The open-ear earbuds landscape has been growing like crazy over the last 12 months, so it’s great to see that Anker’s Soundcore brand has decided to throw its hat into the ring with two new models: the $130 AeroFit and the $170 AeroFit Pro. Both are available in black starting November 1 from soundcore.com and Amazon, with three additional color options coming toward the end of 2023.
Both AeroFit models are based on an open-ear design that lets you stay perfectly aware of your surroundings. Instead of a speaker that sits in your ear like with the Apple AirPods, or seals your ear canal like the AirPods Pro, the AeroFit place speakers just outside your ears.
They use a flexible titanium alloy wire wrapped in an ultrasoft silicone rubber to curve around the top of your ear, which keeps them anchored 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 bumps up 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 are also the best choice for folks who need top-notch water protection as they carry an essentially waterproof IPX7 rating. You can configure the EQ and control customization using the Soundcore companion app and the earbuds are compatible with Bluetooth Multipoint for two simultaneous device connections.
The AeroFit Pro take 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 connected via a (typically) non-adjustable neckband. The AeroFit Pro’s hybrid approach could be the best of all worlds.
The Pro also gets hi-res audio support thanks to LDAC Bluetooth codec compatibility, plus a built-in spatial audio feature with head tracking. They use larger, 16.2mm titanium-coated drivers, and they have a bigger battery capacity: a claimed 14 hours per charge, with 46 hours total when you include the case, though these numbers will decline when using the LDAC codec. Like the AeroFit, they can fast-charge, with 10 minutes getting you 5.5 extra hours.
The AeroFit Pro aren’t quite as robust as their sibling, with only an IPX5 rating for water resistance, but that might be partially due to their controls — the Pro use a set of physical buttons, which some folks may find easier to use.
With these specs, the only things we can say might be missing are wireless charging and wear sensors, though the industry has yet to establish either of these as must-haves for open-ear earbuds.
The AeroFit and AeroFit Pro go up against some big names — 1More, Shokz, Sony, Oladance, and Cleer Audio all have excellent open-ear earbuds models to choose from. We’ll let you know how the Soundcore AeroFit stand up to the competition as soon as we have a chance to try them out.
