If you are looking for a solid pair of entry-level headphones, then the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid should be right up your alley.
Anker is a Chinese-owned brand based in Shenzhen. The brand has made a name for itself by designing and developing top-quality mobile and computer peripherals, which also includes headphones.
Following a long line of Anker headphones, the Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid had to live up to a lot of expectations and gladly ticks all of the boxes in style. The Life Q20 headphones have been designed specifically for music lovers and come with many amazing features that easily make them stand out among other headphones available at the same price point. For all those who are interested in investing in headphones that deliver the goods at a reasonable budget, this is going to be your Life Q20 Hybrid headphone review.
Handsome Design
With its sleek design, the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 headphones look absolutely gorgeous. The ergonomic design means that it sits comfortably over your ears and is designed to offer a relaxed, cozy fit for longer use. The lightweight design, thanks to its components and minimal nature, means the Q20 is also extremely easy to carry around. Anker clearly went back to the drawing board with the design of these headphones, and it’s easy to see where major improvements have been made in the Q20 as compared to previous iterations of Anker headphones. Overall, the Q20 is smart to look at and feels great to wear while delivering excellent sound performance.
Design Features
The folks at Anker left no stone unturned when it came to designing the Q20 headphones. While it still has some way to go when it comes to competing with the design of premium headphones, it performs well in terms of design. The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid headphones are only available in black for now, which could be a downside for some users who like more options, it is certainly not a deal–breaker considering the quality in design and features.
The Anker Q20 headphones sports a premium build look despite having a plastic outer shell. That being said, the lightweight plastic makes the headphones light and comfortable for long hours of listening. What sets the Anker Q20 apart from many other options at the same price point is that it does not look or feel cheap despite its plastic build, which is definitely a plus point.
The buttons on the headphones have been well thought of and placed for comfortable use. The buttons are soft to press and are responsive, with the only trade off being a noticeable clang whenever they’re pressed down. Each of the ear cups features large physical buttons.
The power on, pairing and ANC buttons are on the left side, while playback and a multi-function button have been placed on the right side ear cup. This multi-function button has a dual function which is to activate BassUp, which is Anker’s bass boost function and for operating the phone’s voice assistant.
Another plus point for the Q20 is that the headphones sport rotatable ear cups, which allow users to fold the headphones for easy storage when not in use. This also ensures that the headphones don’t get scratched while they are stored away in a backpack.
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Audio Performance
The Anker Q20 delivers a bass–thumping performance with powerful speakers that process the pitch and tonal balance with relative ease. The one thing that you are going to notice right off the bat with the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 headphones is that it slants towards the warm side, which we’re guessing is mainly to emphasize on the bass tones. However, this isn’t a design flaw. Rather, it makes it easier to listen to for longer periods due to the non-fatiguing audio quality. That being said, those users who are looking for a little more when it comes to audio detail are going to be slightly disappointed with these Anker Q20 headphones.
The BassUp feature has been one of the main selling points used by Anker during the marketing of the Q20 and does live up to its expectations. However, the addition only helps to cause a muddy bass. The noise-canceling feature that Anker used during the marketing of the Q20 is sadly nothing to write home about. The Q20 is successful in blocking out most of the annoying background sound you experience with low volume, but that doesn’t include high frequencies or low bass in the mix.
One glaring downside with the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid headphones is that, unlike many other brands, it does not come with an app to tune its EQ, which is a real bummer and means that users have no options when it comes to personalizing the EQ other than Anker’s pre-set tuning. Anker has tried to make up for the lack of a dedicated EQ tuning app by adding BassUp, which is a bass-boosting feature to the headphone, but it still does not make up for the lack of an app tuner.
Bluetooth Connectivity
One area that you won’t have any problems with the Q20 is its Bluetooth connectivity. These headphones sport Bluetooth 5.0, which means you will not have to bother about audio dropouts. If you’re one to pace around while listening to your favorite music, then you are not going to experience any signal drops with the Anker Soundcore Life Q20. That being said, the signal does tend to cut out if it’s put to the test of going through multiple walls.
Charging
Charging the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid headphones is extremely easy and efficient. Charging can be achieved with the help of a micro USB port, which is a clear move away from the USB-C port by Anker. The absence of the now popular USB-C port could be seen as a downside for some users, especially those who are more comfortable with using the USB-C port for charging.
Battery Life
Since these are wireless headphones, two of the most important features will undoubtedly be the charging time and hours of use. These headphones will keep you snapping your fingers for a full 30 hours with the ANC feature turned on and 60 hours when ANC is turned off, which is absolutely amazing considering many other devices at a similar price tag don’t even come close to this.
The Anker Q20 also boasts of a quick top-off, which means you can get up to four hours of playback with just a 5-minute charge, which is great for those who are always on the go and just listen to their favorite tunes during their commute.
Final Verdict
So, are the Anker Life Q20 Headphones for you?
If you want an affordable headphone that has respectable noise-canceling features, then the Life Q20 is for you. The Q20 is great for those who are looking for entry-level headphones that have multiple features to offer. Its sleek ergonomic design makes it comfortable to wear, even for long hours, and the ANC feature means users do not have to bother about hearing fatigue. The easy charging and long playback capacity of the Anker Life Q20 make it easy to enjoy many hours of your favorite music with a single charge.
Pros
- Solid build quality
- Good dynamic range
- Enhanced ANC performance
- Comfortable, ergonomic design
- Longer battery life
Cons
- The sound profile is not well balanced
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