If you have Christmas money to spend on some new earbuds. One brand you need to consider is 1More. In this review we have been testing for the last few weeks the 1More SE Fit Open Earbuds S30 which are currently available to buy currently for £55 via Amazon.
First Impressions
1More has produced a budget-friendly pair of air-conduction style earbuds that offer workout-friendly use due to being IPX5-rated so a sweaty gym session will be no issue. Additional features include:
- AI algorithm & 4 built-in microphones for clearer call quality
- DBB bass enhancement algorithm for that strong bass.
- Open-ear style headphones that use air conduction to deliver sound while not entirely blocking out outside sounds.
When you get these out of the box and give them a try you will instantly feel just how comfortable and lightweight they are. After some testing, I was impressed with the overall sound and that 10-hour battery life with an additional 2 full changes from the case allows for long periods of use.
In terms of cost as mentioned you can buy these for £55 currently and when you compare them to a rival at the top end of the market such as the Shokz OpenFit at £152 it got me wondering if these budget-friendly pair are just as good or even better.
Let’s take a deeper look…
Design
If you are a fan of 1More you will notice the S30 are similar in build to their bigger brother the S50 which is more expensive than the S30. Consumers can buy the S30 in two colours – Black or White.
When you take these out of the packaging you will notice the earbuds come in a matching colour plastic shell charging case that is powered by a USB-C connection.
Take the buds out of the case and you will notice right away just how light they are coming in at under 10g per bud. They come with a Split Design with Earhooks that wrap around the top of the ear with the main element of the bud sitting closely in front of the inside of the ear.
In terms of controls, they are touch control operated which you can customise via the 1More app. The controls are all activated by a series of double or triple taps. Unfortunately, even with the large area to tap the S30 struggles to register taps we have found this is not always the case but it was happening fairly regularly.
Features
The 1More Fit SE S30’s have four built-in mics (two per bud) that use an AI algorithm that improves call quality and will enhance the sound over any outside sound.
Another quality feature is the battery life you get 30 hours in total. Which is 10 hours from a single charge and 20 hours stored in the charging case. Please note the S30’s do not offer a fast charging feature. If you have the app you can view the battery level but the charging case also has an LED to indicate the battery level using a traffic light system.
Sound Quality
These buds feature a 14.2mm dynamic driver with DLC diaphragm which fits with its price tag they won’t blow you away. Considering they are air-conduction style they offer you a good level of volume and power for the price.
The bass is a bit boomy and the mids are a little boxed with the treble performance coming out a little on the grainy side. That aside, they are well-rounded enough to cater for a mixture of genres and offer a satisfying experience for listening to podcasts which I found I used them the most for.
The open-ear design on the air conduction headphones does appear more weighted towards your audio than exterior sound but it does on the whole work well.
Verdict
We have reviewed several 1More products and the S30s just fall a bit short in the sound quality department. Now if you compare them to some other open-ear earbuds they sound better than some rivals but I just expected a little more if am completely honest.
On Price, they stack up well compared to others and battery-wise and features they are not that bad. However, with the issues with the touch controls we had and the sound quality being just a bit short of what we expected I just feel there are better open ear earbuds on the market even at this price point.
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Sound Quality: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall ranking: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars – 3.5 stars
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