Soundcore AeroFit

Verdict

The Soundcore AeroFit are cheaper than the AeroFit Pro and offer less extras, but they deliver better overall sound quality from a similar open-ear design to make it the better buy and a good sub-£100 / $100 set of air conduction truly wireless earbuds to consider.

Introduction

The Soundcore AeroFit joins the AeroFit Pro as the more affordable set of open-ear true wireless earbuds that promise to deliver sound safely to your ears without blocking them up entirely.

With the standard AeroFit you’re missing out on features like LDAC high resolution audio support, a spatial audio mode and a neckband to boost fit for exercise. They use air conduction to provide a less invasive design, all while aiming to pump out better open-ear sound than bone conduction headphones.

I wasn’t massively impressed by the AeroFit Pro, so could paying less for the AeroFit actually get you a better set of open-ear earbuds?

Availability

The Soundcore AeroFit are available to buy now and cost £99.99 / $80, so that’s a fair bit cheaper than the AeroFit Pro, which is priced at £149.99 / $169.99.

Put that up against other air conduction-style truly wireless earbuds and the AeroFit are cheaper than the likes of the Shokz OpenFit (£180 / $180), JBL Soundgear Sense (£129.99) though not quite as affordable as the Sivga SO1 buds, which come in at £69.90 / $69.90.

Design

• Doesn’t include neckband like AeroFit Pro
• Built-in touch controls
• IPX7 water resistance rating 

The AeroFit don’t stray far from the design of the more expensive AeroFit Pro, adopting a similar-look and size set of ear hook buds that have more than a passing resemblance to the Shokz OpenFit. It’s up for grabs in black or white colours, so it plays it safe unlike the AeroFit Pro, which offers brighter colour options. 

The buds are a good weight that make sure you get something that sits reassuringly in place and also don’t feel too heavy to make them uncomfortable to wear across longer periods. I maxed out wearing them for a couple of hours working and running and they never felt irritating at any time. It misses out on the additional neckband on the Pro, but I can’t say there were any occasions where I felt it was truly missed as the fit in general is pretty good. 

Another change here from the Pro is the level of water resistance. You’re not going to be able to take them for a swim, nor would you as they’d not be very useful. You’re getting an IPX7 rated design, which means they can be submerged in water up to one metre depth for 30 minutes. That’s a stronger rating than the AeroFit Pro, which is only designed to withstand splashes. While I’ve not had any rainy conditions to put them to the test, I’ve used them for some sweaty workout time and there’s been no issues on the performance or connectivity front.

Soundcore opts for touch controls as opposed to the physical ones used on the Pro and those controls use single, double, and triple presses to perform functions like adjusting volume controls, skipping back and forth through audio, playing, and pausing audio and summoning your smart assistant. These can be assigned differently across the true wireless from the companion app and when stationary the controls work well. In more frenetic use like fast walking or exercise, they’re a little more challenging to operate, though the dedicated touch control area is at least easy to identify and locate.

The AeroFit sits inside of a matte finish plastic case that’s longer than the one included with the Pro and offers a trio of notification LED lights up front and the USB-C charging port at the rear next to the physical pairing button that can also indicate the current level of charge packed into the case. It doesn’t have the same level of durability as the buds nor does it support any sort of wireless charging support, though that’s not a huge surprise given the price. 

Features

• Up to 11 hours battery
• Fast charge support

While the battery numbers drop from the Pro, the non-Pro still puts in a good showing. Again, the app doesn’t more usefully show battery status in a percentage, but from two hours of listening in the default Soundcore Signature EQ preset the battery didn’t drop below the first of the five battery indicator bars. 

Soundcore states up to 11 hours of battery from a single charge (down from 14 hours on the Pro) and up to 42 hours with a fully charged case. That’s four hours down from the Pro. 

There is also a fast charge mode that gets you four hours of listening time from a 10-minute charge. They take roughly an hour to fully charge, which isn’t a bad showing and if you keep the case topped up you shouldn’t be charging these on a regular basis even with regular use.

Sound Quality

• 14mm drivers 
• 4 built-in microphones 
• Custom EQ in companion app

Having already tested the AeroFit Pro, I can’t say I had high expectations for the AeroFit’s sound. But I was pleasantly surprised with what they delivered and can comfortably say they were the better sounding pair in the AeroFit series.

There’s smaller 14mm drivers powering performance, with the same custom EQ and EQ presets available inside of the Soundcore companion app. Those presets cover boosting treble, volume, offering a podcast mode to focus in on voices, and Soundcore’s Signature EQ is available as default. LDAC codec support and spatial audio mode are gone but the more useful multipoint connectivity is retained, along with the 3D surround sound mode for gaming and watching films, with the same four microphone array to handle hands-free calls.

I’ll start by saying that from an open-ear point of view and the challenge of delivering a good balance of audio while keeping you aware of your surroundings, the AeroFit does a really solid job of it. It’s not overwhelmed by exterior sounds like traffic and the sound from the buds aren’t drowned out by sounds around you, even at louder volumes. So that’s the first box ticked.

In terms of the sound quality, it’s more balanced and brighter than the AeroFit Pro. Bass is pretty punchy and at the same time not overbearing. Mids sound nicely even and 

and overall clarity is step up as well too. It has more in common with air conduction earbuds like the JBL Soundgear Sense, where it might not give you best in class sound, but it’s an enjoyable, versatile performance that works well for both up-tempo and laid-back audio. It’s a good fit for podcasts and audiobooks and can deliver mostly agreeable call quality for the price.

I used the Songs To Test Headphones playlist on Spotify to get a good sense of how the buds can handle a mix of genres and they perform generally pretty well. On The xx’s On Hold and Burial’s Archangel there’s a surprisingly good soundstage. Bass performance isn’t immaculate and is slightly woolly in places, but doesn’t detract from the enjoyable sound these punch out.

On Tracy Chapman’s Talkin Bout a Revolution, there’s more evidence of that more welcome detail, with mids coming through smooth and trebles not feeling overly harsh. New Order’s Regret showcases its ability to offer that balance and control too.

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