TechRadar Verdict
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are a little chunky but other than that, they never miss a beat. That goes for audio quality as well as key features like genuinely good active noise cancellation, Spatial Audio, hi-res audio support, and seemingly everything else you can think of.
Pros
- +
Great ANC
- +
Excellent sound quality
- +
Snug fit
Cons
- -
Divisive looks
- -
Average battery life
- -
No wireless charging
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Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Three-minute review
Edifier might not be a household name but if the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are anything to go by, then the firm really needs to garner more attention. Available for £129.99 / $129.99 / AU$229.99, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are deceptively cheap for a feature set that includes active noise cancellation, hi-res audio support, Bluetooth 5.3, and a snazzy looking app and case. They must be fairly poor, right? Wrong.
While the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 struggle with some very middling battery life that's bordering on not good enough, everything else about them is impressive. When it comes to ANC quality, I don't even mean impressive for the price, I mean good for any of the best noise cancelling earbuds.
Walking along a busy road and barely hearing a thing is the dream. It's possible to hear that there is traffic flying past, but it's entirely background noise and doesn't detract from what you're listening to in the slightest.
Alongside that, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 sound great with the 10mm dynamic driver paired with a balanced armature driver ensuring they sound balanced. Crisp sounds as you listen to the latest from Taylor Swift right back to some soothing classical music all ensures the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are a delight.
App support means you can adjust things via the EQ which is nice but not necessary for anyone other than the most avid of audiophiles. If you want a little more punchiness though, you can't go wrong with the Dynamic Mode which worked well with Muse's back catalogue.
With ANC enabled, even with the charging case, you'll only be able to listen for about 16 hours at the absolute most which isn't great but that's a small bugbear for most people and one that I'm willing to accept at this price point.
Similarly, the look of the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 is a little Star Trek: The Next Generation ish rather than as sleek as some competitors like the Apple AirPods Pro 2, but these are still a bargain that richly deserve a place among the best wireless earbuds.
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Price and release date
- Released in August 2023
- Officially priced at £129.99 / $129.99 / AU$229.99
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 was released in August 2023 for $129.99 in the US, £129.99 in the UK and AU$229.99 in Australia. The earbuds are currently available in the US, UK and Europe.
Two color choices are available – either black or ivory. Fairly ordinary colors, either could end up discounted at some point but the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are very shrewdly priced already.
Outside of sales, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are roughly similarly priced to the Sony WF-C700N at $119 / £99 / AU$199 and the standard Apple AirPods with a wired charging case (although these are often discounted). Notably, the standard AirPods lack ANC although the Sony earbuds still offer it.
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Specs
| Drivers | 10mm |
| Active Noise Cancellation | Yes |
| Battery life | Up to 22 hours with ANC off, up to 16 with ANC on |
| Weight | 5.6g per bud |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Waterproofing | IP54 |
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Features
- Wear detection
- Great app but no multipoint support
- Up to 22 hours with ANC off/up to 16 hours with ANC on
The Edifier app is one of the best around with all the features you could want. That includes adjusting different levels of ANC to your liking, setting up head-tracking and tweaking the EQ. You can even change the color of the LED on the charging case which is a cute touch.
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 also offer wear detection which is mostly very accurate. Once in a while, I found it not detect me removing the buds from my ears but for the most part, it was a delight to put them in and have music kick straight back in.
There isn't multipoint support so you can't connect two devices at once but the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 remain ideal for your commute or keeping permanently hooked up to your phone. There's also Bluetooth 5.3 support to ensure no dropouts.
When it comes to battery life, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are fine but a little weaker than some of the competition. There's up to 22 hours including the case when ANC is disabled led but you'll likely want it switched on. Enabled and with Hi-res audio kicking in, you can see just two to three hours of playback with four hours usually experienced with ANC on.
Mileage will vary here and I didn't find it a dealbreaker as a pair of earbuds for the daily commute, but if you need to use them for extended periods, you may be disappointed by the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2's performance.
Features score: 4/5
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Sound quality
- Crisp audio
- Great ANC
- Adjustable EQ
The most exceptional thing about the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 is how good the ANC is. Wireless earbuds are rarely competing with the best noise-cancelling headphones given their design but I'd go so far as to say the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 felt class leading. Walking along a busy road, noise was easily cancelled out and reduced to being quiet background noise ensuring I could hear every moment of Taylor Swift belting out Bad Blood.
Via the app, there are plenty of noise cancellation modes to choose from depending on the situation. I mostly lived with them on the strongest setting but it was useful to be able to switch to milder levels or an ambient mode to hear the key details going on around you. A wind reduction mode was particularly useful in this part of the country where the wind seems to never calm down.
Similarly, out of the box, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 sound good. The mids are crisp and the highs detailed with little issue here. Bass isn't booming but it feels smooth and punchy nonetheless. While bassheads may prefer an even louder response, it's a pretty balanced result here. Tracks like the reworking of Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift feel as exciting as it's meant to sound, making even the gloomiest of days feel a little livelier. Classics like God Only Knows have just the right amount of sparkle while feeling bright throughout.
There are adjustments that can be made via the app and they work well, particularly if you want to add more punchiness to your listening but mostly, there's no need to make any tweaks unless you truly feel in the mood.
The only minor issue comes from a soundstage that could maybe be a little wider but as detailed as it is, I'm not complaining. Add on the Hi-Res audio support with the latest LHDC 5.0 HD codec, and the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are packing some hefty weight for the price.
Sound quality score: 5/5
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Design
- Angular case
- Dated version of the future
- Touch sensitive controls
Despite lacking the battery life of some earbuds, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 have a fairly sizeable case. Angular in design, it'll take up more room in your pocket than other earbuds like the Apple AirPods. Despite all that room, there's no wireless charging with charging solely via the USB-C port.
There's also room for an LED light bar on the front with the app allowing you to choose from eight different colors. It's a little gimmicky but it pumps out more light than you'd expect, as I discovered while going for a dawn walk. Otherwise, the case isn't exactly good looking.
The earbuds themselves are fairly hefty too but that's beneficial as the tips ensure a balanced design that mean they fit snugly in your ears without ever feeling like they could drop out of your ears any time soon, even when running. It's not the most attractive of designs but it's certainly practical.
On the earbuds are a touch area for light touches and long presses. Thanks to the effective wear detection, you may find you don't need these very often but they're great for taking calls.
Design score: 4/5
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Value
- Very competitively priced
- Premium features for less
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 are very shrewdly priced. The ANC is better than most along with other key features. Competition arises from the standard Apple AirPods which lack ANC or the Sony WF-C700N which are slightly cheaper.
Ultimately, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 is punching above its weight making it great value if you don't mind slightly lesser battery life and other minor issues.
Value score: 4/5
Should I buy the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2?
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Comments | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Rarely missing a beat, these buds are packed with useful features but don't support multipoint pairing. | 4/5 |
| Sound quality | Excelling in its price range right down to great ANC | 5/5 |
| Design | The angular design of the case can make the buds a bit more bulkier than the competition but helps offer a better fit. | 4/5 |
| Value | Great value if you don't mind unorthodox looks and average battery life | 4/5 |
Buy them if...
Don't buy them if...
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 review: Also consider
| Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 | Apple AirPods 3rd generation | Sony WF-C700N | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers | 10mm | 11mm | 5mm |
| Active noise Cancellation | Yes | No | Yes |
| Battery life | Up to 22 hours with ANC off, up to 16 with ANC on | Up to 30 hours via charging case, up to 6 hours with earbuds | Up to 7.5 hours with earbuds, 15 hours total via charging case |
| Weight | 5.6 per bud | 4.28g per bud | 4.6g per bud |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Waterproofing | IP54 | IPX4 | IPX4 |
How I tested the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2
- Tested over 10 days in many different situations
- Listened against the Apple AirPods 3, Apple AirPods Pro 2, and Marshall Motif II
- Listened to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube videos and Twitch
The Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 were my trusty companion over 10 days or so, replacing my usual earbuds.
That meant they were with me during each of my morning walks amongst the busy rush hour commute. They were also used walking around even busier areas where, normally, I wouldn't have been able to hear what I was listening to. To make matters noisier, I also dealt with some fairly strong winds and storms so it was a strong test of the earbuds' ANC.
Besides being worn for walks, I also used the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 on a couple of runs to check they fit snugly and securely.
During my evenings, I used them to watch Twitch streams and YouTube videos, while the daytime was mostly spent with Apple Music and Spotify to try out different types of music. Genres ranged from pop, jazz, classical, soundtracks, to a friend's album which wasn't as heavily processed as others.
I've been reviewing audio products for about 10 years now and am pretty picky with what sounds good as well as what feels right in my ears. It's always good to feel like you're rediscovering a favorite thanks to the earbuds you're using.
First reviewed in December 2023.
