Anker’s Soundcore Spirit X bluetooth headphones are an affordable pair of sports headphones that we’d recommend as pretty good every day on-the-go earbuds. The design is reminiscent of Beat’s Powerbeats, but a little more toned down, and for a fraction of the price.
The Spirit X’s have all the features you’d expect, and then some: 12-hour battery, built-in microphone, in-line controls, Bluetooth 5, IPX7 water resistance with additional sweat-proof design elements, and a variety of different fit options.
The over-the-ear design keep the buds from falling out, or off, of your ears. The rubber arms that go behind your ear are pretty flexible — this keeps them comfortable, but doesn’t keep them in-ear as well as Beat’s more rigid arms. Thankfully, there’s a handful of fit options including 5 sizes of silicon ear tips, 3 sizes of “earwig” stabilizers, 2 cable clips, and a shirt clip. It takes some playing, but you should be able to find a perfect fit.
The fit and comfort is your most important feature here, and next is sound quality. Spirit X is a well balanced pair of headphones. They’re kind to pretty much any genre. They have bass, but aren’t overly bassy. The mids and vocals are well pronounced. They distort at higher volumes and lack very crisp and ultra-clear playback, but you’re unlikely to notice or care if you’re on the move or at the gym. They’re not meant to be audiophile headphones, but they’re awesome for budget headphones.
Anker continues to impress us, and their new-is Soundcore lineup is no exception. Pricing out at just $29.99, we recommend the Soundcore Spirit X headphones to anyone looking for a nice affordable pair of earbuds.