Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless Headphones Review

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 look practically identical to the Anker SoundCore Life 2 Wireless. They have the same straight-forward design that looks decent for a pair of budget-oriented headphones. The only noticeable difference between these and the older version is that the logo is now printed on the ear cup as opposed to being etched into the plastic. While our unit is all black, they're also available in silver.

The comfort of these headphones is good. While their ear cups have slightly less padding than the previous model, it's not noticeable while wearing them, and they feel just as comfortable. They're quite lightweight, and thankfully their headband is a bit smaller, so they'll likely now fit people with smaller heads, unlike the Anker SoundCore Life 2 Wireless.

The controls of these headphones are decent. The control scheme is the exact same as the previous version, and they give you play/pause, call controls, track skipping, and volume controls. They also still have a dedicated ANC button, as well as the ability to trigger bass boost via the middle button. Overall, the controls are decently easy-to-use, and the physical buttons are clicky and provide good feedback, but unfortunately, there's no way of knowing which bass setting you're on.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 are basically the same size as the previous version, so they aren't the easiest to carry around. Luckily, their ear cups swivel to lay flat, and they come with a basic carrying pouch.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 come with a very basic pouch that isn't nearly as good as the hard case that came with the previous version. The pouch has a cinch-tie to close it, and its material should be able to protect the headphones from some slight splashes, though it won't do much to protect them from drops or bumps.

The build quality of these headphones is decent. Like the SoundCore Life 2, they are mainly plastic but are reinforced by a thin metal sheet in the headband. The hinges are likely their weakest point, as they feel hollow and plasticky, but overall the headphones feel dense and solid enough that they should be able to survive a few accidental drops or bumps without sustaining too much damage.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 are decently stable. Their clamping force is good, so they should likely stay in place during jogs or light runs, unless you have a very small head. Their slightly smaller design over the previous version means that they should feel slightly more stable for most people, though their over-ear design will still likely cause you to sweat more than usual.

• Anker SoundCore Life Q20 headphones
• 1/8" TRRS audio cable
• Micro-USB charging cable
• Carrying pouch
• Manuals

With the 'BassUp' feature turned off, the sound profile of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is quite excited-sounding. Their mid-range is well-balanced, but the over-emphasized bass-range will result in a lot of extra thump and kick. This will likely please fans of EDM or hip-hop, while their over-emphasized treble range will also be good for genres like pop and rock.

The frequency response consistency of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is quite decent. They're actually a bit more accurate in the bass range than the previous version, so you should get a similar bass response every time you wear them. You may notice some inconsistencies with the treble range, so you may need to adjust them on your head slightly to get the same listening experience every time.

The bass accuracy of these headphones is poor. While the range is fairly even, without many large, sudden peaks or dips, the entire range is very over-emphasized. This will result in bass with a lot of thump and punch.

The mid accuracy of these headphones is excellent. Almost the entire range is flat, with only a small bump in high-mids that will emphasize lead instruments and vocals. Overall, however, leads and vocals should sound quite well-balanced and present.

The treble accuracy of these headphones is decent. Almost the entire range is slightly over-emphasized which may cause some vocals and lead instruments to sound slightly harsh or piercing.

The peaks and dips performance of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is decent. The peak in mid-bass will make most bass frequencies sound full and thumpy, while the peaks in the mid and treble ranges may cause some leads and vocals to sound harsh and piercing.

The imaging of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is great. The GD graph shows that their group delay is almost entirely beneath the audibility threshold, ensuring a tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers of our unit are also well-matched in all aspects, so objects such as footsteps and instruments should have accurate placement and localization. It's worth mentioning that these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The passive soundstage of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is poor, though this is fairly standard for closed-back over-ear headphones. Overall, the sound produced from these headphones will sound small and will be perceived to be inside the listener's head.

These headphones have no virtual soundstage features.

The weighted harmonic distortion of these headphones is decent. Audio should sound clear and pure at louder volumes, though at lower volumes there may be some minor artifacts. Overall, however, this likely won't be too noticeable.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Keep in mind that we also tested them with the 'BassUp' feature off. Our results are only valid when listening using these settings.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 have a slightly improved ANC feature over the previous version. The ANC on these headphones does better against the low rumble of bus or plane engines, though they still don't do nearly as good in this range as some more expensive options, like the Anker SoundCore Space NC. On the bright side, these headphones do an excellent job at blocking out background speech, making them a good option for blocking out chatty coworkers in the office. It should be noted that the next generations of these headphones, the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless and the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 Wireless, have even better ANC performances.

The leakage performance of these headphones is very good. While they may leak a bit of sound at very loud volumes, it should sound very thin and likely shouldn't bother people around you.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 have an integrated microphone.

The recording quality of the microphone is decent, and a fair improvement over the previous version. Like most Bluetooth headphones, your voice will sound quite thin, but overall your voice should be fairly clear and easy to understand. That said, if you're planning on using these headphones for office work, you could also consider the Logitech Zone Wired, which have a boom microphone that makes your voice sound even clearer and full-bodied, though it should be noted that the Logitech is wired-only.

The noise handling of the integrated microphone is mediocre. While the person you're speaking to should have no problems hearing you in quiet environments, they won't be the best options for even moderately noisy situations.

The battery performance of these headphones is very good. While they don't last as long as advertised, they still last slightly longer than the previous model, and charge in less time, which is excellent. Unfortunately, they lack any power-saving features, so their battery will drain if you forget to turn them off.

These headphones don't have a dedicated companion app.

These headphones have satisfactory Bluetooth connectivity. Unlike later generations like the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless, they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. They also have quite high latency on PCs. Luckily, their latency is quite a bit lower on both iOS and Android, so you should be able to watch videos without too much of a noticeable delay, though they still may not be the best for gaming. If you want a pair of similarly-performing headphones that support aptX-LL for a lower-latency connection, check out the TREBLAB Z2 Wireless.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 are Bluetooth-only headphones.

While the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 use Bluetooth for a wireless connection, they can also be connected via a standard 1/8" TRS cable for passive playback, which is great. Unfortunately, the mic can't be used while wired.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 will only work with the Xbox One while plugged into the controller, though you'll only get audio and no microphone support. Check out our recommendations for the best Xbox One gaming headsets if you want something for gaming on an Xbox One.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 don't have a dock.