Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Soundcore C50i review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll be scoring the Soundcore C50i open ear clip on earbuds on comfort, fit stability, features, battery life, microphone quality, sound quality, and value.
I’m going to do my best to share whether these earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these earbuds are for. I bought these earbuds with my own money, and was NOT sponsored, paid, or received a free copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNow YouTube channel with over 30,000+ subscribers and over 8 million views.
Let’s dive right in!
Soundcore C50i Earbuds Review in Short
The Soundcore C50i is an excellent value for an open ear clip on earbud under $50, thanks to its lightweight comfort, Bluetooth 6.0, IP55 dust and water resistance, and decent bass-forward sound quality for the price. It could use better microphone quality and battery life, but expect to pay more for those like in their “AeroClip” series.
Pros and Cons
- Excellent value under $50
- Lightweight comfort
- Nice bass response
- IP55 dust and water resistance
- Mediocre microphone quality
- Average battery life
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Comfort + Fit Stability
The Anker Soundcore C50i is an open ear, clip on earbud that has excellent comfort, especially compared to traditional in-ear earbuds.
Unlike traditional earbuds, these have a “C ring” design that wraps around the ear and sits right outside the ear canal.
Weighing in at just 5.5 grams per earbud, the C50i is very lightweight and has that “forget you’re wearing them” feeling.
Now, the only slight drawback to the C50i is that it is a bit looser of a fit compared to other designs like ear-hooks and wrap-around headband like many bone conduction headphones.
This can be a positive if you’re seeking effortless comfort, but it’s not as stable for more intense movements and running.
The clamping force of the earbuds is fairly loose, so they can move around a bit and tend to sag towards the bottom of the ear.
Again, this is great for pure comfort, but not the most secure or stable design.
Comfort + Fit Stability Score: 9.0 out of 10
Features, IP Rating, Battery Life, and Mic Quality
Features
The Soundcore C50i was originally released in October 2025, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- IP55 dust and water resistance rating (dust, sweat, rain, and low-pressure water streams)
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- Bluetooth 6.0
- Multi-point connection
- Physical button controls
- Custom EQ
- Native apps for both iOS and Android
Buttons and Controls
The C50i features one physical button per earbud, at the top of the larger back part of the earbud.
It’s pretty intuitive to find and press down, even while moving or walking.
I like that it’s a physical button compared to touch controls like the Soundcore AeroClip (1st Gen), which can result in accidental touches.
Now, this button is capable of most functions, including play/pause, volume control, and even Voice Assistant.
My issue is that since it’s only one button, you’ll have to do multiple presses or holds to access anything other than play/pause.
One type of control I prefer better is a dedicated volume rocker, which some other products feature like bone conduction headphones.
IP Rating (Dust and Water Resistance)
The Soundcore C50i is IP55-rated for dust and water resistance, which is above average for the class.
This translates to dust, sweat, rain, and low-pressure water streams.
IP55 is a noticeable step up from the typical “IPX4”, which has no dust resistance and is less water-resistant since the lower “4” only goes up to sweat and light splashes of water.
Because of this, the C50i is built for pretty much any workout or outdoor conditions, aside from swimming.
Battery Life
- On a single charge: 7 hours
- With charging case: 28 hours total
- Fast Charge: 10 minutes = 2 hours of playback
This battery life is average across the class that tends to be around 7 hours on a single charge and typically 30 hours with the charging case.
Microphone Quality
Although Soundcore is one of the best brands for microphone quality in general, the C50i is their budget model compared to the more expensive “AeroClip” series, and the performance reflects that.
The C50i has a relatively simple 2-microphone setup, with 1 mic per earbud.
Compared to the more advanced setups like the AeroClip 2 with 4 microphones and 2 bone conduction VPUs, the C50i is clearly simpler and more entry-level.
The mic quality on the C50i is serviceable in quieter environments, thanks to some AI processing that Soundcore applies on top of the 2-mic array.
That said, overall microphone quality is mediocre compared to the more advanced setups like in the AeroClip 2.
If conditions are especially noisy or windy, it’s best to upgrade to something like the AeroClip 2 that has the beam-forming mics and bone conduction VPUs.
Features, IP Rating, Battery Life, and Mic Quality Score: 8.5 out of 10
Sound Quality
The Soundcore C50i features a larger 12mm dynamic driver per earbud, which translates into big bass response.
The sound profile of the C50i is clearly bass-forward, and this makes it a fairly enjoyable earbud for modern genres.
The vocals are still present, but the mids and treble does take a slight backseat to the bass and sub-bass frequencies.
One disadvantage of the open-ear design is contending with ambient noise, since there’s no physical seal like in-ear earbuds.
This translates to less fine details in the mids and treble, along with less impactful bass response.
That said, the C50i still sounds pretty good for music at higher volume levels, and the bass is fairly satisfying despite the physical limitations of the design.
Compared to some more expensive flagship bone conduction headphones like SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 ($179 USD retail), the C50i actually sounds pretty decent for the price.
But if you want fuller mids and clearer dialogue, like for watching YouTube or podcasts, then I prefer Soundcore’s more premium AeroClip earbuds.
Sound Quality Score: 7.2 out of 10
Value
The Soundcore C50i retails for $69.99 USD, but can be found on sale for as low as $39.99.
Despite being a budget clip on earbud, I think the C50i is an excellent value for the open ear category in general.
Like I mentioned in the sound quality section, I find the C50i to sound relatively decent compared to $179 bone conduction headphones.
Now, they don’t sound quite as good as those, or the more premium Soundcore AeroClip 2, but they’re pretty good for being under $50.
Also, the microphone quality is quite basic on these, if that’s important to you.
Features-wise, I find the Bluetooth 6.0 and IP55 dust and water resistance to be great for the price.
They’re also one of the most comfortable earbuds to wear, as long as you don’t need the most stable or secure fit.
Value Score: 10 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Fit Stability (30% of score): 9.0 / 10
Features + IP Rating + Battery Life + Mic Quality (30% of score): 8.5 / 10
Sound Quality (30% of score): 7.2 / 10
Value (10% of score): 10 / 10
Total: 8.41 out of 10
Is the Soundcore C50i Worth it?
The Soundcore C50i seriously impressed me for being under $50 in the open-ear clip on earbud category.
They’re comfortable, Bluetooth 6.0, IP55 dust and water resistance, and decent sound quality for the money.
Only downsides are that its mic quality is budget tier like their price, and they aren’t the most secure-fitting if you plan to do more vigorous movements.
They could also use a bit more battery life, but it’s still fairly average for the class rather than below-average, at least.
If you are looking for better mic quality and sound quality, I do recommend upgrading to Soundcore’s more premium “AeroClip” series like the AeroClip 2.
But expect to pay a bit more as well.
Some very strong alternatives in this class of wireless earbuds are:
- AirPods 5
- Soundcore P31i
- CMF Buds Pro 2
- JLab Go Air Pop+
- TOZO NC9
- Soundcore Liberty 5
- Soundcore P20i
- Beats Studio Buds Plus
- EarFun Air Pro 4 Plus
- Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
- AirPods Pro 3
- Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
- Nothing Ear 3
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Save money with RENEWED!
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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