Until now, “cheap” has meant the range due to high-end active noise cancellation (ANC) easily reaching over. The Anker Soundcore Life P3 earbuds significantly lower the bar and offer a competitive price for a pair of noise-canceling or not true wireless earphones. Obviously, the ANC can’t match products like the $280 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, but it’s remarkably effective for the money. The Life P3 wins our Editors’ Choice award for the best affordable noise-canceling earphones thanks to these two qualities, which are also excellent for the sound quality.
Soundcore Life P3 review: Design
To be honest, the Soundcore Life P2s had a strange and fairly cheap appearance. It appears Anker got the message given how far better the P3s are. The Life P3’s build quality is superior, and the earbuds are heavier and more robust. The metallic finish around the stems and the soft-touch plastic shell give these a more upscale appearance overall. We prefer Oat White over the other colorways due to its elegant appearance. In addition to these modifications, the design choices for the mid-tier earbuds include a number of respectable upgrades, such as IPX5 water resistance, a unibody construction, a stylish pebble-style case with a flip-open door on a sturdy hinge, and five sets of ear tips for maximum comfort. More specifically, the case weighs 1.8 ounces and is 2.4 x 2.1 x 1.2 inches, while the buds are only 1.5 x 0.9 x 0.9 inches and weigh a pitiful 4.8 grams. These figures are comparable to those of typical earbuds, and more importantly, they guarantee a secure fit that prevents jostling while jogging and a comfortable fit for an extended period of time without any weight fatigue.
Comfort
The Life P3 was quite comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Many of the silicone eartips that are included should suit you comfortably. A fit test feature is also available in the convenient Soundcore app to ensure that the tips you choose are truly closing your ear canal well. Try different sizes. Far too many people just stick with the factory-installed tips because they are comfortable, but doing so can lead to poor sound quality and subpar ANC performance. The Life P3 doesn’t have wing tips or earhooks, so it won’t lock into your ears as firmly as earbuds made for running or intense workouts, but they should work just fine for low-impact activities like brisk walking, cycling, rowing, or weight lifting. Due to the silicone, they are far more secure than Apple’s AirPods.
Soundcore Life P3 review: Connectivity
These headphones provide consistent connectivity and use Bluetooth 5.0. It took no time at all to pair with laptops and mobile devices, and it took even less time to re-paint with our last linked device. It would have been nice if the Life P3 had Bluetooth 5.2, especially in light of the fact that other low-cost audio manufacturers like EarFun and Tribit have recently introduced products with the feature. Multipoint technology was also available, which would have allowed users to simultaneously connect the earbuds to two different devices.
Noise cancelling
The addition of active noise cancellation (ANC), which is not best in class but adequate for most scenarios, is one of the most significant advancements from the Life P2 earbuds. There are four different ANC modes offered by Anker: Transport, Indoor, Outdoor, and Custom. Each one targets a different frequency of ambient noise and offers varying degrees of customizability. also you will learn our article on Soundcore Life P3 review. The Life P3s are effective in removing distractions in real-world situations, such as our partner’s day job using a phone or the sound of passing cars when the window is open. The noise cancellation is still excellent for the price, but there are odd instances of noise leakage, especially in windy conditions like during a walk along the River Trent. The Transparency Mode, which Anker has perfected in all of its earbuds since the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, was what really stood out, though. From across the room, we could clearly hear and understand every word being said in a conversation.
Audio performance
The Soundcore Signature EQ runs the show by default and creates warm, pleasing sounds. The option now has a BassUp toggle for boosted bass response. Those who are familiar with Anker headphones are aware with this technology; in the past, it has been a bit gimmicky, but it has been enhanced over the Life P3 and works effectively. Enabling BassUp will make you smile like the Joker if you prefer to have thunderous lows pouring through the 11-millimeter drivers. Just be aware that clarity suffers in some places. Firey rhymes and rattling uptempo drums that blended superbly over the menacing bass loop were the driving forces behind LL Cool J’s “Murdergram,” which put on a headbanging clinic. The overall production sounded tight even though this recording is a live performance. The crowd interaction and siren-like effects, which are typically understated sonic components, were made to stand out. When listening with ANC on, BassUp was disabled, which reduced the low end but didn’t affect how powerful it was. The Life P3 excels in bouncy, modern music genres, but it also does well in other styles. Mids were well represented on acoustic tracks like Sam Smith’s “Latch,” where the vocals stood out over the background of melodic piano-inspired music. The quality did decline when BassUp was activated. These buds don’t have a lot of high-end presence either. On Ahmad Jamal’s “The Awakening,” we could hear the constant hi-hats, but they lacked focus and faded into the background once louder instruments and sounds began to play. Additionally, Anker created a game mode for mobile devices that promises reduced latency and improved sound effects. There is one restriction, though: the inform tab warns that connection instability could happen. We don’t play mobile games much, but in the 30 minutes we spent playing Mario Kart Tour, the startup screen’s longer-than-expected loading time was the only significant connectivity issue we noticed. The drifting and weapon effects may sound better to those with detailed hearing than they do when listening in regular mode.
Soundcore Life P3 review: Call performance
We would rate the call quality as superior. The Life P3 works best for voice and video calls indoors. Until we entered the laundry room, where clicks and other noises caused by the washer intruded upon our conversation, our family member commented that volume and clarity were almost as good as if we were speaking directly via the phone. Talking outside was a bit contradictory since, while the microphones were successful in isolating the majority of ambient noise, calls nevertheless had an echo-like quality as if we were conversing in a confined space. Communication was tough as a result.
Battery and charging
According to Soundcore, the Life P3 has a seven-hour battery life on a single charge when ANC and transparency are disabled, and a 35-hour battery life when the charging case is used. When you use ANC or transparency, those values decrease to six hours and thirty hours, respectively. We actually received a little bit more than this during testing, with roughly 7.5 hours of non-ANC time. In any case, these are really impressive results that outperform many competing products in this price range and are significantly superior to Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Pro. A fast-charge feature that extends your battery life by an additional two hours after just 10 minutes of socket time rounds out the Life P3’s power specifications, which is also excellent. also you can check our article on Soundcore Life P3 review.
Price and availability
Conclusion
The Anker Life P3 are excellent for travel and commuting. They can block out higher frequency sounds like other passengers’ chatter as well as the bass-heavy rumble of bus and airplane engines because of their adjustable ANC feature. They are well-fitted for long days on the go, and their lightweight construction is pocket-friendly. With the ANC on, they only last slightly longer than five hours, but their case has some additional charges.
