iMore Verdict
Bottom line: The Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 are an excellent budget pair of wireless workout earbuds that offer excellent sound and fantastic bass performance. While the battery life and touch controls could be better, there's more than enough features to make the Spirit Dot 2 worth the $80 price tag.
Pros
- +
Great sound
- +
Excellent bass for earbuds
- +
Bluetooth 5.0
- +
IPX7 water-resistance
- +
Ability to use earbuds separately
- +
Good microphone
Cons
- -
Battery life
- -
Touch controls could be better
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Whether it's working out, going for a walk, or just cleaning and cooking around the house, a great pair of wireless earbuds goes far in a ton of situations. With no cables to worry about getting caught up in and charging cases to give your earbuds a power boost throughout the day, owning a set of wireless earbuds perfect when you're on the go. Truly wireless earbuds used to cost a premium price, but recently, plently of manufacturers have been able to make a good quality pair for a lot less — the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 proves just that.
I have been testing out the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 for about six weeks, taking them with me for runs and shopping trips, as well as for music, podcasts, and audiobooks — they've very rarely missed the mark. While they have a couple of minor issues, I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives, making the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 an excellent pair of wireless earbuds for anyone on a budget.
Everything you have to look forward too
Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2: Features
The Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 focuses on being a pair of earbuds that you can take to the gym, but Anker included some other great features that help the Spirit Dot 2 excel at being an everyday set of earbuds too.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | $80 |
| Waterproof | IPX7 rating |
| Battery life | 5.5 hours/16 hours with charging case |
| Fast Charging | 1 hour playtime for 10 minutes of charging |
| Playback control | Yes with touch controls |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 |
| Single Earbud Use | Yes, both with left and right earbuds |
| Microphones | 2 microphones |
| App | No |
| Customizable fit | 5 different tips and 3 sizes of 'AirWings' |
The IPX7 rating means the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 can handle the toughest workouts, as it can handle both sweat and rain. I wouldn't take them into the shower or pool with you, but splashes of water hasn't stopped my pair from working.
Bluetooth 5.0 means that the Spirit Dot 2 are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, offering sound and battery improvements over its predecessor. It's has two microphones that allow you to take phone calls or video calls with ease.
Each earbud has touch controls, allowing you to play or pause music with the right earbud and skip tracks with the left. The controls can also activate Siri (or other voice assistants) and answer calls.
Great for workouts and everyday life
Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2: What I Like
When it comes to going to the gym or working out, I much prefer wireless earbuds over other types of headphones. Having no cables and complete freedom of movement is important for running, yoga, weightlifting, and pretty much every exercise out there. The Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 is definitely a great workout companion. I have been sweating on mine for nearly two months and haven't had a single issue, which means that the IPX7 rating is doing its job. Plus, with five different silicone tips and three different wings to choose from, you can ensure you're get a comfortable enough fit that won't fall out of your ears, no matter how much you're moving around.
"The bass heavy sound never overshadows the higher tones making it perfect for all sorts of music"
Anker promises epic bass and the SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 definitely delivers. The bass-heavy sound profile is great for genres like rock, metal, and dance music, but as prominent as the lower tones are, they never overshadow the higher end of the sound profile, making them great for all sorts of music. Plus, because the mid and high tones are crisp enough, listening to podcasts and audiobooks is just as pleasant. If you aren't a fan of a bass-heavy sound profile, these may not be the earbuds for you, but by no means does the bass outshine the sound overall. At the end of the day, for $80 the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 sounds excellent.
As an extra added bonus, the microphones on the earbuds are pretty good. All the calls and video conferences I took using my SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 went super smoothly. People never complained about me sounding distant or muddled in any way, and I was always coming through clearly. It is important to note the microphone doesn't have any sort of ambient noise-canceling technology, so if you're in a super loud coffee shop or walking along a busy street, that environmental noise will come through.
Battery life and touch controls
Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2: What I Don't Like
While the charging case is light and slim enough to fit in your pocket, I wish that either the charging case or the earbuds had a bit more juice in them. Don't get me wrong — the battery life isn't terrible, it's just kind of mediocre when you look at other wireless earbuds on the market.
It shouldn't be a huge deal for most people, though, because there's definitely enough power to get you through your workouts in the earbuds, and with 10 minutes of charge giving you another hour of listening time, things could've been worse. Still, if it had just a few more hours, I think it could take the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 to the next level.
"The battery life is a bit mediocre"
Touch controls in general across multiple headphones always have their problems, and the controls on the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 could use a little refinement. They just lack the responsiveness to truly make them a great way to control playback. If your hand is a bit sweaty or your earbuds are slightly wet, sometimes it's hard for the earbuds to pick up on your input.
It's not the worst touch controls ever, but I did notice that during some of my sweatier workouts, I was having a hard time getting the earbuds to do what I wanted.
Very solid earbuds for the price tag
Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2: The Bottom Line
While the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot has a couple of minor issues, I still highly recommend them to anyone looking for a solid pair of wireless earbuds that they can take with them when they are working out.
The earbuds sound fantastic, especially for people who love bass-heavy sound profiles, the IPX7 rating will keep them functional regardless of how much you sweat, and you can even use either earbud individually — perfect for working in an office or walking around traffic. On top of that, the earbuds have a pretty great microphone, charge pretty fast, and offer a ton of ways to customize the fit to ensure they fit snug and are comfortable to wear for long periods.
Yes, the battery life is just okay and the touch controls could be a tad more responsive at times, but when you take into account how feature-packed thee earbuds are for their $80 price tag, it makes those comprises an easy pill to swallow.
Bottom line: The Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 are an excellent budget pair of workout wireless earbuds that offer excellent sound and fantastic bass performance. While the battery life and touch controls could be better, there's more than enough features to make the Spirit Dot 2 worth its price $80 price tag.
