected with closed headphones. That is to say, musical instruments or the action of games and movies doesn’t sound like it’s wide and open in the way it encompasses you, but fairly close up. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just something to know.
The treble is sometimes slightly sibilant, but I didn’t find it overly bright or harsh. It was clear enough for good gaming detail, but wasn’t fatiguing during hour or two gaming sessions with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
For as much as these headphones visually remind me of the Sony XM4, they don’t strike me as bloated in the bass as many have described the Sonys to be.
The microphone is on par with a lot of gaming headsets with boom mics, which is to say it picks up voice pretty clearly but is fairly sensitive to background noise. When I’ve used it in calls, I’ve been told they can hear me breathing if I put the mic in front of my mouth. With it straight out to the side of my mouth, though, people have told me my voice is clear but they don’t hear the breathing.
Bluetooth range is great, actually. I can leave my phone in my kitchen and walk all the way to my mailbox or my storage shed in the yard and the audio is clean. That’s noteworthy to me because all of my AirPods cut out as I enter the shed or just before I reach my mailbox, reliably.
Yet with the Fifine X3, I can make it into my storage shed and my mailbox and whatever I’m listening to is still clear, no static or cutting out.
Noise Cancelling & Transparency Modes
Regarding noise cancelling, I’ll first say that as close back headphones with cushy pleather earpads, these headphones block a fair degree of sound even with ANC off. ANC does a decent job of adding to that.
When I was washing dishes with these headphones on, the faucet sound mostly disappeared. Nearby voices, though, the ANC didn’t do as good of a job of blocking. It definitely dampened them so it’s helpful especially if you’re in a room with several people talking nearby. But it’s not creating that near-silence that some ANC headphones do.
The experience with ANC I have the most hours with is the AirPods Max, so when I say that the AirPods handle noise cancelling better, it obviously bears mention that those originally retailed for $550.
However, as I find myself saying about several aspects of these headphones, for the price point what you’re getting is impressive.
Similar story for the transparency mode. It doesn’t sound as natural and realistic that it’s almost like not wearing headphones at all, but it’s functional and serves the purpose well enough when you want to hear nearby things while listening to music or podcasts.
Having this feature for a headphone below $100 is great, and it’s useful for going on walks or for listening to a podcast while family or kids are nearby.
Interestingly, the mode switching doesn’t seem to work when I’ve been in a call.
I suspect this has to do with the voice announcing each mode as you switch heard within the headphones. They were probably built so that that voice isn’t bothersome during a call, but it would be nice if that were replaced with a tone like the AirPods do so that switching during a call were possible. For instance, suppose I were using transparency mode but then answered a call and wanted ANC on to hear the caller better. Currently, it seems I can’t switch to that on the fly, and it’d be nice.
Build and Comfort
The all plastic design is lightweight, and the cushy pleather earpads and headband do a good job of staying on tight enough not to slide around, but without uncomfortable clamping force.
I would have to report back in a later video to speak to long term durability of the folding joints.
They seem solidly built from what I can experience, and I suspect as long as you fold them carefully each time and don’t continuously whip them on and off your way one-handed you wouldn’t have any issues with the plastic frame.
I consider the comfort on par with the Sony XM5’s that I wore earlier this year, and noticeably better than the much more expensive AirPods Max.
The side buttons have a satisfying click and seem pretty responsive. They aren’t mushy and I haven’t had to click multiple times to get the effect, which I’ve had happen on various electrics from headphones to flashlights.
They’re placed in a way that’s easy to learn and remember, starting with the power on/off button, then the volume rocker, then the ANC/mode button.
Right in that same control area you’ll find the 3.5mm jack in case you want to plug these headphones in, and a 2.5mm microphone jack to use with included boom mic.
Summary
I can definitely recommend these headphones for anyone looking for bluetooth headphones under $100, especially because they offer:
- Great bluetooth range
- Options for ANC and transparency
- Light and comfortable
- Balanced sound for under $100
If this has been helpful in your headphones search and you’re interested in buying these, please consider using my affiliate link to help support my work:
Brian Watkins has worked as a copywriter, SEO strategist, and photographer since 2007. He’s helped numerous businesses level up their revenue through stronger copy, and is also a YouTuber. Blending creative and technical disciplines has been a passion since he was a teenager, growing up in a home with two IT tech parents while he practiced creative writing and camera work.