Our Verdict
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are decently well-rounded headphones. Their sound profile is versatile enough for most genres, and they're a good choice for taking to the gym thanks to their stable fit and IPX7 rating, though we don't currently test this. They have an outstanding 18.4 hour battery life, and they do a good job at helping block out ambient chatter as well, making them a decent option for using in the office.
- Good price-to-performance ratio.
- Outstanding battery life.
- Comfortable and stable design.
- Thin cable.
- No dedicated companion app.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are decent neutral sound headphones. While their sound profile isn't the most balanced, they don't have too many noticeable peaks and dips and should be suitable for most genres of music, though they are fairly bass-heavy.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are a good choice for commuting or travel. While they don't isolate background noise as well as headphones with active noise cancelling (ANC), they are very portable, have an excellent battery life, and should be fairly comfortable for most people.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are great headphones for sports. They feel quite stable in the ear, especially with the optional stability fins installed, and should stay in even during more strenuous workouts. They also breath very well thanks to their in-ear design, and are quite comfortable for longer workout sessions. Their bass-heavy sound profile will help keep you pumped up at the gym, and they're rated IPX7 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are decent for use in the office. While their in-ear fit may not be the most comfortable for everyone for extended use, they're more comfortable than a lot of similar options. Their 18.4 hour battery will easily last a couple of full workdays, and they do a fairly good job at passively blocking out background chatter to help keep you concentrated in the office.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 aren't recommended for wireless gaming. These wireless headphone are Bluetooth-only and won't be compatible with PS4 or Xbox One. While they'll connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs, they aren't recommended for gaming due to their high latency.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are wireless-only headphones that cannot be used wired.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are an okay option for phone calls. Like most Bluetooth headphones, their microphone sound quite thin and flat, and does a very poor job at separating your voice from background noise.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 14, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Jan 10, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Dec 23, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Dec 15, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are fairly well-rounded Bluetooth in-ears that offer a good price-to-performance ratio and are a great option for sports. They are almost identical to the previous model, the Anker SoundBuds Curve Wireless, but offer a much longer battery life, a better in-line remote, and better water-proofing, though we don't test for this. See also our recommendations for the best budget wireless headphones, the best wireless earbuds, and the best noise cancelling earbuds and in-ears.
The AUKEY Latitude and the Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are very similar Bluetooth in-ears. The Anker are more comfortable, feel more stable, and their 18.4-hour battery life is more than double the AUKEY. The AUKEY have a more balanced and less bass-heavy sound profile and do a better job at passively blocking out background noises.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are a slightly improved version of the Anker SoundBuds Curve 2017. The SoundBuds are almost the same headphones but with a much longer battery life and a lightly better in-line remote, and they have an IPX7 rating for water resistance.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are marginally better headphones than the Anker SoundCore Spirit X Wireless. The SoundBuds look and feel almost identical and have very similar sound profiles, but the Curve have a much longer battery life, and their treble range is slightly more accurate.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are similar-performing headphones to the Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019. The Beats have a similar ear-hook design and are truly wireless, whereas the Anker have a wire connecting the left and right drivers. The Beats have a slightly more accurate sound profile, while the Anker are a bit more bass-heavy. While the Beats have a total battery life of almost 23 hours, this requires taking a break to charge them in their case once. The Anker, on the other hand, get over 18 hours from a single charge.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are slightly better sports headphones than the Mpow Flame Pro Truly Wireless. The Anker have a better-balanced sound profile, isolate sound much better, have a slightly better microphone, and last longer off a single charge. On the other hand, the Mpow are truly wireless so they don't have a wire connecting the two earbuds. They also have a longer overall battery life, thanks to their charging case with three additional charges.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are slightly better-performing headphones than the Beats Powerbeats 4 Wireless. While they're both similarly comfortable and stable, the Anker have a more bass-heavy sound than the Beats which some may prefer and are better at noise isolation. However, the Anker have a slightly less durable build, and their continuous battery life is just a touch less than the Beats, but they also charge slightly faster.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are better wireless in-ears than the Nura NuraLoop Wireless. The Anker are a lot more comfortable, have easier-to-use physical buttons, a less veiled default sound profile, and last longer off a single charge. On the other hand, the NuraLoop have an excellent ANC feature, feel more durable, and have a unique automatic EQ that creates a personalized listening experience.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are better wireless headphones than the Sony WF-XB700 Truly Wireless. Thanks to their stability fins, the Anker have a more stable and comfortable fit, making them better-suited for runs and workouts. The Anker also have more intuitive controls, a better mic performance, and a longer continuous battery life than the Sony. That said, the Sony have better noise isolation and leakage performance. Also, the Anker aren't truly wireless and have a cable connecting the two earbuds, which may bother some users looking for truly wireless headphones.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are better headphones than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 92 Truly Wireless. The Anker have a more neutral, though slightly bass-heavy sound profile compared to the TaoTronics. The Anker perform more consistently across different users, and they have a more comfortable, more stable fit thanks to their ear-hook design. They also have better noise isolation and leakage performance, and much longer battery life. However, the TaoTronics come with a portable charging case with extra charges, and their truly wireless design may be preferred by some listeners.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 are better headphones than the Tranya T10 Truly Wireless. The Anker are more comfortable and have a more stable fit. Their default sound profile is bass-heavy, but ultimately better-balanced than the excited sound profile of the Tranya. Also, the Anker's microphone has a better recording quality, and their continuous battery life is longer. That said, the Tranya are better-built, and some users may prefer that they come with a portable charging case, unlike the Anker. Unlike the Anker, which have a thin cable connecting the earbuds, the Tranya are truly wireless.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2019 and the Beats Flex Wireless offer similar performances, and you may prefer one over the other. The Anker come with a hard case and are more stable. They also have a better-balanced sound profile and a longer-lasting continuous battery life. However, the Beats feel better built and have a W1 chip, so you can seamlessly pair them with Apple devices.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 look nearly identical to the previous version, the Anker SoundBuds Curve Wireless. These ear-hook headphones have a sporty aesthetic that looks a bit more premium than their price-point would suggest. The only visible difference from the previous version is the inline remote which is smaller but has larger buttons and feels slightly less cheap.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are quite comfortable for in-ear headphones. Like the previous version, they don't enter the ear canal as deep as most other in-ear options, meaning they likely will stay comfortable even for longer listening sessions. They also include five different tip sizes and three sizes of stability fins, to help you find the best possible fit.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 adopt the same inline remote as the Anker SoundCore Spirit X Wireless, which is slightly smaller but with bigger buttons than the Anker SoundBuds Curve Wireless. It's fairly easy-to-use and allows you to skip tracks, pause/play or answer calls, and adjust volume.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 breath extremely well. Like most in-ears, they don't sit on or around the outer ear which remains cool while exercising or working out. While their ear-hook does cover a bit more surface area than typical in-ears, the difference should be negligible, and you shouldn't sweat more like you would with on-ear or over-ear headphones.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are extremely small, portable, and lightweight. Due to their ear-hook design, they are slightly larger than typical in-ears, but you should still be able to easily toss them in a pocket, bag, or purse.
These headphones come with a hard case that feels fairly nice and should help protect them from small drops, scratches, and light water contact. While it's not quite as hard as some other hard cases we've tested, it's quite compact and should be able to fit into most pockets.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 feel decently well-built and now have the same IPX7 rating for water resistance as the Soundcore Spirit X, though we don't currently test for this. While the ear-hooks and earbuds themselves are made of dense plastic and feel quite sturdy, unfortunately, their cable is quite thin, and they don't feel as premium as other headphones like the Tranya T10 Truly Wireless.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 feel quite stable in the ear thanks to their ear-hook design, making them a great option for sports. There are 3 sizes of stability fins included in the box, which should help them stay in your ears even during more intense workout sessions. Unfortunately, the earbuds may slip out of your ear canal from time to time, and while they won't fall right out of your ear, the change in the seal may alter the sound. If you prefer a truly wireless design within the same price range then check out the SoundPeats TrueFree, or the Mpow Flame Pro which feature a similar ear-hook design.
- Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 Headphones
- Earbud tips (x5)
- Stability fins (x3)
- Micro USB charging cable
- Hard carrying case
- Manual
The sound profile of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is fairly bass-heavy, with a recessed mid-range, but decently well-balanced treble. Overall, as long as you achieve a good seal with the provided tips, these headphones should provide a bit of extra thump which will likely please fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM or hip-hop, though they should be well-balanced enough for most genres.
The frequency response consistency of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is outstanding. If you're able to achieve a proper fit and seal using the various assorted tip options, you should be able to get consistent bass and treble every time you use the headphones.
The bass accuracy of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is good. While the bass is slightly overemphasized, it's fairly flat throughout the entire range. Overall, their bass should be thumpy and punchy without sounding too muddy or boomy.
The mid accuracy of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is good. While both low-mid and mid-mid are slightly recessed, which will push lead instruments to the back of the mix slightly, they even out a bit more in high-mid, which should help vocals from sounding too thin and distant.
The treble accuracy of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is very good. Low-treble is almost perfectly well-balanced, which will help instruments sound detailed and present. While mid-treble is slightly overemphasized, it likely won't be too noticeable, but may cause some sounds to appear slightly piercing or sharp. There is a large recess starting in the high mid-treble range which may cause some higher frequency sounds like cymbals or vocals to sound slightly dull and lifeless.
The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is decent. While both the bass and mid ranges are decently flat, there are some peaks and dips in the treble range, though these peaks were more prevalent in our left driver and the right driver didn't always match it. Overall it shouldn't be too noticeable, though the peaks in mid-treble may make cymbals and some vocals sound bright. The large dip starting in the high mid-treble range may also cause some sounds to come across dull and lifeless.
While our unit did have a slight mismatch between the L/R drivers, this likely won't be noticeable in everyday use. Driver mismatch is also specific to individual units, and yours may perform differently. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold, which should result in a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction.
Like all in-ear headphones, the soundstage of these headphones is bad. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it.
The weighted harmonic distortion of these headphones is very good. All frequencies fall within good limits, which should result in a clear and pure audio reproduction, even under heavy loads.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 don't have ANC, but do an alright job at passively isolating background noise. While they don't do much to block out the low rumbles of bus or plane engines, they do a fairly good job at blocking out background speech. Like most in-ears, they'll also do a great job at helping to block out high frequency sounds, like AC units.
These headphones have remarkable leakage performance. Assuming you get a good seal with the included tips, they'll leak very little audio and shouldn't bother those around you.
The microphone on the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 has decent recording quality. Like most Bluetooth headphones, your voice will sound noticeably thin, though it should still be quite intelligible and bright.
The microphone of the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 is only mediocre at noise-handling. If you're in even a relatively noisy environment, it'll likely be difficult for the person on the other end of the line to hear you.
The battery performance of these headphones is decent. While their 18.4-hour battery life isn't as long as most over-ear headphones, it's a big upgrade over the previous model and is among the longest we've ever tested for Bluetooth in-ear headphones. They also charge slightly quicker than the previous model, which is great.
These headphones do not have a dedicated companion app.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 are Bluetooth-only headphones. They don't support any low latency codecs and aren't recommended for watching videos or gaming due to their high latency, though some apps may compensate for this.
These headphones are Bluetooth-only.
These headphones are Bluetooth-only and cannot be used wired. They charge via micro USB, and a 1.5ft cable is included.
These headphones can only be used via Bluetooth on PCs and aren't compatible with the PS4. Due to their high latency, they aren't recommended for gaming.