These open earbuds can switch to noise-canceling and might be an athlete's dream

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro earbuds can go from an open-ear design to a closed ANC one with a twist. The dual style makes them versatile for exercising outside, where you want to hear your surroundings, to the gym, where you need to block out some distractions.

I’ve been using the Aerofit 2 Pro for a couple of weeks, and I’m happy with their performance so far. They’re easy to adjust, even while on the move. It’s also nice that they have physical buttons to control audio playback. The biggest downside is that the ANC isn’t super strong. These won’t be good for an airplane. Still, if you’ve been considering open earbuds but are hesitant to commit, now you can have both in this 2-in-1 design.

These earbuds pack plenty of features

The dual form in-ear and open styles are the main draw of these wireless earbuds. That doesn’t mean Soundcore has forgotten about the other specs. They feature 11.8 mm drivers, IP55 water and dust resistance, and an average of 6 hours of battery life per charge (29 hours average with case). Charging them for 10 minutes will get you more than three hours of use. The case wireless charges too.

The Aerofit 2 Pro buds use Bluetooth 6.1, they have four mics, and can use a Multi-point connection. If you have an Android device (and a supporting music service), then you can use LDAC.

Most of these features are fairly standard. I had a few glitches with the Bluetooth connection to my Apple Watch while out running, but I’ve chalked that up to using the device pre-launch. Using it with my iPhone, I haven’t heard the same brief connection blips.

One nicety of these buds that’s easy to overlook is the case design. Although the case is a bit big to fit in a jeans pocket, it has enough space for the ear hooks to remain in place while charging. They can stay at whatever angle you have them adjusted to.

The Aerofit 2 Pro buds sound good in both modes

I’ve been happy with the sound quality from nearly all Soundcore headphones and earbuds. Especially over the last few years, there’s not much to complain about in the sound department. These follow suit and are fantastic for consumer-level music streaming.

When the earbuds are in ANC mode, the bass is strong and has a mild resonance to it. The vocals and mid-range are clear. I had no trouble picking out different instrumentation. While they don’t carry the same oomph when rotated up in open mode, I still found the audio quality to be fine and got enough energy from songs while running.

I used the Aerofit 2 Pro to listen to music while out running, but a lot of the time I also used them to listen to podcasts. When using them in open mode next to a busy road, I needed to turn the volume up nearly to 100%. But I could still hear the conversation. Rotating them down into ANC mode made it much easier to hear the talking around a 50% volume level.

There are some downsides—for some people

The Aerofit 2 Pro don’t use silicone or foam eartips, so they can’t create a true seal. This is the biggest reason that the ANC isn’t as strong as traditional in-ear ones. These are more like AirPods 4 with ANC. Those don’t have a seal either.

While the Aerofit 2 Pro won’t be ideal for airplanes or really noisy environments, the active noise-blocking tech can still be useful to take the edge off. If you’ve ever found the hum at the gym to be just a little too loud or distracting, these might help with that.

When I’m running next to a busy street, I’ll sometimes rotate the buds down to stick in my ears more. This helps keep podcasts audible without needing to turn the volume up too loud.

The nice thing is that each bud is independent, so sometimes I’ll just adjust one or the other. This helps alleviate the feeling of having my ears plugged up too much.

Aside from the lack of strong ANC, the other downside is the fit when the earbuds are fully angled into my ears. The ear hooks are a little large for my ears when all the way in ANC form. This isn’t an issue when I’m sitting at my desk. But when out running, they’re less secure. In the open form, they’re much more secure.

Are the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro earbuds worth spending money on?

There is a growing number of open earbuds, from the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds to the Sony Linkbuds Clip. However, none of them quite do what the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro do, by switching back and forth. Ones like the Nothing Ear(Open) that sit on top of your ears might be the closest to having it both ways.

Ultimately, the Aero 2 Pro are an ideal pair of earbuds for runners, gym rats, and athletes of all kinds. They aren’t perfect for every listening situation, but they are versatile enough that they can fit a lot of people’s needs across active situations.

The $180 retail price is a decent value, but for under $150, like their launch sale, makes them much more attractive.