1More True Wireless In-ears

Do 1MORE’S premium true wireless noise-cancelling in-ears have what it takes to beat Apple and Sony?

1MORE is a brand with lofty ambitions. There are plenty of little-known Chinese brands selling true wireless headphones at budget prices, but 1MORE has set its sights higher: aiming to take on the giants of true wireless headphones, Apple and Sony. The True Wireless ANC In-ear Headphones undercut the Apple Airpods Pros by £60, and have a feature list to match Apple’s noise-cancelling buds, including aptx Bluetooth 5.0, two levels of active noise-cancellation as well as a pass-through function (to filter ambient noise into the headphones).

Inside the box there are seven different silicone eartips and four separate pairs of O-hooks for a secure fit – we find the fit as close to perfection as any true wireless earpiece we’ve tested. The supplied USB-C charger (they are also compatible with Qi wireless chargers) should provide two hours of juice from a 15-minute charge. As well as a premium-looking metallic case, there is also a pouch for those tips and hooks.

Decent battery life

Battery life is a claimed five hours with ANC on, or six hours without it and 1MORE claims a total of around 22 hours from the entire set-up, without ANC, before the charger needs juice. The case is slightly larger and heavier than that of the Airpods Pros but slips easily into your pocket. There’s a small LED on the front of the case for battery status: when the lid is opened (or charging) it glows red to indicate low, orange for medium or green to signify a full battery.

1MORE has chosen to go with its proprietary ANC solution for its true wireless flagship product, as well as a dual-driver design. The company’s patented balanced armature driver handles high frequencies, with a more traditional dynamic driver taking lows. Qualcomm’s aptx Bluetooth 5.0 chip is onboard, but aptx HD isn’t supported.

Each earpiece has two ‘buttons’: a sensor makes up the entire top surface of the bud (and handles toggling between noise cancellation profiles) and there’s a physical button on the edge of each unit. Two presses pauses or resumes playback, a single click alters volume and three clicks on either bud fires up Siri.

These commands don’t take long to get used to and we find ourselves using these controls rather than reaching for our phone, which certainly isn’t always the case with all wireless earbuds.

It is worthwhile downloading the 1MORE Music app. It is well-designed and, though it's devoid of any EQ settings, you can use it to see the battery percentage for each bud, toggle the auto-off function and select your preferred level of noise-cancelling.

Unfortunately, the noise-cancelling is poor. Whether we select ANC Level 1 (suitable for planes or trains) or Level 2 (for noisy streets) it doesn’t feel that any noise has been effectively eliminated.

On top of that, the noise-cancelling modes have an awful effect on sound quality, initially applying an overbearing bass boost when a mode is selected before settling down to an overall balance that’s rather thin and bass-light.

With noise cancellation and passthrough off, we cue up The Traveling Wilburys’ Volume 1 on Tidal. It’s spacious, dynamic, open and detailed, with delicate nuances in Bob Dylan’s vocal. George Harrison’s 12-string riffs are textured and three-dimensional alongside the harmonica playing.

Lethal Bizzle’s hectic Fester Skank is well suited to the 1MORES’ speed and snap, and the bass notes have a good initial hit, but there’s a lack of weight and substance. The treble is disconnected from the rest of the frequency range and projected too far forward. It’s not bright, but it is distracting, drawing attention from the track as a whole.

In terms of dynamics, punch and openness, they are more than a match for Apple’s Airpods Pros, but that tonal imbalance makes the 1MORES less listenable overall. The Sony WF1000XM3S are now available for a fair bit less and sound significantly better, which leaves the 1MORE True Wireless ANC In-ear Headphones with nowhere to go. The noise-cancellation is substandard, and while the 1MORES have some sonic strengths, issues at both extremes of the frequency range make them hard to recommend overall.