These Headphones from Soundcore were launched at CES and immediately caught my eye thanks to their 2-in-1 hybrid design, which lets them switch between open-ear and in-ear modes with active noise cancellation.

Why I Was Interested

Now, this design is clearly intended for fitness and exercise. The clue is in the name. They’re the AeroFits. And it will be quite excellent for that.

But that’s not why I was initially interested in these. I was curious to see how they work in everyday use because I carry the AeroFits. headphones in my pocket every single day, and I love how comfortable open-ear headphones are to wear. I far prefer it to in-ear ones with a transparency mode on. And most of the time, I don’t really like being shut off from the world around me too much. It’s just personal preference.

There are definitely situations where this capability would be invaluable. The idea of easily tilting my headphones in or out of my ear to switch between open-ear and noise-cancelling modes, and back again while walking around during daily activities, is highly appealing.

Sound Quality and Noise Reduction

And after using these a bit, an obvious real advantage is how they sound. I am so surprised by how rich they sound, how much separation they offer for headphones of this style, and how consistent they are when moving from in-ear to open-ear.

It’s not just that you can pull the headphones out of your ear with a hinge. They adjust the sound profile as you move the hinge, switching between the two modes. You can hear the sound profile change as you use it to get the best out of both modes.

The Soundcore AeroFits that I normally use do sound really good, but these definitely, definitely sound better. Plus, you get noise reduction.

Now, is it the best noise reduction I’ve ever experienced? No, no, it’s not. But it works, and it’s there. It can reasonably well shut out the sound from an office or a shop around me, even while the music playing in the headphones is quite low. It’s not market-leading noise reduction, but it’s easily good enough for day-to-day use, and a huge quality-of-life increase over normal open-ear headphones, which don’t, of course, have any noise cancellation.

Microphone Test

Sound quality isn’t all about what you’re listening to, though, of course. It’s also about what other people might be listening to if you use these for phone calls or anything like that.

The microphone on this one was nothing short of superb, making calls easy to use and eliminating the need to strain to hear the person on the other end. Even when recording voice notes and calls, this one stood supreme.

Design and Fit

The design closely resembles most ear-wrap headphones: a long, flexible hook with a weighted end at the back, and the larger headphone at the front. It’s typical in its layout, all constructed from soft-touch, skin-friendly silicone.

The difference is this hinge, which lets you twist the headphones in or out of your ear. Very satisfying to use. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not fiddly at all. It has these nice, reassuring little tactile clicks as you move it. And that’s because there are actually five position settings.

But in reality, I don’t see why anyone would use anything other than either extreme end, especially because it would be quite fiddly to find position four or five, for example, when it’s actually up and on your ear. But that’s fine. I’ve just been treating these as either two positions: in-ear or open-ear. Simple as that.

To put them on your ear, it’s easiest to hook the loop around the top of your ear first, then tuck the back section into place, and finally hold the headphone and twist it into your ear. Then, if you want open-ear mode, you can just twist that hinge back into place.

Controls and Durability

They do have controls on them. The bottom half of this area on each of them is a button with a nice physical click, which I definitely prefer to touch-sensitive or tapping controls, which I always find quite frustrating. The AeroFits definitely annoy me.

With these, you know when you’ve pressed them, rather than just tapping wildly at the side of your head to try and pause your music.

They’re also IP55-rated, which is important, of course, because, you know, these are primarily sports headphones. They need to be able to deal with a bit of sweat and light rain.

Overall, they are a very practical and comfortable design.

Comfort

In open-ear mode, they feel just as good as any other open-ear headphone I’ve ever tried.

And in the in-ear mode, I would say they are as comfortable as regular in-ear headphones. As you can see, of course, they don’t have a soft tip on the end of them, so they can be a little harsh on the inside of your ears if you’re wearing them for an hour or two.

You don’t get a great seal, which contributes to less effective noise reduction than with other headphones. The over-ear hook means you don’t have to jam the headphones in as far, which helps comfort, but for those prioritising in-ear use, it might still be an issue.

Charging Case Trade-Off

Another important trade-off is the charging case—it’s noticeably large. Here it isbesideo the AeroFits. case, which I normally carry in my pocket every day.

And it’s a nice case. It’s well-rounded, thin, and comfortable to hold. It’s really well-made and has wireless charging, which is very handy.

But yeah, it’s big. There’s no getting around that. I think if anything would stop me from actually using these day-to-day, it’s probably that, sadly.

The AeroFits are always in my pocket, ready whenever I need them. I can’t see myself doing that with these, simply because of the case size. It’s not a problem for their intended use, of course. You know, if you’re running with them and you’re leaving these in the house, or you’re keeping this in your gym bag, you know, it’s not really going to matter. But since I want to use them day to day, it could be an issue.

App Experience and Features

As always with Soundcore, the app is really good. It connects easily and reliably and gives you a lot of control over the headphones.

At the top are some usage tips, which are handy when you are new to them. There are your noise cancellation settings, which will only let you turn them on when they’re in the right position and actually inside your ears.

There’s a wind-reduction toggle as well, which is interesting. I don’t know how likely you are to actually remember to go into the app and toggle it on when it gets windy, but it is there.

The sound effects section is basically your EQs. You can choose from spatial audio, Soundcore’s default presets, and a custom EQ, which lets you set different curves for in-ear and open-ear modes, which is handy.

You also control which device they’re connected to from here, and what the physical controls do.

There’s also a switch called gaming mode, which gives you lower latency but turns off the EQ adjustments and seems to just make the overall soundstage a bit shallower. Everything just seems a little duller with this mode on, but it does lower the latency right down, which is very handy for things like gaming, of course.

Then, in the settings, you can turn on LDAC to further improve audio quality, but it only works with devices that support LDAC streaming. It will hurt battery life and turn off the gaming low-latency mode I just mentioned. You can’t use that with LDAC on.

Another handy feature is that it can play a loud noise from either earbud if you’ve lost one. It’s very common nowadays, and you’re less likely to lose ones this size compared to the really small in-ear ones, but, you know, it’s really important that it’s there.

Verdict

So let’s try to sum this up. And I’ve got to admit, I’m kind of torn with these.

For their intended use, fitness and exercising, let’s start there. I do really think these are fantastic. Being able to be in open-ear mode when you’re out running on the streets and then twist them down for in-ear noise cancelling when you’re in the gym, for example, it’s fantastic. I can see how incredibly useful that would be.

And because they hook around your ears on the top, they’re more stable and feel less likely to fall out of your ears than open-ear headphones normally do. So for sports use, I would definitely recommend these.

But like I said at the beginning, I’m lazy. I mean, I don’t exercise anywhere near as much as I should. And so what excited me about these was using them day to day, and I do love them. They sound great. They look great. I love having physical button controls back again.

And being able to switch between open-ear and in-ear noise-cancellation modes with just that little twist is incredible when you’re walking around day to day.

But there’s so much here that I really, really want to be using. But would I put up with a larger charging case in order to get those features? And that’s where I’m torn.

I think it’s really gonna depend on you, of course, and how you use these and where you keep your charging case. But for me, is this too big to have in my pocket all the time, every single day? Yeah, yeah, it is. And if it’s not in my pocket all the time, will I still use these as often as I have been using my little AeroFits?

I have been using my little AeroFits. I guess only time will tell, really, on that.

Pros and cons

Pros

2-in-1 design is genuinely useful (switches between open-ear and in-ear ANC with a simple hinge twist)
Sound quality is surprisingly rich (good separation, stays consistent across both modes)
Adaptive sound tuning as you move the hinge (you can hear the profile adjust to match the mode)
Noise reduction included (not best-in-class, but strong enough for offices/shops at low volume)
Excellent microphone quality (calls and voice notes come through very clearly)
Secure for workouts (ear-hook design feels stable and less likely to fall off)
Physical button controls (reliable clicks, easier than touch controls)
IP55 rating (handles sweat and light rain)
Comfortable in open-ear mode (feels like other good open-ear sets)
Strong app features (ANC controls, EQ presets + custom EQ for both modes, device control, remappable buttons)
Extra useful modes (gaming low-latency mode, wind-reduction toggle, “find my earbud” sound)
LDAC support (better audio on compatible devices)

Cons

Charging case is very large (biggest daily-use downside; not pocket-friendly)
In-ear comfort can get harsh over time (no soft tips; can irritate after 1–2 hours)
Weaker seal = weaker ANC (noise reduction isn’t as effective as typical in-ear ANC buds)
Hinge has 5 positions but only 2 feel practical (the middle steps are fiddly to use on-ear)
Gaming mode reduces sound quality (shallower soundstage / duller feel, even though latency improves)
LDAC has trade-offs (hurts battery life and disables the low-latency gaming mode)

Should you buy the Souncore AeroFits?

But what do you think? Does the size of this charging case bother you, or is it a non-issue, or a trade-off that’s well worth it for the extra features?

And do you even really value having both open-ear and in-ear in one set of headphones as much as I do? Then, if you do, theAeroFits. It is the best option for you. I really love these headphones, and I will be using them for a while

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro Review