Bluetooth earbuds have been gaining more popularity, and the huge variety of models has made personal audio more convenient and accessible for everyone. Open-ear earbuds being one of them, is very popular among athletes or people on-the-go, as it offers better spatial awareness and comfort as you need not have something plugged inside your ears all the time. Lately we got our hands on the Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro, and here are our thoughts after using it for a while.
Pros | Cons |
Ergonomic design for perfect and secure fit, specially for outdoor workout enthusiasts | Sound could be better with more powerful EQ settings |
IPX5 rating with SweatGuard™️ technology | Design might be less appealing for certain people |
Long battery life up to 46 hours in total |
Design
The model that I’ve got is “Calm White”. At first look, I was a little bit sceptical, because the design does give an impression that it won’t feel comfortable sitting on my ear. But I was never so wrong. The AeroFit Pro is ergonomically engineered with ear hooks and fits perfectly on your ears via a rotating motion, while the drivers adapt a non-intrusive design with air conduction technology. This provides maximum open-ear comfort while allowing access to the surrounding sound.
I tested it out by wearing it for a running session and some simple workout as well, and surprisingly it stays relatively in place throughout the whole session even with my head swinging left and right, moving up and down. The earbuds material is quite gentle to the skin as well, making it still comfortable even when you're sweating. Besides, it comes with IPX5 water-resistant with exclusive SweatGuard™️ technology, so you would not need to be bothered by sweat or rain.
It also comes with a detachable and adjustable neckband, which further adds a layer of security while engaging in physical activity. The earbuds still snugged very well without it, so I don't really find myself using it quite often, but it does help when you need to have the earbuds off your ears temporarily, and you can simply hang them over your neck.
The casing comes with a button, which allows you to easily open it with one hand, but that is not necessary, as it is just the magnet doing its job so not using the button won’t damage the casing. Upon opening the casing, you can see these small white lights which indicate the battery level of the earbuds and the casing itself. It uses type-C charging which is the universal way to go, but it is still considerate enough to come with a USB-C charge cable in the box as well.
Sound Quality
Like all open-ear earbuds do, there would be a certain level of compromise on sound quality. Regardless, the AeroFit Pro still performs better than what I expected. The 16.2mm oversized drivers with titanium-coated domes consistently deliver robust bass and clear audio. Sound leakage is near minimal thanks to the Directional Acoustic Technology, and with the surrounding noise it probably won’t bother anyone around you. Even in a room with just the noise of a running fan, I can only barely hear the music playing in the earbuds at max volume. But with that said the earbuds would still be more suitable for workout sessions as you probably would not want people to eavesdrop on you inside the office or public transport.
Despite being positioned as earbuds for outdoor workout enthusiasts, it still offers a few presets of EQ in case you want to use it for some casual entertainment. You’d notice the difference between each mode, but the effect and immersion would not be as strong as over-ear or in-ear headphones, and throughout my experience I still find the “soundcore Signature” mode to be the most usable preset. You can also try to customise your own EQ to suit your needs but still it doesn't seem to deliver the bass and treble up to a satisfying level.
The AeroFit Pro also supports spatial audio, and there are 2 settings, “Fixed” and “Head Tracking” respectively. I personally found this feature more suitable for entertainment purposes, like you can watch a movie or listen to some music, but do mind that this does not work simultaneously with the EQ presets so enabling spatial audio further comprises the sound quality and I personally don’t really recommend it but that still depends on personal preference of quality and experience.
Soundcore App
There is this Soundcore app where you can customise settings for the AeroFit Pro. Other than the EQ settings, you can also customise what you want to control with the earbuds button. Each earbud has a clickable button, which is pretty good to avoid misclick like those touch controls, but the position would take some time to get used to, at least that is the case for my fat fingers. The single press and double press control allows for customization, so you would be able to carry out a total of 4 actions via the buttons. You can also monitor the earbuds and casing battery level via the app interface, and it would be even better to have the percentage displayed.
Other than audio and control settings, there is also a support section for your earbuds, where you can gain access to the user manual as well as FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for any kind of issues, allowing troubleshooting anytime anywhere. There are also How-To Videos linked with their YouTube channel so no matter you’re a text or video person, you can always get the help you want for your earbuds.
Another thing that I find pretty interesting with the Soundcore App is the White Noise feature. As you may not know yet, white noise could help to promote relaxation and reduce stress, though it may not work for some people. There are 3 presets of white noise, or you can customise your own as well, up to a combination of 3 different types of white noise. I personally find this quite soothing when I’m relaxing after a workout, or having a meditation after my yoga session, not to mention that the white noise also blends quite well with the environment due to the open-ear design.
Battery
Official lab test with continuous audio playback at 50% volume shows that the AeroFit Pro is able to last 14 hours on a single charge, and up to another 32 hours with the charging case, giving you a total of 46 hours playback time. When personally trying it out with music playing at 100% volume for around an hour, roughly 10% of battery is spent so on rough estimation it should come quite close with the official data, which should be more than enough for even the most hardcore workout enthusiasts.
Verdict
Overall I would recommend the Soundcore AeroFit Pro. The secure fit and open-ear design alongside with the IPX5 rating and long battery life make it the perfect choice for workout enthusiasts, especially for outdoor sessions as you will be able to maintain full awareness of your surroundings throughout your session, while still enjoying a certain level of audio experience. If you are looking for sound isolation to enjoy a full and immersive listening experience while focusing on your workout routine, you might want to consider other options as bear in mind the AeroFit Pro is designed with the priority of letting you hear the outside world. The design itself might not look as fashionable compared to some other options, so it might be a dealbreaker for those looking to use it in office or daily commuting scenarios.
