Some people just hate having anything in their ears, like earplugs or earbuds that insert in the ear canal. Others love having music during workouts, but despise sweating all over their earbuds or headphones. For them, Soundcore rolled out the bold-sounding AeroFit and AeroFit Pro Open-Ear True-Wireless Earbuds Wednesday.
The new buds are good at what they do, but they’re not for everyone. I tried out both sets.
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AeroFit and AeroFit Pro Open-Ear True-Wireless Earbuds
As a person who tests lots of different earbuds, the first thing I noticed about the Aerofit and Aerofit Pro Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds was their unusual charging cases. They’re bigger and flatter than most earbuds cases to suit the size and shape of the devices inside.
AeroFit and AeroFit Pro are both designed to loop behind your ear and hold the business end of the earbuds — where the sound comes out — just outside of your ear rather than in it. This open-ear design, similar to Sony’s LinkBuds or Soundcore’s own Sport X10 buds, keeps the sound flowing into your ear without putting any hardware right in it. That’s especially good for folks who don’t like earplugs or want to reduce how sweaty their buds get during workouts.
And the open-ear design also allows for bigger drivers than average. Many earbuds feature drivers between 7mm and 12mm, a size limited largely by the fact that at least part of the earbud has to fit in your ear. The AeroFit models don’t have that limitation, so, while the speaker bit doesn’t seem large, it fits a pretty big driver — 14mm for AeroFit and 16.2mm for AeroFit Pro. And I felt the loudness and clarity of the buds benefited from that size bump.
Open-ear fit: A great solution for workouts
AeroFit and AeroFit Pro buds have a speaker at the end of a flexible ear loop. The Pro model features a slightly larger speaker and a larger loop, plus a detachable and adjustable neck band that fastens onto the earbuds when you want added security, like during a workout.
Both sets fit pretty securely and should work well for two overlapping sets of users. Those include earplug-haters as well as those who’d like to keep their ears less blocked so they can hear ambient sound better, like traffic sounds when they cycle or people talking in the gym.
And the other set includes folks who tend to drown their earbuds in perspiration. You won’t get too much sweat into the speakers on these buds. And AeroFit are rated IPX7, sweat proof and waterproof, while the Pro model is IPX5, sweat proof and water-resistant.
But are they for everyone? No. Personally, I tend to prefer earplug-style earbuds that form a good seal in the ear canal for excellent sound and passive noise cancellation.
Also, I wear eyeglasses (used contacts years ago but got out of the habit). So anything that loops over my ear is going to make contact with my glasses, causing a bit of discomfort. That said, both sets of earbuds still fit OK despite my glasses. And I even noticed how light and unobtrusive the buds seemed.
Excellent sound quality for music and phone calls
Photo: Soundcore
As noted above, the larger-than-average drivers on AeroFit (14mm) and AeroFit Pro (16.2mm) seem to offer plenty of volume and clarity with music. I tend to think I have to turn up the volume much higher when the speaker’s not in my ear, but that’s OK. Another benefit of this style of earbud is it’s less likely to cause damage to hearing from excessive volume because it’s not in your ear canal.
But can others nearby hear it more than they might with other earbuds? Yes, most likely. I live alone, so I couldn’t ask my long-suffering spouse or roommate how well they could hear by Americana tunes and jazz cuts. But leaving the buds sitting on the desk a couple feet away, both face up and face down, I could hear them pretty well. So if I had a colleague wearing AeroFits a few feet away, I’d probably have to put on headphones to block their leaking sound.
Call sound quality is satisfying on these earbuds, as well. And the over-ear loop and open-ear design work well as a headset. These would suit someone in an office environment taking calls.
Aerofit features:
Soundcore lists the two earbuds’ main selling points below, differentiating the two sets in a few ways.
- Ultra lightweight open-ear comfort
- Enhanced situational awareness
- 4 mics and AI algorithm for clear calls
- Powerful sound with 14mm drivers and BassUp
- 11-hour playtime (42 hours with charging case)
- IPX7 waterproof and sweatproof
Aerofit Pro features:
- Air-like comfort with open-ear design
- Extra-secure fit with detachable neck band
- Spatial audio for immersive sound
- Thumping bass with 16.2mm drivers
- IPX5 water resistant and sweat proof
So which should you choose? That could come down to specifics. Only one is truly waterproof (AeroFit). Only one claims spatial audio (AeroFit Pro). Only one takes extra measures for a secure fit with a detachable neck band (AeroFit Pro).
AeroFit costs $129.99. AeroFit Pro goes for $169.99. And if you buy at Soundcore.com, you can elect to get a free Anker 523 Power Bank, normally $27.99, with either purchase.
Where to buy: Soundcore.com or Amazon for AeroFit or AeroFit Pro
Soundcore provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
★★★★☆
Designed for a comfortable and secure fit, these open-ear wireless earbuds offer rich sound with LDAC decoding, Bluetooth 5.3, IPX5 water-resistance, 46 hours of playtime and control via the Soundcore app.
