With the Haylou Lady Bag headphones, the Chinese manufacturer sells, as the name suggests, in-ear headphones in a mini handbag. You probably thought after Huawei presented the Freebuds Lipstick: We can do something like that too! In the test, the unusual in-ear even delivered a good performance.
Haylou Lady Bag Review, Specs & Price
- Haylou Lady Bag in-ear headphones
- Packaging & scope of delivery
The Haylou Lady Bag In-Ears come in a charging box that matches the color of the bag, in our case it is a lilac box. Inside you will find the “handbag” including the headphones, a total of four pairs of ear pads, a USB-C charging cable and a user manual in English and Chinese. Other languages, including German, are available online. The Haylou Lady Bags are also CE-certified, so it could well be that sooner or later they will also find their way into German shops.
One of the various carrying straps or chains is not normally included in the scope of delivery, but we did receive a chain in a separate box when we ordered from Cafago.
Customizable charging box handbags?!
The Haylou Lady Bag In-Ears are available in seven different colors. Turquoise and lilac tend to be more outgoing, while the beige, brown , and gray versions tend to be a bit more understated. As befits a real handbag, there is also a matching shoulder strap, which apparently differs from color variant to color variant. Haylou gave it more thought than I would have given it.
But that’s not all, it is even possible to change the bag color and carrying straps afterwards. According to Haylou, extra accessories for the Haylou Lady Bag should come onto the market. This expands the color palette again and it is possible to adapt your wireless in-ear charging case to your current outfit.
In fact, as I think about it, the concept even sounds familiar. It reminds me of a product that was presented by young Munich entrepreneurs in the TV format “Die Höhle der Löwen”, which was about customizable “Zoe Lu” handbags with exactly such covers! Whether Haylou copied that from German television, I smell a possible connection here!
While the handbag is slightly larger than a standard charging case, it is still quite small for a handbag design. With a wrist strap, the design still makes some sense and you can stow your small in-ear handbag in a larger handbag, but the crossbody chain we got with it is now really useless. Apart from children around the age of 10, I really can’t imagine anyone seriously hanging this small charging case over their shoulders.
In-ear headphones only in one color
While you can really let off steam with the combination bingo of the charging box, the headphones are included in all versions in white as standard. Individualization also means increasing costs and you probably want or have to slow them down at least at this point. The listeners themselves are not quite standard either. The Stab in-ears come with curved rods that extend over the entire earpiece body.
The design isn’t even that great for my taste, since the sticks look longer than they actually are. I would probably have fused the staff with the body here. The notch at the end of the stick looks to me like an AirPods-like operation where the receiver sticks are squeezed.
Good workmanship
The Haylou Lady Bag in-ear headphones are well made overall. The exchangeable, magnetic bag fastener is strong enough for everyday use, but can still be easily exchanged. I also have nothing to complain about the listeners, Haylou seems to be more serious about the Lady Bag in-ear headphones than I thought.
At first glance, the IP54 certification of the headphones is surprising, but if you consider that they are to be worn on the body relatively unprotected in the charging box, this protection is probably not only useful for sports.
Sound of the Haylou Lady Bag wireless in-ears
The Haylou Lady Bag is equipped with a dynamic single driver , and not a word is said about the membrane diameter. The headphones sound surprisingly good to me , but my expectations of this model were limited in advance.
The Haylou Lady Bag in-ears are very balanced, with too strong a sub-bass. So I enjoy the headphones in the test with a wide variety of genres. In the midrange, the headphones deliver a natural emphasis that blends in nicely with the overall sound. For a dynamic single-driver in-ear, the highs are also quite clear and defined, and details are audible that tend to be lost in many other headphones in this price range, also due to the bass being too strong.
For headphones in the price range of around €50-70, you not only get a very unusual design concept, but also a good in-ear at the end of the day.
Active Noise Cancellation & Comfort
In addition, there is hybrid active noise cancellation, which is said to reduce ambient noise by -35 dB . Similar manufacturer information can also be found on many mid-range ANC in-ears, such as the Redmi AirDots 3 Pro.
At least in my ears, the Haylou Lady Bag is extremely comfortable to wear, which means that they are already well shielded from the environment “innately” . The ANC works reliably in the test, especially with low-frequency ambient noise. If the ambient noise is high-frequency or varies greatly in frequency, the effect is significantly weaker. However, a reduction is noticeable in any case and a lower music volume is required in order to be able to completely hide the surroundings.
So I’m quite satisfied with the active noise cancellation. For a headphone in the price range of the Haylou Lady Bag In-Ears you get a solid ANC. The Earfun Air 3 Pro, for example, is a little better.
Operation via touch sensors
Similar to the AirPods, the touch functions are triggered by squeezing the handset. The Haylou Lady Bag in-ears support all common functions, only volume adjustment is not possible.
- Functions of the buttons:
| press once | press twice | press 3x | hold | |
| Left listener | play/pause; Answer/end call | previous title; reject call | Low latency mode | Switch ANC modes |
| right earpiece | play/pause; Answer/end call | next title; reject call | Low latency mode | Switch ANC modes |
Bluetooth & Runtime
Unfortunately, the built-in Bluetooth 5.2 module only supports the AAC and SBC standard codec. So there is no high-resolution audio codec.
The battery life of the headphones, each of which has a 34 mAh battery, is estimated at 5 hours, a value that I can confirm with the ANC switched on. The 300 mAh charging box gives 20 hours without a power outlet. An average value. The Lady Bag is charged via USB-C on the underside of the charging box. There is also a pairing button here.
Conclusion: But more than a marketing gimmick
The Haylu Lady Bag are a special headphone model. Since I personally am probably not the target group, I would like to allow myself only a limited judgment here and in the end it is, as always, a question of taste. However, I think that the target group of the Haylou Lady Bag will probably overlap with the target group that puts their cell phone in a case with a strap and wears it around their neck.
If the mobile phone is already dangling, then a second shoulder strap with a headphone case looks stupid, doesn’t it? In addition, I believe that only children would seriously put the charging case on the headphones, the size ratio is also better, with adults it just looks out of place. I find a discreet carrying strap really chic.
My fears that this mid-range ANC in-ear with a special design might not be technically good have not come true. With a price of currently around €50, you can actually do that if you know someone who fits the top target group of the in-ears.
Pros
- solid sound & ANC
- Extraordinary & customizable design
- Fair price of around €50
Cons
- no app
- Top target group
- No volume adjustment via handset
The Haylou Lady Bag wireless in-ears are a pretty crazy idea, but also technically solid. Surprisingly, I really like the sound of the headphones and the wearing comfort and ANC are also absolutely competitive in the price range of €50-60. The workmanship is also good and changing the bag color is easy, but still offers sufficient support.
Since the headphones are equipped with CE marking and Co., I could well imagine that there could also be a global release in the future, the question remains whether Haylou can make a good price that will make fun for the girlfriend, wife or daughter or similar is worth.
