Soundcore by Anker V30i Open-Ear Headphones, Ultra-Comfort, Lightweight Design, Snug Fit, Ergonomic Ear Hooks, Robust Bass, 36H Playtime, Bluetooth 5.3, App Control, Clear Calls, Wireless Earbuds

Deliver on their Promise
The short version is that these deliver on their promise and they do so very well. I use these for running and commuting to work on foot in downtown Chicago, as well as for phone calls/video calls. I wanted to be able to hear my surroundings during those activities and to limit how much time I spend with something plugging my ear canal. For years I’ve used the kind of earbud that has a silicon tip and plugs your ear canal to block outside noise (which they do well) but I’m worried it could be impacting my hearing and/or ear canal, especially since I wear them so much. The PRIMARY reason I bought the Soundcore V30is (I think the V20is are their more recent model) AND the Soundcore Aerofit 2s (twice as expensive with some upgrades) was for marathon training and running long races. Below I’ve provided a comparison of each (they both receive 5* from me).DELIVERING ON THEIR OVERALL PROMISE: both do this very well!COMFORT: they’re both very comfortable under any circumstances except when you have a beanie over them or anything that’ll apply pressured to your ears – they’re still comfortable enough to wear in those circumstances but not as comfortable. I think the Aerofit 2s are a smidge more comfortable and that’s partially because they’re a little smaller, thinner and more flexible/pliable/customizable in their fit.FIT: they both fit surprisingly well and securely – I’ve run marathons in both with sunglasses and a baseball cap/running hat on during the marathons and these fit and stayed comfortably. The Aerofit2s also fit better and more securely than the V30is for the same reasons as mentioned above. The ability to customize the fit of the Aerofit2s is one of the areas in which they separate themselves from the V30is in a meaningful way – if you have unique ears/non typical ears this is something you may want to consider.SWEAT RESISTANCE: both have done a really good job of managing sweat over prolonged periods of time (hours). The V30is took an inadvertent direct hit from a cup of water during a race – I thought they were going to fry and I’d be stuck with one earbud for 20 miles but they handled it like a champ! So far they’ve both been great on this front.BATTERY LIFE: as promised for both (very good).APP FEATURES: both have a robust app that helps with customizing their sound and touch controls which is handy.SOUND: I’m not an audiophile but for what these are I find them impressive in this department. The Aerofit2s have noticeably better sound but not meaningfully better (if that makes sense). Neither are going to be the best sounding earbuds out there because of their style so be mindful of that pending your use case for these.VOLUME: One issue some seem to have with this style of earbud is volume not being loud enough, these get plenty loud enough!MICs for Calls: I hate that most reviews don’t address this. These both work well in most situations but – like every single pair of wireless earbuds I’ve ever owned at every price point – in a really noisy environment the clarity of them breaks down. BOTH work well in quiet environments and also relatively noisy ones (I tested both on my balcony with traffic below and a decent amount of wind – their clarity deteriorated slightly but both still worked really well. The Aerofit2s are superior in this area and this is likely the other area where they separate themselves in a noticeable way from the V30is (customizable fit being the first area).Other mentionable differences: the Aerofit2s case is more premium feeling and slightly smaller (both are bulkier than average for earbuds but not problematically so). The Aerofit2’s case has wireless charging if that matters to you. The Aerofit2’s bluetooth capabilities are better and allow you to be connected to multiple devices at once.CONCLUSION: if you are thinking of getting a set of over-ear earbuds primarily for working out, casual use, commuting, etc. then either are excellent choices and I’d probably save the $ and go with the V30is or V20is if premium sound isn’t a priority for you. If you want something with better sound, a more customizable fit, some additional features and a better aesthetic when on then the Aerofit2s are IMO worth the extra $ (if those things matter to you).

Great for music and still listening to what is happening around you
Ease of use: these are very easy to use. Connect them to your Bluetooth once, and they reconnect every time you open the case with no extra steps. You can use one or both without any connection problems or delays. The SoundCore app makes these customizable. There is an option to change the touch control settings on each earbud individually. You can make the controls on the left and right different, but the earbud has to be out of the case and connected to change any settings.Design: I love the design, but the touch part is very sensitive. It’s easy to accidentally hang up on someone if you adjust the earbud the wrong way. They are comfortable to wear for long periods at a time, unlike earbuds that go in your ear. The case is a little bulky and hard to carry, especially in smaller pockets.Lightweight: these are very lightweight. Even the case is lightweight in comparison with several other earbuds I have.Sound: the sound is very clear when listening to music, but hearing the other person on a phone call can be challenging, especially if there is a lot of sound from the environment around you. There is the SoundCore app you can download, and adjust the sound effects and EQ with either a preset option or a custom option. These are perfect for studying, working, or walking around. You can still hear what is going on around you, and participate in conversations, but continue listening to music and podcasts.Fit: Once you get used to how they fit, it feels like they are barely there. They work well for most ear shapes and sizes. The piece that curves around your ear is flexible enough to fit different shapes, but still rigid enough that you get a secure fit.Durability: the case feels very thin and is easily scratched. It protects the earbuds and keeps them from being knocked out of the case when in your pocket or bouncing around in a bag or backpack though. The earbuds themselves are durable. They don’t bend more than necessary to get a comfortable fit.Charging ability: They charge very fast. The battery doesn’t last more than 6 or 7 hours on each earbud, but if you’re using one at a time it is not a big issue. The case stays charged long enough that you can charge each earbud multiple times before needed to charge the case itself. You can see the battery life of each earbud and the case using the SoundCore app.

Like many other commenters on this and comparable products, the starting point for me purchasing these lies in the fact that traditional earbuds cause me pain. However, in my case these headphones aren’t the first pair of open-ears that I’ve owned, they’re the fourth pair. I had not one but two pairs of Avantree Pebbles. The first was a pre-ordered pair that ended up dying after a few months. The second pair was a warranty replacement that died after a few months. To Avantree’s credit, they refunded me after the second pair died. Then, I purchased a pair of Truefree 01s. Those I returned after two days because the battery life and phone call quality were terrible. Then I saw that Anker, which made a portable charger that I love, made Soundcore and that Soundcore made these. I scooped them up on a sale and am thrilled to find a number of things that have been wanting in previous headphones generally, including the open-ears I’ve mentioned. Here’s a list:a) Like other open-ear headphones, these don’t hurt my ear canals and they allow me to hear background noise while I’m moving around the house or walking/biking to work.b) The volume on these is *loud.* I listen at half volume while biking. I don’t understand how some commenters are struggling to hear things with these on – their ears must work differently than mine or they received a fundamentally different product.c) As a non-audiophile, the sound quality on these seems great. Significantly more bass than my Jabra Elite 3s or Avantree Pebbles had.d) The touch controls are really well-designed. They are sensitive enough that I don’t feel like I’m having to repeat touches but not so sensitive that I trigger them accidentally. Plus, the touch point is a raised ridge on top of another raised ridge, which makes it easy to feel whether you hit it, and they make a short, simple, non-obtrusive tone to let you know when a touch is registered. Then, the cherry on top is that the branded app you can download allows you to customize what each touch does *for each ear,* so you can really configure things how you want. I’ve never had that in any pair of headphones.e) As other commenters have noted, the phone call quality is astonishingly good. I have long wanted to find a pair of headphones that I could use while biking home from work, but having tried so many headphones and bluetooth headsets I had accepted that unless I was going to drop a lot more money than I could justify, the best I could get was an acceptable call quality while walking, as long as the wind wasn’t too strong. Much to my surprise, I tested these out last night by calling my wife while biking home *and she could hear me the whole time.* Not once did she ask me to repeat myself, even when I was biking on gravel.f) The case is less bulky than other open-ear headphones. It’s still bigger than in-ear headphone cases, but this is small enough that I can comfortably keep it in my pocket while I’m wandering around the house. I probably wouldn’t want to do that while going about my work day but it also fits in my shoulder bag (and backpack, obviously) no problem. This is noteworthy because with previous open-ears I felt the need to leave the case at home because it was so bulky. The Avantree Pebbles worked well enough by turning them off and pocketing them. The Truefree 01s didn’t do well with that at all – they kept turning back on and auto playing in my pocket. I haven’t experimented with pocketing these yet because I haven’t felt the need, thanks to the relatively slim case.For all these reasons, I am thrilled that I decided to pick these up. Obviously the one question I can’t answer this shortly in is how long they will last. Here’s hoping they hold up, because I can’t imagine finding a better pair of headphones for me, especially such affordable ones!

like the way the headset sits on the ear. good price. works well once the phone is connected.However now my big issue- it pairs with two phones but one has to disconnect the headset from one phone before it can be used by the other phone (Bluetooth off or disconnect needed) it is not picking up which phone is active at the time.Update 3/9/24after leaving my initial review the Anker customer support team contacted me, offering refund or replacement – which was a very pleasant surprise :-). The replacement product AeroFit offers the dual connection setup (for two phones) via the mobile phone app. For privacy reasons I have a work phone, and a private phone and the dual connection mode enable me to use the AeroFit earphones without switching/disconnecting in Bluetooth.Both the V30i and the AeroFit open ear earphones have great sound and battery life, charge fast and are comfortable to wear. For me the dual connection was the critical point and I’m very pleased with the Anker Soundcore team offering me the AeroFit earphones replacement option.CheersReinhard