The landscape of open-ear earbuds has been growing rapidly over the past 12 months, so it’s great to see that Anker’s Soundcore brand has decided to jump into the ring with two new models: the $130 AeroFit and the $170 AeroFit Pro. Both are available in black from Soundcore.com and Amazon from November 1, with three additional color options available by the end of 2023.
Both Aerofit models are based on an open-ear design that lets you remain fully aware of your surroundings. Instead of a speaker that sits in your ear like the Apple AirPods, or seals your ear canal like the AirPods Pro, the Aerofit places speakers right outside your ears.
They use a flexible titanium alloy wire wrapped in ultrasoft silicone rubber to bend around the top of your ear, which holds them in place.
The Soundcore Aerofit is the entry-level model with 14mm titanium-coated drivers and touch controls on each earbud. Battery life is rated at 11 hours per charge, a number that increases to 42 hours when you include their charging case. A 10-minute fast charge will give you an additional four hours of playtime.
The Aerofit is also the best choice for those who need top-level water protection as they have an essentially waterproof IPX7 rating. You can configure the EQ and control customizations using the Soundcore companion app and the earbuds are compatible with Bluetooth multipoint for two device connections simultaneously.
The Aerofit Pro takes a slightly different approach to both design and features. Their most innovative aspect is the included adjustable neckband that attaches to the bottom of the earbud earhooks. Most open-ear earbuds come in one of two styles – individual earbuds, or buds that are permanently attached via a (usually) non-adjustable neckband. The Aerofit Pro’s hybrid approach might be the best of all worlds.
The Pro also gets high-resolution audio support thanks to LDAC Bluetooth codec compatibility as well as a built-in spatial audio feature with head tracking. They use large, 16.2mm titanium-coated drivers, and their battery capacity is big: a claimed 14 hours per charge, with a total of 46 hours when you include the case, though the LDAC codec is limited. This number will decrease with use. Like the Aerofit, they can charge fast, with 10 minutes getting you 5.5 extra hours.
The Aerofit Pro aren’t as rugged as its siblings, only having an IPX5 rating for water resistance, but that may partly be due to their controls – the Pro uses a set of physical buttons, which some people may find difficult to get used to. May seem easy.
With these specifications, we can only say that the things that are missing are wireless charging and wear sensors, although the industry has not yet established either of these as essential for open-ear earbuds.
The Aerofit and Aerofit Pro compete with some big names – 1more, Shox, Sony, Oladance and Clear Audio all have excellent open-ear earbud models to choose from. We’ll let you know how the Soundcore Aerofit stacks up to the competition as soon as we get a chance to try them out.
