A lot’s been said about open ear buds and if you asked me a couple weeks back I’d have told you save your money buy an in ear bud and call it a day.
The last few days however I’ve tested a couple open ear buds from Anker including the Soundcore V40i and with the current one I have here, the Aeroclip, my opinion has shifted so far from what it was before, that I might consider recommending them over some in ear buds.
Design
Let’s start off with how these look – it’s a very minimalist design with a very healthy dose of sophistication. I always say it feels like the design teams for open ear buds are different and probably better paid than those for in ear buds because everything from the form factor, the materials used and feel of the typical open ear bud is one touch better.
That extra bit of attention to detail is very apparent on the Aeroclip. The chrome finish on this arch is super smooth. The staggered look of the bud, how one half is exactly twice the size of the other half is Apple levels of design quality.
Then the portability – these are easily the smallest open ear buds I’ve come across. Everything just comes together for a super premium look that’ll leave you thinking these cost twice their actual cost.
Build quality is top tier too. I spent a significant amount of time bending and flexing this arch, it’s almost a habit now, and from the recoil back you can tell these were built to last. They’re yet to pick a scratch with all my manhandling.
Fit and comfort
Anker ships this with four additional ‘paddings’ to help secure the fit but out of the box these stuck on ear like glue. Crazy cos it took a bit of fiddling about to fit buds like the 1More S20, straight out of the box these just latched on to my ear as if they were specifically made for them.
A lot of that has to do with that arch design – it’s just the right amount of flexible, with just the right amount of resistance.
On ear it’s very hard to notice these on and I mean that literally. Usually when I’m working and I have an in ear bud on, or some open ear bud for that matter there’s that feeling lurking in the background that makes me want to take them off – that’s ear fatigue of course.
Barely had that with these, at some point I went on a five hour long stretch with out taking them off – these are very comfy, so much that I can say they make me want to listen to music for longer.
Sound quality
As far as the music listening experience goes it’s Anker open ear bud levels of good and that’s a compliment because the Soundcore V40i I had a few days back is easily one of the best sounding open buds I’ve tested in a while.
I’ll describe the soundstage as being balanced which is saying a lot for an open ear bud since these traditionally don’t do well with bass. It’s not in ear buds level of bass but it’s close and depending on who’s listening that might be even ideal.
Mids and treble as detailed as can be and one area, two areas actually, where open air buds shine through clarity and surround sound are very well evident on this bud.
The surround sound experience here is a tad different from you typical in ear bud in that it’s more open so to speak, I’d say the entire soundstage feels open, it’s like having a very high fidelity portable speaker play music close to you.
These are not the loudest buds you’d find out in the wild and I found that most times I was listening at close to 60 – 70% and that’s in my living room, if you’re outdoor you’re gonna be testing 90-100% waters and if get noisy 100% might not be enough.
Call quality
My experience is most open ear buds are superb when it comes to call quality and the Aeroclip is no exception. The mics do a good job of picking up your voice even in noisy environments.
Do checkout the Youtube Vid up top for a sample of how the mics sound.
As expected the speakers deliver super clear call audio. In very noisy environments you’ll have to crank the volume to the max since these don’t have ANC but it’s still usable for calls even in places with noise levels as high as what you’d get in a marketplace.
Battery life
If you plan on using these for gaming you’ll be happy to hear that they can go an impressive 5 hours on a single charge if you’re actively using them the whole time. On standby these can stay connected for up to 48 hours, not up to what you’d get on bud like the QCY Crossky R70 but that’s almost twice the size of the Aeroclip.
The carry case for these can do about 5 five 0-100 charges of the buds so that a full charge of the buds and the carry case can keep them on for up to a week if you’re the average use. No wireless charging here but that’s to be expected at this price point.
What’s good, what’s bad
So to sum it up:
What’s good
- Great design
- Great fit and comfortability
- Awesome battery life
What’s bad
- No ANC – Open ear buds don’t typically come with ANC
Should you buy the Soundcore Aeroclip?
I genuinely think these are one of the most exquisitely crafted buds you can find at this price point. They’re finely made, sound great and tick practically every other relevant checkbox. The fact that they’re open ear buds is perhaps the only bone of contention here – the open air soundstage, and sub prime bass might not be for everyone.
For a while I thought it wasn’t for me too but one week with these buds and I’m a changed man. With the Aeroclip what you’ll find out is bass can be presented in a whole new way, not the punchy and deep stuff you’re familiar with and probably addicted to, but as part of a crazily balanced music soundstage that ushers you into a new perspective of listening to music.
If you want that new refreshing experience in addition to the unparrlaled fit, comfort and build quality on these buds then yeah you should buy these. I love em and I think I’ll be using them more than I’d care to admit.
