TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - With great battery life, good comfort, and entertaining sound, the Soundcore Life P2i or the Soundcore R100 is a great addition to the affordable Anker lineup of earbuds.
Anker Soundcore Life P2i specs and features:
Note: This model is also sold as the Soundcore R100 in India. This is also a Soundcore R100 review.
Bluetooth 5.2
IPX5 waterproof rating (rain and sweat proof)
8 hours playtime on a single charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with three ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$35 - Check price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany, other Amazon countries, or AliExpress
Below this Soundcore Life P2i review, you will find comparisons of the Soundcore Life P2i vs Soundcore Life P2 mini, SoundPEATS Mini, and QCY T13.
All reviews on Scarbir.com are unsponsored and honest. You can support my quest to find great affordable audio by buying via the links on this site or via PayPal.
Design, comfort and battery life
Wireless earbuds with actual buttons are becoming rarer and rarer. The Life P2i (also sold as the Soundcore R100) has them: the dark-grey panel in the overall shiny black earbuds is a button you can press. The earbuds themselves look nothing fancy - simple even compared to other Anker Soundcore's well-executed designs. The Soundcore Life P2, Life P2 Mini, and the excellent Soundcore Life P3 look a bit more upmarket.
The earbuds do follow a common design. They attach a medium-length stem to oval earpieces, which are comfortable and fit snugly in your ears. Soundcore mounts round ear tips to the P2i, and the combination of the oval part and the ear tip makes it block some lighter noises from your surroundings as if you're wearing earbuds with a bit of ANC noise-cancelling.
The shiny black charging case must be the most generic looking design in all of Soundcore's lineup, but at least it's efficient, with the earbuds lying in the case AirPods-style - meaning you have to pick them up from the top. The case feels sturdy, and a single LED light on the front indicates the remaining case battery.
This battery is great for the price. The Soundcore Life P2i reaches up to 8 hours of playtime on a single charge, and the case can recharge the earbuds up to 3,5 times before needing new power itself. Solid specs for the price.
Controls and connectivity
Even though the Anker Life P2i by Soundcore has actual buttons, it has the same control scheme as the latest touch-controlled offerings from the brand. That means all important controls are within reach:
Double-press L or R to play/ pause music
Press R to increase the volume
Press L to decrease volume
Hold R to skip a song
Hold L to return a song
Triple-tap L or R to switch sound settings (Bass or Podcast, announced by a clear voice prompt)
The only thing missing from the controls is activating the voice assistant. The responsiveness from the button is great, and you don't push the earbuds into your ears every time you operate it.
Connectivity on the Life P2i is rock solid. The Bluetooth connection holds up strong up to 9-10 meters away from your device, the earbuds pair and connect quickly when you take them out of the case, and it's possible to switch between listening to one or two earbuds at all times. Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out.
Calling and watching movies
It's doable to take a phone or video call like a Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting with the Soundcore Life P2i.
Your voice sounds loud and clear and has a nice fullness. Wind can be challenging when you're calling outside, but regular noise around you? Chatter, accelerating vehicles, and other sound effects are reduced very well and often left out of the call.
A little downside is how you hear others in video calls. While everyone is audible, there can be some occasional dark-sounding crackles in the background. It's not very annoying, but it's worth noting.
Video playback is flawless, with good synchronization between audio and video on iPhone and Android. Unfortunately, there is no gaming mode to reduce the delay of sound effects when you're playing games.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $50
Sound quality of Soundcore Life p2i: Bassy
The Soundcore Life P2i has a bassy and warm sound that becomes more entertaining when you turn the volume up.
Like the recently released Soundcore Life P2 mini, the Life P2i has different equalizer settings. The Bass EQ is the default setting, as you may expect from a brand that previously released bass monsters like the Spirit Dot, Liberty 3 Pro, and Life A1.
In this setting, the bass is indeed big. The mid-bass delivers big, fat thumps. Strikes sound full and last a while; they bloat a bit. The bass is not the tightest, and it doesn't have the same ultra-quick pacing of the A1 or Spirit Dot, but you can't overlook it; even a drum in easygoing singer-songwriter songs can be pushed to a thumping bass here.
Sadly, when a song boosts the bass by itself, and you listen on low volume, the bass can appear a bit loose and sloppy. The bass also bleeds into the lower mids like darker electronic tones, lower male singers, drums, and darker piano play. The Life P2i needs volume to tighten things up in the lows. The bass can have a slight crackle on louder to very loud volumes, but the music gets more engaging.
Male and female singers are put forward and well-separated from instruments. Upper-mids and most vocals come with a smooth, warm undertone but enjoy enough presence - and vocals and higher instruments like violins, cymbals, and claps are cut off before they sound harsh. Higher vocals can be a bit metallic, though.
That's the standard Bass EQ. Triple-push one of the buttons, and you switch to the Podcast EQ. This setting makes higher vocals more prominent and reveals more treble in the sound. Especially higher-pitched voices are brighter and louder. While this makes voices very clear, it lets in a bit of a hissing underneath higher musical notes, and it also shows sibilance - audible hissing of sss-tones in voices and music. While some songs benefit from this opened-up approach with more airiness, it's harsher and more tiring to listen to - you may want to switch back to the Bass EQ for music.
The Soundcore Life P2i isn't a bass monster like some other affordable models from Anker, yet it still has a pleasurable warm and bassy sound - that becomes even more entertaining when you turn the volume up.
Soundcore Life p2i comparisons
Soundcore Life P2i vs Life P2 Mini: Which is better?
Wait, doesn't Soundcore have another P2 model for the same price? That's right - the Life P2 Mini is an in-house competitor to the newer Life P2i. Both models have the same 8 hours battery life and form factor, but the P2i has actual controls instead of touch panels. The call quality of the P2i seems to be a bit better with noise around you, but both can be a bit hit-and-miss for calls. The Life P2 mini has three equalizers to choose from instead of P2i's two, but the latter has clear voice prompts that indicate the EQ you activate - and their purpose is more obvious: the higher one for podcasts, the Bass EQ for music. The P2 Mini has a fatter bass, but the P2i controls it better, and the same goes for highs - they are more controlled on the P2i than the P2 Mini's. The P2 Mini looks nicer and well-designed; the P2i sounds better.
Soundcore Life P2i vs QCY T13
The $25 QCY T13 and $35 Soundcore Life P2i have a lot in common. The earbuds are the same size, although the Soundcore is just a tad smaller in the ears. Battery life and call quality are comparable as well. The Soundcore has a smaller case; the QCY comes with a gaming mode which reduces the delay in sound effects when you're playing games better than the Life P2i. The QCY also has app support which lets you change controls, but the Soundcore has volume controls and a more convenient scheme. Musically, the QCY has better presence of center-mids like guitars, and sounds more middle-of-the-road and versatile. The Life P2i is less balanced but has a thumpier bass and pushes vocals more forward. Especially when listening on loud volumes, the Soundcore can be more uplifting.
QCY T13 review ($25)
Soundcore Life p2i vs SoundPEATS Mini
SoundPEATS has the Mini in the same price bracket as the Soundcore Life P2i, and again, the specs are alike. Both have the same battery life, very acceptable call quality under most circumstances, and provide a comfortable fit. Both earbuds strive for the same energizing sound signature with boosted bass and upper-mids, but the Soundcore wears it better. The Life P2i bass is fuller and thumpier, and upper-mids are rounder with warmer undertone. The SoundPEATS extends highs slightly further and sounds brighter, but also thinner and harsher. Thanks to the stemless design, the Mini is easier to wear in bed.
SoundPEATS Mini review ($40)
Verdict
With great battery life, good comfort, and entertaining sound, the Soundcore Life P2i is not just a great addition to the affordable Anker lineup of earbuds.
Not just that: with slightly better sound and controls than the comparably priced Soundcore Life P2 mini, the Life P2i are the most versatile and best cheap Soundcore wireless earbuds you can buy.
4.5 stars - Great
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I bought the Soundcore Life P2i myself to test and review. My reviews are unsponsored and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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