The XRound Aero True Wireless Gaming Earbuds are touted as ultra-low latency gaming earbuds, are very good in terms of lag and accuracy, and nail the style as well as battery life, but there are some complaints that make them hard to recommend. Sure, it meets the demands of fast-paced gaming, but there are plenty of hurdles that get in the way of a reasonable user experience.

XRound's promise of low latency is not merely a marketing ploy. In game mode, the latency is genuinely unnoticeable, and I have no complaints; compared to music mode, where a nearly one-second delay is noticeable, game mode is quite speedy.

Accuracy is also high; XRound Reality Lite's signature 3D surround sound is definitely ideal for pinpointing enemies in games, and in fact, it gives the music a bit more of a rounded feel. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure why I would want to turn this off, but it's a relief when the sound quality is just too lackluster.

Right out of the box, the sound is not very thick in any mode. The top S sound is a bit harsh, and anything having to do with dental grinds made my face grimace. Of course, these are tiny earbuds, so I didn't expect to be drowning in bass, but there is certainly room for improvement. At the very least, I would like to hear the sound of glass shattering as well as the rumble of an explosion nearby.

To give you tuning capabilities, the XRound MyTune app is available to equalize the sound and save custom profiles. On my Samsung Galaxy S7, the app crashed after the first menu screen, and while it worked fine on my good friend's Galaxy S20 Ultra, it went in circles for about 10 minutes trying to recognize a device that was already paired and eventually gave up. Bad form; looks like a great little app if you can get it to work, with a 7-band graphic equalizer, presets, and a custom profile slot that can be shared. But alas, I could not.

One feature I really liked was the ability to pause, change volume, and skip songs with swipe gestures while listening to music. The touch screen works well, but if you often fiddle with your hair or touch your ear, as I do, you may accidentally activate it. It is also a bit cumbersome to have to tap the left earpiece to switch between surround sound and the other earpiece to switch between music mode and game mode. Still, it is quite a useful feature.

However, no other headset offers this level of portability. On the go, the storage unit acts as a USB Type-C rechargeable power bank, providing 24 hours of charging in addition to the 6 hours or so the earbuds already have. The box is lightweight and fits easily into any pocket. The box is lightweight and fits easily in any pocket. The cool design is also reflected in the earphones themselves.

They are very light and fit well, so the earbuds don't fall out quickly; a pair of Spinfit silicone tips in three different sizes is included, which is quite thoughtful. There is no active noise cancellation, but the isolation helps a bit. The microphone, on the other hand, has active noise cancellation, which allows for clear, unobstructed calls. While this is a nice feature, it does not compensate for the erratic sound quality or connection quality.

Regardless of the mode or type of device connected, earphones have a tendency to stutter. This happened whenever I turned my head, even when there were no other Bluetooth devices around and completely away from other technology. In other words, the Bluetooth 5.0 connection works from 10 feet away, but there is a slight problem with the connection even when in close proximity.

The XRound Aero may be super convenient for gaming on the go, with the flexibility to move around independently of the device with slide gesture controls, but it would not be my first choice for listening to music or gaming with rumbling sound. In terms of speedy, accurate 3D sound, the XRound Aero True Wireless earbuds are hard to beat in a small package, but without the resonant bass and many technical issues, it's hard to recommend them, even at the reduced price of $74.99.