Soundcore unveiled its new Space 2 over-ear headphones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday. Aimed squarely at travelers and commuters, Space 2 combines advanced noise cancellation, extended battery life and personalized sound tuning — all at a price point that undercuts many competitors — $129.99.
Soundcore Space 2 headphones
At the heart of Space 2 is a four-stage adaptive noise cancelling system designed specifically to tackle low-frequency noise — the kind of deep rumble you encounter on a long-haul flight or a city bus, according to Soundcore, a subsidiary of Anker. The ANC adjusts automatically depending on your environment, whether that’s a jet engine, a crowded office or a noisy commute, without requiring you to manually switch modes.
And the claimed battery life is so epic, no Apple headphones — like AirPods Max or Beats Studio Pro — can touch it. Even the newer Beats Solo 4 on-ear cans fall short of Space 2 battery life.
So if Space 2 is anything like the Space One Pro cans I liked so much, they’ll be an incredible value. Read my review of Space One Pro, released in September 2024: “Soundcore Space One Pro headphones score with cush comfort, epic battery life.”
Sound and comfort
For Space 2’s audio, 40mm double-layer diaphragm drivers pair a silk diaphragm with metal ceramic construction. Soundcore said this combination delivers rich bass, clear mids and detailed highs across music, podcasts and video. For calls, three onboard microphones work alongside AI noise reduction to keep your voice clear even in busy environments.
Comfort gets attention here, too. The Space 2 uses an ergonomic design with soft memory foam ear padding, built with longer listening sessions in mind. Smart Wearing Detection automatically pauses playback when you take the headphones off and resumes when you put them back on. That’s a small but welcome feature for Apple users already accustomed to that behavior with AirPods.
Battery life and personalization
Photo: Soundcore
Battery performance is one of the Space 2’s strongest selling points, according to press materials. With ANC enabled, you get up to 50 hours of playback. Switch ANC off and that number climbs to a remarkable 70 hours. When you run low on juice, a five-minute quick charge adds up to four hours of listening.
Soundcore also includes HearID 3.0, a hearing test feature that analyzes your hearing profile and customizes the audio output to compensate for frequencies you may not hear as well. It’s a more sophisticated personalization tool than a standard EQ.
Soundcore Space 2 headphones: Pricing and availability
Soundcore Space 2 will be available in Linen White, Jet Black and Seafoam Green for $129.99 starting April 21 on Amazon.com and Soundcore.com.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
