Review: Soundcore by Anker Life P3i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Earbuds – Outstanding noise cancellation and sound quality.

In-depth review of affordable, efficient Soundcore Life P3i earbuds with premium features and unrivalled sound... Read more

Specifications

Brand	Soundcore
Model Name	Life P3i
Color	Black
Form Factor	In Ear
Connectivity Technology	Wireless

Introduction

Our quest for the ideal true wireless earbuds brings us to an interesting find, the Soundcore Life P3i. Resembling a little brother to the original Life P3, these earbuds pack an intriguing mix of features and bring a frugal price tag. We love a good bargain, but the real question here is, do they hold up the Soundcore reputation?

Unveiling the Soundcore Life P3i

The Soundcore Life P3i are marketed as a more economical alternative to the original Life P3. At only $60, they are considerably affordable, but, as we all know, budget-friendliness is often an indication of corners being cut somewhere. So, let’s set out to explore whether these earbuds are really worth your dollars.

Affordability in the Earbuds Market

In the world of earbuds, it’s common to come across products with a sky-high price tag, making it crucial to find the right balance between cost and quality. But remember, cheaper doesn’t always mean worse. The keyword here is ‘value-for-money.’ A product might lack a few premium features but still provide a great experience at a fraction of the price.

The goal here? To ascertain if the Soundcore Life P3i fits that ‘value-for-money’ tag. We leave no stone unturned, delve into the smallest of features, and inspect them thoroughly in this comprehensive review. So, let’s buckle up, folks, for a detailed, unbiased, and critical review on these true wireless earbuds.

Key Features

• Soundcore Life P3i has immense value despite affordability
• P3i earbuds offer remarkable battery life and fast charging
• Earbuds have excellent water resistance (IPX5 rating)

Diving straight into the key features, the Soundcore Life P3i has a lot going on under that budget price tag. It’s crucial to not fall into the trap of expecting less because of the affordability – these earbuds bring immense value to the table. Let’s take a detailed look:

Differences with its Predecessor

These earbuds are regarded as the tinier sibling of the Life P3 and they hold that title with pride. Although somewhat scaled down in terms of features compared to the original Life P3, the P3i set stands as an exemplar of excellence in its own right. If you recall, the original Life P3 had a range of unique modes when it comes to active noise cancellation—outdoor mode, indoor mode, etc. While the P3i does cut back some of the options, it doesn’t mean you’re getting any less in terms of experience. So, don’t let the fewer number of features fool you into thinking that they’re sub-par.

Color Options

They’ve been basically keeping things minimal when it comes to color options. Now, color can often come down to personal preference and while these didn’t offer an array, it’s definitely not something to look down upon. The classic black does bring a certain elegance, aligning them well with the trending minimalistic aesthetic.

Charging & Battery Life

Here comes a feature that genuinely impressed me – the battery life! Delivering around nine hours on a single charge, these earbuds indeed pack a punch. Quick note: This is an impressive upgrade from the 7 hours battery life on the original Life P3. Amazing, isn’t it? And once you factor in the charging case, you’re looking at an astounding total of about 36 hours. Oh, and did I mention the fast charging feature? Pop them back in their case for just 10 minutes and you’re set for about 2 hours of listening time.

Water Resistance

Got an active, outdoor lifestyle? No worries, these earbuds have an IPX5 rating. This makes them perfect for gym sessions or outdoor activities where there might be exposure to sweat or a passing rain shower. Now, while they do offer protection against sweat and modest splashes of water, try not to submerge them in water, they’re not designed for that level of water exposure.

To be unbiased and critical, one could say that the earbuds could have offered more active noise cancellation options or a wider palette of colors. Although, for the price point, it’s hard to dispute the value they offer in terms of the remarkable battery life, fast charging capabilities, and excellent water resistance. For both avid music listeners and sporadic users alike, the Soundcore Life P3i prove to be a strong contender in the market of affordable earbuds.

Deeper Look: The Case

• Soundcore Life P3i case has sleek, stylish black matte finish
• Features LED indicator for battery monitoring and subtle branding
• Lid functionality imperfections considered a minor trade-off given affordability

Getting a chance to experience the Soundcore Life P3i, the charging case left a distinct impression on me. Let’s take a closer look at the things that stood out with this particular component of the product.

Black Matte Finish

The case houses the earbuds in a straightforward black matte finish, giving it a sleek and stylish appearance. The matte finish allows for a comfortable and secure grip while handling the case, and the design feels aesthetically pleasing in the palm of your hand. Yet, the simplicity of the design may not catch the eye of those seeking a more visually dynamic option.

LED Indicator and Soundcore Branding

As you glance upon the case, a small but functional LED indicator can be seen in the middle. This indicator proved useful for monitoring the battery life of the earbuds. The Soundcore branding was subtly and tastefully placed on the lid, creating a strong sense of the brand’s identity without overshadowing the product’s functionality.

The Lid – Functionality vs Price Point

• Functionality: Once opened, the case reveals the earbuds nestled within. However, in my experience, the lid doesn’t lock well into place. I found that with a slight tilt of the case, the lid begins to close on its own.
• Pricing Consideration: While one can’t ignore this particular aspect, it’s vital to take into account the affordable price point. Given this factor, a slight inconvenience regarding the lid’s function can be considered a minor trade-off.

While it’s clear that the Soundcore Life P3i case has room for improvement, the overall simplicity of its design and the usefulness of its features, like the LED indicator, hold a certain appeal for the practical user. Plus, at its given price point, the value offered is more than fair.

Deeper Look: The Earbuds

• Earbuds offer chic appearance and touch sensitive controls.
• Equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and ample battery life.
• Designed with practical usability in mind.

Stepping into the world of the earbuds themselves, I found a comfortable blend of style and functionality. The striking feature, of course, is the stem-style design that is seemingly all the rage in the earbuds market currently.

The Minimal Chic Look

Upon the initial unboxing, Soundcore Life P3i doesn’t fail to impress. The exterior portrays a chic appearance with its reflective surface – a detail that adds a touch of sophistication to what essentially remains a budget friendly pair.

Despite the lower price, these buds are clearly not out to look ‘cheap’! Clad in a matte-finish black that blends well with most style preferences, the Soundcore Life P3i successfully manages to convince you of its premium aesthetics.

Touch Sensitivity & Control

Another characteristic that sets them apart is their touch sensitive controls. The Soundcore logo doubles as a soft-touch control center allowing easy control of media. And while this does involve a brief learning curve, the controls proved responsive and accurate.

Cleverly incorporated into the design, it helps preserve the slick, seamless aesthetic of the earbuds that certainly adds to the user’s satisfaction.

Compatibility and Overall Usability

The earbuds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and offer independent use, which means I had the freedom to use either the left or the right earbud while the other one rested snug in the case. This, in my experience, was surprisingly convenient and well-thought-out.

What came as a pleasant surprise was the battery life. Ample juice for an impressive nine hours on a single charge was something the original Life P3 couldn’t offer, and it’s a significant perk for someone like me who often finds themselves away from charging outlets.

Overall, while they might not be the flashiest buds on the market, they more than hold their own both in terms of design as well as practical usability.

Noteworthy Functionality

• Soundcore Life P3i offers fast charging feature
• Provides independent use capability for earbuds

Now, for a product in this budget range, it’s easy to assume you’re compromising on a few amenities. So, let me take you through the earbuds’ key features, where the Soundcore Life P3i might surprise you. Our focal points here are the Fast Charging feature and Independent Use Capability.

Fast Charging Feature

The first thing to note is the fast charging feature. Seriously, we’re talking rocket speed here. After running the battery down, I put these babies back in the case and within a brief 10-minute span, I was able to get about two hours of listening time.

It’s particularly handy for those “running out the door, but my earbuds are dead” situations we’ve all been guilty of.

Independent Use Capability

Then there’s the independent use capability. Now, this might sound like a fancy term, but it’s quite simple. This feature allows you to use either the left or the right earbud while the other one rests inside the case.

Why’s this a big deal, you ask?

Imagine you’re on a long call or maybe you’re on a marathon of your favorite podcast. One earbud runs out of juice. Instead of dealing with complete silence while you power up again, you switch to the other fully charged earbud and continue seamlessly. Convenience – nailed it!

A word of caution though – don’t fall into the habit of only using one earbud all the time. It might lead to uneven battery wear, with one earbud needing more frequent charging than the other. It’s just a good practice to use them evenly.

Nonetheless, these are impressive features in their own right, especially considering the price range. Far from cutting corners, it feels like Soundcore has indeed pushed the boundaries of what we can expect from a budget-friendly set of earbuds.

Fit & Comfort

• Life P3i earbuds offer comfortable, secure fit
• Touch controls on earbuds are responsive, accurate

If you’ve been wondering about the comfort and wearability of the Soundcore Life P3i earbuds – you’re in the right place. Here’s an account of my experience with these earbuds.

Size and Comfort

One of the first things that jumps out is the straightforward fit. If you’ve used stem-style earbuds before, you’d find the transition to the Life P3i quite seamless. In terms of fit, they were neither too snug nor too loose. They stayed put comfortably during the time I used them, which was a relief.

Comfort is always subjective to individual ears, and while I faced no trouble with the earbuds, it’s essential you have the right-sized ear tips as they determine how well the earbuds fit.

Touch Control Accuracy

The touch controls are quite responsive and easy to use – be it playing or pausing media or skipping to the next track, or even bringing down the volume a notch. The Soundcore logo on the earbuds functions as the touch control area. In my experience, it responded well without any lag. The accuracy of the touch was pretty commendable.

The only potential drawback could be the tendency to accidentally tap the controls while adjusting the earbuds – but that was quite rare.

I’ve worn these earbuds to the gym as well, staying in place well enough for the most part. Yes, I did have to readjust them a couple of times – but that’s par for the course with pretty much any earbud pair, especially during more intense workouts.

To sum up, the Soundcore Life P3i ticks all the boxes when it comes to the overall fit and comfort. It’s clear that much thought has gone into the design and manufacturing process to ensure comfortable use.

The Soundcore App

• Soundcore app offers extensive customization for earbuds
• App includes battery life checker and sound mode switch
• Users can personalize their sound and touch controls

Stepping into the digital side of things, let’s delve into the functionality of the Soundcore app. I discovered that this application really opens up a whole new world of customization, significantly enhancing the end-user experience.

Convenience at Your Fingertips

The most immediately noticeable aspect of the Soundcore app is its convenience. This includes the ability to check the remaining battery life of your earbuds, an essential feature that allows you to manage your usage better and avoid being taken by surprise when your battery runs out.

Switch Between Sound Modes

With just a few taps, you also have the ability to switch between different ambient sound modes. This provides control over your auditory environment in a way you may not have thought possible.

Personalize Your Sound Experience

Arguably the most impressive feature is the access to the equalizer. With a total of 22 different presets, you can adjust the sound to match your preferences closely. There’s also an option to create your own EQ profile from scratch.

It’s indeed worth spending some time experimenting with the EQ settings. The earbuds respond quite well to adjustments, significantly transforming the audio experience. You can truly get the most out of these earbuds by customizing the sound. A piece of advice here is: Don’t just stick with the default settings!

Customize Your Touch Controls

Furthermore, the app provides flexibility in customizing your touch controls – single tap, double tap, or a long press, each can be tailored to function as you desire. This hands-on experience is rare in this price range and is sure to appeal to users who like to have greater control over their devices.

On a critical note, balancing the customization is a bit demanding. Achieving a perfect set up means compromising on the voice assistant functionality, but this might not be a deal-breaker for many.

In conclusion, the Soundcore app truly adds value to the Life P3i by providing plenty of customization choices and operational control. However, it may take a bit of time and patience to fine-tune everything to your preferences.

Experience in Noise Cancellation & Transparency Mode

• Soundcore Life P3i earbuds offer effective ANC
• Transparency Mode performance is average
• P3i provides key features at a competitive price

Let’s dive headfirst into the realm of sound control with the Soundcore Life P3i earbuds.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

What truly threw me for a loop was the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature of these budget-friendly earbuds. The P3i might be the less-equipped sibling from the P3 range, yet when we talk about ANC, it holds its ground impressively. Despite lacking the specific modes like outdoor, indoor, and transport found in the original Life P3, the overall noise-canceling ability is nothing short of impressive.

The ANC feature immerses you into your own world, canceling out most of the external sounds effectively. It’s quite incredible how these $60 earbuds can compete with others on the market carrying a double price tag when it comes to ANC. This was, without a doubt, a surprise in terms of ‘bang for your buck’!

Transparency Mode

Moving onto the Transparency mode, the results are more grounded. The mode is engineered to let you hear what’s happening around you, which, on paper, sounds like the perfect addition to a pair of earbuds with an already robust ANC feature. However, in practice, the performance was just about okay – neither exciting nor disappointing.

While it does offer some awareness of your surroundings, it isn’t as impressive as its ANC counterpart. For lack of a better word, the performance of the transparency mode was simply… average . No bells and whistles here, you hear your surroundings reasonably well but certainly not anything groundbreaking.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for bargain earbuds with a solid ANC feature, the Soundcore Life P3i definitely hits the mark. However, keep your expectations for the Transparency Mode in check, it’s functional but doesn’t perform miracles.

Unwrapping Sound Quality

• Soundcore Life P3i delivers stellar audio experience
• 10mm drivers adapt excellently to EQ adjustments
• P3i provides balanced bass support

As far as listening to your favorite beats on the Soundcore Life P3i is concerned, the audio experience is surprisingly stellar for a pair of budget earbuds. The earbuds house 10-millimeter drivers that initially deliver a just-fine sound output. You know, nothing extraordinary, but still good enough to keep you engaged with your music.

Performance of 10mm Drivers

However, there’s definitely more than what meets the eye (or ear, rather). When you unpack those 10mm drivers’ full capabilities, particularly through the Soundcore app’s EQ settings, it’s like opening a hidden treasure chest of sound quality. The drivers adapt excellently to EQ adjustments, a quality you’ll really appreciate if you’re a bit of an audiophile who loves tweaking with sound settings.

Playing with EQ & Unlocking the Sound Potential

The earbuds’ mid-range and highs show a great amount of range upon EQ adjustments. Your listening experience abruptly evolves from ‘just good’ to ‘super impressive’. I felt the vocals come to life, details gaining profound clarity, creating something truly enjoyable.

Bass – Noteworthy, Not Dominating

On bass? The Soundcore Life P3i holds its ground pretty solidly . I wouldn’t categorize them as bass-heavy earbuds overly focused on delivering thumping lows. Instead, they offer a balanced sound that never shies away when a track calls for decent bass support. If I were to rate the bass performance, I’d comfortably give them an 8 out of 10.

What I found most captivating was the variance you can get with these earbuds’ sound compared to their out-of-the-box sound. In the world of tailored audio experience and clarity respectively, these earbuds certainly punch above their weight.

Microphone Quality

• Soundcore Life P3i earbuds have good microphone quality
• Earbuds pick up voice well, but struggle with noise filtration

Now, let’s move on to another indispensable feature of modern earbuds – Microphone quality. This feature plays a pivotal role, especially for those who regularly take calls or engage in video conferencing. It can truly make or break the experience.

So, how does the Soundcore Life P3i fare in this aspect?

Reviewing Call Quality

The Soundcore Life P3i earbuds are equipped with a total of four microphones – a promising start. When tested in a quiet environment, the microphone performed quite well. It was able to clearly pick up and transmit the nuances in the human voice, resulting in excellent call quality.

However, the true test of a microphone in earbuds is how they deal with external noises. That’s why I decided to raise the stakes a bit by adding some background crowd noise during the test.

Result? Well, the earbuds worked commendably on the call test with artificial crowd noise pumped in. The voice was still clearly audible and understandable. However, comparing it with a quiet environment, certain details were lost in translation. So, while they’re effective, I wouldn’t go so far as to call them exceptional when it comes to noise filtration.

In conclusion, the Soundcore Life P3i delivers on their promise of providing a good call experience, but don’t expect them to completely cancel out the background noise in a bustling environment.

So if you’re someone who is regularly on calls in chaotic areas, you may want to take this into consideration. However, for most users, the microphone quality will go above and beyond your everyday needs.

Conclusion: Is it worth investing?

Alright, here’s the moment of truth. Is the Soundcore Life P3i worth your hard-earned money? Let’s scrutinize.

Value for Money

The Soundcore Life P3i offers substantial bang for the buck. At just $60, these earbuds are more than just affordable. They come with all the right bells and whistles – superb sound quality, decent battery life, and above-average noise cancellation.

Even though it doesn’t come equipped with all the features its older brother Life P3 had, the P3i compensates for this with its affordability and value. Yes, it lacks certain luxuries like wireless charging and some modes in its Active Noise Cancellation, but let’s consider the price point we are talking about. At this budget, these added features are more of exceptions than expectations.

The Final Verdict

The Soundcore Life P3i stands as a reliable budget pair of earbuds that doesn’t compromise on sound quality or user experience. They are definitely not the ‘ultimate’ or ‘the bass king’ in the earbuds market, nor do they boast of a luxurious outlook. Yet, they impress where it matters the most – decent sound quality, above-average noise cancellation, and user-friendly features, all bundled at a price that won’t make your wallet whimper.

If you’re someone who needs a pair of everyday earbuds that can handle your music, calls, and some casual workouts, without breaking the bank, the Soundcore Life P3i does make a strong case for itself. So there you have it, folks. The verdict is out – the Soundcore Life P3i is a value-packed add-on for your everyday audio experience.

Should you buy the Soundcore by Anker Life P3i Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Earbuds?

Buy it if…

Looking for Budget Friendly and High Quality

The Soundcore Life P3i offers premium sound quality and design, at a much more affordable price of 60 bucks.

Want Flexibility and Control

With the Soundcore App, you’re given the control to adjust sound levels and custom EQ for creating best sound experience.

You need Long Battery Life

Promising roughly nine hours of battery life on a single charge, the Soundcore Life P3i is the right pick for extended use.

Don’t buy it if…

You Want Wireless Charging

The Soundcore Life P3i buds lack wireless charging, a feature you might find in pricier models.

Expecting Versatility in Noise Cancellation Modes

Unlike its predecessor, the Life P3i doesn’t include the different modes like outdoor, indoor, and transport for active noise cancellation.

Desire Assortment in Colors

Compared to the original Life P3, these earbuds don’t offer many color variations.

FAQ

What is the price of the Soundcore Life P3i?

The Soundcore Life P3i is priced at 60 bucks.

How many color options are available for the Soundcore Life P3i?

The Soundcore Life P3i offers lesser color options compared to its predecessor.

Does the Soundcore Life P3i support wireless charging?

No, the Soundcore Life P3i does not support wireless charging.

What type of charging port does the Soundcore Life P3i have?

The Soundcore Life P3i has a type C charging port.

Can I use either of the earbuds independently while the other remains inside the case?

Yes, the Soundcore Life P3i supports independent use. You can use either the left or the right earbud while the other remains inside the case.

What is the battery life of the Soundcore Life P3i?

The Soundcore Life P3i offers approximately nine hours of battery life on a single charge, with 36 hours in total including the charging case.

How is the fit of the Soundcore Life P3i?

The Soundcore Life P3i has a stem style design which fits comfortably as long as the right size ear tips are used. The earbuds also stay in place relatively well.

How do I control the earbuds?

The Soundcore Life P3i earbuds have a touch-sensitive control located at the Soundcore logo area for controlling media.

What is the water resistance level of the Soundcore Life P3i?

The Soundcore Life P3i earbuds have an IPX5 rating which provides protection from sweat and water. However, they should not be completely submerged in water.