The Anker SoundBuds Curve are sports-oriented headphones with long battery life and a well-balanced sound. They're comfortable, with a stable ear-hook design for exercising and working out. They're compact enough to fit into your pockets, and they're decently well-built, although the audio cable is a bit thin. Unfortunately, they don't block that much noise, meaning that they may not be the best headphones for loud, noisy environments, and their sound may be a bit too bass-heavy for some.
Our Verdict
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are decently versatile headphones well-suited for sports, thanks to their stable, compact, and wireless design. They have long battery life and decent build quality. However, they don't feel as durable as some wireless in-ears that we've tested. They have a moderately well-balanced sound with a bit too much bass for fans of neutral sound, and they don't block a lot of noise for in-ears, so they may not be the best headphones for loud, noisy commutes. On the upside, they're easy to carry on you at all times and should be good enough for most uses.
- Stable and portable design.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very low leakage.
- Mediocre-at-best noise isolation.
- Slightly thin audio cable.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are decent for neutral listening. They have a fairly balanced sound with an almost flat mid-range and a good treble, so they don't sound as sharp as some of the other in-ears we've tested. Unfortunately, they pack a bit too much bass, which overpowers the instruments and vocals in the mid-range, but fans of extra bass may find it pleasing. They also have small closed earbuds that cannot create an adequate soundstage. It means they won't be the best headphones for more neutral listeners but should sound good enough for most, especially if you like a little bass.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are decent for commuting and traveling. They're compact, comfortable, and easy to carry around on your person. Also, their low leakage performance can somewhat compensate for their poor noise isolation by playing your music at higher volumes. However, they don't block much noise and shouldn't be your first choice for loud, noisy commutes.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are great for sports. They have a stable ear-hook design and come with a couple of stability fins and multiple tip sizes to help you find a secure and comfortable fit. They're very breathable, easy-to-use, and portable enough to have on your person at all times. However, the buds will slip out of your ears occasionally during more strenuous exercise depending on the quality of the fit and seal you can achieve with the provided tips.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are okay for office use. They'll let some office chatter seep into your audio due to their poor isolation. However, they don't leak much and won't be audible to anyone around you. This means you can also mask some of the ambient noise by playing your music at higher volumes.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve aren't suitable for wireless gaming. They have a mediocre-at-best microphone and a bit too much latency. They also have no companion app, meaning that they won't be as customizable as many gaming headsets, and their Bluetooth connection is not compatible with consoles.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve aren't suitable for wired gaming.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jun 25, 2019: We've updated the Build Quality score as we felt they were previously scored too low when compared to similar models.
Check Price
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Anker SoundBuds Curve are decently well-rounded in-ears for sports. They have a stable ear-hook design with additional stability fins and a decently well-balanced sound that packs a lot of bass. They're lightweight, portable, and decently well-built. Unfortunately, although they are stable, the earbud tips may sometimes slip out of your ears, and the audio cable is thin and doesn't feel very durable.
For other options, see also our recommendations for the best budget wireless headphones.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2017 are a much better headset than the Anker SoundBuds Sport. The Curve have an ear-hook design that's a bit more stable for the gym and working out. The Curve also have a much better sound quality, a longer battery life, and a more comfortable fit that does not enter the ear canal as deeply as the Sport. On the other hand, the more in-ear fit of the Sport makes them a bit more suitable for noisy environments. The Sport are also a bit more compact than the Curve since they do not have ear hooks.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2017 and the Anker SoundCore Spirit X Wireless are practically the same headphones, with very slight differences. The Spirit X are slightly better due to their higher sweat and water resistance, and their in-line remote offers better tactile feedback. You also get a cinch for easier cable management. If you have a Bluetooth 5.0 source, you might get better wireless range and connection stability with the Spirit X. On the other hand, the Curve have lower latency, support the aptX codec, and are even more affordable. These two headphones are great budget options, but if you don’t really care for the additional sweat resistance, the Curve will satisfy most users.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2017 are slightly better headphones overall when compared to the JBL Endurance Sprint Wireless. The Anker offer better value for your money with a decently well-balanced sound and a better, more comfortable in-ear fit than the JBL. The Anker also have a longer battery life and a slightly more stable fit, since the in-ear seal of the earbuds is not affected as much as the JBL's when the headphones move around. The Anker also have a better, more precise control scheme than that of the JBL. However, the JBL have a better design, a more high-end look and feel, and block more noise for busy commutes. The JBL also have a few unique features like the magnetic ear hooks, which some may prefer over that of the Anker. They also have a slightly better-balanced sound than the Anker, although they do not get as loud.
The Anker SoundBuds Curve 2017 are much better sports headphones than the Sony WI-SP500 Wireless. The Anker offer a much better value for your money, thanks to their better sound quality, more comfortable and stable fit, and their long battery life. On the other hand, the Sony have NFC pairing and a slightly better wireless range. The Anker are the better choice for sports and most use cases, especially in the budget range.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
