Anker Soundcore Q20i and the Forty-Dollar Hybrid Noise Cancellation

Anker still sells the Soundcore Q20i as a $70 pair that regularly lands closer to $40, and that number explains why these over-ears keep showing up in carry-ons years after their original launch. Hybrid cancellation, a 40-hour ANC claim, memory-foam cups, and a fold-flat frame sit in a package light enough that you forget them until the cabin drone disappears. For commuters and travelers who want silence more than a flagship badge, that combination has been hard to ignore.

Anker’s headphones excel in hybrid cancelation, which uses four microphones, two pointing out and two pointing in, to eliminate rumble before it reaches your ear. The technology appears to be able to reduce low-frequency noise by 90 percent, including airline engines, bus motors, and workplace air conditioning. That is sufficient to effectively eliminate noisy cabins, subway chatter, and workplace fans without making you feel as if your ears are shut off in a more expensive set, although some loud speech and sudden noises still pass through.

Memory foam pads and soft leather on the outside make wearing these for long periods of time much easier than you may expect, especially for the price. The weight of 246 grams allows you to wear them for up to eight hours without developing hot spots. However, if you have large ears, the ear apertures are a little narrow, and the cup’s light hold means it can fall off if you gaze down too quickly. However, the cups fold up flat, making them ideal for storing in a backpack or the supplied case. The plastic headband and hinge are quite fragile, but they should be durable enough to withstand daily use.

The 40mm drivers and BassUp tech give the default sound a pretty heavy low end, which is great for hip hop, EDM, and modern pop, as the bass thumps along nicely and goes deep, but the mids get lost in the mix, so vocals and instruments can sound muddled, and the treble can get a little too sharp at times. Soundcore’s app has 22 pre-sets to choose from, as well as a custom equalizer, which can help to draw some of that bass back, even if the underlying V-shape in the sound remains. Wireless audio is via Bluetooth 5.0, although it only supports SBC and AAC; nevertheless, when you plug in the provided 3.5mm connection, it begins to refer to itself as Hi-Res. It also supports multipoint pairing, allowing you to connect it to both your phone and laptop at the same time, and it will instantly switch to the new device when it begins playing.

The battery life is what everyone is talking about, since Anker claims 40 hours with cancelation on and 60 with it off, but most users tend to get about the mid-to-high 30s with ANC on and around 49 hours in mixed use, which is still enough for a long weekend. A 5-minute top-up provides around four hours of playing, while a full charge takes an hour and a half to two hours. One thing to keep in mind if you’re using a wire: plugging in the 3.5mm cable usually turns off active noise cancelation, so you’re back to just music without the quiet.

Call quality is rather straightforward: its single microphone performs admirably in calmer areas but struggles in busy cafés or on public transportation, where background noise is amplified. All app functionality, including firmware updates, white noise tracks, and mode switching, is available via the Soundcore app for iOS and Android.