Status Audio Pro X review: striking design meets serious audiophile sound

Earbud design tends to be quite pedestrian these days. You've got the brutally compact buds that barely look any different from one another, and then there are the plethora of AirPod pretenders that do a reasonable job of just looking like Apple AirPods.

And then there's Status Audio, with their new Pro X earbuds. Their design language is really rather different. There's a slab of rectangular plastic visible once they're placed in your ear, rather than the usual narrow prong. They do look distinctive, I'll give them that, but are they attractive? Some would definitely say so. Either way, it's nice to see something genuinely different.

It's not just the looks that are different, either. Status's approach to audio tech is pretty interesting. There are three speakers in each earbud. A 12mm dynamic driver giving some depth to the bass notes, and two tiny, precise armature drivers which handle mids and highs while keeping everything as clear as possible.

Yes, I did have to look up what an armature driver is, and it's a complex speaker that works differently to traditional moving cones. The long and short is, they're professional-grade, rather than mass-market.

And that really does make a difference. They produce a rich, detailed and well-balanced sound, with clear vocals, tight bass and plenty of nuance across genres, from acoustic to pop and jazz. The detail is genuinely surprising.

The Pro X also comes with a hybrid Active Noise Cancelling system, which does a good job of muting low-frequency droning like traffic and crowds. As with all earbuds, it can only do so much. You'll find some mid-frequency noises and unpredictable sounds still filter through, and wind noise can be an issue, but you can play with the modes to hone it, and it's still pretty impressive for such a compact set of buds.

Call quality is ramped up nicely with six microphones and an AI-powered speech enhancement system, and there's a very decent app accompanying the earbuds that lets you customise EQ, adjust touch controls, track lost earbuds, and tweak ANC settings. It’s one of the more polished companion apps available.

Official specs promise up to about 8 hours of playback per charge, with roughly 24 hours total including the charging case. In real-world use with ANC and high-quality codecs enabled, actual listening times tend to be a bit lower — closer to 5–7 hours — which is still very decent.

Then there's the price. And it's a big one. Catch a deal on Amazon, and you'll get the Status Audio Pro X earbuds for £225. Miss the deal and the RRP is £269. It's a lot of money for earbuds, but you have to remember these are really high-end bits of kit. And the price is broadly in line with the flagship AirPods.

It comes down to how much you like Status's distinctive style, and how much you really want premium buds.

If the looks alone aren't enough to sell them to you, the sound quality from those trick armature drivers might be. They're really very impressive.