Soundcore by Anker Life A3i Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth 5.2, Hybrid ANC, Deep Bass, AI-Enhanced Calls with 6 Mics, 40H Playtime, Fast Charging, 22 Custom EQ, Transparency Mode

I wanted Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) earbuds that: - had hardware switches, or were hardwired - did not have microphones (but apparently this is impossible, for some alien reason to me) - did not require me to download a shitty app to use the ANC There are not very many ANC earbud choices that are hardwired, and the longevity of those also seems questionable for *several* times the price. There are some cheap wired ones that *claim* ANC, but I don't know if I actually trust them (...some are clearly just passive sound dampening and lying... some I am unsure.) When it comes to wireless ANC earbuds, most have touch controls. Even the ridiculously expensive ones. This filtered out most choices. Of "hardware switch ANC earbuds," I hadn't found any other wireless ANC earbud that doesn't *require* you to download their shitty app to turn on the ANC. This is a dealbreaker for me. ...So this was the *only* choice. That it's affordable certainly doesn't hurt anything. On to reviewing the actual earbud. The battery life on these is good. I wear these nearly all day long, every single day, and I'll put them in the charger during short trips to the bathroom or similar, so they get a little intermittent recharge time. They last from when I get up to when I go to bed. I got these 9 months ago, and the battery has not seemed significantly different despite literal constant daily use. Have not noticed any other degradations. The hardware switches system is very intuitive, and works without any app installation. You can turn on and off ANC, up and lower volume, and even skipping songs works. It's easy for me to remember and very fluid. I like this. The fit is good for me. A note is that the type of "silicone tips" these use are the type that irritate my ears (maybe a plastic hybrid silicone? Sigh, just use regular silicone please,) so I swapped out the tips for some spares. This has worked wonderfully. The ANC is sufficient for my needs. I have a neighbor who is constantly running some kind of bloody obnoxious noise machine 24/7. It makes a deep bass sound and vibrates the walls. I can't hear it at all with these in. It cuts out all neighbors' apartment noises, such as them screaming at their equally screaming kids all day long. I wouldn't survive the summer without these, while it does not cut out the old crappy air conditioner noise completely, it neutralizes it to the point that I am not actively being driven insane, and closing my room door makes it silent. It doesn't handle "sharp" sounds very well-- suddenly revving cars, dishes clattering. It does dampen some, but if it's loud and sudden enough it makes an almost disorienting balance effect. It has to be fairly extreme for the disorienting "lopsided effect" to happen, such as loud sports car drivers who consider "a quiet area" some kind of direct challenge to their ego, that try to split the sky open with their removed mufflers and noise "enhancements." There are some interesting quirks with these. One is that when I connect to my computer for the first time automatically, it will usually pick a sound volume and will not budge until forcibly disconnected and reconnected. Usually this sound is very quiet, so easy to notice, and easy enough to fix, but weird. I only have this issue with my computer, so it probably has something to do with Linux Mint's new bluetooth driver, specifically, blueman-manager. This issue is not present on (Linux) Steam Deck, my mp3 player, *or* my laptop Linux Mint running blueberry instead of blueman. These have an issue where they desync, and they will not resync themselves. You have to manually disconnect and reconnect them. This has happened on all devices I have tried them on (except my laptop, but that's possibly due to less usage testing.) This is not a very big issue for most of them, (maybe a single restart in a session, usually zero,) but it seems like on my PC some specific video games + Discord REALLY do not like these. As an example, Satisfactory + Discord desyncs these so much that I have to restart them, like, every half hour. I'll still use these over hardwired because it drives me less insane than the neighbor noise, but eesh. The "low battery" voice will absolutely jumpscare you, it's way too loud. Often you can tell when it is starting to get low, because they start to misbehave (more constant desyncs, odd behaviour like an earbud dropping for a second,) so it's ...sort of avoidable. I don't think the bluetooth connection is super strong, but if you are parked in the same room, it's extremely consistent. I will buy these for as long as they fulfill requirements and as long as we live in a world where noise pollution is the norm. I am incredibly noise sensitive with incredibly good hearing, and these make my life livable in a city. Autistic person approved (me.)

I got these hoping for literally any noise reduction at all during construction in our apartment building, right upstairs. I do have some Sony over-ear noise cancelling headphones that are kind of unreal, how good they are, but there's a problem, I have some fairly serious issues with jaw tension and the nerves in my jaw and face, and wearing the over-ear ones for long periods of time causes the pain to flare up really badly, so I wasn't going to be able to rely solely on those. I got them hoping, but not expecting. I was very pleasantly surprised. Now, a caveat - I seem to have fairly large ear canals, and so as a standard practice, I pop on some large memory foam eartips on literally all in-ear headphones I get, so they'll actually stay in my dang ears, and it also adds a level of noise isolation, too. (I mean, they're basically foam earplugs with holes for the headphones, after all.) I have tried these earbuds with the silicone tips they come with, and they still do a surprisingly good job, but if you really want the best performance out of these, buy yourself some memory foam eartips to go with them. (The ones I have that fit accommodate earbud tips between 4.5mm and 5.6mm.) The only downside is you're going to need a little bag for them and the teeny tiny little charging case (seriously, it's so small), because with the foam eartips on, they do NOT fit properly into the charging case to make a connection. Battery life is surprisingly good for tiny little things like this. I'm afraid I don't have a proper hour measure, I've not worn them out to 0% yet when I'm wearing them. One thing I'll say is that the sound is VERY bass heavy, to me. However, I'm fairly biased, as my usual headphones (other than those over-ear Sonys) are all in-ear monitors that are 'tuned' to have a flatter response than most of the 'average' headphones out there, so this is probably closer to how most headphones these days are tuned, really, and it's just all in what you expect. Still, it's startling to me, at least. Now, how is this impressive noise cancelling, really? Is it as good as the over-ears? No. No it isn't, but I didn't expect that, especially at this price point. Those other headphones, those are $300. These were $45. Obviously there's going to be a difference. Things that the expensive ones will mute to all but entirely silent, if not silent, ARE audible with these. However, it makes everything very surprisingly quieter. Louder noises sound "farther away". It even managed to make the banging of the construction upstairs sound fainter and further away than the earplugs alone, so it's not purely those memory foam tips carrying the entire weight. In fact, I found when I tried wearing these out, to listen to something at the grocery store, it was unnervingly good at muffling everything. I ended up swapping over to the included silicone tips there, because they did let in a little more of the sound around me and it didn't feel quite so odd! To sum these up: If you're comparing these to expensive, high end headphones with active noise cancellation, as long as you're aware that this is a totally different price bracket, I think you'll be quite pleasantly surprised how well these tiny little things somehow manage to compete in terms of noise cancellation. If you're willing to carry everything in a little case or bag, adding memory foam eartips makes it even better. They're bass-forward sound, and I wouldn't say they're the best sound of anything I've ever used, but that's not why you're buying noise cancelling earbuds, really, is it? You want something adequate in the sound department, above average in noise cancellation, and generally punching above its price class, right? If so, that's these.

I bought these A3i earbuds to use mainly at work. I didn't want to pay $200 or more for another popular brand that shall remain nameless. I am fairly picky about headphones.. Years ago I worked at a major mastering studio where I wore big, nice sounding headphones all day while making master tape copies. I still want my headphones to sound good for the money; deep, sharp clear & clean. Despite the low price, these definitely do. The noise cancellation works great. They're not going to cancel out short, loud sounds, but they excel at canceling out long continuous background noise like air conditioners, fans, and such, even an air compressor motor. . With the provided phone app, you can set up the mode of noise cancellation you prefer; full cancellation, partial outside sound pass thru, or no cancellation at all. You can also set your EQ preference and lock it in. I will mention that if you use these with an older device that has Bluetooth version 4, they will not sound quite as good as Bluetooth 5 which most devices have had for several years. Bluetooth 4 seems to compress the music more. The battery life and comfort are great. I can wear these all day and feel no ear pain or pressure. The battery seems to go for hours and hours, longer than I need it to, so I have never wished for better life. I have used them on phone calls with an iPhone SE and they worked great. I do miss the Apple and Siri integration of my old Airpods, but I can live without that. One minor complaint I have is that smooth matte finish makes the charging case and earbuds incredibly hard to grip, like holding onto a slippery egg. I'm not a clumsy person, but it seems every time I handle them I drop either the case or buds. This is a minor problem though. In my opinion, for the price, these earbuds are hard to beat.

I got these to try out on an upcoming trip. I have been using over-the-ear noise canceling headphones for years, and I like them except for the amount of space they take up in my carry-on. I also have terrible luck with in-ear headphones. I have tried countless brands and types and I can rarely find a pair that doesn't simply fall out of at least one of my ears, regardless of what size tips I try. Anyway, I decided to try these and return them if they didn't work out. To my surprise these fit my finicky ears and were comfortable. I had them in for many hours at a time with no issues. That made them a big win for me off the bat. I am impressed with the sound quality at this price point. A nice, balanced sound with decent lows and clear highs. I tried various EQ settings in the Soundcore app, but ended up happy with the standard curve. I don't have other in-ear headphones with noise canceling to compare these to, but it works as well, if not better than my over the ears, and I like the different modes so I don't have to remove them all the time on planes or out in public to hear. Things aren't dead quiet, but I don't know that any set can achieve that. It certainly knocks the ambient noise on planes and trains down to a whisper. Battery life was good enough to get me through several moderate-length flights and a 5 hour train ride with plenty of juice to spare. No complaints there. Connectivity with my Galaxy phone and tablet was quick and consistent. I didnt notice any lag when using them to watch video. I appreciate the ease with which you can change the button shortcuts in the app. I wish the headphones were just touch sensitive but I get that is a pipe dream at this price. Once you get used to where the little buttons are it's not a big deal. All in all I think these are a great bargain, and I would recommend that people who struggle with fitment on other headphones to give them a try.

Overall these are worth the sub $50 I paid for them. But they aren't as great as they easily could be. Fit is good. Sound is decent, volume could be better. The noise cancelling is OK at best, and the passive mode is a bit weird. They don't have half the battery life that my previous Anker Liberty units had, despite advertising an hour longer battery life. They almost never make it through the day, were the Liberty's could almost last 2 days, and I am not using any noise cancelling. The case also holds way less charge, but I do appreciate that it uses USB C, rather than Mini USB. I really like the Liberties, and the only reason I decided to change was they didn't support independant use, the right one was master, and the left could only be used when the right one was active. I usually only have one in, so the left one has only been used 10% as much as the right, and the right one was showing some age. The LifeA3i is just a bit smaller than the Liberty, which is nice. But the real part that drives me nuts is the controls. I can change the 2 sec hold, and the doubel click, but not the single click. Using one bud, a single click increases the volume. I can't make it do something more practical like answer a call, or pause. Also the location of the button is hard to find, so I am always tapping it while trying to find it. This is a software thing, that seems like it should be easy, but it makes them a lot harder to use. Also the case is the power switch, there is no way to turn them on or off without the case. The Liberties could be powered off with a long press, so I didn't need the case a lot of the time. The Life A3i will power up, and connect when the case is open, even if still in the case! The Liberties powered off, as soon as they got power. So I was on a call, and not using the A3i, and unthinking opened the case, and thought my call dropped, but it had transferred to the buds, despite still being in the case! It is easy to deal with the dramatically shorter battery life, since the 2 sides can be used independently, and they charge pretty quick. But the case doesn't hold half the charge of the Liberties either. But the user interface with the buttons and case makes these rather annoying. Kudos to Anker for allowing 90 days return through Amazon! Because after 3 weeks now, I am really torn on to keep them or return them. But I suppose an even bigger problem is Anker lists 21 different wireless earbuds on their site, and probably has 40 different models available for purchase in the retail space right now!! And there is very little real information to determine the difference between half of them. About all you can do is buy a pair, try them and return them.

Got these after my Powerbeats Pro bit the dust. I am extremely impressed at the feature set - active noise canceling and transparency mode are usually only available in headphones 4 times the price. This was my first time having phones with ANC, and I have been deeply impressed. I do not know how they compare to other ANC headphones. The transparency mode is subtle, but it does feel almost as if I don't have headphones in when it's on. The sound quality is great! I wouldn't recommend these to an audiophile, but when comparing to my powerbeats pro, I find the sound to be quite enjoyable on these. They can connect to two devices at the same time, so I can listen to music and be available for calls on two different phones, which is absolutely awesome. The app gives you lots of configuration options, but is lacking some that I would sorely love to have: -there are control options for what button presses do. When both earphones are in, you can single press, double press, or hold the button on either phone to do different things. needs a triple-press option. When one headphone is in, you literally drop to half the available options. -ANC and transparency mode do not work when only 1 headphone is used, meaning you are partly deaf in one ear if people are talking to you. They are comfy, and generally stay in my ears without issue for the vast majority of my activities. My job is very physical, so they do start to slip or get knocked out when my earwax starts to melt from body heat. If they had the same features on an over the ear model, that would be great. Despite those detractors, I like these things enough that I am likely to never drop $200 on earbuds again.

The sound quality in these headphones are fantastic. So I was super excited about this amazing find at such a great price, until...... After using them for a couple weeks they needed recharging (I don't use them for a long time each day). After pulling them out the next time, the left ear bud was showing low battery and would only work for about 10 seconds. So I tried charging them again, same results. At this point I followed the "troubleshooting helps" and tried charging 2 more times, still nothing. At this point I am outside of the return window. So I contact the manufacturer and request a warranty refund. I jump through several hoops and and required to send them several emails with different request for information. I am pretty sure they are hoping that I will just give up. But I am stubborn. So I continue. They finally give in and let me know they will be sending me a replacement pair, which was great for me. Because of you remember they do have great sound. My new pair shows up, they work great! Until they need recharging AGAIN. Then again, same problem. I was hoping this time it would be the right ear that doesn't charge, because then I would have a complete set. No such luck!! The same left ear bud will not charge for anything. I followed troubleshooting again same problems continue. Now I have no receipt for the second pair so I have nothing to send to the manufacturer for another pair or a warranty exchange. What do I do now?!? Just save yourself the trouble and don't buy them. Learn from me.

I've now experienced using the Life A3i ear buds for about 4 months and they have been great. I've always had good luck with products from the Anker family and this one from their Soundcore group did not disappoint. The build quality is solid and high-quality, and I think the features and performance especially for this and even higher price points are among the best. The buds are comfortable, they go a long time in between battery charges, and I have them connected to my Android cell and tablet, which the connection is flawless on both whether talking, listening to music or watching videos. I've used them for wireless calling in my home office and the sound quality is clear on both ends. I enjoy bicycling and have them on and connected to my cell when out riding. I'm able to talk and hear clearly to my significant other with no interferences and she says she can hear me just fine, even when I'm riding at 10-15 MPH. Music and/or cell notifications come through loud and clear. Plus, they stay in my ears. There are some comments here that the ANC could be better. I think the ANC is just fine. Keep in mind, that these are ear buds and not over-the-ear/earmuff style headphones. Plus, there are 3 settings in the app that allow you different levels related to noise cancelling, maybe the others don't realize this and have their ANC turned off. The app has an equalizer with many preset settings for different music genres and if you need additional variables, you can customize the equalizer. If you are in the market for new ear buds, I would suggest that you owe it to yourself to give these a look. This has been my experience with this product and hope that you too that your listening experience is also as favorable as mine has been.

اشتريتها سنة 2022 و الحين 24 ولا زالت بجودتها و لا خربت مع اني مارحمتها اسمع فيها لساعات طويلة ويوميا ميزتها واللي خلاني اشتريها الكنترول بزر الكبس ليست لمس صوتها واضح جدا و البيس ممتاز. ثابتة بالأذن اذا جافة و طالما ما تعرق ولا كم مرة ازلقت من اذوني بصراحة.و لكن شغلة وحدة ازعجتني السماعة ما تطفي الا اذا خلص الشحن او حطيتها بالصندوق الشاحن و سكرته اذا بتستخدم سماعة وحدة لا زم ترجع الثانية للصندوق ولا خلق الله بيسمعون كل شي. ميزة عزل الصوت مع المكالمة بالجوال تشتغل بشكل ممتاز مع السماعتين بسماعة وحدة يوقف العزل. تقييمي لها 9\10 بالنسبة للشحن وصلتني بالوقت و الباكيج كان سليم

Well, after using these for a few days I am afraid they are going back. Pros: SOUND QUALITY They sound pretty good and the app is nice for the price. Descent bass and volume. App is excellent CONNECTING Buds pair quickly and easily. I just opened the case and my iPhone recognized them immediately. DEDICATED BUTTONS & PROFILE The dedicated buttons are nice as well if they last, rather than the soft touch like my last pair and I like the low profile. Connecting to Siri is quick and no issues. Being able to customize each buttons 1click, 2clicks, 2second hold functions is great. Something my last buds didn't have PHONE CALL QUALITY Phone call quality is good Cons: COMFORT They are not very comfortable for my ears, as all ears are different, they very well could be very comfortable in your ears. I were earbuds for work for hrs at a time cuz I am in a noisy environment and miss calls/txts if I don't have them in. They also protect my ears from the high decibels in my work place so I need them to be comfortable. CHARGING PORT What is up with the charge port on the bottom of the case? They should have a pic of that in the add, at least I didn't see one. I found the sellers service to be very good and their warranty is very good too. After comparing my old ones to these for a while, I opted to purchase a black pair. The sound quality is too good for this price point and out weigh the cons. I also trust the Anker brand's quality and service. UPDATE: Received the replacement buds and they work great. Shipping was next day. I have changed my OVERALL RATING TO 5 STARS for the second buds I received. Sound is great, solid bass and good phone quality according to those I have called through them. Excellent Value for $49.99

كنت فاكر انه جيد علشان ماكتب عنه من بعض الناس وكمان المركه محترمه بس لما فتحت السماعه بسمع كويس بس الذي بتصل بيه لا يسمع خالص لذي من اول مكالمه اتضح انها غير جيده فلا انصح بيها

These earphones are great, they fit well and stay inside very well. Noise cancelation and sound modes are also good for this price point (AED 129). Charging time and battery life great for the small size. Sound is good and clear, bass and quality of material is also decent. The physical button on the side is a 100 times better than the touch prompts on some other models as it is very reliable and straight forward to customize. Call quality and mic is not good, but this is the same issue with most blutooth earphones from all brands. These earphones are great for listening to audio and podcasts while moving around without having to worry about them falling. It is not suitable for having Zoom meetings or taking phone calls. Highly recommemd these earphones especially because of the responsive physical buttons 👍🏼

Things I like about these: - It works, build quality seems good - The battery lasts long enough for everything I need - The app works, I can easily switch ANC modes and see the battery level - Good sound isolation, good fit in my ears. The silicone insert are a good size (includes 3 sets to choose from) - They're small and comfortable to wear all day. Black and discrete, no bright blinking lights on the ear buds Things that could be better: - the sound quality for music is good enough for the price but not as good as other earphones I've used before.