Anker Soundcore P40i  Headphones Review

The Anker P40i have a bass-boosted sound by default, which is also called 'Soundcore Signature' if you use their EQ—their sound is simultaneously quite bright and bassy, though the bass emphasis significantly outshines the treble.

If this tuning doesn't work for you and you'd prefer to make some tweaks, you can adjust the earbuds' sound using presets or the app's graphic EQ. You can toggle Anker's BassUp feature, which is common in most Anker products. We've taken measurements of the main five of the 23 presets in the EQ section, and you can also create your own custom EQ profile. These headphones sound very slightly different with ANC turned on or off.

These have excellent frequency response consistency. You can expect your music to sound nearly the same with each use. If you have smaller ears, you'll have an easier time getting consistent audio delivery during a session because the size and shape of the buds can cause them to slowly inch out of larger ears over time, resulting in a temperamental seal.

Their bass target compliance is middling. The entire range is hugely inflated, so your audio will sound very thumpy and boomy. That said, fans of genres like EDM might appreciate this sound.

Their midrange target compliance is great. They're flat through most of the low and mid-mid, so instruments and vocals sound natural and well-balanced. That said, the high-mid adds a bit of harshness to higher vocal parts and solo instruments. However, the emphasis on the bass and treble regions can obscure much of the mid-range's clarity.

The Anker Soundcore P40i's treble target compliance is acceptable. Virtually the entire range is exaggerated, though the low treble is fairly evenly exaggerated, lending proportionate intensity to the presence and articulation of vocals. That said, the mid-treble is noticeably more piercing and painful. Songs like Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode can sound, to quote the lyrics, 'painful to me' (and you) over prolonged listening sessions as the sibilants of the reverb-drenched vocals over-emphasize Dave Gahan's Ss and Ts, all while making the constant drum machine's hi-hats harsh.

The peaks and dips performance of the Anker Soundcore P40i is very good—the earbuds' frequency response adheres to the their bass-boosted sound profile. The bass and mid-range are especially well managed, with minimal sudden deviations. That said, the treble range has greater variation. The small dip in low-treble veils articulation and detail just a touch, while a major peak in the mid-treble makes the harmonics of cymbals piercing. 

The headphones' L/R driver matching is good. Their amplitude and frequency response mismatch are within good values, with minor mid-range driver imbalances that are unlikely to be audible in everyday listening—at worst, creating small gaps in stereo positioning for lead vocals or instruments. Meanwhile, the drivers' phase responses deviate from one another primarily in the mid- and high-treble. As we lose sensitivity to this range over time, the deviations are unlikely to be audible in regular content, though you may perceive less precise positioning of audio objects like instruments.

The group delay performance is sub-par. The timing difference of low-bass frequencies relative to neighboring frequencies is indicative of a significant phase shift of the affected frequencies, introducing both additive and destructive wave effects that contribute to the headphones' inflated bass frequency response. The treble range remains transparent in regular content, but you may notice looser bass.

Like most in-ears, the Anker Soundcore P40i bypass your outer ear by design, which limits their ability to create an immersive sound through pinna interaction.

The Soundcore P40i have decent harmonic distortion performance. While there are unintended harmonics generated in the bass at high levels, they're not audible as we're less sensitive to lower frequencies. Although the graph shows fairly significant harmonic distortion in the mids and treble on our plot, you likely won't be listening to anything this loud, as high levels in this frequency range can be harmful to your health.

These earbuds aren't wired, so you won't need an amp to drive them.

The Anker P40i app includes a virtual surround sound feature. You get a choice of two presets, 'Movie Mode' and 'Game Mode,' to simulate a 3D audio effect by applying a digital signal processor (DSP) to whatever media is playing. It doesn't require purposely mixed media, and because it's a DSP, how pleasing and well it works will vary depending on the source material. It's not compatible with media already mixed for 3D or spatial audio. The feature also doesn't offer head-tracking or room simulation.

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

The Anker Soundcore P40i look like most of the brand's stemmed earbuds. They're plastic, stemmed, and monochrome. Unlike the Anker Soundcore P25i, these buds feature a raised section along the stem so you can feel a tactile difference between the touch-sensitive pad and the rest of the housing. Otherwise, their case is a relatively short, matte plastic affair with a clamshell lid. The case has a pop-up phone stand that's novel but not groundbreaking compared to propping your phone against any items you might have in your pocket. You have your pick of 'Black,' 'Blue' (a standard navy shade), 'White,' and 'Purple.' 'White' looks more like cream than the titanium white we're all familiar with from Apple products, and 'Purple' is a very pale blueish mauve.

These buds are comfortable. They feature five pairs of oblong silicone ear tips with grilles built into them for slightly easier cleaning. Like most earbuds, they're lightweight, and the smooth, glossy plastic feels fine against your skin. Despite a pretty good selection of ear tip sizes, they tend to have a loose fit that requires periodic readjustments as they slowly shift outwards over time. If you have larger ear canals or find it trickier to get a reliable fit compared to others, these can pose challenges.

The Anker Soundcore P40i have good controls. Their touch-sensitive surface is easily located by feeling along the raised and glossy section of the earbuds' stems. You can see the default control settings and which commands you can remap the gestures to here. For instance, most people will want to add a volume control, which isn't available by default. You get a good variety of gestures per bud, single, double, and triple taps, plus press-and-hold, but call functions are more minimal. Unlike even more upscale earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, you aren't restricted to the same 'type' of functions being bound to each earbud with the same gesture, so for instance, you can allocate 'skip track ahead' on the left earbud with a double tap. Double tap can be anything on the right earbud, like voice assistant, if you want.

By default, the buds chime when you tap them, when you enter ANC listening mode, and if you max out the volume. Otherwise, they lack voice prompts and don't chime for other functions, and the latter is more down to personal preference because not everyone wants to hear a chime during music playback. It can feel like a lengthy process to enter taps because they don't respond quickly. That's not a dealbreaker for everyone, but it's worth noting if you're easily annoyed when interfacing with touch commands or if you're trying to skip back to a previous track (a command that always has a very narrow and finite time window).

They're very lightweight and portable, which is expected of true wireless earbuds. They can easily fit in nearly any pocket.

The Anker Soundcore P40i charging case is very good. Its lid is firmly attached, and the hinge has no unwanted lateral play. The white LED indicators show the battery statuses of each earbud, and the case can charge wirelessly on a Qi pad.

A novel feature of the case is that it has a built-in phone stand, which can hold your phone horizontally and only when the case is open. This can be a nice feature if you're on a flight or in a cafe and want to watch media hands-free, but it's pretty simple, as you can see here. It also only works with your device in the horizontal orientation, and you can't adjust the angle, so its utility is slightly limited. Still, it's a cute addition.

The Anker Soundcore P40i build quality is good. The buds have an IPX5 rating against water splashes, so you can comfortably wear them outside in the rain (just wipe them off before popping them back in the case). They're plastic—not super dense plastic, but not at all brittle or cheap-feeling. The case has a secure lid and hinge. However, our unit's case has a pungent and unpleasant chemical smell when it's opened. Yours might not smell, but it's worth mentioning, especially if you're sensitive to scents.

The Anker Soundcore P40i buds have a stable in-ear design. You can take them for a walk and light exercise, though they need occasional adjustment. Their five sets of ear tips offer options for honing their fit, and their overall lightweight build means their mass is well-distributed. However, it can be more difficult to get a perfect fit if you have uniquely shaped ears. They also don't fit deeply in your ears, so if you're looking for an ultra-secure earbud, you'd probably prefer another pair with stabilizers like the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE.

• Anker Soundcore P40i earbuds
• Charging case
• Five pairs of silicone ear tip sizes
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable (12.2" or 31cm)
• Quick Start Guide

The Anker Soundcore P40i have great full-range noise isolation. Their recent firmware, 01.67, significantly improved their performance to external sounds. These earbuds passively handle treble and upper mid-range noises like chirping birds. Meanwhile, their ANC improves mitigation in the bass up to the mid-mid frequencies, attenuating noise from large vehicle engines and ambient chatter.

All that said, the earbuds have a couple of ANC settings you can cycle through. The app has 'Scenes,' which are meant to adjust the ANC based on your environment but don't make an enormous difference.

These buds do an impressive job of isolating you from noise in common scenarios. They handle street noise effectively, mitigating the sounds of rumbly bus engines and pneumatic brakes. Background chatter in offices and squeaky reclining chairs are also handled well by these headphones' ANC and passive isolation. The ambient din of airplane cabins is also handled well by their isolation performance. That said, there are some frequency bands with less attenuation; in office settings, barely audible footsteps on hardwood floors may slip through the Anker headphones' ANC system.

The Anker P40i have a wind reduction mode, which helps to improve its ANC system's effectiveness by reducing the 'anti-noise' created when wind interacts with mics and the ANC system. However, the mode's performance still varies depending on the angle at which the wind is blowing. Additionally, leaving the mode on when conditions aren't windy can impact the ANC's overall performance. Interestingly, you can leave 'Ambient' mode and wind reduction mode on simultaneously and still experience a reduction in overall noise level compared to all settings disabled.

The Anker Soundcore P40i leakage performance is decent. Largely due to their loose fit, your audio is more likely to escape. While leakage depends on how loud your volume is set, at moderate listening levels, the trebly content of your audio will be audible in an office as a thin representation of your music. If you have a desk that's not too close to coworkers, this won't bother anyone, but it's not as private as the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless.

The Anker P40i's microphone system's recording quality is poor. Your voice sounds a bit distorted and thin. While speech is still intelligible, it's not very clear or true to life.

Their noise handling performance is decent. When background noise is present, the mic system prioritizes your speech; even if background noise remains audible, it's quieter than your speech. With irregular and sudden noises, the mic can reject most unwanted noise well but can also cut out small segments of your own speech. Still, at least the caller isn't subjected to unexpected and loud noise.

Their battery performance is great. According to our tests, you get over nine hours to a single charge with ANC enabled, though this can vary depending on use. They take about 45 minutes to charge up completely. The case supplies an additional four charges. They have an auto-off timer to conserve the battery, which you can adjust in the companion app. According to the manufacturer, a 10-minute charge can allow the buds to last five hours. You can also use one earbud in mono while the other charges in the case.

The Anker Soundcore app is impressive. It's the same app that most of the products by the brand use as you can see here, with an extensive EQ, listening mode controls, and features like 'Game Mode' to reduce latency. Other features include an auto-off timer, control remapping, virtual surround sound modes, a decibel limiter, Find Devices, and management for switching between two paired devices.

You can't use these earbuds wired; they only work over Bluetooth. Their USB-A to USB-C cable is for charging their case.

The Anker Soundcore P40i have excellent Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing with two devices at a time. Through their app, you can access different listening modes like Game Mode,' which effectively reduces the SBC codec's latency to the figure shown. That said, the latency in 'Game Mode' is still noticeable, even though it's a major improvement over the standard connection's latency which is roughly double the delay of 'Game Mode'. Despite its name, 'Movie Mode' does not reduce latency for better-synchronized audio and video. Instead, it creates an immersive listening experience with its virtual soundstage, but the lipsync mismatch is bad enough to get annoying. Of course, latency varies depending on your device, apps, and connection strengths. These buds use pretty standard AAC and SBC codecs, unlike the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless, which support LDAC for higher-quality audio.

You can only connect these earbuds to a Bluetooth-compatible PC for full audio and microphone support.

The Anker Soundcore P40i come with a case to store and recharge the buds. You can charge it via a USB-C cable or on a wireless charging pad.