Technologies
Bose Sound Comes to Baseus Inspire XP1 Earbuds and I’m Impressed
These new noise-canceling earbuds from value brand Baseus include Sound by Bose. They deliver surprisingly good performance for a little more than $100.
Our Experts
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
Pros
- Well-designed earbuds with comfortable, secure fit
- Good sound quality for the price with Sound by Bose
- Good noise cancellation
- Decent voice-calling performance
Cons
- Dolby spatial audio falls well short of Apple’s spatial audio with head-tracking
- No wireless charging
In the last year or so Bose has collaborated with a handful of affordable audio brands as it gradually expands its «Sound by Bose» initiative. Like the Bose-infused Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds, the Baseus Inspire XP1 ($110) reviewed here have very good sound and overall performance. These comfortable earbuds share some similarities with Bose’s $300 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for less than half the price, making them one of the best earbuds values around and a CNET Editors’ Choice winner.
Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2025
Bose-like fit
It appears that Bose has not only helped engineer the Inspire XP1’s sound but their design, as they have similar eartips to the QuietComfort Ultras. Baesus leaves off the stability bands that help lock the buds into your ears, however: That’s an extra found on the Bose buds as well as the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC. Even without the bands, the Baseus buds fit my ears very well and I had no problem running with them (they’re IPX4 splash-proof). The eartips’ tight seal created good passive noise isolation and allowed for optimal sound quality and noise-canceling performance.
The Inspire XP1 have a couple of advantages over the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC, which I also liked and sell for around the same price. The Inspire XP1 have a smaller case and the stems of the Baseus buds are narrower than the Skullcandy’s. They XP1’s have six microphones (three in each earbud) compared to the Method 360 ANC’s four microphones (two in each earbud).
Impressive sound for the price
Out of the box, the Inspire XP1 have a fairly balanced, though marginally V-shaped, sound profile with accentuated bass and treble and slightly recessed, albeit still warm and natural, midrange. Like Bose’s own headphones and earbuds, they’re designed to sound smooth with a variety of music genres and feature strong, punchy bass and relatively detailed sound along with a fairly wide sound stage. While the sound of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) is a step-up and has a little more depth and richness to it, the Inspire XP1’s sound isn’t far off the Bose’s pace for sound quality.
You can tweak the buds’ sound a bit in the Baseus companion app with either the preset equalizer settings or create a custom EQ setting, but I mainly stuck with the default Sound by Bose setting. Not surprisingly the Baesus sound pretty similar to the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC as well.
I compared the Baesus to the slightly less-expensive Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus ($80), which I also awarded a CNET Editors’ Choice and which also has a dual-driver design. The Earfun have a slight edge over the Baseus buds to my ear, with a little bit better treble clarity that makes them sound a tad richer, with greater overall depth. The Inspire XP1 are warmer-sounding and more forgiving. They don’t accentuate the flaws in poorly recorded tracks as much, so some folks might end up preferring their sound.
It’s also worth noting that the XP1’s are equipped Dolby spatial audio. Testing it with my iPhone 16 Pro using Apple Music and Spotify, I only noticed a small difference in sound quality when I turned it on in the app (you could argue it’s slightly better but I wasn’t sure about that). I also tested the buds with a Google Pixel 9 phone and felt the same way about the Dolby audio mode. Perhaps we’ll see some changes with a firmware upgrade. Typically, spatial audio modes open up the soundstage a bit.
How do the Inspire XP1’s features stack up?
The Inspire XP1 have a solid feature set. They’re equipped with Bluetooth 6.1, ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take a bud out of your ear (and resume playback when you put it back in), a low-latency gaming mode that should also be turned on for video watching (to make sure the audio syncs well) and multipoint Bluetooth pairing that enables you to pair two devices simultaneously to the buds.
There’s no mention of Auracast broadcast audio, which the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus support. This feature allows you to share your audio with other Auracast-enabled speakers and headphones and tap into public Auracast broadcasts. To be fair Auracast has yet to really take off, so I don’t consider its lack a major knock on the Baesus. They’re also missing wireless charging, which may be slightly more important to you, and which the EarFuns also support.
The Inspire XP1 handle the SBC and AAC audio codecs but not the so-called higher-resolution aptX Lossless or LDAC audio codes that the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus support (many Android phones support the LDAC codec for Bluetooth streaming but fewer support aptX). I personally don’t think the lack of support for aptX or LDAC is a big deal as most people won’t be able to tell the difference between using AAC and those codecs, especially with this caliber of earbuds. But some people do care about audio codecs so I mention them.
There’s a basic Find My Earbuds option that lets you know where the earbuds were last disconnected from your phone.
Good noise canceling, decent battery life
While their adaptive noise canceling isn’t up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen)’s superb ANC, it’s quite respectable (rated for with a -50 dB, it’s similar to the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus’ ANC), especially for a set of earbuds in this price range. They also have a transparency mode that lets external sound into the earbuds if you want. It’s just fine, though it doesn’t sound as natural as the AirPods Pro 3’s transparency mode, which is the gold standard,
The Inspire XP1 are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on, with an additional 29 hours in the charging case. Some earbuds offer an hour or two more of battery life on a single charge (the AirPods Pro 3 are rated for up to 7 hours of playback with noise canceling on, for the record). I used the the Inspire XP1 for 3 days without having to recharge them in the case and felt their battery life was perfectly fine.
B+ voice-calling performance
I was a little disappointed with the voice-calling performance of the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds, so I was eager to see if the Inspire XP1 did better in my tests on the noisy streets of New York. The answer is yes, though it’s more like a «B+» grade than a not top-tier «A.» Callers said the buds did a good job reducing background noise to a minimum, especially when I wasn’t talking. However, while they could hear me reasonably well, my voice warbled from time to time (as it became noisier around me), which made it harder to understand me if I was talking quickly and not enunciating my words. I could hear callers quite well on my end.
Other Baseus headphones and earbuds with Sound by Bose
The Inspire XP1 aren’t the only earbuds in Baseus new-for-2025 lineup with Sound by Bose. There’s also the Inspire XC1 open earbuds and the XH1 over-ear headphones, all of which cost around $110 when you factor in instant discount coupons on their product pages. I briefly tested both. While I think the XC1 are a good value compared to Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds and sound good for open earbuds, I prefer the Inspire XP1 and its traditional closed design. The over-ear XH1 also sound good and are a solid value overall, with decent noise canceling, but the headphones felt slightly too big for my head, so I was a little less enamored with them.
Motorola has also released some earbuds with Sound by Bose, including the Moto Buds Plus, which seem like dead ringers for the OnePlus Buds 3. I haven’t tried those, but Bose doesn’t seemed to have influenced their exterior design because they don’t have the Bose-like ear tips of the Baseus and Skullcandy buds.
Baseus Inspire XP1 final thoughts
The Inspire XP1 are well-designed and sound good for the price, with solid all-around performance, including good noise cancellation and decent voice-calling sound. The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus feature slightly better sound for less, but I do like the design and fit of the Inspire XP1 buds a bit better; they look and feel a bit more premium (as does their case). As it stands, the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus are probably the better value because you can get them for $30 less (or $40 less if you apply the code AP4PCNET at checkout on Amazon). But the Inspire XP1 are also near the top of my list of best budget earbuds and earn a CNET Editors’ Choice award.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 13
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 13.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s so long, it’s almost not a mini version today. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Field trip vehicle
Answer: BUS
4A clue: Peter’s antagonist, in a musical tale
Answer: WOLF
8A clue: «Keep me posted,» in texts
Answer: LMK
9A clue: Opera solo
Answer: ARIA
10A clue: ___Pen (emergency device)
Answer: EPI
11A clue: With 12-Across, gets in order
Answer: SETS
12A clue: With 14-Across, what a tennis champ might win a match in
Answer: STRAIGHT
14A clue: See 12-Across
Answer: SETS
15A clue: «A long time ___ in a galaxy far, far away …»
Answer: AGO
16A clue: Shy and gentle
Answer: MEEK
17A clue: Prefix with apology or answer
Answer: NON
18A clue: Comes to a close
Answer: ENDS
19A clue: Have to pay
Answer: OWE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: «Goodness gracious!»
Answer: BLESSME
2D clue: Indefinitely many, informally
Answer: UMPTEEN
3D clue: Avoided, as an issue
Answer: SKIRTED
4D clue: «Now, where ___?»
Answer: WASI
5D clue: Green topping at a pizza parlor
Answer: OREGANO
6D clue: John who played Churchill on «The Crown»
Answer: LITHGOW
7D clue: Sneaky trick to «pull»
Answer: FASTONE
13D clue: Doesn’t just assume one has permission
Answer: ASKS
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Technologies
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Are the Differences Enough to Justify Upgrading?
At first glance, the new Apple Watch Series 11 looks a lot like its previous-year model. We compare the specs to see what’s changed.
If you’re looking at getting an Apple Watch this holiday season, you have a tough choice: Should you buy the latest Apple Watch Series 11, or find a Series 10 that has most of the same features at a lower cost? Apple made incremental changes to its flagship smartwatch, while also introducing significant improvements to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.
There are still enough differences to make you look twice at moving up (especially if you’re coming from an older model). Let’s compare the models side by side and tease out the finer details.
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Pricing the Apple Watch Series 11
The Series 11 has kept the same price as the Series 10. It starts at $399 for the model with an aluminum body or $699 for one made of titanium.
Add $30 for the larger 46mm case size in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Opting for a model with a cellular radio that connects independently to networks adds $100. And if you choose a band made of something other than rubber or textile — a stainless steel link bracelet, for example — the price climbs further. Unfortunately, you can’t order just the watch case; you have to select a new band, even if it ends up in your drawer in favor of one you already own and prefer.
There’s also a titanium Apple Watch Hermès model available in silver titanium in both sizes that starts at $1,249.
Apple no longer sells the Series 10, since the Series 11 replaces it, but you can still find refurbished Series 10 models for less from Apple, and new models from other retailers while supplies last.
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Outward design
The Series 11 and Series 10 share the same case design and materials. The larger model measures 46mm tall by 39mm wide, while the smaller comes in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for continuing to offer two sizes to accommodate people with different-sized wrists.) They’re also both 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch models that came before, at 9.7mm.
Despite being mostly the same in dimensions, the Series 11 is slightly heavier than the Series 10. For example, the 46mm aluminum GPS Series 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up slightly from 36.4 grams for the Series 10. The 42mm versions come in at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively.
For colors, the Series 11 adds a space gray aluminum option to go along with rose gold, silver and jet black. Both models are also available in titanium finishes of slate, gold and natural.
The physical controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a side button (that Apple cleverly calls the «side button»). Only the Apple Watch Ultra includes a third physical control: the Action button.
Also noteworthy: The titanium Series 11 is made of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled material in the titanium Series 10. The display glass is made of 40% recycled glass in the Series 11; no amount is listed for the Series 10. And the battery in the Series 11 uses 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Series 10 lists only 100% recycled cobalt.)
Series 11 vs. Series 10 screens
The screens on both the Series 11 and Series 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED display. That means it’s easier to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on display refreshes once per second, allowing the seconds counter to move even when the watch is in inactive mode.
LTPO3 screens are also more power efficient. The screens reach up to 2,000 nits for clear visibility in sunlight and dim down to just 1 nit in darkness.
The key difference between the Series 11 and Series 10 screens lies in the glass covering. On the Series 11 aluminum models, Apple uses Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant as the glass on previous aluminum versions. The titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal display.
Apple Watch processor and chips
Normally we’d highlight how the new processor improves on its predecessor, but for 2025 Apple stuck with the same S10 processor found in the Series 10. That also means the other chips remain the same, too: the W3 Apple Wireless chip, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (for precise Find My location tracking), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.
Battery power: Series 11 vs. Series 10
Battery life is where the two models get really interesting. Apple doesn’t reveal how large the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capacity, but it is claiming up to 24 hours for the Series 11 compared to 18 hours for the Series 10. In Low Power Mode, that’s up to 38 hours for the Series 11, up from 36 hours in the Series 10.
It’s not entirely clear where Apple squeezed an extra six hours of battery life out of what appears to be mostly identical hardware. Both phones use the same S10 processor, though there are likely software optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead writer Vanessa Hand Orellana found that, at least initially, Apple may be undercounting the battery performance, writing in her review, «With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I’ve consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge.»
As for charging the watches, both the Series 11 and Series 10 can be charged up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Apple says that with a 20W power adapter, 15 minutes of fast charging provides up to 8 hours of regular use, while just five minutes is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking — thanks to the watch’s much lower power demands while you’re asleep. Apple’s comparison information for the Series 10 doesn’t list those last two metrics, but that seems more due to it being a marketing point last year versus a new capability in the Series 11.
Comparing the sensors of the Series 11 and Series 10
The Apple Watch’s sensors power health features that range from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to precise location tracking. That said…
They’re identical in the Series 11 and Series 10. No changes here.
Another change: Connectivity in the Series 11 and Series 10
One of the more notable changes in the cellular models of the Series 11 is support for 5G networks, specifically a power-efficient type called 5G Reduced Capacity (or 5G RedCap). That allows it to connect to both 5G and LTE networks without having to go through a connected iPhone, and the 5G speeds should be better. By comparison, the cellular Series 10 supports LTE and UMTS (3G).
Part of incorporating 5G into the Series 11 models is a redesigned cellular antenna and an algorithm that «simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength,» according to Apple’s Series 11 press release. That algorithm is exclusive to the Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, per Apple.
Both Apple Watch models support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple’s comparison page only lists the speeds for the Series 11, but an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported since the Series 6 watches.)
Both watches talk to the iPhone and other peripherals using Bluetooth 5.3.
WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10
The new features of WatchOS 26 come to both watch models, including hypertension notifications, Sleep Score and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance in the US amid an ongoing legal dispute). Apple’s comparison page lists the new Wrist Flick gesture for the Series 11 but not the Series 10, but that must be a typo because I can confirm that it works on my Series 10 watch.
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Apple Watch Series 10
| Apple Watch Series 11 | Apple Watch Series 10 | |
| Design & sizes | Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm | Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm |
| Display | 42mm: 446 x 374 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 46mm: 416 x 496 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED | 446 x 374 ppi, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED |
| Brightness | Between 1 and 2000 nits | 2000 nits |
| Thickness & weight | 46mm size: 9.7mm; 37.8g (aluminum), 36.9g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 43.1g (titanium) 42mm size: 9.7mm; 30.3g (aluminum), 29.7g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 34.6g (titanium) | 9.7mm; 30-41.7g (46mm titanium model) |
| Material & finish | Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish | Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish |
| Durability | 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust) | 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust) |
| Battery life | Up to 24 hours, up to 38 hours Low Power (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min | 24-30 (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min |
| Sensors | ECG, 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring, water temperature, compass | ECG, heart rate, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring |
| Emergency features | Satellite SOS, Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack | Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack |
| AI & coaching | Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy | Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy |
| Processor | S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip | S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip |
| RAM/Storage | 64GB (storage) | 64GB (storage) |
| Payments | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Price (US) | $399-$750 (titanium) | $399-$750 (titanium) |
Technologies
Resident Evil Requiem: Release Date, Leon Kennedy’s Return Confirmed and More
The return to Raccoon City is going to be just as scary as you could have imagined.
The Game Awards on Thursday revealed new games such as Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic and Control Resonant, but one of the biggest games shown was already revealed earlier in the year. Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth entry in the main Resident Evil series and takes players back to where the games started while seeing the return of a fan-favorite character.
A new trailer for Resident Evil Requiem finally reveals the antagonist of the game and confirms that Leon Kennedy is back, though it’s unclear what he’s been doing since Resident Evil 6. Also shown in the footage was Victor Gideon, a former doctor who looks like he’s been experimenting on people — and himself — as he intimidates the other main character players will control, Grace Ashcroft.
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Resident Evil Requiem made its debut during the Summer Games Fest in June, and developer Capcom slowly released details about the upcoming horror game. What’s clear from the previously released footage and impressions is that Capcom really wants to terrify players — and it’ll go so far as to put players in Grace’s shoes without weapons.
When does Resident Evil Requiem come out?
Resident Evil Requiem will be released on Feb. 27, 2026, for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
When does Resident Evil Requiem take place?
Resident Evil Requiem takes place 30 years after the events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was when Raccoon City was destroyed.
How will Resident Evil Requiem play?
After the trailer was shown, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley said Leon would bring «action-heavy gameplay» and that the game would offer two different experiences. This could mean that a good chunk of the game will be played as Grace, who will provide more of a survival-horror experience with fewer weapons and tools, while a portion of the game will be focused on Leon and his more chainsaw-wielding, kicking-in-the-face style of gameplay.
Read more: I Played Resident Evil 9 Requiem at Summer Game Fest, and It’s Extremely Messed Up
Who is Grace Ashcroft?
Grace Ashcroft is an FBI analyst who has a connection with Raccoon City. Her mother, Alyssa, was a survivor of the destruction of Raccoon City and was a playable character in the online game Resident Evil Outbreak, released on the PS2 in 2003. The elder Ashcroft was a reporter who told the story of what happened to the zombie-infested city, but was killed by a masked assailant in 2018.
Her murder spurred Grace to join the FBI. In Requiem, a mysterious infection is spreading, and deaths are mounting. Grace is assigned to investigate the Wrenwood Hotel, the place where the latest fatality has occurred, and which was the site of her mother’s murder. It’s from here that she’ll make her way to Raccoon City.
Where has Leon Kennedy been?
Leon was last seen in the series with Resident Evil 6, but he’s been active in the Resident Evil animated movies and series, including Resident Evil: Degeneration, Resident Evil: Damnation, Resident Evil: Vendetta, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness and Resident Evil: Death Island. Leon is currently an agent for the Division of Security Operations and is deployed worldwide to investigate instances of bioweapons causing havoc, which often leads to reunions with other Resident Evil survivors, such as Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers.
Are there any other characters set to be revealed?
A GameStop listing for Resident Evil Requiem listed the Expansion Pass for the game and the additional scenarios, according to a report from Videogame Chronicles on Tuesday. One scenario referred to a Shadow Walker Costume Pack, which includes outfits for Rosemary Winters, the daughter of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village hero Ethan Winters. Rosemary was the main character of Shadows of Rose, a postrelease content scenario for Resident Evil Village.
There could be additional characters revealed in the coming days as Resident Evil Requiem’s release date nears.
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