Can one pair of earbuds finally replace both open-ear and noise-cancelling headphones?

For years, wireless earbud buyers have had to choose between open-ear comfort with full awareness and sealed-in immersion with active noise cancellation. Soundcore now claims it has removed that choice entirely.

The Anker-owned audio brand has officially launched the AeroFit 2 Pro, the world’s first dual-form earbuds that can physically switch between open-ear and ANC listening modes without changing devices.

It’s a bold idea, and one that earned the AeroFit 2 Pro a CES Innovation Awards Honoree badge before it even hit the shelves.

At first glance, the AeroFit 2 Pro look like typical open-ear sports earbuds, but their party trick lies in the adjustable ear hook.

However, using a five-level adjustment system with 56 degrees of articulation, you can reposition the nozzle closer to the ear canal for better isolation and active noise cancelling, or pull it back for a lighter, open-ear feel that keeps them aware of their surroundings.

Soundcore says two sensors in each earbud automatically detect how they're worn and recalibrate the EQ in real time, helping maintain consistent sound quality across both modes.

A design that adapts to your day

The liquid-silicone ear hooks are said to reduce pressure during long listening sessions, while the open-ear mode avoids direct contact with the ear canal entirely.

When switched into the semi-in-ear ANC position, the shallower fit aims to balance passive isolation with reduced in-ear pressure, a combination Soundcore believes will appeal to users who dislike traditional in-ear buds.

Active noise cancelling in open-style earbuds has always been a technical challenge, but Soundcore is confident its Adaptive ANC 3.0 system can handle the job.

The system reportedly checks environmental conditions up to 380,000 times per second (!) and makes up to 180 adjustments per minute to adapt to noise levels and wearing positions.

A six-microphone array supports the ANC system, while four microphones with AI noise reduction handle voice calls. The aim is cleaner conversations and more consistent noise control, even when the earbuds aren’t sealed deep in the ear canal.

Premium audio ambitions

Beyond the headline design, the AeroFit 2 Pro uses an 11.8mm custom driver with a TPU surround and LCP diaphragm, supports spatial audio with head tracking, and offers high-resolution audio via LDAC.

LDAC can stream up to ~990 kbps, which is significantly higher than standard Bluetooth and delivers sound much closer to the original, high-resolution recording.

Sadly, Apple doesn't support LDAC – the company prefers AAC over Bluetooth – but many Android phones these days can handle high-resolution sound via wireless connections.

There’s also multipoint Bluetooth 6.1 connectivity, IP55 water resistance with sweat protection, and fast charging that delivers up to 3.5 hours of playback from just 10 minutes in the case.

Battery life stretches to seven hours per charge in open-ear mode, 34 hours with the case, or five hours with ANC enabled and 24 hours total with the case.

The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro is available now at Soundcore, priced at £179.99 in the UK and $179.99 in the US (~€154 / AU$269).

Matte Black is available at launch, with Gloss White and Matte Purple arriving later in January, followed by Gloss Blue in the coming months.