The Soundcore Spirit Pro is supposed to be an upgrade of the Soundcore Spirit, but Bluetooth version was downgraded from 5.0 (Spirit) to 4.2 (Spirit Pro). Bluetooth 5.0 offers longer range and less power consumption, so I don’t know why Anker would do that. Along with those two advantages, 5.0 offers Beacon services, so potentially, you could have an App that will help you locate your earbuds should you misplace them within 100 meters. You would need a Bluetooth 5.0 device to work with your Bluetooth 5.0 earphones, but this shouldn’t be an issue for iPhone 8 owners, for example. Remember, the Pro uses 4.2.
Fit: The default eartips form a pretty tight seal, making my ears feel like they are being compressed a bit (like pushing the palms slowly against my ears), but not in a bad way. The first few times of running with them resulted in the right earphone coming loose. I had to adjust the earwigs a bit and made sure they slide securely between the folds of my earlobe. Part of the reason why they came out is due to the weight of the earphones (metal) and the controller. With a bit of fiddling, they finally stayed on for a slow paced jog. These earphones are probably better suited for stationary exercises, or ones with minimal head movement.
Soundwise, these are very good with plenty of bass, even without the bass booster. Vocals are clear in both bass boosted and regular mode. This brings up the dual eq mode: it works and the bass boost is noticeable, but not at low volume.
The pouch is really nifty. There are probably two metal pieces that remember its shape. If you squeeze the sides together, the pouch pops open and pops back into shape when you let go. The popping sound is quite satisfying!
Controls: The controller works on both my iPhone 6+ and Note 8. I can skip tracks, adjust volume and pause music. Great! Change the EQ is a matter of pushing the multifunction button and the volume up button until you hear a beep.
Observations:
- When charging, cannot use. Bluetooth is turned off automatically.
- Rubber seal is a bit delicate. Don’t use fingernails for long presses (multi-function button).
- Strong magnets
- Eartips and earwings are both removable. Switch in the ones that fit best in your ears.
- Anker is confident that their waterproofing implementation is so good that you don’t need to worry about the exposed micro USB port. If dust/lint gets in there, simply rinse and let dry.