Introduction
While there is no shortage of affordable true wireless earbuds on the market, the same can’t always be said for those that support spatial audio. Sure, there are high-end pairs with spatial audio, like the AirPods, the Beats Fit Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM4, but it isn’t as easy to find a good pair of true wireless earbuds that support the feature for under £100. That’s where the 1More Aero come in. The Aero are a set of wireless earbuds equipped with a wide set of features, including spatial audio, active noise cancellation and 1More’s Smart Loudness technology. Keep reading to find out how they performed…
Design
The 1More Aero have a lightweight, stem-shaped design They aren’t comfortable for multiple hours of listening Touch controls are limited but customisable in the 1More app
The 1More Aero have a stem-shaped design with a lightweight plastic black or white finish. The white version could easily be mistaken for Apple’s AirPods from a distance, but look at them more closely and you’ll notice the tail is longer and more tapered toward the end with no silver tip. The Aero come with four silicone tips in sizes S, M, L and XL. I found the S tip offered a snug fit and a decent seal in my ear, blocking out environmental sounds and ensuring the earbuds didn’t slip out when I walked down the street. However, I did find that they began to feel uncomfortable after an hour or so of consistent listening. I’m a fan of the matching case, as I think the way the lid doesn’t quite reach the edge gives the case a subtly distinctive look and makes it easy to flip open with one hand. It’s also lightweight and supports both USB-C and wireless charging. The Aero are water resistant up to IPX5 and are equipped with touch controls. The controls are one of my biggest gripes with these earbuds, as they’re strangely limited. You can double-tap on either earbud to play/pause the music or answer a call, triple-tap either side to access your device’s voice assistant or tap and hold either side to cycle through the Aero’s ANC settings. There’s no way to skip a track or adjust the volume on the earbuds, meaning you’ll need to pull out your phone to do either of these actions. The same applies to declining a call. I also found the touch controls to be slow or unresponsive half of the time. Thankfully, you can customise the touch controls in the 1More Music app, but you’ll need to sacrifice an existing setting to do so which is a little annoying. I also didn’t like the way that the audio automatically paused when I took one earbud out, as I often find myself doing this when I’m crossing a road or listening out for something and don’t necessarily want to pause my music or take the time to cycle through the settings to the Transparency mode.
Features
Spatial audio is great for streaming movies and games There are four levels of ANC and a Transparency mode Smart Loudness helps compensate at low volumes
One of the most interesting features found on the 1More Aero is support for spatial audio. The earbuds use head tracking to create an immersive experience regardless of the device or audio you use. I tested the feature with Spotify and Netflix and found it did a good job of tracking my movements. I found the audio always sounded like it was coming from the phone placed in front of me no matter which way I twisted or tilted my head. It doesn’t quite give the surround sound experience of feeling like you’re wrapped in the music, but there is certainly a sense of direction that corresponds to the way you move your head. I can’t see myself switching it on every time I listen to music, but I do think it offers a bit more immersion to movies and games. The earbuds are also noise cancelling with 1More’s QuietMax ANC. This includes four levels – Strong, Mild, Wind Noise Resistance and Adaptive – as well as a Transparency mode. You can cycle through ANC Off, Strong and the Transparency mode using the touch controls, but you’ll need to dive into the app to access the other settings. The ANC doesn’t cancel out every sound, but it does do a good job of reducing chatter and traffic until it’s barely noticeable. Likewise, the Transparency mode is subtle but it makes it possible to make out conversations that couldn’t be heard with the setting switched off. Another feature is Smart Loudness, which works to preserve the bass, mids and treble at low volumes. This is a handy feature if you tend to listen to music at lower volumes, but find you often miss out on, say, a good amount of bass, as you can pull the slider to make the audio sound more full. There are also twelve EQ presets in the 1More Music app, six built-in microphones for clear calls and the earbuds connect wirelessly using Bluetooth 5.2. They have a 5-hour battery life for a total of 20 hours including the case with ANC switched on, and 7 hours in the earbuds or 28 hours including the case with ANC off. I got 5 hours and 11 minutes of playtime out of the earbuds when I tested them with ANC on, which isn’t particularly long but does line up with 1More’s claims. The case takes 2 hours to charge up and supports USB-C and wireless charging but not fast charging.
Sound quality
The earbuds pack a 10mm dynamic driver They offer very natural tonal balance You can boost the bass using the EQ presets
The 1More Aero are powered by a 10mm dynamic driver and tuned by Grammy-winning sound engineer Luca Bignardi to sound natural and precise. I found the earbuds had good tonal balance with crisp highs, clear vocals and a good amount of bass thrumming beneath them. Epik High’s Rosario (Feat. CL, ZICO) is an example of this and also showcases the earbuds’ hard-hitting dynamics as the track builds up from the guitar and vocals to the chorus. The stereo image is great and becomes more interesting when you introduce spatial audio. I do wish the soundstage were a little more spacious, but the overall effect is nevertheless very warm and natural-sounding. Bad Habit by Steve Lacy sounds equally balanced, from the crisp synths and detailed vocal solo to the rumbling bass that takes over in the final third of the song. I also found I could boost the bass in the 1More Music app using the EQ controls and would definitely recommend playing around with the presets if you like to customise your sound.
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The spatial audio is entertaining when streaming movies, while the ANC does a decent job of blocking out unwanted distractions and the Smart Loudness feature helps compensate at lower volumes. I do wish the design was a little different. The earbuds are lightweight, but I found they began to feel uncomfortable after an hour of listening. The touch controls are strangely limited out of the box as well, but there is the option to change them in the 1More Music app. However, if you can look past these design issues, I think these are a great value option for less than £100. Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
