We judge all headphones and earbuds on a scale of 10, analyzing the categories we think are most important: sound, comfort, design, battery performance, and, if applicable, special features. Here's how the Soundcore Life P3 wireless earbuds stack up.
Another day, another new pair of earbuds on the market. The Soundcore Life P3 true wireless earbuds by Anker are a sequel to the Life P2 — which have been our favorite budget-friendly earphones since their debut in 2019 and are a rock-solid Amazon favorite with more than 50,000 5-star reviews. The new iteration brings refined design, onboard noise cancellation, next-level sound, a companion app, and a storage case that’s compatible with wireless chargers.
Priced at a modest $79.99, the Life P3 has a slightly bigger price tag than the Life P2’s $60 launch sticker. But considering the new tech they bring, the new earbuds are as value- and feature-packed as a sub-$100 product can be.
I’ve been testing the Soundcore Life P3 for the past couple of weeks, and, just like the audio maker’s Life Q30 wireless headphones, they overdeliver for a product that costs well below $100. Here’s why Anker’s latest buds are our new favorite for thrifty consumers.
SCORES
Sound: 8/10
Comfort: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Battery Performance: 8/10
Overall Score: 8/10
Soundcore Life P3 at a Glance
- Superior sound quality and effective noise cancellation
- A best-in-class companion app
- Up to 7 hours of battery life
- Water-resistant with an IPX5 rating
SOUND: 8/10
The Soundcore Life P3 earbuds pack 11-millimeter audio drivers that deliver a consistently powerful and enjoyable sonic experience. My favorite thing about the buds’ sound is the ability to customize it via the Soundcore mobile app. In addition to an impressive selection of equalizer presets for various content genres (classical, dance, podcast, etc.), the latter allows you to manually create and save your own.
Out of the box, these buds rock a Soundcore Signature sound setting that offers an acceptable balance between bass, treble, and midrange. There’s an option to boost the lows further via a Bass Up toggle button. I found the feature to be handy for workouts.
The buds’ noise cancellation is reliable, especially for their price point. Impressively enough, the Life P3 did a solid job reducing the harsh weekday traffic noise from my midtown Manhattan apartment window.
You can adjust the feature’s performance by choosing a trio of indoor, outdoor, or transport modes. Each mode focuses on reducing the typical ambient noises for each setting. The P3 also has a transparency mode to help you enjoy content without disconnecting from your surroundings.
With a trio of microphones per earbud, the Soundcore Life P3 performed exceptionally well during telephone calls. Participants in FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom virtual meetings confirmed they could hear me loud and clear without any interruptions or static. During my testing, the Bluetooth 5.0 earphones also maintained a robust connection with an iPhone 12 and a Google Pixel 5.
Overall, I found the sound and the noise cancellation of the Soundcore Life P3 earbuds to be a solid contender for the best in their price range. On the other hand, their app-enabled customization tools are among the best in the business and among the reasons to consider the product.
COMFORT: 9/10
The buds’ minuscule weight and stem design make them one of the comfiest offerings out there. Weighing just 5 grams each, the Soundcore Life P3 earbuds weigh just as much as the Beats Studio Pro, the JBL Live Pro+, and the 1More Comfobuds Pro. I can genuinely say that I didn’t feel any discomfort throughout my entire time testing them.
And to be honest, the quality of the P3’s touch controls exceeded my toned-down expectations. You can control the playback and the noise cancellation, as well as take calls via double-tapping or long-pressing the earbuds’ stems. The last-mentioned bits have a matte finish for improved tactility.
Best of all, the companion app allows you to fully customize the earbuds’ sound and their controls. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there’s even an option to activate singe-tap interactions, which I constantly used to adjust the volume by touching the left or right bud.
DESIGN: 8/10
I tip my hat to Anker for giving the Soundcore Life P3 such a unique design. Available in black, white, coral, and even a couple of shades of blue (sky and navy), the buds have polycarbonate housings with a glossy and a matte finish, as well as polished bits with a matching hue. Each pair comes with a battery case of the same color.
The earbuds have a stellar IPX5 rating for water resistance, so you can use them for rainy walks and exercising. To put that impressive rating in perspective, many pricier products like the AirPods Pro, the JBL Live Pro+, and Anker’s own Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds have a lower IPX4 rating.
BATTERY PERFORMANCE: 8/10
You can expect up to 6 hours of wireless playback from the Life P3 with noise cancellation on — and disabling the feature will get you an additional hour's worth of tunes. Simply put, the earbuds’ battery life is solid and comparable to that of pricier rivals.
The sleek storage case of the earbuds holds a quartet of additional chargers. The accessory has an up-to-date USB-C connector, a battery indicator, and, like the product category’s finest offerings, compatibility with wireless chargers.
OVERALL: 8/10
To put things in quantitative terms, the Soundcore Life P3 earbuds deliver 80% of what an awesome pair should for less than 50% of the price. Having said that, the latest Soundcore earbuds, like the brand’s wireless cans, are hands-down the best under $100. When it comes to design and performance, they tick all the important boxes and make overspending on a new pair of quality earbuds a thing of the past.
Still, you should always be mindful that upping your new earbuds’ budget will almost inevitably get you more detailed sound and stronger noise cancellation. For example, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro delivers higher-quality sound that’s tailor-made for your hearing for $100. However, compared to other wireless earbuds with two-digit price tags, the Life P3 are in a league of their own and the one to get.
