Earfun Air Pro Review – Doin’ it Right

Pros –

Great ANC & aware mode, Excellent call quality, Comfortable fit, Mature midrange and high-end tuning, Compact charging case, Responsive touch controls

Cons –

Limited codec support hurts latency and detail, Limited technical performance, Somewhat tubby bass boost

Verdict –

Combine a natural bass-boost sound tuning with effective ANC, stellar aware mode and call quality and this is surely one of the best all-rounders you’ll find in the sub-$100 price point.

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Introduction –

Earfun was founded recently in 2018 by a group of music enthusiasts, acoustic engineers and industrial designers. Their expertise on-hand has enabled them to produce some pretty impressive products, the uBoom, in particular, remains a highly recommended portable speaker for me. A key aspect of their appeal lies in their conservative pricing. Sometimes, in order to achieve this, the company is unable to build their own product from the ground up but uses another company’s design and slightly tweaks the product to their liking. This is a common practice called ODM. Enter the Air Pro, an affordable ANC earphone derived from Edifier’s TWS NB2, a popular and well-reviewed model. The Air Pro comes in with a few design tweaks and introduces voice assistant support. Through these methods, Earfun are able to include advanced features such as an extensive 6-mic ANC system at a low cost of just $80 USD.

The Air Pro is available for $80 USD or $119 AUD. You can read more about and treat yourself to a unit on Addicted to Audio. For further comparison between the Air Pro and TWS NB2, please see Scarbir’s comprehensive review here.

Disclaimer –

I would like to thank Rachel from Busisoft and the team at Earfun very much for their quick communication and for providing me with the Air Pro for the purpose of review. All words are my own and there is no monetary incentive for a positive review. Despite receiving the earphones free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible in my evaluation.

Contents –

• Page 1: Intro, Unboxing, Design
• Page 2: Usability & ANC Performance
• Page 3: Sound Breakdown
• Page 4: Comparisons & Verdict

Specifications –

• Driver: 10mm Composite DD
• Bluetooth: 5.0, SBC & AAC only, 15m range
• Battery life: 9hrs (7hrs with ANC), + 25hrs case
• Dimensions: 67 x 55 x 31mm (case)
• Weight: 53g (total)

Behind the Design –

6-Microphone Array

The Air Pro’s have a whopping 3-mics per earpiece, each with its own distinct function. The MW08 had a similar setup, here, Earfun is dedicated one mic for calls and two for ANC, one for feedback of sounds within the ear canal and one feedforward mic picking up external sounds. This is a comprehensive setup similar to what you’ll see on class leaders. The comprehensive mic array also helps to cancel ambient sounds for clearer voice calls.

10mm Composite Driver

Designed in conjunction with Edifier, Earfun leveraged that company’s experience and scale to source a high-quality 10mm dynamic driver. While the exact composition is unspecified, usually this would refer to a mylar driver with some sort of coating on top. This is often used to improve the mechanical properties of the driver for a more detailed sound. In this case, it appears as if the company has leveraged this in order to provide an enhanced yet controlled bass response.

Unboxing –

If there’s one thing that I would sacrifice to hit a lower price point, it would surely be the unboxing and it appears as if Earfun were thinking along the same lines. The Air Pro comes in a small but well presenting hard box. Sliding off the top sleeve reveals the papers and accessories in neat card boxes with the earphones and case in foam below. Minimal accessories are included, only 3 pairs of silicone ear tips, manual and Type-C charging cable. I would have liked to see memory foam tips but, for the asking price, I can’t complain too much.

Design –

I have always been a fan of Edifier’s designs and the same meticulous approach to aesthetics and design carry over here. The Air Pro is identical to the NB2, only with a slight revision to the case and colour scheme. You get the same IPX5 water resistance and attractive, modern design that would fit comfortably into any setting. It appears almost like an angular take on an Airpods Pro-like shell. The metallic gunmetal stem stands out and wraps around the base to give a more integrated look and feel. A dedicated calls mic is located within the outlet at the base of the stem. These designs have an inherent call-quality advantage as the mic is both placed closer to and is directly facing the speaker’s mouth. The stem also provides a point of purchase that makes the earphones especially easy to remove from the charging case.

The inner surface of the housings reveals an IR sensor for auto play/pause functionality. It’s constructed from a satin plastic with a smooth and even finish. I find this texture is a great medium between oil resistance and quality feel, and I much prefer this to gloss. Signature to Edifier, the build quality leaves little to be desired and the overall feel is no less impressive than market leaders; if perhaps shy of the metal and glass Master & Dynamic earphones. I was impressed by the very well-matched seams and overall density of the shells. You can also see waterproof fabric covering the two outward facing mics and the nozzle which should keep the inner workings dust, water and wax-free. Though cheap, alay any fears, as this is not remotely a cheap feeling earphone.

Fit & Comfort –

If you’ve tried the Airpods Pros’, you’ll have a similar experience with the fit here. The two have similar dimensions, albeit, the Air Pro does have a thicker stem. That said, this portion of the design never contacts the ear, only the rounded pod sits within the ear. I was able to wear these for hours and hours with zero discomfort. Part of this can also be attributed to their shallow fit and well-angled nozzle that keeps them in a neutral position and minimizes wearing pressure. The Air Pro is a light earphone too so, despite not possessing the best seal due to the shallow fit, they are relatively stable.

That said, if you were to choose these for active use, I would personally recommend foam tips due to a lack of any stabilizing features. Retention is an important consideration for any TWS earphone and here, the approach is similar to the M&D MW08 with a rounded rear that protrudes and locks into the concha. This means they can wiggle loose during running for instance but are perfectly fine for general commute. I would argue the execution is slightly better here due to the lighter weight and added stability of the stem. With foam tips, they are easily suitable for exercise.

Charging Case –

The case is less impressive than the construction of the earphones themselves and the leather-clad Edifier case does provide a more premium impression. However, the matte Earfun case showcases some more smart design and is one of the more compact units I’ve come across – I would just be more concerned about scratches. It assumes a lay-flat configuration meaning it has a large lid and assumers slightly larger width and height dimensions in favour of a slimmer profile. As such, I found it was still easy to pocket. The case doesn’t support Qi wireless charging, only wired through the rear-mounted Type-C port. Beside is a diffused RGB status LED that denotes remaining charge in the case. A small lip provides purchase to open the magnetic lid, the hinge is small but has little wobble. While it isn’t the smoothest, a reverse magnet gives it a quality feel once again.

A rubber lip runs around the perimeter of the lid, this gives the case a good “thud” when closed which further contributes to a premium haptic experience and showcases the experience of the company behind the design. Inside lies another status LED, this time indicating the remaining charge on the earphones themselves. I was happy to find that the case would still power off the earphones when it is out of charge, unlike many others. There’s a button in the case that allows the user to pair the earphones more easily, without any convoluted touch gestures. One thing to note is that there is not much clearance below the earphones, so third party tips usually prevent the case from closing. Short tips such as Lypertek’s Flexifit tips or Spinfit CP1025’s will work in a pinch if the stock tips don’t fit you well.

Next Page: Usability & ANC Performance