Anker's budget ANC headphones get strong marks for noise cancelling, battery and comfort, but weak ones for calls and default tuning. Here is what the published tests and shoppers say.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A commission may be earned if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
This soundcore space one review is about a pair of budget noise-cancelling headphones that punches above its price in some ways and falls flat in others. Anker’s Soundcore brand released the Space One in 2024 (I could not pin down the month), and it still sits in the lineup beside the pricier Space 2 and Space One Pro. I haven’t tested this unit; this review is based on published tests and shopper feedback. Where I give an opinion, I say so.
What the Space One is, and who it is for
The Space One is an over-ear Bluetooth headphone with hybrid adaptive active noise cancelling. It uses 40 mm dynamic drivers, folds flat, and weighs roughly 260 to 265 grams depending on which outlet you believe. Soundcore sells it in black, blue and a cream shade called Latte Cream, and it sits at the budget end of the over-ear ANC market.
The target buyer is easy to describe: a commuter or student who wants real noise reduction without paying for Sony or Bose. Plenty of cheap headphones advertise ANC. In my view few combine it with LDAC support, a decent app and a battery that Amazon buyers say lasts more than a week of normal use.
| Spec | What the sources report |
| Drivers | 40 mm dynamic |
| Noise cancelling | Hybrid adaptive, 5 strength levels, wind-noise option; transparency mode with 5 levels |
| Battery (claimed) | 40 hours with ANC, 55 hours without; 5 minutes of charging gives about 4 hours |
| Battery (measured) | About 30 hours with ANC on, AAC mode (Trusted Reviews) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 with multipoint; SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. Multipoint turns off while LDAC is active |
| Ports | USB-C charging, 3.5 mm wired input |
| App | Soundcore app, 8-band EQ, 14 presets, HearID personalised tuning |
| Extras | Wear detection, folding design, soft pouch instead of a hard case |
What Amazon shoppers say
Amazon’s listing is the starting point for shopper feedback, and the current price is worth checking on Amazon before you buy. I did not check Google or Google Shopping ratings for this post, so shoppers who want a second data point can compare those themselves.
Amazon’s own summary of the written reviews is mostly warm. Buyers praise the sound, the noise cancelling, comfort over several hours, battery life that runs past a week, and the multipoint connection that lets the headphones pair with a phone and a laptop together.
Two themes come back mixed. Some owners say the ANC works well; others say it barely does anything. Durability splits the same way. A number of people report that the pair broke almost immediately, while others have no complaints.
That split matters more than the average. The generally positive tone across a very large pool of buyer reviews suggests most units are fine, but a cheap plastic folding headphone carries more variance than a premium one, and you should buy somewhere with an easy return window.
What independent reviewers found
TechRadar called the Space One a bargain alternative to Beats with ANC, scoring it 5/5 for value and 3.5/5 for sound. Its verdict: great for the money, good noise cancelling, battery and comfort, but less refined than pricier headphones and in need of some EQ tweaking.
Trusted Reviews found the headphones stylish, comfortable and clear sounding, with ANC that is good enough for the price. It flagged three weak points: call quality, EQ presets that barely differ from each other, and noise cancelling in very loud places. Its battery test landed around 30 hours with ANC on, well short of the 40 hours Anker claims but still a lot.
Expert Reviews went further, calling the Space One far ahead of rivals in the budget class for comfort, features and ANC. Its caveats were warm ear pads, bass-heavy tuning and storage that amounts to a pouch. T3 gave it a Recommends badge as a bargain with good battery, HearID and adaptive ANC, while noting that the noise cancelling needs refinement and that build durability is uncertain.
The odd one out is Recordingnow, a smaller site that scored it 7.9 out of 10. It praised the ANC, build and comfort for the price, yet found the sound mediocre with ANC switched on and said it would pick Sony, JBL or Sennheiser for pure listening.
What it does well
Noise cancelling for the money is the headline. Across outlets, the verdict is consistent: it is strong for this price class, even if it is not elite. Recordingnow rates it the best of its budget tier.
Battery is the second win. Even Trusted Reviews’ measured 30 hours is a figure that holds up well against much dearer models, and a five-minute top-up that buys around four hours covers the forgotten-charger morning.
Comfort is real. The headphones are light, they fold for a bag, and Recordingnow gave comfort 9 out of 10, even though it also mentioned some pressure on top of the head (more on that below).
Features are where the price tag stops making sense. LDAC and a proper app with a customisable equaliser and HearID tuning are rare at this price, as TechRadar and T3 both point out. In my view, the EQ is not a gimmick here, because it is the fix for the headphone’s biggest flaw. HearID, the personalised tuning feature, belongs in the same category and costs nothing extra.
And then there is the cost. T3 describes it as often discounted, and Soundcore itself ran a Prime Day 2026 promotion on it, so the price you pay can sit well below the already modest list level.
The wired option deserves a mention too. A 3.5 mm input means the headphones keep working when the battery is flat or when you are plugged into an in-flight system, and USB-C charging means one cable for most of your gear. Neither point is exciting, but both are the sort of practical detail that cheaper pairs skip.
Where it falls short
Start with the sound. The default tuning is bass-heavy and boomy, according to Expert Reviews. Recordingnow adds that bass boost comes back when ANC is on, even after running HearID. You can tame it with the app, but you have to bother to, and the presets themselves barely differ, per Trusted Reviews. Anyone expecting to plug in and enjoy a balanced sound will be disappointed on day one.
Calls are the second problem. Trusted Reviews described the microphone as weak, with muffled voices. Soundcore’s support site carries a mic troubleshooting article, which suggests the issue is common enough to have earned its own page. If you spend your day on video meetings, this is not the pair.
ANC has limits. Trusted Reviews, T3 and iMore all say it struggles with very loud or low-frequency noise. That means an aeroplane engine or a subway platform will get through more than it would on a Sony or Bose.
Build is plastic, and the folding joints feel less durable than on premium models. There is no hard case. Wear detection was inconsistent in TechRadar’s testing, and T3 says the setting is buried in the app.
A few smaller complaints round things out. Recordingnow felt pressure on top of the head and a clamping fit, and Expert Reviews noted that the pads run warm over long sessions. One owner on a complaints site (sikayetvar.com) said the ANC felt weak after three days; that is a single post, so treat it as an anecdote and not a trend.
Video reviews
Three independent videos cover the Space One. I have not watched them in full, and the research behind this post could not confirm who made them, so judge them on their own merits.
How it compares
The closest rivals at a similar price are the Sony WH-CH720N and the JBL Tune 770NC. Recordingnow prefers both for sound. The Sony, according to Thewearify, offers 20 ANC levels, multipoint and around 35 hours of battery. The JBL has punchy bass and long battery life, though Thewearify warns the ear cups may feel tight.
The other comparison is inside Soundcore’s own range. Both the Space 2 and the Space One Pro cost more, and Recordingnow says both sound better. You pay for it, naturally.
My read of this: if sound quality is the priority, the Sony or JBL deserve a look first. If ANC strength, battery and features for the money matter more, the Space One still makes the better case.
Who should buy it, and the verdict
Buy it if you commute, study or work in an open office, you want solid noise reduction and a battery you rarely think about, and you are willing to spend ten minutes in the app adjusting the EQ. Skip it if call quality matters, if you want accurate sound out of the box, or if you need the strongest ANC available. Anyone worried about durability should keep the return window in mind.
My verdict, based entirely on other people’s testing: the Soundcore Space One is a good cheap pair of ANC headphones and not a good pair of headphones that happens to be cheap. Judged as a budget pair, that is a fair trade. Judged against the premium tier, it is not close, and Soundcore’s own pricier models are the proof.
- Soundcore Space One: budget ANC headphones with long battery life, LDAC and a flexible app. See it on Amazon (affiliate link)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A commission may be earned if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
