The Anker Soundcore Life Note 3: Premium Features On A Budget?
The landscape of true wireless earphones has shifted dramatically. You no longer need to spend a fortune to enjoy features like active noise cancellation (ANC) and app support. Even headsets under Rs. 4,000 are offering these modern conveniences. However, if you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can reap the benefits of superior audio quality, ANC performance, battery life, and connectivity features. This puts intense pressure on products in the mid-range price segment, as they need to strike a delicate balance between performance and value for money. Enter the Anker Soundcore Life Note 3, priced at Rs. 6,999. Anker promises a standout audio experience at an affordable price point. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out in this comprehensive review.
Good Looks, Comfortable Fit
Like many brands, Soundcore has a recognizable aesthetic. The Life Note 3 embodies this signature style. Currently available in black, the earphones boast a glossy, metallic-like finish on the plastic earpieces. The design echoes the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, but the Life Note 3’s earpieces are visibly larger, and the charging case has a more traditional look and feel.
The earpieces sport a single, discreet Soundcore logo near the stem’s top, offering a secure in-canal fit with excellent passive noise isolation. Charging contact points are conveniently placed on the inner sides of the stems. However, the omission of wear-detection sensors to automatically pause/resume music is a slight disappointment at this price point.
Despite the absence of these sensors, the earpieces provide a comfortable fit for extended listening sessions. The box includes a generous selection of five pairs of silicone ear tips and a charging cable. The IPX5 rating for water resistance is a welcome addition, ensuring protection against sweat and light splashes, making them ideal for workouts and outdoor use. The top portion of the earpieces is touch-sensitive for controls, which are customizable – a helpful feature that enhances user experience.
The charging case of the Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 is a visual treat. Its unique design features curved lines running across the entire case, creating a distinctive texture. The Soundcore logo adorns the lid, the battery and status indicator lights reside at the front, and the USB Type-C port for charging is located on the rear. Even with the lid closed, the status lights cleverly peek through the strategically placed gaps, allowing users to see the estimated battery level of the case via three indicator lights.
While the touch controls are responsive and customizable through the Soundcore app, accidental activation of single-tap gestures can be a bit of a nuisance. Double-taps are sometimes registered as a single tap due to the small and unmarked touch area. Fortunately, the app allows users to deactivate the single-tap gesture, minimizing these accidental activations.
App Controls & Connectivity
The Soundcore app (available for both iOS and Android) grants users full control over their listening experience. Users can control playback, adjust volume, cycle through ANC and hear-through modes, and even invoke their preferred voice assistant. You can personalize the touch controls to your liking, choosing between single-tap, double-tap, or touch-and-hold gestures for various functions.
The app also allows you to customize the ANC profile, selecting from three options: Transport, Indoor, or Outdoor. Each profile optimizes noise cancellation for specific environments, ensuring the best possible listening experience in different settings. You can also activate Low-latency Gaming Mode, switch between ANC and Hear-through modes, adjust the equalizer settings, set a sleep soundtrack, and update the firmware – all within the app. While the battery levels of the earpieces are accessible through the app, the charging case battery is not displayed. The app also includes a "Find My Earbuds" feature that plays a loud sound to help locate misplaced earphones. However, the sound volume is relatively low, making it useful only for nearby searches.
The Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 boasts 11mm dynamic drivers and Bluetooth 5.0 for a stable and robust connection. The earphones support the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, ensuring high-quality audio regardless of the source device. Each earpiece features three microphones, promising clear and natural sound during calls. Unfortunately, wireless charging is not supported, which is a missed opportunity considering its inclusion in competitors like the Nothing Ear 1 in a similar price range.
Impressive Battery Life & Excellent ANC
The Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 delivers impressive battery life, significantly exceeding expectations for a device in this price bracket. The earpieces offer a remarkable five hours of playtime on a single charge with ANC enabled at moderate volume levels. The charging case grants four full charges to the earpieces, resulting in a total runtime of approximately 25 hours, providing ample listening time before needing a recharge.
While the charging time is not exceptionally fast, with a claimed three hours for a full charge of both earpieces and case, the longevity of the battery truly shines.
Sound & ANC Performance
The Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 occupies a price segment often overlooked by brands. It sets itself apart with a promise of good sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) performance. My experience with these true wireless earphones confirmed this promise. The sound and ANC performance are remarkable for the price, exceeding expectations in several aspects.
Support for both SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs ensures consistent audio quality regardless of the source device. I primarily used the earphones with my iPhone 13 for music, audiobooks, and calls. The sound signature can be described as safe, catering to popular music genres; however, it doesn’t hinder the earphones from delivering an enjoyable and fun sound, appealing to a wide range of musical tastes.
My initial testing with "Feel The Vibe" by Axwell indicated that the Soundcore Life Note 3 sounded optimal at around 70 percent volume. The earphones’ sonic signature is perfectly aligned with electronic dance music, featuring deep and refined bass that surpasses the typical expectations of affordable, bass-heavy true wireless earphones. The track’s fast beats were flawlessly delivered, sounding precise and tight without compromising the mid-range or highs.
Despite the emphasis on bass, the Soundcore Life Note 3 faithfully delivers a wealth of detail in the sound, creating a captivating soundstage. Listening to "Answers" by Astropilot, I was captivated by the subtle details and nuances present in this progressive lounge track. The gentle sounds of nature subtly woven into the background perfectly set the mood. While the mids and highs were initially clear and distinct, the introduction of the synthesised bass and beat predictably drew my attention midway through the track. However, this did not detract from the spaciousness and high quality of the soundstage.
The active noise cancellation on the Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 is among the best in its price range, even outperforming some significantly more expensive options. Its impressive performance is further enhanced by the customizability of the ANC settings—a rare feature in the true wireless earphone market, especially at this price point. The earphones effectively reduced noise in all environments, making listening more enjoyable and focused.
The Soundcore Life Note 3 offers three ANC profiles: Transport, Indoor, and Outdoor. Each profile effectively targets specific noise frequencies to deliver optimal ANC performance in various settings. The indoor mode excelled at reducing mid-frequency sounds like voices, while the transport and outdoor modes effectively tackled low-frequency sounds like vehicle engines.
Connectivity & Call Quality
The Soundcore Life Note 3 demonstrated decent connectivity, maintaining a stable connection at distances of up to 4 meters between the earpieces and the paired smartphone. Call quality was acceptable for short calls indoors but less pleasant for extended conversations, especially outdoors, due to the underwhelming microphone performance. The hear-through mode produced an artificial and amplified sound, which prompted me to prefer removing the earphones altogether for conversations.
Verdict: Value for Money, But With Caveats
The mid-range segment for true wireless earphones is often overlooked by brands, but Soundcore has successfully carved out a position in this price range. The Soundcore Life Note 3 is a compelling pair of true wireless earphones that offers great value for the price. The combination of good sound, very impressive active noise cancellation, and a comfortable fit makes it a worthy contender.
However, there are minor drawbacks, including the absence of wear-detection sensors and wireless charging, and the average call quality. Despite these shortcomings, the Anker Soundcore Life Note 3 delivers enough for its price point, making it a compelling choice for budget-conscious audiophiles.
However, it is worth considering alternatives like the Nothing Ear 1, which boasts a sleeker design and the added convenience of wireless charging, although it does come at a slightly higher price point.
