REVIEW – There are many bone-conducting earbuds out there, most notably the Shockz series. Nearly all of them have the disadvantage that they need a special cable or charger and are more bulky than in-ear earbuds. In an effort to create a better design, the ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones were introduced through a successful Kickstarter campaign last year.
What is it?
The ULlife Me-300S are headphones that use bone conduction to transmit the sound/music from the earbuds through your bones instead of into your eardrums.
What’s in the box?
- ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones
- Carrying pouch
- User manual
Hardware specs
Sound transfer via bone conduction
Weight: 18 g (0.6 oz)
Charging via USB-cable
Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint
Battery life: 8 hours (specified) / 13.5 hours (measured)
Charge time (empty to full): (not specified) / 1:45
IP66
The diameter of the whole thing is just 8 cm / 3.15 “, so it is very easy to carry around.
Design and features
This is how I wear the ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones.
As you can see, in contrast with other bone-conducting earbuds, there’s no big knob behind the ear, which makes the whole thing much easier to wear and transport.
With the thin wire at the back, it is almost impossible to lose the earbuds. Thus, perfect for my cycling and walking, but I’m sure also for running. And as it is rated IP66, there is no problem using them even in heavy rain, although I wouldn’t recommend swimming with them.
The bendable cable that connects each ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphone at the back provides just enough pressure to be comfortable, yet stays in place all the time.
What about the ULlife Me-300S sound quality? I think they perform very well, although you might notice some vibrations in bass sections when the volume is turned up. But that’s more or less standard with bone-conducting devices. It is so nice to be able to listen to a podcast, the radio, your favorite music and still be able to hear everything around you. The microphone works pretty well for receiving phone calls, but don’t expect wonders.
One of the nice features of all bone-conducting earbuds and also with the ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones is that it is virtually impossible for others to hear the music or speech you are listening to (no sound leakage). Of course, the downside of that is that there is absolutely no noise canceling.
And in contrast with nearly all in-ear earbuds, you will hardly feel that you are wearing them.
There aren’t many controls on the ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones:
- Volume up (also used to power on or off)
- Volume down
- Function button:
- Play/Pause music Click once
- Answer call Click once
- End call Click once
- Reject call Press and hold for 1 sec
- Previous song Triple-click while music is playing
- Next song Double-click while music is playing
I think that’s just about all you need.
One of the nice features, missing from many high-end in-ear earbuds is that they can connect to two Bluetooth devices at once, so for instance, in my case, an iPad and an iPhone. And the Bluetooth 5.3 connection is very stable and fast.
What makes these earbuds really stand out is that you can charge them directly with any USB-C cable:
So, there is no need to carry a proprietary cable or special power adapter!
What I like
- Acceptable sound quality (like other bone-conducting earbuds)
- USB-C cable only to charge
- Extremely light, easy to wear and to transport
- Long battery life (14 hours!)
What I’d change
- Provide some extra controls, like an equalizer
Final thoughts
I think the ULlife Me-300S bone-conducting headphones are inexpensive, very handy, and light. Based on my experience using them, I highly recommend them.
Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Amazon and Aliexpress
Source: I purchased the ULlife Me-300S headphones with my own money.
