Soundcore Life P3 Review: The Best AirPods Alternative?

Anker’s audio brand name, called Soundcore, handles to regularly damage the competitors with its affordable-yet-impressive cordless earbuds. And the business’s newest fare takes things to a brand-new level. The Soundcore Life P3 earbuds cost simply $80, however they use excellent sound quality with outstanding bass, strong ANC and Ambient modes, and an app that does not draw.

As far as I’m worried, the Life P3s might be the very best stem-styled earbuds that aren’t made by Apple. And although the Life P3s are relatively various from AirPods, they’re one of the only “AirPods options” that I believe deserves taking seriously.

Specs

• Drivers: 11 mm
• Earbud Weight: 4.5 grams each
• Case Weight:545 grams (635 grams with earbuds)
• Active Noise Cancelation: Yes
• Transparency Mode: Yes
• Single Earbud Mode: Yes
• Bluetooth: 5.0
• Codecs: AAC, SBC
• Battery Life: 7 hours on earbuds, 28 hours with case; 35 overall
• Charging Cable: USB-C
• Charging Time: 2 to 3 hours
• Wireless Charging: Qi
• Control Type: Touch controls (adjustable)
• Additional Tips: Small, Medium, Large, XL
• Frequency Response: 20– 20,000 Hz
• IP Rating: IPX5

Comfortable Design, Solid Build Quality

Like the majority of Soundcore earbuds, the Life P3 sport a comfy stemmed style. They look really comparable to AirPods, though they can be found in numerous colors (consisting of a stunning coral red) and have silicone ear pointers.

And that’s the very first location where Soundcore wins brownie points– the Life P3 buds feature 5 sets of ear pointers, completely sized for little, medium, and enormous ear holes. An in-app test assists you select which ear suggestions fit you finest, which is extremely essential, as the Life P3’s ANC and Transparency functions do not work when your ears are incorrectly sealed. (A great deal of earbud makers appear to ignore this information.)

Once you discover the ideal ear suggestions, the Soundcore Life P3s are extremely comfy and protected. They will not fall out throughout a journey to the health club (unlike AirPods), and their IPX5 sweat-resistance score makes sure that they will not suffer a devastating breakdown throughout an extreme exercise, presuming that you aren’t absolutely soaked with sweat.

Even much better, the develop quality’s great. The Life P3s are light-weight, however they feel strong and do not have any sharp plasticy edges. The very same opts for the charging case, which has a good spring-loaded cover (for one-handed operation), 3 LEDs to reveal battery life, and a sync button to assist you rapidly combine the Life P3s to a brand-new gadget.

As for battery life, Soundcore assures 7 hours of constant playtime or an overall of 35 hours with the charging case (which charges over USB-C). Those numbers fall to 6 hours and 30 hours with ANC allowed. This is my least preferred thing to test– using earbuds for more than a couple of hours draws. I handled to drain pipes the Soundcore Life P3s a couple of times, and they just fell brief of their marketed battery life when listening sessions consisted of a long phone call.

Shockingly Good Sound for the Price

Good noise can make or break a set of earbuds, and I’m pleased to state that the Life P3s deal extremely outstanding sound quality for the rate. Bass is the huge emphasize here– the Life P3s function big 11 mm chauffeurs, so they’ve got a lots of rumble.

The default Life P3 noise profile is warm and rewarding, particularly for dance music, hip-hop, and contemporary R&B. While the Life P3s do not have the flat “studio” noise of Apple’s AirPods, I believe that some individuals will choose Soundcore’s focus on bass.

And for those who are definitely insane about rumbling music, Soundcore’s app consists of a BassUp toggle to enhance radio frequencies. Soundcore likes to consist of BassUp in the majority of its audio items, and although I generally dislike the function, it’s quite enjoyable to utilize with the Life P3 earbuds.

Of course, the Soundcore app lets you choose from numerous predetermined noise settings, and you can even develop custom-made presets with an eight-band EQ. I discovered that even with more conservative EQ settings, the Life P3s work best with modern music. Performance history prior to the 80 s do not equate completely over these earbuds, a minimum of not for me.

I likewise wish to applaud the Life P3s for their soundstage. Stereo impacts feel very large with these earbuds, and I can plainly hear when a noise is panned to the left or best channel. It’s another thing I didn’t anticipate for $80

Unfortunately, the call quality stinks. There are 3 microphones in each earbud, however the noise they get is peaceful and tinny. That stated, I didn’t experience any dropouts, and I discovered that call quality stayed functional whether I was inside or outdoors.

Soundcore likewise ignored to consist of aptX with the Life P3s. This codec would make the most of sound quality on Android gadgets, though I do not believe the typical individual would observe the distinction. It’s simply an embarassment that makers keep overlooking the innovation in mid-range items.

Unpredictable Touch Controls

Thanks to robust touch controls, you can change the majority of the Life P3’s settings without taking out your phone. There’s play and time out assistance, the capability to trigger ANC and Ambient modes, and even a “tap and hold” command that raises Google Assistant or Siri.

These touch manages need that you double-tap the earbuds, which ought to avoid unexpected inputs. Furthermore, you can tailor the controls from Soundcore’s app– an useful alternative for those who desire single-tap controls.

Here’s my issue; the touch controls are unforeseeable. They aren’t constantly that responsive, so I typically discover myself tapping the earbuds over and over once again simply to stop briefly music. It does not assist that the controls are sluggish, so I constantly need to wait on a 2nd to see if the earbuds are being picky or simply taking their time.

Also, there’s no ear detection. This function makes earbuds instantly stop briefly when you eliminate them from your ears, and it would be truly good to have in the Life P3s, thinking about the wonky touch controls.

Usable ANC and Ambient Modes

You truly can’t anticipate an $80 set of earbuds to provide first-rate ANC. That stated, Soundcore handled to manage something unique, and I ‘d gladly advise these earbuds to anybody searching for an economical noise-canceling service.

The Life P3s are remarkably proficient at shutting out the rumble of an engine or the noise of an ac system. You can manage ANC on the fly by tapping the left earbud, or opening the Soundcore app to change ANC strength.

My just significant problem is that the greatest ANC mode, called Transport, significantly lowers music quality. Not to the degree of similarly-priced ANC earbuds, however enough to make me grab a more costly item when I understand I’ll remain in an extremely loud environment.

Soundcore likewise knocked it out of the park with “Ambient mode,” which is the business’s name for Transparency mode. It simply works– I utilize Ambient mode to generate external sound while cooking, as it conserves me from taking out the earbuds when somebody chooses to bug me. (That stated, I discovered that Apple’s Transparency mode is a bit more efficient.)

Holy Crap, I Love the App!

There’s a great deal of things that I dislike about Bluetooth earphones and earbuds. Earphone apps hold an unique, dark location in my heart, and I prevent them as much as possible. The Soundcore app (iOS/Android) is an exception; it’s exceptional.

I’ve currently pointed out a few of the app’s numerous functions– you can select from predetermined sound profiles, construct custom-made EQs, change ANC strength, and carry out a test to discover which ear idea fits you finest. This things is quite ordinary, so why is the Soundcore app so unique?

Simply put, the app’s simple to utilize and hasn’t offered me any issues. Whatever you require is right there, plainly identified. You can even trigger a low-latency video gaming mode with a single tap or rapidly program a sleep playlist utilizing integrated ambient noises.

My preferred part of the app is the comprehensive eight-band EQ. Modifications you make to the EQ are right away obvious on the earbuds; there isn’t an insane hold-up. It makes calling in a sound extremely simple, which hasn’t been my experience with other earbuds.

The Gist: An Awesome, Bass-Heavy AirPods Alternative

Those who intend to discover the kind aspect, quality, and design of AirPods at a lower rate must provide the Soundcore Life P3s a shot. At simply $80, they’re less than half the rate of what Apple needs to provide, yet they provide a killer listening experience with ANC and Ambient modes.

Now, to be clear, the Life P3s aren’t a copy of the AirPods. Both items have their own attributes, and the Life P3s are special in the focus the business placed on bass. If you’re searching for a more neutral noise, you might wish to look somewhere else or pony up the $180 for a set of AirPods.