Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro: How it works the first two open form earbuds

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As great as open-back earbuds are for letting you stay aware of the world while listening to music, they come with the big trade-off of not offering active noise cancellation. That is, until now.

Soundcore released the AeroFit 2 Pro earbuds at CES in January, marking the launch of the first two-form earbuds. Depending on the wear, they allow the user to have an open ear or noise canceling bump. Basically, they are “¿Por qué no los dos?” of the world of earbuds.

Of course, flexibility adds to your trade-offs. That is, rather than being successful in one area, a product can be good in many areas. While I found these Soundcore titles to fall somewhat into that trap, the brand deserves its undisputed credit for finding a way to combine an open and noise-cancelling earbud.

While it won’t be for everyone, I think there are people who will want to invest in this first iteration of the new design. Before we get into the whys and wherefores, let’s break down what these plants bring to the table.

Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro: Price and specs

Soundcore likes to make a quality product at an affordable price, and the AeroFit 2 Pro earbuds are no exception. Until March 2026, they are available at a special introductory price of $149.99, which will increase to $179.99 after March 31.

Specifically, here’s what you’ll get:

• Battery life: Seven hours in open mode (34 hours in case), five hours in ANC mode (24 hours in case)

• ANC: Active active noise cancellation

• Drivers: 11.8 mm composite drivers

• Estimator: 8 belts

• Space sound: Yes

• IP rating: IP55 water and dust resistance

• Connection: Bluetooth 6.1

• Microphone: Four microphones with AI

• Colors: Matte black, matte purple, glossy white

How the two open form earbuds work

Dual-form earbuds sound like an obvious idea and great in principle, but how do they actually work in practice? In fact, it’s better than I expected.

The accompanying Soundcore app provides instructions on how to best wear the buds.
Credit: Screenshot: Soundcore

The basic mechanism that makes these earbuds possible is the adjustable ear hook. In the first and second position, the body of the earbuds sits slightly above the ear canal, which makes them feel like the classic AirPods design. The ear hook helps keep them relatively secure in place. When you’re ready to switch to noise-cancelling mode, you change the ear hook to a four- or five-point wear position, which brings the buds more snugly into the ear canal.

At that point, they’re still not a true earbud — Soundcore calls them a semi-ear — but they’re good enough that effective noise cancellation is possible. As such, the third-numbered ear hook position toggles between use in open or ANC mode.

Open against…
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

…ear wear looks almost invisible.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The ear hook clicks into place, but I’ve never gotten to the point where I can make these changes without thinking too hard. However, at the longest point, and the lowest point of my learning curve, it took about all of 45 seconds to get the earbuds into place. They felt a little more secure in the ANC’s ways than in the way of listening, but they didn’t just leave the area.

Amazingly beautiful sound

At this point, I’ve had my share of surprises with the sound quality on open earbuds, so while my expectations weren’t low, I had my initial doubts about this particular pair. First of all, if the earbuds sound significantly better in ANC mode, I expected that the difference might reveal more flaws in the open mode of the earbuds, and using them in both modes would not be very attractive.

There was also the issue of the semi-over-the-ear ANC mode, which left me feeling a little less confident in the islands’ ability to produce the solid, crisp sound I’d expect from $180 earbuds.

Thankfully, I was wrong on both counts. While the ANC mode is clear and rich, it’s also not as good as putting the open ear mode to shame. When listening only in ANC mode, I found the quality to be solid out of the box, and it got even better when I started playing around with the companion app. Soundcore has taken a page out of Sony’s book with an equalizer preference test that allows the user to adjust their preferred equalizer settings without knowing what each band in the custom EQ might be doing. Since open ear mode and ANC mode are different listening experiences, Soundcore also lets you set custom EQs for each.

The ANC’s flexibility comes with a catch

For all my unfounded concerns about sound quality, I went into this test with high hopes for the ANC. After all, I’ve tested Soundcore products, and found that their ANC often stacks up against more expensive products.

Unfortunately, the noise cancellation proved too much that the AeroFit 2 Pro buds are Soundcore’s first attempt at a dual-form earphone. That’s not to say they’re bad — they’re there, and they get the job done — but they can’t compare to ANC flagships in the same price range, or budget-friendly buds like the $80-plus Raycon Everyday Earbuds or the $80 (and regularly sold out) earFun Air Pro 4.

The main reason for this situation of the ANC is the loud noise and the small limit of what can stop it. While sitting in the yard with the ANC on and no music playing, I could easily see birds chirping, the sound of my typing, and every word in a conversation that was happening 10 meters away from me. With music, naturally, additional noise is reduced, but not completely blocked. They’re still better at blocking noise than the Shokz OpenFit Pro’s noise-cancelling feature, but they’re not quite as good as other noise-canceling buds I’ve tried.

Still, it was convenient not to have to carry two different types of earbuds. If high-end noise cancellation isn’t a priority for you, the versatility of these pieces still carries impressive mileage.

Let’s talk about the design

While the design is undeniably innovative, it’s still not perfect yet. If you don’t like the way regular AirPods wear (not the Pros with silicone tips), you probably won’t be a big fan of these. It doesn’t mean much for open earbuds, but when worn in their ANC positions, these earbuds don’t provide that perfect seal.

To be fair, they don’t – as I mentioned above, Soundcore says these have a mid-ear fit. The ear hook helps combat any irritation from falling, but for true noise cancellation and the most secure wear possible, I prefer the hook/on-ear design of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

Finally, the case on these earbuds is great. It’s to be expected with this design, but compared to other ear hook models, the case will have some bulk to it, which is something to be aware of if you plan to slip it into your pocket or take it on the go.

The AeroFit 2 Pro case (right) is larger than its non-Pro counterpart.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Very good value

Despite their flaws, these earbuds can be intimidating, especially on the value front.

For comparison, Soundcore’s regular AeroFit 2 buds — one of our favorite pairs of open earbuds (which feature zero noise cancellation) — run $129.99. With the AeroFit 2 Pro priced at $179.99, the only way you can get the same deal is to buy the old Soundcore AeroFits and $50 for the hidden ANC. And you will still lose the advantage of having a two-in-one product. Despite their mediocre ANC, I still consider these earbuds to be better than a $50 pair of ANC buds in their combination of audio performance, noise cancellation, and convenience.

AeroFit 2 (left) vs AeroFit 2 Pro (right).
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The next closest point of comparison is probably the noise-cancelling Shokz OpenFit Pro, which will run $249.95, while the viral Bose Ultra Open buds cost $299.99. And those aforementioned Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds? $249.99.

Are the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro earbuds worth it?

For anyone who’s interested in open-back earbuds, isn’t ready to give up ANC entirely, and can’t see themselves carrying two pairs of in-ears, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pros are the best option available.

Of course, you agree: the ANC will not succeed, and you are trapped in the design of the ear hook. At the end of the day, I can’t remember the last time I wore earbuds that felt this dynamic – and I’ve tried my share of earbuds. While the early bird price of $149.99 is an absolute steal, I can still recommend these earbuds for their $179.99 list price.