1More Fit SE Open S30 Review
Better, but still not the required performance from 1More's sports buds
Verdict
The 1More SE Fit Open Earbuds S30 are well-priced, air conduction-style earbuds that offer workout-friendly sound for less money than 1More’s S50 earbuds and a host of other air conduction earbuds.
Pros
- Less intrusive design than the S50
- Built-in equaliser in companion app
- Good battery life performance
Cons
- Sound isn’t best at this price
- A smaller case would be nice
- Touch controls aren’t great
Key Features
- Water resistanceIPX5 rating for increased protection against sweat and dirt
- Call qualityUses AI algorithm and four microphones for clearer call quality
- BassPowered by DBB bass enhancement algorithm
Introduction
The 1More Fit SE Open Earbuds S30 are open ear-style headphones that use air conduction to deliver sound, while not entirely blocking out the sounds around you for a safer experience.
They’re cheaper than 1More’s S50 earbuds, which I’ve already tested and weren’t entirely blown away by. The S30 promises a comfortable and lightweight design, powerful sound quality and big battery life to get you through plenty of hours of workout time.
Most of the new open-ear, air conduction sports headphones that have launched over the past year have been on the expensive side, so can these buds save you some money and still give you a great open ear headphone feeling? Here’s my take.
Availability
The 1More Fit Open Earbuds S30 are available directly from 1More’s website and from the likes of Amazon for $69.99 / £69.99 and have crept below that price since launch, putting it up against the impressive Sivga S01, which are priced at $69.90 / £69.90.
That means they’re a much cheaper buy than open-ear, air conduction like the Shokz OpenFit (£179 / $179.95), Cleer Audio Arc II Sport (£199 / $199) and the solid JBL Soundgear Sense (£129.99).
Design
- Available in black and white colours
- Uses touch controls
- IPX5 sweat resistant design
Like the S50, the S30 are a lightweight pair of ear hook-style truly wireless earbuds, which come in either a black or white look and come with a matching-coloured plastic shell charging case.
Each bud weighs just 10g, so they’re not as light as the Shokz OpenFit buds, but they don’t weigh heavy either. They wrap themselves over the top of the ear, with the main, larger element of the buds sitting closely in front of the inside of your ear.
They lack the silicone sound loops included on the S50 earbuds and as a package (minus the case) feature an IPX5 sweat resistant design to make them suitable for workouts. That’s a difference in the durability rating to the S50 but should be good enough protection for most.
On the buds you will find a set of touch controls, which can be customised in the free 1More Music app. You can use a series of double and triple taps to play or pause audio, skip tracks, adjust volume, summon your smartphone’s smart assistant, or turn the controls off. Despite having dedicated quite a large area of the buds to these controls, they don’t work well enough registering taps. It was the same story on the S50 as even when I’m not moving these controls are challenging to use.
The fit and the secureness of the earphones felt okay for me. I found that in sweatier indoor workouts, I fiddled around with them a bit as they slightly moved about. They never felt like as if they’d fall off, but more sweat does have an impact here.
The material of the ear hooks isn’t made from particularly soft material, so when I wore them for longer periods, I could feel those hooks a little more compared to shorter workouts. I also find that if you’re wearing them with hats and glasses or both, it can mean competing for space and that makes them feel a little awkward to wear.
Features
- For mics for handling calls
- Up to 10 hours battery life
There are four microphones that use an AI algorithm to improve call quality and prioritise the calls over outside sound. They can handle calls, but similarly priced in-earphones will invariably get you something better in terms of performance.
Battery life is pretty good overall. 1More promises up to 10 hours off a single charge, which is an hour less than the S50, with an extra 20 hours from a fully charged case. Overall it’s 30 hours.
You don’t get the quick charge feature available on 1More’s S50 buds. While that’s a shame, the battery performance lives up to its billing. An hour workout with the headphones at loud volume saw the battery drop by 10%. From the app you can view battery status and there’s a notification light on the case to indicate battery status and let you know if you’re running low.
Sound Quality
- 14.2mm DLC Dynamic Driver
- Customisable Equaliser inside of app
The S30 features a 14.2mm DLC Dynamic Driver compared to 1More’s PurePower Dual Magnet Driver packed into the more expensive S50. It’s also an open ear design approach to ensure you can listen to audio safely while exercising.
I wasn’t particularly blown away by the sound quality on the S50 and I can’t say I have been with the S30, but the sound profile feels more in keeping with how much you’re paying.
These are open ear earbuds that offer good volume and power for the price. It’s not an exceptionally balanced overall sound, but for workouts, it’s perfectly acceptable. The bass is more towards boomy, mids are boxy and treble performance is a touch grainy too. However, it’s well-rounded enough to cater to a mixture of genres and offers a mostly satisfying experience for listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
1More includes an equaliser inside of the companion smartphone app, but unlike the S50 doesn’t include any EQ presets. It’s over you to get a sound signature that’s more pleasing to your ears.
The effectiveness of the open ear design on air conduction headphones does appear more weighted towards your audio than exterior sound, but it does on the whole work well here. I’ve used them outside for runs and indoors in the gym and never felt they were entirely blocking out the world despite how close these open ear headphones sit next to your ears.
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Should you buy it?
You want an affordable pair of open ear sports earbuds with good sound
The S30 offers good sound for the price with room to tinker with things in the companion smartphone app.
You want the best sounding air conduction sports earbuds at this price
For me, the similarly priced Sivga S01 still delivers a more overall polished sound compared to the S30.
Final Thoughts
The 1More Fit SE Open Earbuds S30 don’t surpass the sort of sound quality I’d expect from a pair of in-ear sports earbuds around this price. In the context of open ear earbuds, they do a good job for the price and certainly better than some pricier air conduction buds.
They’re a good package that while not perfect in all departments, do a good enough job in the key ones.
How we test
We test every set of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy
Tested with real world use
Tested for several days
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FAQs
You get a different driver configuration for the audio, as well as longer battery life, different look, and stronger water resistance with the S50. And it costs nearly twice as much too.
Full specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
