Anker already has several brands that have succeeded in making a mark on the market. Two years ago it was the Soundcore Q10 which were the company’s cheapest in-ear headphones. Now it returns with a new model with an old name – Soundcore Life Q10i, which still offer an extremely long usage time in a renewed and foldable design and high audio quality. So what has changed anyway?
outside view
Even cheap headphones, relatively speaking, should look like ones we’d want to wear anywhere, and in the case of the Q10i, Anker seems to have made an improvement over the previous generation. They are still made of plastic, but the finish looks better. This may be because she gave up the colors of the previous model, and perhaps because the look is much more refined this time. Either way, I think they show some improvement in this aspect, but don’t expect too much because they still don’t look premium.
One thing I really like about Keshet headphones is that they are foldable. Anker Q10i are such headphones, and it is quite convenient to put them in your bag and take them anywhere. It’s a shame that the package doesn’t have a matching case or at least a simple cover. But they are strong and durable and you can bend them without fear, and one of the reasons is that the headphones themselves have no lining, and they stay fixed in place.
As a full-ear rainbow headphone the most important thing is comfort, and the Q10i do not fall short in this aspect. At first impression they were lightweight, with the sponges around the ears looking small, but to my ears they fit exactly. They were comfortable for prolonged use and the sponges with a leather-like covering did not cause sweating, at least not in the current cool period. But, as in the previous model, here too the cover of the arch is not soft to my taste, although an improvement is noticeable. On the face of it, it’s not something that bothers too much.
The lack of pairing of the headphones is not a disadvantage, but even an advantage. This helps them to sit better in their place and it may also be suitable for those who plan to walk with them on the street, although this is not really their main purpose. Their natural place is in a home or office environment, especially if they don’t have an active noise reduction system.
In terms of human engineering, the Anker Soundcore Q10i has buttons on the right ear only and there aren’t too many of them: an on/off button, a button to control the volume and a button to increase the low sounds (BassUp). Also in the right earpiece is a USB-C connection for charging as well as an LED to indicate the working status of the headphones at that moment. There is also a 3.5mm analog connection, so they also support players or phones that still have this port.
Buttons have dual utility. So, for example, pressing the power buttons to pause the music or answer a call, a long press to launch the assistant and the audio buttons to switch between songs. The color of the indicator light changes depending on the connection status, and it turns red when the battery is about to be discharged. There are also on and off sounds, a sound when there is a connection to the device as well as an announcement of the battery status, which is nice and convenient. The volume buttons, as usual, have a different indicator sound when the maximum volume is reached.
Lots of added bass
The reason to choose large wireless headphones over the small ones (TWS) is first of all for a good audio experience and Anker Soundcore Q10i at least in this area do not disappoint. The sponges create quite good acoustics, while there is no active noise filtering, but the passive in their case is also good and even surprising.
The content has a driver with a diameter of 40 mm that supports a wide frequency range of 16 Hz to 40 kHz. The audio quality was good, with a profile that emphasizes midrange sounds and moves towards the low sounds so that they provide a pleasant audio experience – but not very accurate. Even at high volume levels they do not distort and provide a clear and sharp sound.
Bass fans will find the BassUp button useful. Pressing it activates an increased bass profile, which increases the low sounds by about 30% and this is really noticeable and enhances the experience. Pressing the button again cancels the bass mode and switches to a normal audio profile, but through the app it is also possible to determine what the ‘normal’ profile is out of 20 different profiles – an option that did not exist in the previous model.
The app also has the option to play ‘white noise’, a soothing background sound for those who have trouble falling asleep. There is a complete equalizer through which you can choose the type of sound, mix different sounds such as the noise of rain, birds, stream, train, farm and more. You can also set a timer for automatic shutdown.
The Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity now works faster, which means that the connection to the phone is relatively immediate and there is no need to wait as I experienced in the previous model. Beyond that, there are no advanced technologies such as support for encodings beyond the standard, as well as no automatic pause detection when removing them from the ear.
Although they are not designed for voice calls, the headphones also include a built-in microphone. It is also located in her right ear. When talking in a closed place the sound was good, but when used in noisy areas, such as on the street, it was already difficult to hold conversations. Therefore, these are not headphones I would choose for calls and this is probably also true for those who are going to purchase them.
Q10i usage time is very good. They offer no less than 60 hours of listening to music. The kit also comes with a USB-C cable, when they support fast charging so that 5 minutes when connected to electricity is enough for 5 hours of use.
The bottom line
The Soundcore Q10i headphones provide quality audio, and the BassUp button is perhaps the main dish they serve to the ear. Although they do not have active noise filtering, they offer good acoustics and also comfort for long-term use. They have Bluetooth connectivity and also an advantage for an analog connection, with their battery time being longer than average. They do not exude premium quality, but perhaps at their price of NIS 269, one could ask for more.