Anker’s new Soundcore Space 2 is trying to do the sensible thing in a headphone market that loves making simple products complicated: offer LDAC, active noise cancellation, long battery life and a sub-$130 price tag. At $129.99, the Soundcore Space 2 lands as the follow-up to the Space One from 2023, and it arrives in Seafoam Green, Linen White and Jet Black.
If you want over-ear headphones for commuting, flights and office noise without paying flagship money, the Soundcore Space 2 is aimed squarely at you. That puts it in the same conversation as budget-leaning rivals from Sony, JBL and Nothing, all of which have spent the last couple of years squeezing more features into this price band.
Soundcore Space 2 specs and features
- 40 mm double-layer diaphragm drivers
- Four-stage active noise cancellation
- Transparency mode for announcements and conversations
- LDAC support for wireless listening on Android devices
- Hi-Res Audio support over wired playback
- Three microphones with AI noise reduction for calls
- Up to 70 hours of battery life without ANC, up to 50 hours with ANC
- Five-minute charge for up to four hours of playback
The feature list is more polished than flashy. The four-stage ANC is tuned for low-frequency noise like traffic and engine rumble, while transparency mode handles the civilized moments when you need to hear a gate announcement or a human being. LDAC is the obvious headline for audio fans, but there is a catch: it only works on Android and must be enabled in the Soundcore app.
Anker is also leaning hard into app features. Alongside EQ controls and hearing protection settings, the Soundcore app adds a built-in assistant called Anka and real-time translation for over 100 languages. That is a lot of software for a pair of headphones at this price, and a clear reminder that audio brands now sell ecosystems as much as earcups.
Battery life and controls
At 264 grams, the Soundcore Space 2 is not featherweight, but the combination of memory foam and protein leather cushions should help with all-day wear. Wear detection sensors can pause or resume playback automatically, and controls are handled by physical buttons rather than touch surfaces, which is the sort of old-fashioned choice that often ages better than the marketing suggests.
Bluetooth 6.1 support and dual-device connection round out the package, so the Space 2 is clearly built for people bouncing between a phone and laptop. The real question is whether buyers care more about LDAC and battery bragging rights, or whether they will notice the ANC and mic quality first. My money is on the latter, because that is usually how headphones win or lose once the spec sheet is out of the way.
Price and availability
The Soundcore Space 2 is available now through Anker’s official store and major retailers including Amazon. At $129.99, it sits in a crowded but very forgiving slice of the market: cheap enough to tempt upgrade buyers, but feature-rich enough to look more ambitious than a bare-bones travel headset.
If Anker has done its job, this will be one of those products that sells on balance rather than one killer feature. The next test is whether the tuning matches the spec sheet. That is where plenty of affordable headphones quietly fall apart, and where the smart money still goes to the brands that know how to make ”good enough” sound a lot better than it reads on paper.