Leaf Pods X1 Long-Term Review: 6 Months Later, A Disappointing Reality

This is my long-term review of the Leaf Pods X1, after using them for almost 6 months.

When I first came across Leaf, I honestly thought the brand was worth giving a chance. I saw a few reviews, liked what I was seeing, and eventually Leaf’s own CEO suggested that I try the Pods X1.

So I did.

And after almost six months, I think I have a very different opinion than I had when I first received them. The first impression was actually pretty good. They looked premium enough, were comfortable to wear, the battery life was decent, and the overall package felt competitive for the price. But long-term usage has a funny way of exposing products. And the Pods X1 started showing their weaknesses.

Let’s talk about the biggest selling point of Pods X1: ANC. Leaf markets these with 45dB Hybrid ANC. 45dB sounds impressive. The problem is that numbers don’t tell you how good the actual implementation is.

In my experience, the ANC on these is… underwhelming. It does reduce some constant background noise, but don’t go into this expecting some magical “silence the world” experience. On paper, 45dB sounds like a flagship feature. In actual usage, it feels much more ordinary. And that’s probably my biggest issue with the Pods X1.

The marketing makes the product sound more premium than the actual experience.

And then there is the microphone. This is where I genuinely struggled. The microphone quality is just not good enough for something that is supposed to be an everyday TWS. If I’m speaking loudly and clearly, things are manageable. But in normal conversations, especially when there is any amount of background noise, the experience quickly falls apart. I’ve had people ask me to repeat myself multiple times. And that’s not something I expect from a TWS in this price segment anymore. A pair of earbuds doesn’t need to have studio-quality microphones. But at the very least, people on the other end of a call should be able to understand what you’re saying without you having to consciously raise your voice.

The sound is okay, but… The sound isn’t terrible. In fact, I would say the Pods X1 can sound pretty enjoyable once you spend some time tweaking the EQ. And that’s another thing I liked about the Leaf ecosystem. The Leaf app gives you options to customise the sound, which is genuinely useful. But again, you shouldn’t have to spend ages tuning an earbud just to get it sounding the way you expect.

Out of the box, the sound isn’t something that made me go: “Okay, these are special.” It’s more like: “Yeah, these are fine.” And after almost six months, “fine” is probably the best word I can use for them.

The bigger problem is the competition. This is where I think Leaf has a problem. The Pods X1 are not competing against some random ₹5,000 earbuds anymore. The current market is absolutely packed with TWS options around the ₹2,000–₹3,000 range. And once you start comparing them seriously, the X1 doesn’t really have a killer feature.

ANC? Not class-leading. Microphone? Definitely not. Sound? Good enough, but nothing exceptional. Battery?Good. App? Useful. Design? Pretty decent.

But where is the reason I should pick this over everything else? That’s the question I kept coming back to after months of use. And then I started looking at the marketing again.

Leaf currently advertises the Pods X1 with features like 45dB Hybrid ANC, 50-hour total playtime, wireless charging, dual pairing, and personalised sound through the Leaf AI Sound app. That’s a lot of features for a relatively affordable TWS. But this is exactly where I think consumers need to be careful.

Feature lists don’t equal experience. You can put 45dB ANC on the box. You can put 50 hours of battery life on the website. You can put AI sound personalisation in the app. But eventually, I’m going to put these things in my ears and actually use them.

And that’s where the Pods X1 become much less impressive.

My biggest disappointment?

I actually wanted to like these. That’s what makes this review a little harsher. If I had randomly bought these for ₹2,000 and used them for a few weeks, maybe I’d simply call them “decent value.” But I was given the opportunity to use them for months. Six months gives you enough time to move past the honeymoon period.

And after that honeymoon period, I don’t find myself reaching for the Pods X1 because they are amazing. I reach for them because they’re there. That’s a very different thing.

So, should you buy the Leaf Pods X1?

If you find them heavily discounted and your expectations are reasonable, they’re not unusable. But if you’re buying them specifically because the marketing screams 45dB ANC + AI audio + 50-hour battery + flagship experience, I’d say:

Don’t.

The Pods X1 are a classic example of why you shouldn’t judge TWS earbuds by the specification sheet.

Because after almost six months with them, my verdict is pretty simple:

They’re not terrible earbuds.

They’re just nowhere near as impressive as they’re made out to be.

And honestly, that’s more disappointing than a genuinely bad product.

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