These days it’s getting easier to save money on what you put in your ears, and that’s in large part because budget wireless earbuds remain more competitive. Even the best wireless earbuds regularly include budget-friendly options, whether you’ve heard of them before or not.
The Soundbeats Pro Mini plays on both words as they aim to make both smaller in size, yet with some sonic prowess to go with it. It’s not a perfect combination, but there’s a lot to like.
great sound, low price
soundbeats mini pro
The SoundPeats Mini Pro combines good sound with solid ANC performance, and if you can get them to fit right, they’ll be well worth the cost of admission.
SoundPeats Mini Pro: Price and Availability
SoundPeats launched the Mini Pro in February 2022 and made them available for $79.99. It’s not unusual for SoundPeats products to drop in prices, and you’re likely to see some fluctuations as time goes on. They also only come in black, so there are no other variants. You can buy them directly from Soundbeats or even find them on Amazon.
Soundbeats Mini Pro: What’s Good
(Image credit: Ted Kritonis / Android Central)
Smaller earbuds are nice when you don’t want to carry extra weight or weight in your ears, but that’s also a relative term. The common catch when manufacturers shave off some of the perimeter is that you lose a feature or two to make up for in space. Soundbeats tries to find a balance that reduces to the exclusion of anything you need.
If the Mini Pro doesn’t fit well or feel comfortable it will all be useless. But these fit really well, although it is important to put them on and twist them in both ears so that they settle into the inner ear (conch). They are slim but it comes at the cost of length; While nimble, these earbuds stick a bit.
Although they are quite comfortable. Not to mention the lightweight build makes them feel so feathery every time you put them on. The SoundPeats include three sizes of ear tips in the box, and while this may sound limited, odds are good that one of those three will suit your ears well.
(Image credit: Ted Kritonis / Android Central)
Excellent Bluetooth codec support helps too, including aptX Adaptive, which gives them wide appeal and use cases specifically for Android users. AAC isn’t part of the Sonic specs here, taking something away from iOS users, so in addition to aptX, you get standard SBC.
With 10mm drivers that don’t hold much back, the SoundPeats managed to deliver sound quality that could impress. For one, it was nice to hear mids that weren’t muddy or overly restrained, along with good bass and warm highs that rounded out an effective sound profile. I can’t necessarily point one particular genre over another as it quickly becomes apparent that the Soundbeats didn’t want to go too far one way or another. If you’re really into bass-heavy music, you’ll find that these don’t rumble enough. Cheap wireless earbuds often cover this, so you have options if these aren’t the right choice for you.
They work best when Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is turned on, though you can leave it on or even switch to transparency mode when you want to pipe the background. To toggle between the three modes, tap and hold the left earbud for 1.5 seconds. , It’s worth learning the various touch controls, as there’s no dedicated app to share some of these functions.
aptX adaptive support is the main reason why Soundbeats includes Game Mode in the mix, reducing latency to around 60ms enough for mobile gaming on your phone. I tried it with the Xbox Game Pass and Mini Pro held up nicely at all times. It was a pleasant surprise.
AptX adaptive support is the main reason Soundbeats includes Game Mode in the mix.
Call quality isn’t bad, though I’d consider it decent or more than anything outstanding. Qualcomm’s CVC technology helps with sound on both sides of the call, but I found the results were far better in quieter ranges. Background noise or even just a sound or two can distract you, but the key is to tighten the seal in your ear as much as possible.
The good thing is that you can use either earbud as a “master,” meaning you don’t need to stick to one earbud every time if you want to go into mono mode. That way, the right or left side can act as the main conduit between your device and the other earbuds.
Battery life is fine for earbuds at this stage. You can extend this to seven hours if you don’t use ANC, transparency or games. The ANC drops this to five hours, which is in the ballpark of others in this price range, including others that are more expensive. The case gets you two extra charges, and gets fully charged in 90 minutes. No wireless charging, unfortunately.
Soundbeats Mini Pro: What’s Not Good
(Image credit: Ted Kritonis / Android Central)
While you can get a comfortable fit that’s even stronger with the Mini Pro, they can wear out after a while. I found that when listening to material for a while, if I laughed or yawned one of them would come loose. Although it didn’t happen every time, it did happen more often than I personally would have liked.
That’s one of the reasons why I don’t like these earbuds for running or working out. The IPX5 rating is already modest for such uses, but the shaky fit will be cause for concern if you’re going to be active. Sweat also makes a more slippery surface more slippery. If they were built with a wing attachment, or at least a rubberized surface to anchor them in place, it might have been easier to pull off.
Unfortunately, there’s no multipoint here, so there’s no way to use them with two devices at once. And on top of that, the Soundbeats Mini doesn’t offer an app to get more out of the Pro. Not that it doesn’t have an app – it does, except it’s a glitch and doesn’t support these earbuds.
Soundbeats Mini Pro: Competition
(Image credit: Ted Kritonis / Android Central)
The Soundbeats Mini Pro will fit into the best cheap wireless earbuds, though competitors abound. The Anker Soundcore Life P3 is a solid option that offers a lot of similar features and performance, and gives you one app to use. The Jabra Elite 3 doesn’t have ANC or aptX adaptive support, though it has decent sound and a super comfortable fit.
Even as gaming earbuds, the Mini Pro isn’t a bad budget choice for the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless (2021). They certainly lack the Flash and app support that Razer threw in there, but they can compete.
Soundbeats Mini Pro: Should You Buy It?
(Image credit: Ted Kritonis / Android Central)
You should buy it if…
- You want good sound with ANC support.
- You want lightweight and comfortable earbuds.
- You are on a tight budget.
You shouldn’t buy it if…
- You want beefier bass.
- You want something more rigid.
- You want app support.
The Soundbeats Mini Pro are effective at doing a few key things right, which is how they sound, and for the most part, how they fit. With good ANC performance, aptX adaptive support, and good battery life, they earn their value proposition.
It doesn’t matter if your ears are small or not. Their slim design can equally apply to any pair of ears, which is great for those looking for something that fits. Just make sure they take regular naps in there so they don’t whine.
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soundbeats mini pro
The Soundbeats Mini Pro combine good sound with solid ANC performance, and if you can get them to fit right, they’ll be well worth the cost of admission.
