The Soundcore Life Q30 are over-ear headphones that can connect to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth 5.0 and support the two most commonly used audio codecs, AAC and SBC. In addition to classic Bluetooth pairing, they offer NFC pairing by pressing your smartphone on the right earcup. The Life Q30s are Hi-Res Audio certified because they can reproduce frequencies up to 40kHz, but there is no support for near lossless codecs such as aptX-HD, which is understandable given their price.
Included with the headphones are carrying case, which is not the highest quality but does the job just fine, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm audio cable that can be plugged in on the right earbud for a wired connection. You might expect Anker to have cut a some corners to keep the price of the Soundcore Life Q30 low, and as far as their looks go, you’d be right. The Life Q30s aren’t badly put together but are mostly plastic in black, blue or pink and that immediately creates them look budget-friendly.
They’re by no means a complete eyesore, but are no patch on the Urbanista Miami and Lindy BNX-100XT when it comes to aesthetic appeal. Luckily, you might forget how they look when they were on your head, and once there, the Life Q30s are very comfortable. They were lightweight at 265g and the oval ear cups fit our ears perfectly, giving them plenty of room to breathe. Anker might have been extra generous with the amount of padding they feel quite airy.
Design
Anker has taken many of the criticisms of the Life Q20’s design to heart and improved the aesthetics of the new model. The end result is impressive: The Life Q30 looks and feels more premium. If Anker weren’t known as a budget brand, you’d think these were luxury headphones. The hinges and headband no longer feel flimsy, as Anker has used stronger plastic, leather, and steel that make up the entire construction.
Small details like the Soundcore logo embossed in gold on each earcup and the active noise cancellation notches on the earcups are also nice touches that add a bit of oomph to these minimalist headphones. It’s a shame that Anker is only offering one color at launch, black, because the Life Q30’s smooth, glossy matte finish invites other attractive colors like navy, platinum, and maybe even silver. Just a few ideas, Anker.
A silver version of Life Q20 hit the shelves several months after the original blockbuster stores, so hopefully Anker will heed our pleas. At 7.8 x 7.09 x 3.07 inches and 9 ounces, these are bulky and heavy headphones. All of my step-siblings hit me with “damn, those are big a** headphones” looks as I walked through the living room. You will feel the extra weight on your head or around your shoulders when worn for long periods of time.
Comfort
Comfort refers to how comfortable and comfortable the headphones are to wear over a long period of time. There are two different types of headphones: over-ear and over-ear headphones have frames that sit on top of the head and earcups that sit around or over the ears, while in-ear headphones and earbuds are inserted into the ear to varying degrees. degree of depth and sometimes have chokers to hold them in place. Regardless of the type, a comfortable helmet should not cause stress, fatigue or pain, even after long periods of use.
Comfort is subjective and tends to vary from individual to individual; however, there are certain design elements that most people tend to watch out for. Weight, padding, headband tension, and frame tightness tend to influence the comfort of on-ear headphones or over-ear headphones, especially during long listening sessions. For headphones and earbuds, the softness and flexibility of the headphones, how deep they protrude into the ear canal, and the pressure they put on the ear also have an overall impact on comfort.
We use a mix of objective measurements and subjective tests to test comfort. We objectively measure weight and clamping force to give us data on how heavy and tight they are, then test the headphones on different people with different characteristics to estimate how comfortable the headphones can be to wear for a period of time. The sum of these experiences is taken into consideration and a comfort score is determined subjectively.
Connectivity
The Anker Soundcore Q30 has excellent Bluetooth connectivity. Unlike the Skullcandy Hesh Evo Wireless, they can pair with up to two devices at once and support NFC pairing. They also have fantastic visibility, which is good if you like to move around without your audio device in hand. On PC, however, they have high latency. On iOS and Android, the latency is much lower. However, some devices and apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary. If you are looking for similar Anker headphones that also support the LDAC codec, you should try the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 Wireless.
Noise Cancelling
Earbuds were always better for active noise cancellation. Their larger earcups cover more surface area and the active noise cancellation chips are also higher quality. The Anker Soundcore Life Q30s are excellent in this regard, especially for the price. In the Soundcore app, you can switch between 3 ANC modes, each suitable for a different situation. By default, you were using Transport mode, which, at least on our device, works a bit oddly. While the left channel is clean and quiet, we can hear a slight rumble from the right channel. Even if we turn our head or move around the room, the sound does not disappear.
It’s not super boring; however, this ruins the excellent overall performance of ANC. If both channels worked like the one on the left, they would be close to the Sony WH-1000XM4. The other 2 modes do not share the same problem, but they go through lower frequencies, which is not ideal. Still, Anker Soundcore Life Q30 is, so far, the best noise canceling headphones under $100. If you need this feature, you can’t get better for the price. On the other hand, the Transparency mode helps boost ambient sound, and it does so with decent results.
Audio Performance
Anker’s sound profile is an acquired taste, but for the price it’s very acceptable and suitable for bass lovers. Under the hood are 40mm silk-diaphragm drivers that deliver on their promise of deep, punchy bass, although that can be both a gift and a curse on some tracks. The dirty production of Outkast’s “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 2)” played out well, with the snares pounding our eardrum so well. something few models in this price range are capable of performing.
This was not the case with all the heavy tracks. The infectious bassline of Chaka Demus & Plier’s “Murder She Wrote” sounded harsh in some sections, and there was some slight distortion when listening to the hook. These aren’t headphones that will pick up subtle nuances in recordings. The highs don’t have much presence either. However, the Life Q30 can still handle high-frequency sounds well, but mostly on melodic and instrumental tracks.
We had to mine Latin jazz classics like Eddie Palmieri’s orchestral symphony, “17.1,” to see if these cans could give me the hi-hat and flute action we desired; both instruments sounded lively. Also, keep in mind that while the isolation is excellent, these headphones bleed sound at a high level. The woman continued to amuse herself at our expense, reciting verses of songs we had played on our Guilty Pleasure Pop playlist, which she could hear from several feet away.
Call Performance
Call quality is more missed than successful on the Life Q30. While the headphones are fine for video chats, they leave a lot to be desired on outside calls. Our editor thought we sounded clear during our Google Hangouts session, although she noticed some things that made it easy to tell we were talking through a pair of headphones. His response: “It’s not as direct as if you were talking through computer speakers.
Mic performance dropped and the ANC technology struggled to avoid ambient noise. Fortunately, the Life Q30 makes up for its poor call quality with strong connectivity. The headphones have one of the longest ranges in the category, allowing you to stream stutter-free music without having your smartphone on you at all times.
We had no dropouts on calls. The company’s dual pairing mode was also hot; we were able to seamlessly connect to two devices at the same time. Another cool feature included by Anker is NFC, this way you can tap to pair with any compatible Android device. It doesn’t work as flawlessly as Sony’s NFC, but it’s still a nice bonus.
Battery Life
Our battery test measures how long your active headphones last on a single charge. If your headphones stream audio wirelessly, cancel out ambient noise, or enhance your listening experience with active features, they have a battery that will drain over time. How important battery life is depends on your listening habits and headphone choice. If you’re on the go a lot and don’t have many opportunities to charge your active headphones, a long-lasting battery may be more suitable.
Anker took the extra space inside the over-ear headphones and filled it with batteries. Nothing else can explain the excellent battery performance. Alone, without ANC, they can last around 60 hours. You can use them for a whole week and only recharge them once. The ANC takes its toll, reducing battery life to 44 hours and 11 minutes on a single charge. However, it’s still more than excellent since most flagship ANC headphones last around 30 hours.
Even the fast charging function via USB-C is super fast. You get an additional 4 hours of playback from just 5 minutes of charging. Although you can use the app to monitor battery capacity, it only displays the battery icon, not a percentage. To know the latter, you must consult the Bluetooth menu of your smartphone. Plus, a voice prompt tells you the battery status every time you turn on the headset. As an alternative to an empty battery, these active noise canceling headphones also offer a wired connection. The cable is included in the box.
Final Words
We hope you understand and enjoy this review list. Anker pulls off an impressive feat by making cheap running headphones that sound more expensive, while prioritizing features that only serve to make them even better. They hit their limits in some ways, but not necessarily in ways that will surprise you, especially considering the value of what you were getting. Anker has done something that isn’t easy, which is to go from making portable charging products to making good headphones at affordable prices. Every time a sequel comes out for a pair of headphones, you rely on the manufacturer to fix past mistakes. That’s definitely one way of putting it for the design.
