Soundbuds Slim+ is the successor of much older but very popular soundbuds slim earbuds. The original slim was great under budget price and now the upgraded slim+ version is even better with more software features and capable hardware. These ANKER earbuds offer high quality build and design with nicely balanced sound signature for just under 30 USD that no other brand can match. In this review I will share my long-term experience of using these earbuds and you will be surprised by knowing how good some older earbuds were compared to newcomers. Later sections will give you way more details about the device.




Inside the Box
Nowadays, budget bluetooth earbuds don't come with such good packaging like this one. Soundbuds Slim+ came inside a rigid, thick and hard cardboard box which can keep those small earbuds much more secure than normal foldable less thicker paper boxes. I really like the box and the details on the box are nice, clean and enough to give you an overview of the device. The original version had a totally different looking box which was a lot cheaper than the upgraded box and that just made the new one look even more premium than ever. Now let's find out if there is anything special or not in the box.

As soon as you slide open the box you are going to get surprised right away. The case is so cool, soft and fancy looking which make the presentation just awesome. Inside the circular case you'll have your slim+ earbuds. Right underneath the case there is one ANKER branded high quality micro-usb cable, some different sized silicon tips and wings, a clip for the short cable, a user manual and a happy not happy card. So that was definitely a surprise because this new version has a nice neoprene type carrying case for the earbuds.



Design and Build
These earbuds have a really nice design considering that they were released several years ago. Their simple, clean and gorgeous design can still hang out with the modern looking TWS earbuds. The build on these earbuds is excellent because they have full metal housing which is very hard to find nowadays under budget price. The materials have high quality and very solid sturdy feel to them. They actually feel like expensive premium earbuds which they are totally not and also you should get a vibe like they were built to last. The earbuds have rubberized strain relief and cable. I think the quality of the cable is average but everything else has much better quality than average that everyone can appreciate.



Fit and Comfort
The medium sized eartips and wings are preinstalled in the earbuds that should give you a nice fit. I didn’t have to change them and they sit nicely in my ears. If you are not running or working out at a gym, then they are really comfortable. They have slightly longer barrel type housing for the batteries that make them a little bit heavy but not too heavy and that’s why they’re not that suitable for workouts. You can use the clip to adjust cable length which was included in the box. Other than the weight of the earbuds, everything else is alright and overall, the fit and comfort is good enough. They have a great aesthetic look too.


Configuration
Soundbuds Slim+ is true stereo earbuds that means you get proper left channel and right channel stereo separation. They are using high quality 12 mm full range dynamic drivers that can handle from 20 hz to 20 khz. I will discuss in detail about the frequency response range in the sound quality section. Driver’s voice coil has an impedance of 16 ohms. They are probably using lithium-ion batteries and the battery capacity is 110 mAh. You should charge the device via a usb port that delivers 5 volts and the device will draw 5 volt 0.1 amp.



Sound Quality
These earbuds offer a very well balanced sound signature which is really a big deal and kinda hard to get in the budget range. The sound has enough details in the bass, mids and highs but it will not give you silky smooth sparkly rich details in the highs. The mids are balanced with the low-end and high-end frequencies. These earbuds don't particularly miss out or lack in any part of the whole frequency range.

To me the range is from 30 hz to 16 khz which is decent enough before it starts to roll-off. The bass extension is low enough for a budget earbud and you can definitely feel the sub-bass in your eardrums. The bass is really very neutral that you may think it is lacking some punch and you are right. If you want a close to original or natural sounding earbuds then this one's for you but bass suckers will not be satisfied with the mid-bass punch. I use custom eq to boost 60 hz slightly for a little bit more punchy bass.

The sound is open and airy with decent soundstage but it's not that prominent like a more richer sound. It lacks a little bit of sparkle and shimmer to the sound. Little bit of boost in the upper treble and brilliance region can fix some of these lackings. Overall the sound has a really nice balanced character as a budget device. It will sound a little bit harsh and hard-edged at higher volumes but I think you do not need that much volume.


Features and Battery
Soundbuds Slim+ offers a lot of high-end and useful features as budget earbuds. The most interesting and important features to me are ipx7 and aptX support. These earbuds have support for aptX which is a higher quality codec than AAC and SBC that can transfer more information wirelessly. You may not experience any significant improvement while using aptX instead of default SBC codec but with the right device and strong connection aptX can play high quality audio tracks with more details and cleaner overall sound. With that ipx7 rating you don’t need to worry about sweat and rain. On top of that you can actually submerge them under water in case you need that extra protection and the drivers are pretty beefy 12 mm in size.

Total battery capacity is 110 mAh which is okay but nothing special. The micro-usb port can take 5 volt 0.1 amp as input power. It takes about 1 hour 50 minutes to fully charge the device and the power LED goes from red to blue. In my experience at about average 60% volume, they last approximately 6 hours till low battery warning pops up. This is decent battery life but the backup can vary little bit so it should be okay for most people.


Conclusion
For under 30 bucks this is a pure steal. The sound signature is well balanced and natural with a good amount of details. You don’t get nice balanced tuning with budget earbuds these days. Cheap earbuds sound boomy, too bass heavy, muddy and narrow most of the time. But you can actually judge a sound or recording and you can also tell which instruments are coming from where with slim+ earbuds. This is very rare to find under budget, so old earbuds were pretty great too. Not just the sound, battery backup is also good and you get high-end features with premium build quality. If you can find these earbuds, get them right now.

I hope you've got enough information from this article to decide if you wanna buy the soundbuds slim+ or not. I highly recommend these earbuds and absolutely love the build quality and circular barrel type gorgeous design. They will definitely surprise you by its flat and neutral sound signature. Check the official webpage to explore their presentation.

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