Soundcore by Anker Q20i review

Four microphones, forty hours and multipoint, for under $50.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Soundcore's published product specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• Under $50 for functional active noise cancelling is the whole argument, and for a student it is the difference between having it and not.
• Forty hours with noise cancelling on is longer than the flagships manage, because a simpler processor uses less power.
• Multipoint at this price is unusual and it is the feature you notice daily, switching between a laptop and a phone.
• Built-in white noise in the app means the headphones can produce masking sound without you finding a playlist.
• Transparency mode means you can hear an announcement or a housemate without taking them off, which is what stops people taking them off and losing focus.

Where it falls short

• Four microphones and a budget processor is not eight microphones and two dedicated chips. On a train or in a busy cafe the difference is audible.
• Like all active noise cancelling, it works far better on constant low-frequency sound than on voices, and voices are what most study environments actually have.
• Build quality is appropriate to the price. Plastic hinges on over-ear headphones are the part that fails, and these are plastic.
• Hi-Res audio requires the AUX cable, which means the wireless mode is not the high quality mode.
• Buying headphones does not create focus. If the problem is that you cannot start, the Pomodoro technique and a timer solve more than any equipment does.

What owners report

Owners consistently describe the value as remarkable and the noise cancelling as good rather than excellent, which is exactly right for the price. Battery reports comfortably match the stated 40 hours. The most common complaints are clamping force out of the box, which eases with use, and app-dependence for the better features. People comparing them directly with flagship headphones hear the difference and mostly conclude it is not five times the difference.

What you play matters as much as what you wear, and our guide to study music and focus covers why lyrics work against reading. If the real obstacle is starting rather than noise, the Pomodoro technique and the free timer here cost nothing and change more.

Who it suits

• Students who want noise cancelling without a flagship budget.
• Anyone who charges devices rarely, given the 40 hour battery.
• People switching between a laptop and a phone all day.
• Buyers trying active noise cancelling for the first time.

Who should skip it

• Frequent flyers and commuters who want the quietest possible result.
• Anyone whose main noise is close conversation, where earplugs do more.
• People who want high resolution audio wirelessly.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

Is cheap noise cancelling worth it?

For constant background noise, yes. The gap between no noise cancelling and budget noise cancelling is much larger than the gap between budget and flagship. Where the flagships earn their money is aircraft, trains and busy cafes, and for a quiet-ish room the difference is small.

Do noise cancelling headphones block voices?

Not well, at any price. Active cancelling works by generating an opposing waveform, which is far easier for steady low-frequency sound than for the irregular, higher-frequency sound of speech. If voices are your problem, earplugs or masking noise do more.

How long does the battery last?

Soundcore states 40 hours with noise cancelling on, and a five minute charge gives four more hours. That is longer than most flagship headphones, because a simpler processing chain uses less power.

Do you need the app?

For the EQ, the mode switching and the built-in white noise, yes. The headphones work without it as ordinary noise cancelling headphones. Whether an extra app is a cost or a feature depends on how you feel about apps.

Keep reading

• Study music and focus
• The perfect study environment
• Pomodoro technique guide
• Sony WH-1000XM5 review
• Loop Quiet 2 review
• Magicteam white noise machine review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.