TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - With outstanding battery life, great wearing comfort, and an highly entertaining bassy sound, the Soundcore A20i is among the most fun basic wireless earbuds on a budget.
Soundcore Anker A20i specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
8 - 9 hours listening on a single charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$30 - Buy on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Below this Soundcore Anker A20i review, you will find comparisons of the Soundcore A20i vs Soundcore Life A3i, Realme Buds Air 3S, and Fiil T1 Lite.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Soundcore A20i, also called the Soundcore Anker A20i, is one of Soundcore's new ultra-affordable wireless earbuds offerings in the first half of 2023. Does it mark a change for the brand?
After a big amount of own designs, Soundcore has shopped for familiar parts this time. The case and the earbuds are variations on the Jlab Go Air Pop, and Jlab wasn't even the first to offer this form factor: the earbuds also have the same shape as the Edifier X3 and the SoundPEATS Free2 Classic. The biggest thing that separates the Soundcore? The case has a chord attached to it.
What's surprising, however, is that the A20i doesn't just sound better than those models (more on that later), but also that these earbuds are more comfortable.
Soundcore mounted shorter and softer ear-tips on the A20i, and the result is amazing. These earbuds are snug enough, but also plenty loose to wear comfortable for hours. Other than the other brands with the same earbuds, the A20i doesn't fill up your ears. With my average-sized ears, I had no problem wearing these for five hours in a row.
All the better, as these earbuds deliver up to 9 hours of playtime on a single charge, after which the compact charging case can recharge them three times fully. A 10-minute recharge tops the earbuds up for another two hours, and finally, the IPX5 waterproof rating ensures you can use them in the rain or with sweaty ears as well.
A 30 dollars-earphone doesn't have to do much more than this.
Controls and connectivity
The touch controls of the Soundcore A20i mark one of their only issues. While the touch panels respond well to your input and you can setup the controls the way you want via the free Soundcore app for Android and iPhone, it takes a little while before your commands are followed up.
This is especially noticeable when you've setup volume controls for the earbuds. Change the volume, and it takes a second before you hear a confirmation sound, and another second after it. This means you'll have to wait three seconds before the music returns in your ears.
It is, no wait, was the only annoyance of this model. Soundcore fixed this issue in a firmware update from the app! Changing volume and tracks now happens quickly after your input. It's great that even earbuds this affordable get useful updates.
Overall connectivity is good too, with a reliable Bluetooth connection up to 10 meters away from your device. Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out, however, and a multipoint connection also misses.
Phone and video calls on Soundcore A20i
On its Amazon product page, Soundcore claims the Anker 20i has exceptional call quality because of two microphones. Well, it doesn't.
Your voice sounds natural and loud enough in good and quiet office and indoor circumstances, but starts to get wonky fast when there's a bit of noise around you, and derails quickly when you're outside with a bit of wind.
Yes, it's possible to take a phone call or enter a Zoom, Microsoft Teams or other video meeting with the A20i, but preferably not with people around you.
Video and games playback
The Soundcore A20i plays videos without issues on both Android and iPhone; there's lipsync performance in video apps like YouTube, AppleTV and HBO Max.
As one of the first models, the A20i also has a dedicated gaming mode you can activate from the Android and iPhone app. This helps to synchronize the sound effects with the action on your screen, and also changes the sound signature of the earbuds, to accentuate basically all kind of sounds - and while it sounds explosive, it also emphasizes footsteps or gunshots around you. Not perfect, still neat.
App Support of Soundcore A20i
In 2023, it's not surprising anymore that a 30 dollars-earbuds has app support. Still, few apps are as easy and convenient to use as the free Soundcore app available for Android phones and iPhone. It enriches the earbuds with some useful features:
See the battery percentage of the left and right earbud
Customize controls
Check for firmware updates
Choose between 22 sound presets
(De)activate the game mode
You can setup the controls entirely to your liking
The equalizer presets can improve the sound to your liking - if you need it
The Soundcore app was and is an example for other earbuds manufacturers. It always works, is super easy to use, has all the important information within reach, has a light and dark mode, and doesn't ask too much privacy-permissions on your phone. The only thing missing on this model, is the option to create your own equalizer.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $50
Sound quality of A20i: Crowd pleaser
Soundcore does what JBL doesn't: these are the earbuds equivalent of JBL's Flip Bluetooth-speakers, with a solid amount of bass and warmth, and prominent vocals above it.
It's a bit weird, right? JBL has gold in its hands with the Flip speakers, which are loved around the world and count as the standard for other brands. People seem to love the mix of a strong bass, full lows, and powerful vocals. But when it comes to earbuds, JBL just doesn't deliver sound the same way - with many of their earphones sounding low on bass out of the box, fuzzy, or sharp, including their most-praised audio offering - the JBL Live Pro 2.
The Soundcore A20i instantly reminded me of the JBL speakers.
Like many affordable models from the brand, like the populair Soundcore Life A1, the Life P2 mini and Life P2i, the Soundcore A20i has a heavyweight bass. The brand improved on the execution, however.
The A20i's mid-bass delivers strong thumps that last a little longer than average, providing the music with oomph - a neat fullness. At the same time, the bass isn't too stabby; it doesn't tire you out with its punches. Underneath the mid-bass slams lies a sub-bass (the darkest bass tones you can feel as much as hear), that can provide thick, deep, yet controlled rumbles - in James Blake's outstanding test track Limit to Your Love, for instance.
Lower mid-tones are lifted too. Drums, darker instruments and electronic tones, as well as male and lower female vocals, have a strong presence, without giving in on detail: instruments and frequencies are still separated well from each other and the bass. This is what the A20i does better than the mentioned other models from the brand: even though the other lows are boosted too, the bass keeps its separation, impact and fullness in more crowded songs.
When it comes to mids and treble, the Soundcore A20 is laidback. Mid-instruments like guitars and piano play have a warm tonality and flirt with the lows, and while they don't sound completely unnatural, mids are heavily recessed. If you listen to heavy metal, orchestral classical pieces or other musical genres that demand a lot of presence and separation in the mid-tones, it's safe to skip this set.
Treble is kept low as well. Highs roll-off quickly, meaning that violins and other highs can miss a bit of spark, but also that cymbals sound nowhere near splashy or sharp.
Meanwhile - and this is where the JBL-comparison really comes up - female and higher male vocals are taken apart from the rest of the treble. They sound prominent, but have a smooth, warm undertone, preventing the occasional thinness voices sometimes have in this sound signature.
Especially on higher volumes, the A20i sounds full, warm, and energetic. Like some of the best Soundcore's, it can also sound big - immersive around you. The A20i's sound character works wonderfully for instrumental genres like dance and techno, for most pop, and for warm acoustic genres like jazz and blues. If you need a little more treble, like for classical genres, the Treble Booster preset from the app may be an outcome, extending highs (and inducing a bit of harshness and sibilance; sss-tones), while not taking away too much from the lows.
The Soundcore A20i is one of the most fun sounding wireless earbuds under 50 dollars.
Soundcore A20i comparisons
Soundcore A20i vs Soundcore Life A3i
The Soundcore Life A3i is perhaps the biggest rival to the Soundcore A20i. It only costs around 15 dollars more, and adds solid Active Noise Cancelling that really helps to soften your surroundings - whether you're listening to music or not. What's more, is that the sound is better than Soundcore's other budget offerings like the Soundcore Life A1, the Life P3i, Life P2 mini and Life P2i. Compared to the A20i, the mid-bass is even weightier with deeper-hitting thumps. The Life A3i is stronger in the treble area too, putting more effort into higher-pitched vocals and higher instruments - but also letting in a bit more sharpness. The A20i is better in lower-mids; it resolves more (albeit darker-toned) details from acoustic instruments; the A3i is a bit cleaner there.
The Soundcore Life A3i has actual buttons that are easier to operate when working out and is better at handling phone and video calls, while the A20i has a longer battery life and a more comfortable fit.
Soundcore A20i vs Fiil T1 Lite
The long-time Scarbir.com favourite Fiil T1 Lite remains one of the best sounding earbuds under 50 dollars, and also comes with a strong and engaging bass when you activate the Bass EQ from the Fiil+ Global App. But whereas the bass is about as good as the Soundcore A20i, the difference lies in the higher frequencies. The Fiil T1 Lite emphasizes them more, easier hitting the higher notes in female and higher male vocals and brighter instruments. The tradeoff is that it sounds a little harsher; the A20 is a little more comfortable because of its toned-down treble.
Feature wise, these are very close to each other. Call quality is only decent on both models; the gaming modes are comparable as well. The T1 Lite has a IPX7 waterproof rating so you can take them under the shower; the A20i has at least an hour longer battery life. Most importantly, perhaps: the Soundcore is more comfortable.
Fiil T1 Lite review ($40)
Soundcore Life A20i vs Realme Buds Air 3s
Scarbir.com-followers will know I recently reviewed another pair of sub-$50 wireless earbuds that I praised for their big bass and almost guilty-pleasure entertaining sound. Unfortunately though, it appears that Realme deemed the sound of the Realme Buds Air 3S a mistake - as the wonderful combination of massive bass and thick lows has been removed after a firmware update. Now, the Buds Air 3S still has excessive bass options from the app, but it doesn't balance so joyfully with the lower frequencies and treble anymore - making the Soundcore A20i the more entertaining pair of the two - the bass more controlled, the treble friendlier, the stage bigger. The Realme Buds Air 3S does win on call clarity, however, and boasts a multipoint connection so you can connect it to two devices at the same time.
Verdict
With outstanding battery life, great wearing comfort, and an highly entertaining bassy sound, the Soundcore A20i is among the most fun basic wireless earbuds on a budget.
Buy Soundcore A20i/ check price:
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon Germany
Buy on other Amazon countries
I bought the Soundcore A20i for myself to test and review. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial - read about it here.
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