Tried: 1More ColorBuds 2 wireless in-ear headphones
With the 1More ColorBuds 2 wireless in-ear, the Chinese manufacturer, which also has a hand in many Xiaomi headphones, has introduced a compact in-ear headphone with aptX Adaptive, app control and ANC.
- 1More ColorBuds 2
Technische Daten
| Name | 1More ColorBuds 2 |
| Driver | 7 mm dynamisch |
| Frequency range | 20-20.000 Hz |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Battery capacity | 55 mAh per handset; 410 mAh in charging box |
| Weight | 4.9 g per handset; 444.3 g with box |
| Dimensions | 60 × 30 × 38 mm |
| IP protection class | – |
| Sensitivity | – |
| Bluetooth-Profil | HFP, A2DP, AVRCP |
| Audio codec | aptX Adaptive, AAC, SBC |
Packaging and scope of delivery
The 1More ColorBuds 2 come in a fancy printed cardboard box. Inside, besides the headphones themselves, there is a USB-C charging cable, a total of four pairs of ear pads and a multilingual user manual.
Design & workmanship
The ColorBuds 2 come with a classic Bud earpiece design and their shape is similar to the Redmi Buds 3 Pro, for example. However, they are kept a bit more compact.
The earpieces are available in black, white and gold and weigh a light 4.9 g on the precision scales. The backs of the earpieces of the white version are barely visible and shimmer in a light pink. This is nothing that should stop you from buying them, but it should be mentioned here.
Including the charging cradle, the wireless headphones weigh just under 45 g – pleasant. The box fits comfortably in the pocket with dimensions of 60 × 30 × 38 mm, which not all headphones can claim.
The charging cradle can be placed upright thanks to the large surface on the bottom. Some headphones can do that, but this surface is completely rubberized on the 1More ColorBuds 2. Thus, the plastic of the charging tray wears off less quickly and looks nice for much longer. Some other manufacturers could definitely follow suit, in my opinion.
In terms of material and workmanship, 1More does not make any mistakes with the ColorBuds 2. The plastic used for the earpieces and charging cradle has no workmanship or material defects, very good!
Sound of the 1More ColorBuds 2
The 1More ColorBuds 2 are equipped with a dynamic single driver. Its diaphragm diameter of 7 mm is rather small, but quite common for an in-ear. Semi-in-ear headphones, for example, are usually equipped with larger diaphragms with a diameter of <10 mm. I would classify the sound of the ColorBuds 2 as balanced in the test. Similar to the Redmi Buds 3 Pro, the bass is not as accentuated as it is the case with the Soundcore Life P3, for example.
In contrast to the not quite as pronounced bass emphasis, the midrange and treble come more into focus. Here, the 1More ColorBuds 2 offer nice details that are easily lost in more bass-heavy models. Voices sound so realistic and in the treble, it offers a precise stage for a dynamic driver.
Thus, music genres like pop, classical, live recordings, acoustic, jazz and indie sound pretty good to my ears. Lovers of very bass-heavy music, such as any kind of electronic music, hip-hop or rap may be better off with another pair of headphones, such as the Soundcore Life P3.
Sound conclusion
The 1More ColorBuds 2 convince me with a balanced sound image, in which the bass is not too strongly emphasized. Thus, music genres like pop, classical, live recordings, acoustic, jazz or indie are a lot of fun for me with the small earphones.
Buy at AmazonIf you use streaming services like Spotify or Deezer, for example, you get a very good pair of headphones with the 1More ColorBuds 2 that can exploit the potential of the music quality on these platforms well – that’s all a pair of headphones needs to be able to do for this usage scenario.
Solid active noise cancellation
As befits a wireless in-ear in 2021, the ColorBuds 2 are also equipped with ANC technology. This does not perform at top level, but is basically solid and comparable to the ANC of the Redmi Buds 3 or Soundcore Life P3.
Especially low-frequency sounds are suppressed well here. Higher tones, on the other hand, are rather let through. Nevertheless, the ANC achieves the desired effect with a medium music volume – background noises are hardly or not at all perceptible, depending on their volume, of course.
1More smartphone app
1More has also implemented the wireless in-ear in their smartphone app (Android | iOS). Thus, there are the following operating options here:
- Switch ANC on/off
- Individualize touch sensors
- Individualize the function of proximity sensors
- SoundID
- Firmware updates
- Quick Start Guide
- Whitenoise
Similar to the Soundcore app, the app is clearly laid out and not as cluttered as Sony’s counterpart for my taste.
SoundID
SoundID is an external service that is integrated into the app in cooperation with Sonarworks. An individual equalizer can be created with the help of a test track that corresponds to your personal music taste.
The SoundID Test gives you the choice of sound profiles A and B for different frequency ranges. In this way, the SoundID Test creates an individual equalizer that suits your taste. We know something similar from Soundcore with HearID, except that this test is not based on your taste, but on your hearing ability.
Operation
The touch sensors support a total of two gestures. Double taps and triple taps are possible. Other gestures like hold down or single tap are unfortunately not implemented.
The following functions are available for selection:
- Play/Pause
- Previous/next track
- Increase/decrease volume
- Activate voice assistant
Thus, the selection of functions is quite solid, but I would have liked at least one more gesture here.
Battery life & Bluetooth
The earpieces of the 1More ColorBuds 2 are equipped with an average battery capacity of 55 mAh per earpiece. In addition, there is 410 mAh in the charging box. Thus, the headphones should achieve a runtime of up to 18 hours without a power outlet, according to the manufacturer.
In the test, I was able to achieve a runtime of about 5 hours with fully charged earpieces at medium volume and ANC turned on.
What pleases me and probably some others is that the aptX codec (aptX Adaptive) is implemented here in the form of a current Qualcomm chip with Bluetooth 5.2 standard.
Assessment
The 1More ColorBuds 2 wireless in-ear headphones can score with a balanced sound image. Thus, they provide a good alternative to the Redmi Buds 3 Pro or the Soundcore Life P3, which offer perfectly sufficient playback quality for music streaming from Spotify. Me personally.
In terms of workmanship and materials, the Chinese manufacturer has not made any missteps and delivers a high-quality and overall well-rounded product. I particularly like the wearing comfort, because thanks to the low weight, these practically never need to be readjusted, at least in my case.
Thanks to the smartphone app, the headphones can also be customized, and SoundID offers an intuitive way to tune the headphones to your own musical tastes. The aptX codec is also implemented thanks to the latest Qualcomm chip.
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