Anker Soundcore Rise Review: Great Earphone For Starters

Anker Soundcore Rise Specifications:

• Weight: 35 grams
• Sound driver: 8mm Full Range drivers
• Impedance: 16 Ohms
• Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v4.1)
• Wireless Range: 10m (33ft)
• Response Frequency: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Playback Times: Up to 12 hours
• Charging Interface: Micro USB (5V, 1A)
• Charging Time: 1.5 hours
• Control: Physical Buttons
• Waterproof rating: Yes, IPX5
• Price in Nepal: Rs. 3,999
• Buy Here

Anker Soundcore Rise Review:

Design

• Rubber, plastic body
• IPX5 rated against water splashes
• Free ear tips, ear wings inside the box

The curve of the Soundcore Rise is built from a rubber-like substance and it is very elastic. It has a flat design, and the surface that rests on the neck has linear grooves that run along its length. The buttons and charging ports are on the left side of the earphones. Without the ear wing, the earpiece looks very tiny. It comes with a silicone tip. Anker ships four pairs of silicone ear tips and an equal number of pairs of ear wings. During my review of the Anker Soundcore Rise, the earphone did not get off my ear even without an ear wing. However, you can still use the wings if you are not convinced. For a budget wireless earphone, the neckband is pretty tough. Even the wire, although being slim, is on the heavier side. Similarly, the wire has been reinforced where it enters the earbuds. That being said, the earphone is more slippery to my liking. It kept slipping even with light movement. Thus, if you are the kind of person that likes to groove to the music make sure to use the clipper to lock the neckband in place. If you wish to take it out for workouts, you should not forget to bring appropriate ear wings and the clipper along with it.

Connectivity

• Bluetooth v4.1 (10m/33ft range)

For the initial connection, turn on the Soundcore Rise by pressing and holding the play/pause button for a second. Then enter into the pairing mode, by pressing and holding the same button for 4 seconds. The LED will start blinking blue. Search for Soundcore Rise and hit connect. Once connected, the LED will turn to steady blue. The earphone will automatically connect to the device from next time onwards. The theoretical range of the earphone is 10m. However, for the same distance, I found that the connection is weaker than what the Redmi SonicBass Wireless Earphones offer. Maybe it's because the Soundcore Rise supports outdated Bluetooth 4.1. In case you want to disconnect the earphone from the connected device and pair it with another, press and hold the play/pause button for 3 seconds. The earphone will disconnect from the current device and will re-enter the pairing mode. You can confirm it by the blinking blue light which becomes steady once the Rise connects to a device successfully.

Control

• Dedicated volume and multi-function button

As for controls, there are three buttons on the left side of the earphones. The aforementioned play/pause button is the biggest of them and is placed in the middle. It also acts as a power button while turning on/off the earphones. Long pressing the button will summon the default voice assistant of the connected device. It works smoothly with both Android and Windows devices. The remaining two buttons are for volume control. Long press the volume up button to skip to the next song. Doing this with the volume button will play the previous song. However, pressing and holding the button for 3+ seconds is not convenient. Other than that, thanks to the engravings on top of each button, I could click the buttons with full confidence even without looking at them. Similarly, the volume control buttons are smaller than the Play/Pause button but are still clicky enough.

Sound Performance

• 8mm full range drivers
• 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response

Anker Soundcore Rise features 8mm drivers, which may not sound like much but it performs decently for the price. The thing that I like the most about this earphone is its music separation. Each instrument can be noticed and there is hardly any mixing between any two of them. Similarly, I won’t complain about the bass either.

However, there are downsides too. For instance, at times the high-pitched sound (both instruments and vocals) can come off as screeching. I also noticed periodic mechanical hisses when the earphone was not playing anything (while still being connected to my smartphone). Similarly, the vocals get distorted at higher levels of volumes.

Battery

• Up to 12 hours of battery life
• Micro USB charging

Talking about the battery, the company is claiming up to 12 hours of continuous playback time. I wanted to test the claim in this review of Anker Soundcore Rise. On a single full charge, I was able to get up to 10.5 hours of playback time. That is with the volume between 50 and 70%. Soundcore Rise features a micro USB port on the left side for charging.

However, it would have been better if it came with a covering of its own to stop dust from entering and piling up there. Talking about the charging process, it is pretty quick. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to 100% from 0%. Thankfully, the Soundcore Rise actually ships with a charging cable inside the box. A lot of accessories brands do not bother to include it in their budget products.

Conclusion

Anker Soundcore Rise is a well-build budget wireless neckband earphones. The brand has paid attention to the design and how it feels when being used. The earphone ships with multiple ear wings and clippers for a tighter fit and better wire management, respectively. Despite having smaller 8mm drivers, the music is well separated and the bass also feels nice. I just wished the company had done something about the occasional screeching and hissing sounds. Other than that, it is a great choice because of battery endurance and IPX5 rating.

Anker Soundcore Rise Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Nice, comfortable, durable design (IPX5)
• Multiple ear tips, ear wings, and clippers for best comfort
• Physical buttons with engravings on top
• Decent bass and music separation
• The mic is good enough for calls
• Long-lasting battery life

Cons:

• Bluetooth 4.1 is rather outdated
• Takes 3+ seconds to register long press
• Screeching sound at times
• Weird hissing sound when idle
• Micro USB Port