Better sound, greater comfort, more modern features: with the recently launched soundcore C40i, the manufacturer is aiming to conquer the throne of open-ear headphones. The design is strongly reminiscent of the Huawei FreeClip (our test), but the affordable soundcore model also plays a leading role in terms of sound, as our test proves.
Technical data
| The product | soundcore C40i |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Maximum operating range | 12m (without obstacle) |
| Battery life | Up to 7 hours, 21 hours in total with charging case; (varies depending on volume level and audio content) |
| Charging time | 1.5 hours (for charging case via USB-C) |
| Size of charging case (H x W x D) | 34 mm × 58 mm × 46 mm |
| Weight | 5.8 g per earbud; 52 g charging case & earphones |
| Most important functions | Multipoint; IPX4; |
| Price | € 99.99 * |
soundcore C40i test: Flexible and convenient clip-on design
- elegant design
- excellent wearing comfort
- Additional ear clips included
The soundcore C40i is a further development of the C30i, which takes up the design of the original. The difference is that the new edition does not have a transparent housing, but comes in a simple and high-quality silver-grey look.
The case also comes in the same color scheme and feels pleasantly high-quality. It has a USB-C port for charging at the back and a pairing button at the bottom. It holds the earphones magnetically and keeps them securely in place.
The design and the flexible headband remain largely untouched. Both components of the open-ear headphones are connected via a flexible plastic bridge, allowing the C40i to adapt very comfortably to different ear sizes and shapes.
This results in outstanding wearing comfort, which is among the best currently available in the open-ear headphone sector. Thanks to the clip-on design, the C40i are slid over the ear and then twisted in front of the ear canal, just like ear clips. The ear canal itself remains free so that you can still hear enough of your surroundings.
Compared to the FreeClip from Huawei, however, the soundcore C40i have a flat, slightly rounded shape on both sides, which provides additional comfort. The weight is also quite low at around 5.8 grams per earbud. If you don’t like the standard fit, the manufacturer includes two additional pairs of silicone ear clips (sizes S and M), which are placed at the back to ensure a better fit.
Features and operation
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Multipoint
- Customizable, precise operation
The soundcore C40i’s features are state-of-the-art. The earphones use the Bluetooth 5.4 standard, which guarantees a stable and fast connection and should have a positive effect on battery life.
Bluetooth multipoint is also offered, allowing you to connect the earbuds to two audio sources simultaneously. As always with open-ear headphones, there is no active noise suppression – which would not be useful in this case.
On the other hand, the C40i are IPX4 protected against water, which makes them resistant to rain and sweat. A 3D surround sound can also be activated within the soundcore app, which noticeably enhances the feeling of spatiality, especially with spatial audio tracks.
Thanks to a 20-degree inclined sound output, the loss of sound to the outside is also minimized. This works quite well in practice, but the music can still be heard outside, which can be problematic, especially in busy environments – in-ear headphones naturally have the edge here.
The soundcore C40i are operated via a button on the outside, which is located at the back of the ear. Here you will find a large button that can really be pressed in. So you know immediately whether the input has been recognized or not.
Operation is very precise and fast. Within the soundcore app, you can also customize the controls and freely adjust the actions for single and double presses, as well as press and hold, individually for both sides if desired.
Everything can be set here, from playback to volume control and call control. Within the app, you can also be informed about the battery status and can influence the sound yourself using various equalizer presets or your own 8-band EQ.
Good battery life of the soundcore C40i
- 7 hours runtime for the earphones
- A total of 21 hours battery life with charging case
The soundcore C40i offer a battery life of seven hours for the earbuds alone and a total of 21 hours with the charging case. Undoubtedly good values, although the C30i lasted considerably longer with up to 10 hours.
Huawei’s counterpart also offers a better runtime with up to eight hours of use, but this is still enough to cope with longer journeys or routes without any problems.
In principle, the battery life is therefore more than sufficient to use the open-ear headphones for several days and is longer than that of many classic in-ear headphones. A full charge of around one and a half hours is also quite quick.
Audio and microphone quality
- Full, lively sound
- rich bass reproduction
- very good 3D sound
I was pleasantly surprised by the sound of the soundcore C40i, which doesn’t have to contend with the normally meagre, flat sound associated with many open-ear headphones – partly due to their design.
This is partly due to the design of the drivers, as the manufacturer has given the earphones 12×17 mm treadmill drivers, which extend over the entire size of the open-ears and thus produce a full, rich sound.
Thanks to their clip-on design, the Huawei FreeClip were already at the forefront of open-ear headphones in terms of sound quality, but the soundcore C40i are in no way inferior to them and cost even less.
In fact, the C40i are on a par with some classic in-ear headphones and convince across all music genres with a lively and detailed sound image that even impresses with an impressive bass response and thus gives electro and hop-hop tracks the necessary pep.
The highs and mids are also very detailed and lively. Voices and instruments come across very well and deliver a coherent sound image across the board.
Provided you have positioned the C40i correctly in your ear. Otherwise the acoustics are rather poor. Some fine-tuning is therefore required here. The 3D sound mode within the companion app also has a positive effect on the acoustics, as the music is given additional spatiality, which noticeably enhances the sound.
Good microphone quality
The microphone quality of the soundcore C40i is also noticeably better than that of the C30i. The microphones also have an AI algorithm that suppresses ambient noise, which should improve speech intelligibility, especially when used outdoors.
Microphone test recording soundcore C40i:
Microphone test recording Huawei FreeClip:
The microphone quality is good, but by no means outstanding. The voice is a little too spongy and lacking in detail. However, it is on a par with the competition. For occasional phone calls, however, what is on offer is certainly good enough.
soundcore C40i test: Conclusion
With the soundcore C40i, the manufacturer delivers really very good open-ear headphones that can keep up very well with the current top dog, the Huawei FreeClip. The soundcore model delivers very good results across the board, especially in terms of sound and wearing comfort.
While the sound of open-ear headphones is often rather weak-chested and lacking in detail, the C40i impresses here with a lively, full sound that is pleasantly strong even in the bass foundation.
The comfortable clip-on design ensures that the earphones sit comfortably on the ears for hours without any pressure. Operation works flawlessly and can be customized within the companion app. The open-ears only let up a little in terms of battery life and microphone quality, but this can be overcome thanks to the convincing price-performance ratio.
- Excellent wearing comfort
- Lively, full sound
- Good battery life
- Microphones could be better
- Slight sound leaks
- No wearer detection
soundcore C40i
Processing
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Equipment
Price-performance ratio
89/100
Comfortable open-ear headphones with very good sound, precise operation and convincing features at a fair price.
