Comparing wireless noise-cancelling headphones to know which best suits your needs can be difficult. In this review, we look at the Soundcore Life Q35 vs Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones. We outline exactly what each brings to the table with results that might surprise you.
Battery Life and Connectivity
Everyone wants as much battery power as possible. Active noise cancelling will usually drain the battery faster. How do these headphones do on battery life? The Beats Studio 3 delivers 23 hours of battery life on a single charge. That is with active noise cancellation enabled. This beats the Beats Studio wireless, but not the Q35s. The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 top their advertised 40-hour battery life. You get quick charge capability on both phones. A 10-minute charge on the Beats Studio 3 provides give 2.5 hours of playback. The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 performs better here. A 5-minute charge on the Soundcore Q35 gives 4 hours of playback time. If longer battery life and listening time are important, the Q35 is definitely the winner. The Q35 also supports passive playback, unlike the Beats Studio 3. That means you can keep using your Soundcore Q35 wireless headphones after the battery life runs out.
The Beats Studio 3 is equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 version. Soundcore’s Q35 headphones are equipped with Bluetooth 5.0. Unlike the Beats Studio 3, the Q35s also have NFC pairing. The Beats Studio 3 can only connect to one device, while the Q35 Bluetooth headphones can connect to two devices. This Bluetooth multipoint capability is really convenient when working from home. The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 also offer more audio codec support. Both headphones support the AAC and SBC codecs. In addition to this, the Soundcore Q35 also have LDAC codec support for hi-res audio. Unfortunately, charging the Beats Studio 3 requires a micro-USB cable. The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 supports charging via a USB Type C cable.
You will also find wear detection that automatically pauses playback when the Q35 headphones are removed. Playback will then resume when the built-in sensor recognizes you’ve put your headphones back on. Both wireless headphones have a built-in mic.
Verdict: Anker Soundcore Life Q35
Design and Form Factor
Personal preferences will obviously be a significant factor here. Many will find the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 design less attractive. We tend to agree, as the Beats Studio 3 just look better. Many will find its sleek design appealing. Interestingly, they both weigh about the same. The Beat Studio 3 weighs 0.58 lbs. The Soundcore Q35 weighs 0.59 lbs.
Both headphones are light, comfortable, and portable. Both wireless headphones also come with a hard case making them a friendly travel companion. The earcups on the Beats Studio 3 have sufficient padding. There is only a little give to the Beats Studio 3 padding, but I liked the feel. The Soundcore Q35 headphones have slightly less padding. For prolonged listening, the Beats Studio 3 will offer greater comfort.
The controls on the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 are a little easier to use than on the Beats Studio 3. The controls on the Soundcore Q35 are physical buttons. You can use those buttons for playback and volume control. A voice assistant and active noise cancelling modes can also be toggled with onboard controls. The Soundcore Q35 also offers a “Tap to Talk” feature. This is an ambient sound mode. It’s temporarily activated by holding the right ear cup for two seconds.
The Beats Studio 3 basically has 3 control buttons. These are the Beats logo, the circle around it and the power button. The logo button controls playback and your voice assistant. The ring around the logo is for volume control. Holding the power button turns the headphones off. A double press of the power button will toggle active noise cancelling.
Verdict: Tie
Sound Quality
The issue of personal preferences will again come into play here. In general, both headphones have overemphasized bass. This will be ideal if you are looking for headphones for bass-heavy music genres. Both headphones however have added features to help improve their sound quality. The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 wireless headphones have a warmer sound profile. You will find more impactful thudding bass when compared to the Beat Studio 3. The mid-range is also great though, as vocals come through with good clarity. The treble is a little muted on the Q35s and instrument separation suffers a little.
The Beats Studio 3 touts the ability to auto-calibrate audio for the listener and the environment. The effectiveness of this is questionable. While the default EQ is bass-heavy, it’s not as impactful as the Q35. That means the sound profile is a little closer to neutral than the Q35 wireless headphones. Its midrange is not as pronounced though. This means that vocals can get lost in the audio mix for some music. Some will want to dial in the bass for a cleaner EQ.
Despite the added bass, the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 can still provide better overall clarity and imaging by default. The Soundcore Q35 also offers an amazing companion app. With the Soundcore app, you can fully customize the EQ or choose from many EQ presets. In comparison, the Beats companion app is extremely disappointing. There are no options to adjust the EQ at all. Both wireless headphones have their companion apps available for Apple and Android devices.
Not only do the Soundcore Q35 provide better overall sound quality. They also have a companion app that allows you to add further customize the audio based on preference or situation. We also have to mention that the Q35 supports LDAC again. This allows the Q35 to more easily stream from hi-res audio sources.
Verdict: Anker Soundcore Life 35
Which Has Better Active Noise Cancelling?
Active noise cancelling performance will be the most important feature for many. We’ve compared some premium active noise-cancelling headphones. Neither of these wireless headphones falls into that category. Both do a good enough job blocking some ambient noise.
Overall active noise cancelling for the Soundcore Q35 headphones is a step above the Beats Studio 3. The active noise cancellation on the Beat Studio 3 does do pretty well in the mid to high frequencies. That’s important when it comes to blocking the noise of nearby chatter. Lower frequencies are where active noise-cancelling headphones will be most effective though. The Soundcore Q35 headphones perform much better in this regard. They block out the low rumble of engine noise much more effectively.
The Soundcore Q35 also offers different modes of active noise cancelling. Its noise cancellation modes include outdoor, indoor, and transport. There are no similar modes for active noise cancelling on the Beats Studio 3. There’s also the aforementioned tap to talk mode. It’s an ambient sound mode that temporarily allows you to hear audio from your surrounding. The Soundcore Q35 outpace the Beats Studio 3 as active noise-cancelling headphones.
Verdict: Anker Soundcore Life 35
In Conclusion: Soundcore Life Q35 vs Beats Studio 3
There are a few important things to consider for active noise-cancelling headphones. Battery life, noise cancellation, and sound quality are chief among them. The Soundcore Life Q35 manages to top the Beats Studio 3 for all these factors. This is a situation where you can’t judge a book by its cover. Or its price tag. The Beats Studio 3 sells for almost twice the price of the Soundcore Q35 headphones. We obviously can’t recommend them over the Q35s, which have a way longer battery life and better sound quality. And the Soundcore Life Q35 are much better active noise-cancelling headphones!
If you want the best active noise-cancelling headphones, we recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4. They have top tier active noise cancelling, great audio quality, and amazing app support. The Soundcore Life Q35 is just as good as it gets at this price point for an affordable pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
Keith Collins has been writing for over 15 years for various publications. He’s a lover of music, home theater, and excellent sound quality. His fondness for technology in addition to his non-stop curiosity fuels his writing ventures.