Open-Ear
Baseus Inspire XC1
79Great
$110
Full review dataBaseus Inspire XC1 vs Huawei FreeArc: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Huawei FreeArc comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 80. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Huawei FreeArc - Outstanding overall at around $99.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Huawei FreeArc leads on 4 of 6 measures.
- Baseus Inspire XC1
- Huawei FreeArc
HearWiki score
79
80
Sound
7.7
8.1
Battery
8.1
6.7
Calls
7.8
7.4
Value
6.6
8.0
Price (USD)
$110
$99
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
New platform
Baseus Inspire XC1 (2026) against Huawei FreeArc (2024). The Baseus Inspire XC1 is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 6.1 against 5.2 and Top codec LDAC against AAC. It also adds Water resistance IP66 against IP57.
- Inspire XC120262 yr newer
- FreeArc2024
What differsInspire XC1FreeArc
- Bluetooth
- 6.1
- 5.2
- Top codec
- LDAC
- AAC
- Water resistance
- IP66
- IP57
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Multipoint pairing, USB-C.
Specifications
Inspire XC1FreeArc
- Type
- Open-Ear
- Open-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $110
- $99
- HearWiki score
- 79
- 80
- Released
- 2026
- 2024
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- 2-driver hybrid
- 17 mm driver
- Driver type
- hybrid
- -
- Driver size
- 10.8 mm
- 17 mm
- Drivers per side
- 2
- 1
- Frequency response
- 20 Hz - 40 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Bluetooth
- 6.1
- 5.2
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- SBC, AAC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Latency
- 60 ms
- -
- Wireless range
- 10 m
- -
- Battery life
- 8 h
- 7 h
- Battery incl. case
- 40 h
- 28 h
- Full charge time
- 90 min
- 40 min
- Quick charge
- 10 min → 2.5 h
- 10 min → 3 h
- Wireless charging
- No
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- No
- No
- ANC type
- none
- -
- Transparency mode
- No
- -
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- No
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- touch
- touch
- Voice assistant
- Yes
- -
- Weight
- 5 g
- 8.9 g
- Case weight
- -
- 67 g
- Water resistance
- IP66
- IP57
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 4
- 4
What reviewers said
Baseus Inspire XC1
The Baseus Inspire XC1 are open-ear earbuds that offer a comfortable, lightweight fit with a dual-driver setup and LDAC support for strong audio quality in their class. With IP66 durability, multipoint connectivity, and a total battery life of 40 hours including the case, they present a practical and feature-rich option for those seeking an open design without noise cancellation.
- Pro:Comfortable open-ear fit with lightweight 5g earbuds
- Pro:Supports LDAC codec for high-resolution audio
- Pro:IP66 water and dust resistance
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Case can be slippery and hard to grip
- Con:Some software issues reported with the companion app
Huawei FreeArc
The Huawei FreeArc are open-ear wireless earbuds designed for comfort and durability, featuring a robust IP57 rating for water and dust resistance. They deliver solid audio performance with a 17mm driver and offer a practical feature set including Bluetooth 5.2, multipoint connectivity, and touch controls, though they lack active noise cancellation. With a 7-hour battery life per charge and 28 hours total with the case, they are a strong option for sports and outdoor use.
- Pro:Excellent IP57 water and dust resistance
- Pro:Comfortable open-ear fit for extended wear
- Pro:Good sound quality for the open-ear category
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Battery life is modest compared to some rivals
- Con:Limited to SBC and AAC codecs
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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