Soundcore Soundcore - by Anker P30i True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds - Black Review

Get these for the astonishingly good ANC at a $30 price point. Just know the battery life is among the worst we've tested, and sound quality is merely average. It's a one-trick pony, but it does that trick better than almost anything else for the money.

The Anker Soundcore P30i is a weird little package. It scores a 94th percentile for its active noise cancellation, which is genuinely impressive for a $30-32 pair of buds. That's the headline number. But then you look at the battery life, sitting at a dismal 8th percentile, and you realize this is a product of extreme trade-offs.

What you're getting is a feature-packed, well-built set of earbuds with a clever 2-in-1 case that doubles as a phone stand. It's a gadget lover's dream on paper. The overall score in our database is a 67/100, which tells you it's a solid budget pick with some very clear strengths and one glaring weakness.

Let's talk about that ANC. A 94th percentile ranking means it's blocking out noise better than almost everything else we've tested, including some models that cost three times as much. The claimed 42dB reduction seems legit for the price. Pair that with Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity (88th percentile) and a build quality score in the 88th percentile, and you've got a very competent physical package.

Now, the downsides. The sound quality lands in the 47th percentile, which is just okay. It's tuned for bass, as Anker's BassUp tech suggests, but don't expect audiophile detail. The microphone performance is even weaker at the 43rd percentile, so calls in noisy places might be a struggle. The real kicker is battery life. With just 6 hours of ANC playtime per charge, it's in the bottom 10% of all earbuds we track. You'll be charging the case a lot.

At $30-32, the value proposition is entirely about the noise cancellation. You're paying budget money for a premium-tier ANC experience. Everything else you get—the clever case, the comfortable fit, the solid Bluetooth—feels like a bonus. Just know that the trade-off for that cheap, powerful ANC is battery life you'd expect from a product a decade older.

Stacked up against direct rivals, the P30i's story is clear. The Nothing Ear (a) offers better balanced sound and a more refined app experience for a similar price, but its ANC isn't as strong. Anker's own P31i has better battery life and adaptive ANC, but costs a bit more. If you look at the Sony WF-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, you're getting vastly better sound, mics, and battery, but you're also paying over $200. The P30i carves its niche by being the budget king for silence, and nothing else.

Skip the P30i if you're away from a charger all day. That 8th percentile battery score is a deal-breaker for long-haul travelers or all-day workers. Also, avoid it if call clarity is critical—the mic is in the bottom half of all models. And if you're an audiophile, the 47th percentile sound quality won't impress you, even with the boosted bass.

We can recommend the Soundcore P30i, but with a very specific user in mind. If your top priority is blocking out the world on a commute or flight for under $35, and you're never far from a USB-C port, these are a no-brainer. That ANC score is no joke. But if you need all-day battery, crisp call quality, or nuanced audio, you'll need to look at the next price tier or accept a different set of compromises elsewhere.