Anker Soundcore P25i  Headphones Review

The Anker P20i have a very bassy sound out of the box. They deliver a lot of thump, rumble, and punch, which is great for heavy basslines in EDM and hip-hop songs. That said, the bass doesn't muddy up the mid-range too much, which is well-balanced. Vocals sound clear and present, if a touch muffled, due to a couple of big dips in the treble region. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers 22 EQ presets to help you find the best settings.

The frequency response consistency of these buds is alright. Unless you take the time to get a good fit, you may notice some differences in amplitude between the left and right buds.

The bass compliance of these buds is okay. The response is overemphasized throughout the whole range, but especially in both the low bass and mid-bass, meaning the buds deliver intense thump, rumble, and punch. The more controlled high bass means these buds don't muddy up voices and higher-pitched instruments too much. 

The Anker P20i have outstanding mid-range target compliance. The response in this range is very flat across the whole range, with a gentle peak in the high-mids keeping vocals clear and present. 

The treble compliance is acceptable. The whole region is underemphasized and somewhat poorly controlled. A big dip in the low-treble hurts the intelligibility of vocals, while a dip in the mid-treble means sibilants in songs like Roxanne by The Police sound veiled and lacking their edge. 

The peaks and dips performance of the Anker P25i is good, meaning these earbuds generally follow their own bass-heavy sound profile well. There aren't many significant peaks and dips through the bass and mid-range. But the low-treble is uneven, which makes vocals and instruments in this range sound either harsh or veiled, depending on their frequency. Similarly, a large peak and a large dip in the mid-treble render sibilants dull or piercing depending on their pitch.

The Anker P20i have decently matched left and right drivers. While our measurements show some small deviations in phase and amplitude between each driver, these aren't really noticeable during regular listening. As a result, objects feel correctly placed in the stereo field.

The group delay performance results are poor, but you shouldn't notice this too much in regular listening, especially given the bass-heavy sound these earbuds offer. The group delay performance skirts the audibility threshold, but it's poorest in the lowest bass, where we're not very sensitive to group delay. In general, you'll experience full, if slightly tubby, bass with these earbuds. 

These earbuds have remarkably low harmonic distortion, so you will experience clean and pure audio reproduction, even at extremely high listening levels.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Anker Soundcore P20i look a lot like the Anker SoundCore Life P3 Truly Wireless, with a sleek and glossy plastic design. You can find the manufacturer's logo on the top of the stem. They only come in this black colorway though.

The Anker Souncore P25i have a comfortable fit. They're quite lightweight and fit nicely into your concha. That said, the stem sticks out a bit and can be uncomfortable if you're lying on your side or if you're wearing a hat since it can rub up against your head.

These buds have okay controls. The commands available are quite simple out of the box, and if you want volume control, you'll need to add it via the companion app. They also lack a warning for reaching minimum or maximum volume, and there aren't any voice confirmations beyond the voice assistant prompt. On the upside, the controls are responsive when touched, and the small touch surface helps prevent accidentally registering a command.

On the left earbud:

• Double press: Activates voice assistant.
• Press and hold: Skips to the previous track.

On the right earbud:

• Double press: Plays and pauses audio.
• Press and hold: Skips to the next track.

On either earbud:

• Double press: Answers a call. This command will also disconnect the call you're on.
• Press and hold: Rejects a call.

These buds are very portable, which is to be expected by their design. They're lightweight and can easily fit into most pockets or bags without an issue.

The carrying case is good. It's made of lightweight plastic and has a detachable braided cable loop, so you can attach it to your bag. There's a single LED to let you know the case's battery level and charge status. The lid hinge also feels snappy and will keep the buds safe when you're on the go. Unlike the Anker Soundcore P40i, the case doesn't charge with a wireless Qi pad and lacks the built-in phone stand.

These buds have a good build quality. They're mostly plastic and certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water contact like rain. The ear tips are made from silicone but can rip if you're not careful.

These buds have a stable in-ear fit. If you're wearing them during a jog in the park, they won't fall out of your ears, but their fit can loosen if you're moving your head a lot. With that said, if you want stability for exercising (and prefer environmental awareness), consider clip-on earbuds like the Anker Soundcore C30i.

• Anker P25i
• Case
• 3x ear tip sizes
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Manuals

The noise isolation performance of these buds is sub-par. They lack noise cancelling (ANC) and rely on these passive capabilities to reduce ambient sound around you. That said, they really struggle to cut down the low rumble of bus engines, which can be annoying if you want to use them during your commute. On the upside, the buds are able to block out ambient chatter and the high-pitched hum of AC units much better.

These earbuds have disappointing noise isolation when used in real-world scenarios. The buds don't have ANC, so they block out very little noise. In particular, low-bass sounds like the rumble of train engines aren't blocked out at all. The buds do reduce mid- and treble-range sounds like office chatter and A/C whine a little more, but in general, these aren't buds to choose if you want to block out the sound of the world around you.

The leakage performance is excellent. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the treble range and sounds thin. That said, the overall leakage is low, so even if you crank up your tunes, others around you won't hear it.

The integrated mic's recording quality is decent. Your voice is easy to understand, but lacks depth.

The noise handling performance is fair. If you're talking in an area with consistent noise, like a busy office, your voice will sound clear alongside static. However, if you're calling from a train station, irregular and loud noises, such as a train pulling into the station, can completely drown out your voice, and the overall volume becomes slightly elevated.

The Anker P20i have a fair battery performance. The manufacturer advertises them to last 10 hours continuously, and we measured just under that. Battery life can vary depending on factors like volume and use. Luckily, their carrying case holds an extra two charges if you need it. You can also charge the buds for 10 minutes and gain up to two hours of playtime.

The Anker Soundcore app is great and you can see a video of how it works here. It offers a slew of EQ presets to help you customize their sound as well as 'BassUp', a feature to add even more bass to your music. You can also adjust the controls and audio feedback, as well as access features like Find Device, Gaming Mode, and firmware updates.

These buds can't be used wired. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging their carrying case.

These buds are pretty simple in terms of Bluetooth connectivity. They don't support multi-device pairing or quick pairing, which is to be expected for their price point. That said, they support a 'Game Mode' feature to help lower latency. Using this mode, you can expect low audio lag. While it may not be low enough for competitive gaming, it'll ensure that your audio and visuals are better in sync for streaming video, and it's low enough for watching videos. If you turn this feature off, however, you can expect very high latency and experience lip sync mismatch. That said, some devices compensate for latency. If you want similar earbuds with the added benefit of multi-device pairing, you can consider the Anker Soundcore P40i, which also feature 'Game Mode' for lower latency.

These headphones can only connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but they'll have full audio and mic compatibility via this connection.

These buds come with a carrying case that holds two additional charges and has a USB-C port for recharging it. It doesn't support wireless charging though.