Oraimo SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC Review: Best Earbuds Under KES 3,000 in Kenya?

Why This Review Matters

Oraimo has become the default budget audio brand in Kenya. Walk into any phone shop in Nairobi and Oraimo products are on the counter. The SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC are their active noise cancellation earbuds, priced at KES 2,400 on the Oraimo Kenya website (ke.oraimo.com).

ANC earbuds from Apple and Sony cost KES 25,000 and above. Samsung's budget ANC options start at KES 8,000 or more. If Oraimo can deliver functional noise cancellation at KES 2,400, that changes what budget earbuds mean in Kenya.

Here is what the SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC deliver and where they fall short.

Build and Comfort

The SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC come in a compact case with USB-C charging. The case is pocket-friendly and does not add significant bulk to your daily carry. USB-C is standard now, but worth mentioning since a few budget earbuds still ship with micro-USB.

Oraimo includes multiple sizes of silicone ear tips. Getting the right fit matters for both comfort and ANC performance. A loose seal lets ambient noise leak in and reduces the effectiveness of noise cancellation.

For daily commutes, office work, and casual use, the fit is comfortable for extended periods. Most people can wear these for 3 to 4 hours without ear fatigue, which is solid for budget earbuds.

Touch controls on budget earbuds are hit or miss. Expect the standard tap gestures for play, pause, skip, and ANC mode switching. Recognition accuracy on budget touch panels is typically around 80 percent. Occasional missed or misinterpreted taps are part of the compromise at this price.

Sound Quality

Expectations should be calibrated for the KES 2,400 price point. These sound good for the money. They do not sound like KES 10,000 earbuds.

Bass is the highlight. Oraimo tunes their earbuds for bass-heavy music, which works well for the Afrobeats, drill, and amapiano that dominate Kenyan playlists. Kick drums have satisfying weight. Bass lines come through full and present. For casual listening to popular music, the bass response delivers more than the price suggests.

Mid-range is recessed. Vocals sit behind the bass. On tracks with complex layering, voices can get slightly lost. This is noticeable on acoustic music, podcasts with background music, and detailed recordings. For speech-only podcasts and phone calls, clarity is adequate but not sharp.

Treble is rolled off. High frequencies are soft, which prevents harshness at high volume but also means hi-hats, cymbals, and fine musical detail gets smoothed over.

Volume gets loud. For matatu commuters who need to hear music over engine noise and road sound, the volume headroom is there.

At this price, the sound signature is geared toward popular music genres. If you primarily listen to Afrobeats, amapiano, hip-hop, and dancehall, these earbuds are tuned for you.

Active Noise Cancellation: The Key Feature

This is the selling point at KES 2,400, and it delivers a genuine, functional ANC. It is not Sony or Apple level, but it works.

What ANC handles well: Low-frequency constant noise. Office air conditioning hum reduces noticeably. Matatu engine drone is dampened. The general ambient buzz of a busy Nairobi street drops to a manageable level. Walking through CBD with ANC enabled creates a noticeably quieter experience.

What ANC does not handle: Voices. People talking near you are reduced in volume but remain audible. Sudden sharp sounds like car horns, shouting, and phone ringtones cut through the ANC. This is a physical limitation of budget ANC systems, not a defect specific to these earbuds.

Transparency mode pipes in ambient sound through the microphones, which is useful for quick conversations without removing the earbuds. The audio quality of transparency mode is functional rather than natural.

ANC impacts battery life. Expect shorter playback time with ANC enabled compared to standard mode. This is true of every ANC earbud regardless of price.

Call Quality

Voice calls work well in quiet environments. Indoors, the person on the other end can hear you clearly.

Outdoors, microphone quality degrades. Wind noise is poorly filtered on most budget earbuds, and these are no exception. For walking calls on busy Nairobi roads, expect the other person to hear significant background noise.

WhatsApp calls over Safaricom 4G work well, which is how most Kenyans make calls beyond standard airtime.

Battery Life

Oraimo's SpaceBuds line typically delivers 4 to 6 hours of continuous playback per charge with ANC off, dropping to 3.5 to 5 hours with ANC enabled. The case provides 2 to 3 additional full charges.

USB-C fast charging means a quick 10 to 15 minute charge can provide roughly an hour of playback, which is useful when you are heading out the door.

For a daily commuter using the earbuds 2 hours per day with ANC on, the case will last 4 to 5 days between cable charges. Most users will find the battery more than adequate.

The Competition

Oraimo's own lineup offers cheaper alternatives if you do not need ANC:

• Oraimo SpaceBuds Lite (KES 1,800): Basic earbuds without ANC. Good for calls and casual music.
• Oraimo SpaceBuds Neo (KES 1,900): Step up with better sound but still no ANC.
• Oraimo SpaceBuds Air+ (KES 1,900): Open-ear design for people who do not like in-ear tips.
• Oraimo OpenSnap N (KES 2,500): Open-ear neckband style, good for awareness while listening.

All prices from ke.oraimo.com.

The SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC at KES 2,400 is only KES 500 more than the non-ANC SpaceBuds Neo. For that small premium, active noise cancellation is worth the upgrade if you commute in noisy environments.

The Verdict

The Oraimo SpaceBuds Neo+ ANC deliver real noise cancellation at a price point that would have been unthinkable two years ago. At KES 2,400, these are the best value wireless earbuds in Kenya for people who commute in noisy environments and listen to bass-forward music.

Buy these if you want ANC on a strict budget, listen to Afrobeats, amapiano, and hip-hop, commute on matatus and want reduced ambient noise, and value Oraimo's warranty network across Kenya.

Skip these if you prioritize vocal clarity for podcasts and calls, need reliable outdoor call quality, listen to acoustic or classical music primarily, or can stretch to KES 5,000 or more for better sound quality from brands like Samsung.

At KES 2,400, the compromises are reasonable. The ANC works. The bass is satisfying. They are comfortable for extended wear. With Oraimo's warranty support in every major Kenyan town, these make a strong case as the budget ANC earbuds to beat.

Price verified on ke.oraimo.com as of mid-2025.