Probably no major manufacturer has expanded its market position in the headphone market in the price range under 100 euros (price comparison) as much as Anker. Under the Soundcore brand, the company offers headphones in various formats that have one thing in common: a solid price-performance ratio. The prime example of Anker’s headphone art is the popular Soundcore Q35 (test report), which is particularly impressive with its high sound quality and comfortable fit.
The focus on the price-performance ratio is also evident in the Soundcore Q20i, one of the manufacturer’s cheaper models. You can currently get the headphones on Amazon with one Discount Coupon already for 33 Euro. The overall package is convincing. However, there are some (foreseeable) weaknesses – the test shows what these are.
Design & comfort
In classic Soundcore style, the manufacturer focuses on restraint when it comes to design. The headphones are made entirely of black plastic and synthetic leather padding on the ear cups and the headband, which also has a metal core for stability. The Soundcore logo appears on the device a total of five times, four of which are visible when worn – that might seem excessive to some. But it doesn’t bother us.
The left ear cup has no function except for sound reproduction; it is operated exclusively via the right side. There we find two volume control buttons, a power and play button and an ANC button. Next to it is the USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The ear cups can be turned inwards and rotated by an estimated 100 degrees. Of course, the headphones can also be folded up. Overall, we find the design completely appropriate and successful, the workmanship is solid and you don’t immediately get the feeling that the Q20i costs less than 50 euros when you pick up the headphones. The wearing comfort is also good, but the ear cushions are not exceptionally breathable and you should take a break every few hours so that it doesn’t become uncomfortable. In our opinion, the contact pressure on the head could be a little less; this can be a problem, especially with large heads.
Klang & ANC
The sound quality of the Soundcore Q20i is good, especially considering the low price. You can’t expect much more here. The frequency tuning is okay, but shows one peculiarity: the mids seem to be more emphasized than the bass and highs. Reverse frequency tuning is more common.
This means that the vocalist’s voice comes into its own in songs, especially when the soundstage is busy and packed, but the instruments can sometimes blur behind her. You notice this very clearly 505 the Arctic Monkeys. In the last section of the song, where the singer’s voice suddenly joins in with all the other instruments (electric guitar, drums, synthesizer) to form the bridge, you can hear his voice quite clearly and prominently. The bassline that actually makes up the track almost disappears completely, the sometimes jarring and raw sounding percussion instruments together with the electric guitar almost crush it. Scenes like this are rather the exception and in many other genres such as hip-hop the warm and friendly sound can be convincing.
We would like to say a few words about the bass: Soundcore markets the headphones with a bass-up feature. If you double tap the ANC button, this mode activates and increases the bass. There is something similar with the Skullcandy Crusher 2. The interesting thing, however, is that the bass in these headphones is not developed strong enough purely due to the hardware for activating this mode to make a big difference. The sub-bass, which was barely present at the beginning, is only slightly amplified, but the more centrally located bass is increased relatively strongly, which results in what feels like a gray veil of inferior bass lying over the songs. We always found this unpleasant in the test and would therefore recommend not using the mode or only in exceptional cases.
Active noise canceling is present, but rather weak. This only suppresses monotonous, deep sounds such as the hum of a motor or a fan. Higher frequency sounds such as voices cannot be suppressed, but are somewhat muffled. However, that is to be expected in this price range.
Furnishing
The features of the Soundcore Q20i are more or less reduced to what is necessary. There is Bluetooth 5.0 – unfortunately not a newer version – and the aforementioned 3.5 mm audio jack. The only audio codec is SBC/AAC, so higher quality sound transmission with aptX or LDAC is not possible. But that’s no surprise given the price. We think it’s good that there is Bluetooth multipoint for up to two devices. The integrated microphone has average voice quality. There is no wearing sensor.
Operation & app
The Soundcore Q20i is operated using the buttons on the right earcup. Pressing the pause button once will stop or start playback or answer an incoming call. If you hold it for a second, the call will be rejected. You can adjust the volume using the two volume buttons. If you press the volume up or volume down button a little longer, you will jump to the next or previous track. When you press the ANC button once, it rotates between ANC, transparency mode and normal. When you press it twice, the bass mode switches on and if you hold the button for two seconds, the voice assistant starts. We found it annoying that on average every second attempt to switch to bass mode was understood by the headphones as a switch between the ANC modes.
The one available in Play Store and App Store Soundcoreapp seems to be more of a data collection tool than a true extension of the headphones’ features. You will be asked to create an account and can then add a device. The only options available are different equalizers, switching between ANC modes and software updates. Unlike many other headphones, the operation cannot be personalized – that’s a shame.
Soundcore Q20i – photo gallery
Soundcore Q20i – photo gallery
battery pack
One strength of the Soundcore Q20i is the battery. The manufacturer gives an average playback time of 60 hours without ANC and 40 hours with ANC – that’s excellent. We were able to confirm these values in the test. The headphones can be recharged in under an hour, and after five minutes you can listen to music for four more hours without ANC. This is also an excellent value.
Preis
The RRP for the Soundcore Q20i, which is available in black, blue and white, is 50 Euro. There is currently one on Amazon Coupon with a Discount of 34 percent. If you select this before the Q20i goes into the shopping cart, the price drops to around 33 Euro – a best price.
Alternatives
Conclusion
The Soundcore Q20i is simply good and cheap. Without a lot of frills and as a solid overall package, the headphones impress with solid sound quality, good workmanship, simple design and very long battery life. The few weak points, such as the active noise canceling or the more or less pointless app, are perfectly ironed out by the low price. Anyone looking for the best and cheapest headphones possible will be very satisfied with the Soundcore Q20i.
Technical data