1More ComfoBuds Pro Headphones Review

While 1More are still a relatively new name to many of you, they've been releasing one award-winning product after another for a few years now. They've fast become one of the best headphone brands around too. Not only do they compete with the more established names on performance, but they usually have them beaten when it comes to price and design too. They look set to do the same again with the new ComfoBuds Pro, which they claim will offer strong competition for the Apple AirPods and the many other rivals currently occupying the market. 1More ComfoBuds Pro Coming in at around £90-£100, the ComfoBuds Pro are certainly more affordable than their Apple counterparts. Furthermore, these are designed to work with just about any Bluetooth devices, including Android, of course. However, the price does seem a little too good to be true, as the feature list on these headphones is pretty damn impressive. You get multi-level active noise cancelling, including a handy pass-through mode so you can still hear your surroundings or even have a conversation while wearing them. There's QuietMax technology and all that uses 6 built-in microphones to ensure it all works great and give you crystal clear phone calls. If that's not enough, we've got new ergonomics, an improved charging dock design, and their latest 13.4mm titanium composite dynamic drivers for enthusiast-grade sound quality. Seriously, that's pretty impressive for a set of sub £100 headphones! Features QuietMax Technology: 1MORE’s proprietary QuietMax active noise cancellation technology combines hybrid ANC technology, precise audio tuning, dual band ANC and wind noise reduction in one suite for effective noise cancellation for an uncompromised Hi-Fi sound.Adjustable ANC Modes: Featuring ANC strong, mild, pass-through and wind noise resistant modes, 1MORE ComfoBuds Pro let you enjoy peace of mind no matter what you are up to.Sound with Fine Details: A 13.4 mm titanium composite dynamic driver delivers an authentic and balanced sound. Hear the finest details as if you were in a concert.6 Microphones: 3 microphones in each earbud coupled with a precise algorithm work seamlessly to suppress noise and amplify your voice for crystal clear phone calls.Snug and Secure Fit: Oblique-angled ergonomic earbuds are designed and tested to fit ears of all shapes and sizes. 3 pairs of additional eartips available to help you find the right fit. Launch Trailer Packaging & Accessories The box is nice and compact and pretty much the same as we've seen from previous 1More product launches. There's a nice photo on the front showing that I have the white version. There's a magnetic tab on the side, pull it open, and the box folds out. Here you can see a bunch of technical design diagrams detailing some of the main headphones features. The headphones come packaged in the charging hub, which is nicely displayed in the box. Pull the top layer out of the way, and you'll find all the usual documentation and a sticker at the bottom of the box. Finally, you get some spare earbuds in varying sizes, a short USB to USB Type-C charging cable, and a lovely little protective bag to keep the hub free from scratches. A Closer Look & Performance Every time I get a new set of 1More headphones, it seems they've tinkered with the shape and size of the hub. This one isn't as tall as some, but it is fairly large overall. However, it's gone for a longer/wider design so that it shouldn't be much more or a burden to your pocket than a large lighter. It's quite a stylish little thing, though, with a gorgeous white finish that really makes me want to use the little protective bag that came with it. It's not quite egg-shaped, but it did remind me of Mork's spaceship. Tucked into the rear, there's a USB Type-C port for charging. It does come with a cable, but honestly, it's a fairly common port now, so you can use any Type-C cable you have kicking around. It reads "one more. hear more." on the back. I can't help but think it should be "1More - Hear More!" but that's just me. It's subtle, but there's one more 1More logo on the top, oh yeah. The headphones come stored in the charging hub, so they're very well protected when you purchase them. As you can see, the headphones and the dock are colour matched; I suspect the black model will come in a black hub. Remove the headphones, and you can see two deep recesses and some Left and Right labels, so you know which earbud goes where. You can't see it, but there are strong magnetic locks on each mount, so the headphones will snap firmly in place when you put them in. When you first take the headphones out, there are two plastic guards on each. A long one on the tail section protecting the touch-control surface, the other covering the metal charging pins. This is to prevent them endlessly charging from the hub while they're in long-term storage. With the tabs removed, they really do look pretty cool. They certainly remind me of the Airpods simply because they're white. However, while Apple favours a more matte white finish, these have a more pearlescent finish that throws off some interesting hues when the light catches them. They also have the strange property of feeling like they're a hard-wearing rubber with a matte finish, but it looks like a gloss finish. That being said, the material just oozes premium quality and I really like what they've done here. The shape is interesting too, as they're a bit bigger than their previous models. Not only do you get massive drivers for a bigger sound, but there are three microphones per earphone. Each has a battery, wireless technology, ANC technology and more. However, they're balladed so that what little weight they do have is located inside your ear, helping anchor them in place. There are "feedforward" microphones on the back of the drivers, designed to catch environmental noises. There are "talking microphones" at the ends of the tails to detect your voice, obviously. Plus, in those black sections between the pins there, are "feedback microphones", which detect in-ear noises, typically generated by things like your pulse, or motion while you're exercising, or any other sounds that carry through your body while you're sitting in a car, for example. The black section is also a special sensor, which you can enable/disable in the mobile app to suit your preferences. It detects when you insert/remove them from your ears and will play/pause automatically. It's handy when you take them out to say hi to someone, then pop them back in, as you won't miss any of the audiobook, music, or whatever you were listening to. The drivers themselves are quite larger, at least for in-ear headphones. Because they've managed to keep the weight forwards, they can have a bigger driver at the back. At 13.4mm, they're pretty punchy and will deliver some pretty shocking high-end volume, not bad considering they're self-contained units. They are certainly some of the largest in-ear headphones 1More has made, but they feel right. They're not really any longer than the apple ones, but the tails are thicker but very light. They have an interesting shape, but all the edges are soft and flowing, so you don't get any hot spots when wearing them for prolonged periods; they're very comfortable overall. They feel like they can withstand knocks and bumps easily enough, plus they have an IPX4 Water and Sweat Resistant rating. So while I wouldn't wear them in the shower throw them around, They fit incredibly snug too, and while I'm not a particularly sporty person, running around the garden with my daughter didn't cause them to fall out, and they stayed absolutely still on my daily lockdown-sanctioned walk in the woods. Throwing on some music, I was almost instantly surprised by the ANC. It was set to Strong by default, and it virtually nulled the radio playing in the office. The effect was pretty profound. Typing on my keyboard, the annoying cat in my garden, the radio all faded down to less than a whisper. What's amazing is that I had no audio playing; this was just pure ANC only. You can adjust the intensity to mild, a windy day mode or pass through. The pass-through was really interesting, as it made everyone in the room sound like they were on the phone to me. However, it's convenient if you're out for a bike ride, as I can hear my music, and everything around me a lot clearer. The volume control (from my Samsung S20+) seems to go on exponential though, when you hit around 90%, any increase from there is a HUGE step up, so you get loud, stupidly loud, deaf, double deaf. It's not an issue, as around 80% was more than enough, but they could do with smoothing the scale out in a future firmware update. I must admit though, and these are the loudest true-wireless I've ever tested; they really pack a punch. They handle EQ rather well, albeit at the cost of peak output, but there's so much to spare it doesn't matter. I push more bass through mine, and they handle that fatter sound with ease. The bass is right and tight and doesn't distort, even while maintaining a fast response. What's more amazing is that I got around 8 hours from a full charge. That was with some ANC, some without, with some higher volume, some lower. There have been a few calls, I've been in the house mostly and out a little too. So I think I've given them a fairly varied day out. That's LOADS of time though, and more than enough to get you through a journey. Even when things are running slow, just 15mins in the dock will give you an extra hour. Furthermore, you can charge one at a time, so when you hear low battery, charge one for 15 to 30 mins, swap, charge the other, and you're set again for a couple of hours, easily. How Much Does it Cost? The 1More ComfoBuds Pro Headphones are available now from a few major retailers. However, you can easily find them on Amazon for around £90. The black model is currently priced at £94.99, while the white version I reviewed is just £89.99. There's even a 10% off code available at the time of publishing, so strike while the deals are hot! Overview 1More is a brand that continues to exceed my expectations. The 1More True Wireless I reviewed last year were phenomenal, some of the finest headphones I've ever used, actually. However, at £170, they were pretty expensive for your casual consumer. Then we have the ComfoBuds, which launched at the start of this year, a much more affordable alternative at just £50, and it also introduced that new comfort-focused design. With the ComfoBuds Pro, we get the premium features and performance of their more expensive models, with their newer headphones' comfort and style-focused design. Furthermore, with the price right in the middle, you're getting the best of both worlds. Performance I really am staggered by how good these headphones are. They don't have Hi-Res audio or the crisp audiophile fidelity of their flagship models, but at under £100, I wasn't expecting them to. However, they'll punch a mighty sound that'll leave most headphones sounding weak in comparison. I've been blasting through a mixture of death metal and classical music and the ComfoBuds pro haven't skipped a beat; big bass, warm and detailed mids and nice clean highs. More than anything though, they just put a big smile on my face; it's just a nice big sound. Shhhh The noise cancellation seems better than on their more expensive models. However, these are around a year newer and benefit from other technologies. Being able to toggle through multiple levels is nice, as you don't need a fully aggressive ANC if you're just sitting in the garden, but you might when you're stuck on a long-haul flight. Plus, even when not listening to any audio, the ANC is very impressive, so you can use them to find your calm in chaotic places. Should I Buy Them? They're quite a lot cheaper than the Air Pods, and while you lose some Apple-specific features, it's hard to ignore the savings here. That being said, I'm an Android user, and on my S20+, these things are pretty rocking. The sound is huge, the build quality is exquisite, and the addition of some fantastic microphone technology, multi-level ANC, automatic play/pause sensors, touch controls and more makes these the best value for money mobile headphones on the market right now. At £90, I can't think of any others I would rather buy. 1More ComfoBuds Pro Headphones Review