Consumer Electronics, Gadgets & Accessories

Soundpeats Mini Pro review: Small earbuds with a large feature set?

TWS in-ear headphones from the manufacturer Soundpeats have recently made a name for themselves with a successful price-performance ratio. After we took a detailed look at the Air 3 and T3 models in December of last year, the company is now following suit and promises hybrid ANC, Bluetooth 5.2 and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive at an affordable price. Our Soundpeats Mini Pro review clarifies whether this can work.

Specifications

Bluetooth version 5.2
Maximum operating range 10m (without obstacle)
Battery life Up to 7hrs, 29hrs total with charging case; (varies depending on volume level and audio content)
Charge Time 1.5 hrs. (for headphones via USB-C); 1.5 hrs. (for charging case + headphones via USB-C)
Size charging case (W x H x D) 50 mm x 45 mm x 25 mm
Weight 4.97 g per earbud; 37.5 g charging case & earbuds
Most important features ANC; transparency mode
Price € 58.39 *

Soundpeats Mini Pro review: the package

Already the packaging of the Soundpeats Mini Pro lives up to the name, the box turns out comparatively tiny. The same applies to the charging case, which awaits us in a plastic foil directly after opening. On top of that, the manufacturer positions a small box that contains two additional pairs of silicone ear inserts in sizes S and L (size M is already preinstalled).

Below that, we find a mere 25 cm long USB-A to USB-C cable for charging the case. A cardboard box with the user manual of the Wireless Earbuds completes the scope of delivery.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro Test
The scope of delivery is what you can expect in this price range.

Design and workmanship

The name suffix “Mini” of the Soundpeats Mini Pro runs like a red thread through the design of the Earbuds, because here the manufacturer keeps everything a little smaller than we are usually used to. This starts with the charging case, which is also extremely compact at 50 mm x 45 mm x 25 mm and weighs just 37.5 grams, including the Earbuds.

In terms of design, the manufacturer uses a pill-shaped case, which we already know from Apple’s Airpods Pro (our review). Only much smaller and in matte black. On the front, we find the manufacturer’s logo, as well as an LED display that informs about the case’s battery status in different colors. The lid can be opened via a gray strip. The USB-C charging port is located on the back.

The gray interior of the charging case has just enough room to house the two Soundpeats Mini Pro Earbuds, which are held securely in place via magnetic connector. The Earbuds themselves rely on a rounded, slightly triangular shape with rounded edges.

The touch-sensitive exterior is dominated by a silver-colored manufacturer logo. Below that we find another status LED that informs about the charging state and indicates the pairing mode. On the inner ring, where the driver is also located, a small microphone can be seen on the upper side of both earbuds. Further inside, we find the mechanical contacts for the charging case, as well as the designation for the respective side, which goes directly into the speaker including silicone ear tips. The design looks elegant and appealing and we like it very much.

Workmanship of the Soundpeats Mini Pro

In terms of build quality, there is nothing to complain about in the Soundpeats Mini Pro review. Apart from the fact that the charging case is relatively susceptible to fingerprints and dust, the workmanship is on a very good level. Even the folding mechanism of the cases, which is usually quite wobbly in this price range, feels sturdy and of high quality.

The same applies to the Earbuds themselves, which leave a robust and high-quality impression. And that despite the low weight.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro
The build quality doesn’t have to hide behind much more expensive headphones, either.

Wearing comfort of the Soundpeats Mini Pro

We were not completely convinced by the wearing comfort of the Mini Pro and that despite the relatively low weight of under four grams per Earbud. Although the earbuds can be placed comfortably in the ear, an unpleasant feeling of pressure develops after a longer period of time, which is probably due to the angular shape.

Soundpeats Mini Pro Wearing Comfort
Despite its low weight, the wearing comfort cannot fully convince. Already after 1-2 hours, an unpleasant feeling of pressure arises.

As tightly as the earbuds fit, there is no feeling of security during quick movements and you constantly have the feeling that the Mini Pro will fall out of your ear. Even slight movements over a longer period of time are enough for the earbuds to loosen and threaten to fall out. Most competitors manage this much better.

Equipment and battery life

There is also nothing to complain about in terms of the Soundpeats Mini Pro’s equipment. The Earbuds use the modern Bluetooth 5.2 standard and thus have a range of over 10 meters to the audio source. The built-in Qualcomm QCC3040 chip is also supposed to ensure a particularly low latency, but it did not really deliver any noteworthy advantages in our test.

The TWS in-ears also have an IPX5 certification, which at least protects them from water splashes. However, the Mini Pro does not offer special features like multi-device connectivity or a mono mode. Instead, there is a dedicated gaming mode that reduces the latency of the Earbuds to under 60 ms. This is on par with the competition, for example from the Razer Hammerhead series.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro

The ANC, called “Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling” blocks outside noise up to a volume of 35 dB and of course a corresponding transparency mode must not be missing. The microphones rely on Qualcomm cVc 8.0 to better filter out background noise and transmit your own voice clearly and dynamically.

Battery life of the Soundpeats Mini Pro

The battery life of the Soundpeats Mini Pro TWS earbuds is also on a good level, corresponding to the price range. Thus, the manufacturer promises a maximum of 7 hours of runtime for the earbuds and another 21 hours in combination with the charging lei – without ANC function, of course.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro battery life

If you add active noise cancellation, we ultimately end up with 5 hours, although the Earbuds ran out of steam after 4 hours and 31 minutes during our test (with ANC and at 90 percent volume). Charging is also quite fast. It takes 1.5 hours for both the charging case and the Earbuds to be fully charged. However, charging is only possible via USB-C, because the Mini Pro does not support wireless charging.

Operation: Precise, but complex

The Soundpeats Mini Pro are operated via the touch-sensitive outer sides of the earphones. The operating concept is quite complex and offers commands for single, double and triple taps, as well as for holding down the touch surfaces for 1.5, 2 and 6 seconds. In practice, this is as confusing as it sounds here and it takes quite a while until you have actually internalized all inputs.

Strangely, there is no command for jumping back to the previous track. Switching to the next song, on the other hand, is possible. The voice assistant in the form of Google Assistant or Siri can also be activated by tapping the right touchpad three times. After all, the operation is fast and precise.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro Bedienung
The operation via the touch surfaces is confusing, but precise.

On the other hand, it is a bit of a shame that the Earbuds do not support the manufacturer’s recently released companion app, in which the Mini Pro is simply not recognized. Whereby: With the registration and data collection compulsion of the app, this is perhaps from better so.

Audio Quality, ANC and Microphones

For acoustics, the Soundpeats Mini Pro use 10 mm biomembrane drivers, which the manufacturer claims offer “fantastic sound”. In terms of audio codecs, the True Wireless headphones also offer Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive Codec, which adapts the operating mode to the latency or bit rate of the audio files, for example, in addition to the usual suspects SBC and AAC.

Otherwise, the audio quality is on a consistently good level. As is often the case in this price segment, the bass is clearly in the foreground, but is not quite as dominant as in the predecessor Mini. Overall, the sound mix is warm and dynamic, with the mids (i.e. especially the voices) also still coming across well.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro
Sonically, the Soundpeats Mini Pro give a good picture

However, the Mini Pro still has problems with the highs, which, at a volume of more than 75 percent, can become garish and unpleasantly clashing. Basically, the mix presents itself as quite successful and dynamic, but should appeal to fans of electronic music with the precise, but somewhat too pronounced bass.

ANC and transparency mode

The active noise cancellation works on a good, but unimpressive level. The difference to the normal mode is hardly noticeable in practice. Surprisingly, we have the feeling in the Soundpeats Mini Pro review that for some inexplicable reason, the suppression of some background noises actually turns out better in normal mode.

This mainly concerns the fan of our notebook or typing on the keyboard, which is additionally confirmed by a quite loudly perceptible, constant background noise in ANC mode. The situation is similar with the transparency mode (“Passthrough”), which lets considerably more ambient noise through, but strongly distorts the sound so that traffic noise or voices no longer have much in common with reality.

Microphone quality of the Soundpeats Mini Pro

The quality of the built-in microphones is okay, but not outstanding. Although ambient and wind noise are filtered out very well thanks to the cVc technology, the dynamics of the user’s own voice often suffers. In quiet environments, the Mini Pro perform best in this area and ensure clear intelligibility on both sides, without being able to set noteworthy accents.

Summary of the Soundpeats Mini Pro

For the price of around 65 euros, the Soundpeats Mini Pro put together a thoroughly coherent overall package. Design and build quality are on a good to very good level, and the true-wireless headphones actually have quite a bit to offer in terms of sound. Especially the clear and deep bass should please fans of corresponding music, while the battery life is also on a good level.

However, the in-ears score points for the general sound quality and the almost unusable ANC and transparency mode. The wearing comfort and the somewhat complex operating concept are also not completely convincing. In the end, the in-ear headphones are good, but not completely satisfactory, and – considering the price – quite fun. However, they cannot keep up with the EarFun Air Pro 2 in the same price segment.

SoundPEATS Mini Pro Test: Silver Award

Soundpeats Mini Pro

Workmanship
Comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value for money

84/100

Stylish and high-quality TWS headphones at a fair price that score with decent battery life and good sound. However, the wearing comfort, ANC and microphones could be better.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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TWS in-ear headphones from the manufacturer Soundpeats have recently made a name for themselves with a successful price-performance ratio. After we took a detailed look at the Air 3 and T3 models in December of last year, the company is now following suit and promises hybrid ANC, Bluetooth 5.2 and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive at an … (Weiterlesen...)

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