soundcore by Anker Q30 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones with Multiple Modes, Hi-Res Sound, Custom EQ via App, 50H Playtime, Comfortable Fit, Bluetooth Headphones, Multipoint Connection

Ok so I have had these headphones for over a year so far, they have not deteriorated in anyway shape or form, the noise cancelling is fabulous and the colour hasn’t faded at all, it is super comfy and unlike other headphones these don’t give me a headache, the box they come in is really good at protecting them, the wires provided haven’t faltered at all, they are a tad on the heavy side but 100% worth it and expected for any over head headphones, the audio quality is gorgeous, perfect, I love them, would highly recommend to others and they are reasonably priced for how great they are, 10/10

I’ve been testing the Soundcore Q30s for a few weeks now, and they’ve earned their spot in my kit. For under £80, they punch well above their weight in comfort, battery life, and noise cancellation.✅ What Works Well:• Battery Life: Absolutely wild. Up to 60 hours without ANC, and around 40–44 hours with it on A. I’ve gone days without charging.• Comfort: Lightweight build (around 260g) and soft earcups mean I can wear them for hours—ideal for long editing sessions or travel B.• Noise Cancellation: Three modes (Transport, Indoor, Outdoor) that genuinely make a difference. Not Bose-level, but impressive for the price C.• Sound Quality: Out of the box, it’s bass-heavy and muddy. But once you tweak the EQ in the app, it becomes surprisingly balanced A.• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 with multipoint pairing—switching between phone and laptop is seamless C.⚠️ What’s Less Impressive:• Build Feel: Mostly plastic, and it shows. Doesn’t scream premium, but it’s sturdy enough C.• No aptX Support: You’re stuck with AAC and SBC codecs. Fine for casual listening, but not ideal for audiophiles C.• No Water Resistance: Not gym-friendly. Keep them dry and clean B.• EQ Presets: Meh. You’ll want to build your own custom profile in the app A.🎒 In the Box:• Hard-shell case (basic but functional)• USB-C charging cable• 3.5mm audio cable for wired listeningFinal Verdict:If you’re after budget ANC headphones that don’t feel budget in performance, the Q30s are a solid pick. Just be ready to tweak the sound and skip the gym sessions with them.

FULL DISCLOSURE, I am not an audio producer or a tech expert or a music mogul. I have an audio sensitivity disorder and so use Active Noise Cancelling headphones to get through the day without wanting to tear my hair out and/or jump in the village pond. That is the angle this review will be coming from.SOUND QUALITY - THE PROS- Sounds good to a layman -As previously stated, I've no skin in this game. But sounds good to me! It also comes with an app (which DOESN'T require you to sign up, you can skip that step, hurrah!) that allows you to fiddle with the equalizer. Again, means absolutely nothing to me and I've no idea what I'm doing with it (there are fortunately various pre-made settings to choose from for that exact purpose), but nice to have.SOUND QUALITY - THE CONS- My AUX cord arrived broken -The subheading sums it up. The fresh-out-of-the-box AUX cord was broken by the first time I plugged it in. The music was extremely quiet and echoey when using it, so I tried the headphones with a different AUX cord from around the house and the sound quality was fine. (To be certain it was the SoundCore cord, I tried it with a different brand of headphones that I knew worked well and they sounded bad too). Fortunately, I have spare AUX cords, so I don't know if I'll bother taking this up with Anker, but I thought I'd mention it.ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION - THE PROS- Good noise cancellation -Works really well! My neighbour helped me test this out by being particularly noisy the other afternoon. I didn't ask him to, he just likes to help me test my ANC headphones on the regular by blasting loud music and letting his children pummel the stairs into dust. And wonderfully, when wearing the headphones with noise cancellation on (no music playing) I couldn't hear a thing!- Different settings available -I was using the 'indoors' setting at the time of my test, but the headphones come with two more settings: 'outdoors' for those walks in the park we're all having right now, and 'transport'. You can change them via the app. I haven't tried the outdoors or transport settings, as I use my headphones primarily in the house (and due to current circumstances, I'm not really leaving it at the minute).You also have a 'transparency' mode that uses the in-built microphone to amplify instead of dampen sound, so you can hear whatever is going on around you without having to take the headphones off. Not too useful, since you can just take them off, but nice to have!- Battery life good -The headphones came with 'medium' battery life, and I used them for four days, hours at a time with ANC, before the battery level displayed as low on my phone. Gave them a charge, took under an hour to get to full.ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION - THE CONS- Not total silence -The indoor setting won't drown out loud sounds coming from a nearby source completely, such as people talking or the washing machine on a spin cycle. It will dampen the sounds significantly, e.g. speech will be muffled, but they will still be audible. Don't buy this expecting total silence!- ANC is fiddly to use -My previous ANC headphones had separate switches for the ANC and the bluetooth connection, which meant I could use them for ANC without turning them on. This is really handy for someone with an audio sensitivity, as it meant I could just put the headphones on my head, flick on ANC, and whatever sound was upsetting me would be drowned out.These headphones DON'T have that. To use ANC, you MUST turn them on. Even if you're using them wired, you HAVE to turn them on, while wired, to use ANC. If you unplug from that wire (maybe you're at your computer and want to get up without taking your headphones off) they will turn themselves off. I assume that's to save power, so you don't forget to turn them off yourself, but it means if I get up, I have to turn them back on if I want to keep using ANC while I'm pottering about (due to my audio sensitivity). And when you plug back in, they make the power down sound, but seconds later, will remember they're still on the clock and tell you the battery level as if they've just switched on.Not only that, but--though I appreciate having the 'normal', 'transparency', and 'ANC' modes--it doesn't tell you which you have on when you power up the device. It tells you the battery level religiously, but not whether you're on ANC or normal or transparency. To find out, I just cycle through the modes until I get the one I want, since they're all on the same button. I just wish the ANC had its own separate button, so it could be switched on/off at will, no fuss.THE DESIGN - PROS- Good ear cup fit -I hadn't realised just how poorly my last over-ear headphones went over my ears until I tried these ones. They fully encompass the ears and give a really comfortable fit around that area because of it. Also they're not too heavy, so you can wear them for hours without discomfort.THE DESIGN - CONS- Slightly loose headband fit -The headband looks a bit odd. I feel like a cyberman. However, aesthetics aside, the band not being flat against the head means it's not a secure fit. I'm sure this is done for comfort's sake, but it makes the headphones feel a bit loose. I have them on the tightest setting, and they slide about a bit if I tilt my head, especially if its sudden. However, I have tried being a bit active with them, A.K.A. I've had a dance around, and they haven't fallen off. I think is because the ear cups fit so well.OVERALLA good pair of headphones with all the essentials there: battery life, ANC, and sound quality. However, there are peculiarities in the design and function that may take some time to get used to, and detract from the ease of use. But when the competitors are hundreds of pounds more expensive, it provides a really good offering for the price.

I have had these headphones for about seven months now and i am honestly blown away by the quality and durability of them so far. I have owned many brands over the years but after my skullcandy decided to break I then bought these for the noise cancelling feature, a little skeptical, but its ended up being a perfect amount for a neurodivergent individual who uses public transportation like me. I am not a fan of the transparency mode but each to their own. The padding on the headphones is also comfortable for the price point and no headaches from the fit, you would think these are much more expensive than they are.The sound quality is wonderful (similar to sony!) and i enjoy how much choice you get between genres if you download the app. Bass is good, and most components are customisable. Charges very quickly, 15 minutes will give me about 50%, and 100% will last me a month of heavy usage!I do not use the volume control on the headphones themselves so i cannot review that but they do not get in the way like another reviewer had mentioned.Overall i will definitely purchase these on repeat if they end up giving up on me…but i am confident these will keep me going for atleast another year or 2.