AceFast AceFit Pro review

After testing my fair share of open-earbuds, I appreciate when they deliver good audio with minimal fuss. Unfortunately, the AceFast AceFit Pro earbuds don’t fit into that category.

That doesn’t mean you should count them out entirely, however, as they have some cool redeeming features. While they may not be the best running headphones, there are still some compelling reasons to pick them up.

On paper at least, they’re an interesting option for runners, as the buds have breathing lights for nighttime safety. But the fun doesn’t stop there, as the charging case has lighting settings that can be altered in the app, too. Fast charging makes the buds great for grabbing before running out the door, and the IP54 rating makes them ideal for anyone who loves running outdoors.

However, it takes a lot of work to get good sound, and even then, it’s dependent on the genre you are listening to. Unfortunately, these audio issues undermine all the fun elements.

You can find out more about the buds in my full AceFast AceFit Pro review.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Specs

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Price & availability

• Affordable in the U.S.
• Expensive in the U.K.
• Lots of color choices

The AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds are available at Amazon U.S. for $125 and at Amazon U.K. for £212. There’s a stark difference in price between the two regions, so while they are an affordable(ish) option in the U.S., I would think twice about purchasing them if you are in the U.K.

I tested both the cherry blossom pink and rime grey colorways of the buds. The buds are also available in olive green or windy purple.

My current open-ear favorites, the Soundcore AeroClip earbuds, are a little more expensive at $169. The Soundcores were, until now, the comfiest open earbuds I’ve tested, but the AceFast may take the comfort crown. The sound quality on the AceFast buds isn’t as consistent, but they are cheaper, so it could be a trade-off you’re willing to make.

The JLab Epic Open Sport — priced at $114 — have been my go-to buds for workouts for their secure fit, but they lack power in the sound quality department. The AceFast AceFit Pros make up for that, with lighting safety features, and provide more EQ alteration opportunities… but the sound still isn’t great.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Design

• Breathing lights for nighttime safety
• Lightweight
• Comfortable to wear for extended periods

The AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds look like something straight out of Back to the Future Part II. They’re totally futuristic. This is down to the extensive lighting settings, and the circuit board you can see through a window on the buds. I think they look pretty cool.

The lighting is primarily a safety feature for these buds. The breathing lights can help with visibility when out walking or running in the dark and make drivers and other pedestrians aware of you.

The lighting speed and color can be customized in the AceFast app. It offers eight color options for the case and two speed settings for the earbud lights.

The charging case for the earbuds has a transparent window, so you can always see them, and with the ambient lighting inside the case, this makes them look pretty cool. The inside halo light can be changed between eight different colors using the app. I decided to go for pink lightning to match the case and buds.

And the lightshow doesn’t stop there. The lid of the charging case has LED lighting to let you know the remaining charge in the case and the buds. This is fixed to white lighting, though. The display is useful and clear, displaying the specific percentage for the charging case and 25% bars for the buds.

The buds have an ear hook design that uses a flexible titanium to fit around the ear. They’re also extremely lightweight, making them comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, and I hardly noticed I was wearing the buds at all.

The AceFit Pros take a different approach to the clip design of the Soundcore Aeroclip open-earbuds, but they still have the same weightless feeling, only with a little more security. The silicone finish on the hook also means they grip the ear nicely, but without feeling too tight. When I was moving around and shaking my head, the buds didn’t budge, so you’re good to go for an intense workout.

The AceFits have a dust and water resistance rating of IP54, meaning they are resistant to water splashes from any direction and protected from some dust. This makes them perfect for going out on a run in light rain, and also means they are protected from sweat.

I had two sets of the earbuds to test, and that was lucky because the clear plastic window of the rime grey pair came off the buds. I didn’t have this issue with the cherry blossom pair, though, so I think this was a one-off.

The buds come with a USB-C cable for charging the case, as well as a cloth to keep the clear window clean.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Controls & ambient awareness

• Responsive touch controls
• Customizable controls
• Good ambient sound

The controls on the AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds are touch-sensitive and very easy to use. They’re also customizable in the app. I was able to make changes to the controls that best suited what I use the buds for, and assigned my most used commands like skip songs and volume alteration.

The buds do a good job at letting in ambient sound without sacrificing volume. They use directional speakers which perform well without much sound leakage.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Connectivity & microphone performance

• 10-meter transmission range
• Environmental noise cancellation for microphones
• Multipoint connection

The AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds use Bluetooth 5.4 and have a 10-meter transmission distance. The buds support SBC and AAC audio codecs, which are two of the most basic codecs, but this is fine: hi-res codecs would be wasted here — the internals aren't quite capable of the higher-quality streams.

The buds have multipoint connection, so I was able to connect them to my phone and laptop at the same time and switch between work calls and my music seamlessly.

There is environmental noise cancellation for calls, which is effective. When I called my mom, she said that she couldn't hear me typing on my mechanical keyboard as I spoke — something the JLab Epic Open Sport earbuds picked up.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Sound quality & app

• Some settings sound muffled
• Vocals are hit-or-miss
• Takes a lot of changing settings

While I like the sound produced by the AceFast AceFit Pro earbuds, it’s unfortunately rather inconsistent. I always go into open-earbud testing prepared for the fact they won’t sound like the best wireless earbuds.

Other open-earbuds I have tested, like the JLab Epic Open Sport, have struggled to support bass-heavy songs, and unfortunately, these buds were more of the same. There was a lot of grumbling about heavy songs and anything that ordinarily has punchy bass. However, the EarFun Clip earbuds were able to give a good bass performance.

That said, they actually sound pretty great for open-earbuds… as long as you’re willing to put the time in. It takes a lot of jumping around settings for each and every song, which is tedious and unrealistic to be doing regularly.

When you do want to tweak the sound, four sound settings can be altered in the user-friendly app. To start off, I tested the Original Sound setting with Kingslayer by Bring Me the Horizon (feat. BABYMETAL). I went for this song as it’s a staple in my audio testing and workout playlists. It’s high energy with a lot going on, so it’s very easy for the layers of the song to get lost if the buds lack fidelity.

While the song was clear throughout, the sound became pretty tinny at high volumes, although this is an issue I have encountered with every pair of open-earbuds I have tested. This is a very powerful song that requires support from the drivers, but these earbuds just aren’t good enough to make the song as punchy as it can be.

Next, I tested the Subwoofer setting with Jumpsuit by Twenty One Pilots. Again, this is a staple in my testing regime, but these buds let the song down. The drums felt powerful but sounded muffled. The vocals, however, stayed front and central.

To test out the Live setting, I listened to Maine - Live From Fenway by Noah Kahan. I’ve seen Noah Kahan perform live three times now, and each time I’m blown away by how good his vocals are. This EQ brought his vocals to the fore, supported the harmonies well, and the acoustic guitar sounded strong in the background. This setting turned out to be great for listening to any acoustic music.

The Vocal setting is another hit-or-miss option. I listened to Dang by Rainbow Kitten Surprise, a band with one of my favorite vocalists. This made the vocals sound super breathy and raw. However, in doing that, it muffled the background instruments. While I wouldn’t use this setting for this specific song again, I tried it with I CARE by Turnstile and loved the effect it gave the song by bringing out the highs.

For most music, the Original Sound setting worked best, so I would suggest sticking with this — there’s a reason why it is the default after all. But for a more refined sound by genre, it is worth sifting through the various presets available.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Battery life

• 25 hours of listening with the charging case
• A 10-minute charge gives 2 hours of listening time
• An hour to fully charge the buds

The AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds offer 6 hours of listening time when the buds are fully charged. The charging case adds an extra 25 hours onto this time. This is on the lower end of battery life with open-buds as the EarFun CLips have a 40-hour total battery life, and the JLab Epic Open Sport have 30 hours.

The buds charge up fully in about an hour, but just 10 minutes in the case can give two hours of listening time with fast charging. This is ideal for me as I often forget to charge my buds before I need to head out.

After three hours of listening to my music at a medium volume, I had 40% remaining on the buds. I was listening at just below 50% volume while doing this testing.

AceFast AceFit Pro review: Verdict

While the AceFast AceFit Pro open-earbuds tick all of the boxes on paper, the execution lets them down. If you are purchasing in the U.K., they come up pretty expensive, and when you consider the amount of work needed to get them to sound good when listening to your music, they seem like more hassle than they’re worth.

But they do have some redeeming qualities. There is an array of color choices that can be matched up with the lighting in the case. The breathing lights for nighttime safety are a real winner for anyone who goes for late-night runs, and the IP54 waterproof rating makes them ideal for all weather. The fast charge setting also makes them a great option for quickly picking up before running out of the house.

But unfortunately, I just couldn’t get over the sound quality’s inconsistency between genres, no matter how many settings I tried.