It’s hard to stand out in the audio space, but Status Audio is doing just that. I like the brand’s Between 3 quite a bit, and the stylish design and terrific sound quality made these buds a favorite in the house — my wife stole the buds immediately after I was done with the review.
With the Pro X, Status Audio is building on that foundation. These are the brand’s costliest earbuds yet, and coming at $269, they challenge Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 — the buds I use daily. Thankfully, Status Audio didn’t mess with the design, and the Pro X have the same great design as the Between 3, and they’re noticeably smaller than the QC Ultra Gen 2 and most other buds in this category. The Pro X are available for $259 on Amazon, and they’re in the same price segment as the $299 Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 and Sony’s ageing $248 WF-1000XM5.
Status Audio’s Pro X are among the most comfortable buds around
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
The Pro X are smaller and lighter than the Between 3, and there’s no fatigue whatsoever in regular use. I like the dual-tone design, with the bottom third of each earbud coming with a metallic finish that looks great. The stalk is thicker and shorter than you see with most buds, and while it juts out a bit, it isn’t uncomfortable in the least.
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Status Audio says these buds are made for motion, and the unique design with the contoured fit ensures the buds don’t fall out even when you’re running or working out. On that note, you get dual control surfaces: there’s a standard gesture recognition zone, but you get a physical button as well, and that’s just great. I don’t like using gesture controls, so the inclusion of a physical button made all the difference.
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(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
The buds connect over Bluetooth 5.3, and they get Google’s Fast Pair as standard. I didn’t see any issues with connectivity when paired with my Find X9 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, iPhone 17 Pro, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the buds get Bluetooth LE audio with the LC3 codec and Auracast integration as well.
Call quality is pretty good too, with the earbuds doing a decent job tuning out wind noise. That said, ANC still isn’t on the same level as Bose, but it improved from the Between 3. You get good noise isolation and the buds tune out low-frequency sounds, and the smaller design makes these a decent choice for traveling.
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
You don’t miss out on the extras; you can easily connect the Pro X to two devices at the same time and switch between the two, and IP55 ingress protection makes these a great choice for workouts. And you get an IR sensor that pauses music when you take the buds out of your ear.
These buds take your listening sessions to the next level
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
Where the Pro X shine is the sound quality; most buds in this category have a single driver, but here, you get a standard 12mm dynamic driver alongside two Knowles balanced armature (BA) driver. This is a similar configuration as the Between 3, but Status Audio worked with Knowles to tailor the sound to a greater extent.
The addition of BA drivers leads to much better sound, and the higher end of the frequency range is where you’ll notice the biggest difference. The Pro X manages to deliver much better treble with soaring highs, and it does so while managing sibilant sounds. You also get 8-band EQ customization, and that’s not something you usually see with most buds. The granular control allows you to tweak the sound to a greater degree, and Status has custom presets that are pretty great in their own right.
In short, these are among the best-sounding earbuds yet. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 do a better job projecting a wider soundstage, giving you better immersion, but outside of that, I prefer the tuning of the Pro X. The level of customizability is great as well, and Status Audio’s mobile app has a ton of usable features.
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)
Oh, and the buds have the LDAC codec in addition to SBC and AAC, and as most Android phones have LDAC built-in, you get the option to stream lossless music via most platforms. Battery life is on the shorter end of the scale, with the Pro X lasting just under six hours from a full charge. You get Qi charging, and I was able to charge the case by plonking it down on the Baseus 245W charging station, so that’s nice.
Status Audio did all the right things with the Pro X, and these are easily one of the most comfortable earbuds I’ve used — and among the best-sounding of the lot. If you’ve tried Bose and Sony’s offerings and want something with better comfort and highly customizable sound, you should give these a try.
Status Audio’s Pro X sound great, are highly comfortable to wear, and don’t miss out on any of the extras you get in high-end buds.
