Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Soundcore Anker Life Q30 | Can Budget ANC Compete?

The Soundcore Anker Life Q30 is an affordable product with excellent value, whereas the Sony WH-1000XM5 is the most recent model to join their premium XM series. Interested in how these ANC headphones stack up? We have your back! Check out our brief comparison below for a preview before reading our in-depth study for a thorough evaluation.

Product Highlights: Soundcore Life Q30 vs Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Soundcore Life Q30: Key Factors

Battery Life and Fast-Charging

The Soundcore Q30 ANC headphones are amazing, offering a whopping 60 hours of battery life at their maximum and 40 hours with active noise cancelling activated. This surpasses the Sony WH-1000XM5, whose battery life is barely 40 hours without ANC activated and 30 hours with it enabled. The USB-C port on both over-ear headphones allows for rapid charging. The Soundcore Q30 extends battery life to 4 hours with just a 5-minute charge, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 provides 3 hours of playing with just a 3-minute charge. With either of these wireless headphones, you won’t have to worry about running out of juice, but the Soundcore Life Q30 offers the longest battery life.

Verdict: Anker Soundcore Space Q30

App Support & Connection

The Sony WH-1000XM5 features Bluetooth version 5.2, but the Soundcore Q30 has version 5.0. Both over-ear headphones support a wired connection for audio playback and have robust and dependable Bluetooth connections. Bluetooth multipoint is supported by both wireless headphones, however the WH-1000XM5’s implementation is much better. Users can easily connect to two Bluetooth devices at the same time using multipoint. On the Q30, NFC is supported, but not on the WH-1000XM5. Additionally, it is not available on newer Soundcore models like the Space Q45. This is not a good sign for this feature’s inclusion on future products.

There is good news about codec support. Both of these noise-canceling headphones support LDAC for Bluetooth high-resolution audio. This will enhance wireless streaming’s audio quality. Lossless streaming is currently available on many services, including Tidal, and it’s expected that Spotify HiFi will follow soon. The Sony WH-1000XM5 features DSEE Extreme in addition to LDAC to enhance audio from compressed or lossy sources. One thing to keep in mind is that using either of these functions can reduce battery life.

The utility of your ANC headphones may be significantly increased by using companion applications. For their wireless headphones, Sony and Soundcore both provide some of the best app support. The Sony WH-1000XM5 is supported by the Sony Headphones Connect app, whilst the Soundcore Q30 is supported by the Soundcore app. Both apps are compatible with iOS and Android devices. Each app has many functions that include updating, ANC adjustment, EQ customization, EQ preset usage, and more. Both apps perform better than comparable apps from most rivals, add value, and have a good aesthetic.

Verdict: Tie

Design and Form Factor

Compared to its predecessor, the Soundcore Life Q20+, the Q30 design appears to be more refined. We also love the Sony WH-1000XM5’s updated design. While we’re big fans of the WH-1000XM4’s aesthetics, the XM5s look even better. The WH-1000XM5 are among the best-looking ANC headphones I’ve ever seen because of their elegant design.

Both headphones have superb build quality, however the Sony WH-1000XM5 seems more expensive due to its stronger material and hinges. For a premium set of noise-canceling headphones with this price tag, this isn’t necessarily a surprise. Both headphones are lightweight and comfy, but they have a bit less cushioning than their predecessors in the headband and earcups. Most people will be comfortable using either set of headphones for extended work hours and long travels.

Both of these noise-cancelling headphones have a variety of intuitive onboard controls. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 has touch controls. The power button on the left ear cup may also be held down to start Bluetooth pairing. The left ear cup also has a personalized button. This button may be used to engage your favourite voice assistant or change the ANC modes (active noise cancelling, transparency mode, and ANC deactivated). The Sony Headphone Connect app lets you choose the option you desire. On the right ear cup of the WH-1000XM5, touch controls for music playback and phone calls are located. Many over-ear Sony headphones that have just been released use the same touch gestures. The control layout of the WH-1000XM5 is broken out below.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Touch Controls:

• Swipe Forward – Skip to Next Song
• Swipe Back – Go To Previous Song
• Double Tap – Pause/Play Audio and Answer/End Call
• Swipe Down – Decrease Volume (hold to continue reducing volume)
• Swipe Up – Decrease Volume (hold to continue increasing volume)
• Cover Entire Ear Cup – Activate speak-to-talk mode
  

The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 is controlled by physical buttons. The power, pairing, and ANC buttons are all located on the left ear cup, just as the WH-1000XM5. The Space Q30’s ANC button may be used to toggle between active noise cancelling, transparency mode, and ANC off. There are several buttons for playback control on the right ear cup. For these controls (below), there is a volume rocker with two buttons (+ and -) and a Play/Pause.

Soundcore Life Q30 Physical Controls:

• Play/Pause:
  • Press 1x: Play/Pause or Answer/End Call
  • Press 2x: Activate Voice Assistant
  • Hold: Rejects Phone Call
    
• Volume Buttons:
  • Press + 1x: Increase Volume
  • Press + 2x: Skip To Next Song
  • Press – 1x: Decrease Volume
  • Press – 2x: Go To Previous Song
    

Verdict: Sony WH-1000XM5

Which Wireless Headpones Sound Better?

Most buyers will like the dramatic sound quality of the Soundcore Life Q30 and Sony WH-1000XM5. Both over-ear headphones also support LDAC and have apps that allow users to customize their sound profile to their liking. Both headphones have bass-heavy EQs and have a similar sound signature. This will make them very good headphones for listening to bassy music, viewing movies, and playing video games. The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 offers more bass, but it isn’t always a good thing.

The Sony WH-1000XM5’s sound quality distinguishes itself by not allowing lower frequencies to overwhelm middle and high frequencies. When listening to music on the Sony WH-1000XM5, more critical listeners will notice superior detail and instrument separation. Higher frequencies can become inherently less noticeable with a bass-heavy EQ.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 headphones sound amazing for the price, but they can’t compete with the sound quality of the much more expensive XM5 headphones. As a result, higher frequencies might sound slightly recessed at times. This dynamic is often caused by overemphasized bass that rapidly turns muddy. On more recent releases, such as the Soundcore Q35s, Soundcore has fine-tuned the bass reproduction. Even with its significantly lower price tag, the Anker Soundcore Space Q30 performs admirably. The Sony WH-1000XM5 excels in capturing clarity and finer details. And we believe that even casual listeners will notice the difference. Fortunately, both the Life Q30 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 add great features to the app for tweaking sound quality.

These ANC headphones both perform admirably as a headset for Zoom calls or a fast voice conversation. Each pair of wireless headphones include built-in microphones that do well replicating your speech, but users shouldn’t expect top-notch performance from either. Although wireless headphones frequently advertise features that improve voice calls, many are still unable to do this very well. The microphones will also struggle to cope with harsh background noises. They’re fine for phone calls in a regular office setting or work-from-home.

Verdict: Sony WH-1000XM5

Soundcore Life Q30 vs WH-1000XM5: Can Budget ANC Compete?

A fantastic pair of wireless headphones is distinguished by their ANC performance. Quality noise cancelling headphones are essential for reducing background noise on your commute or during air travel. We’re pleased to announce that both of these over-ear headphones are capable of providing good ANC performance. We believe the difference in ANC performance is much smaller than the difference in sound quality. The more costly WH-1000XM5 still has an advantage over the less priced Q30s though.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 innovative technology excels at canceling mid-range and high-frequency background noise. Along with improved active noise cancellation, the WH-1000XM5 has new ear cup padding. The ear cups perform better in terms of passive noise cancellation at higher frequencies. As a consequence, the XM5 headphones have remarkable ANC capability to minimize all sorts of background noise, from workplace conversation to the rumble of an airplane engine.

In comparison, the Anker Soundcore Life has impressive ANC performance, particularly in blocking low frequencies. However, when it comes to blocking out higher frequencies, the WH-1000XM5’s passive and active noise cancellation outperforms the Anker Soundcore Life Q30. Sony WH-1000XM5 cut out much more surrounding chatter and train noise while in the train station. However, the Q30  are an $80 pair of ANC headphones. By comparison, the WH-1000XM5 costs about five times as much. In that context, this is more than a good showing from the Soundcore Q30. Transparency mode is available on both the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 and the Sony WH-1000XM5, allowing users to hear ambient sounds for increased situational awareness.

I would recommend the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 to anybody looking for decent active noise canceling headphones for a commute or office job. While the Sony WH-1000XM5 has superior noise cancellation, the premium is simply not worth it for most listeners. People who frequently travel, have long commutes, or simply want the best ANC headphones should consider the Sony WH-1000XM5.

Verdict: Sony WH-1000XM5

In Conclusion: Affordable ANC Surprise

It’s often difficult to get definitive results after doing headphone comparisons. These two ANC headphones are an exception to that rule. Both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 are top-notch active noise canceling headphones. The Sony WH-1000XM5’s high pricing is evident in the way it was built and designed. However, the Life Q30 has an excellent battery life and a sturdy design. And it costs $80 as opposed to about $400.

The WH-1000XM5 offers better sound quality, but the Anker Soundcore Space Q30 headphones sound good and come closer in ANC performance than anyone would expect. When it comes to minimizing background noise, the Sony WH-1000XM5 definitely shines. However, I think the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 provides good ANC that works well enough for the majority of users. And much over its pricing range. The value they offer is just exceptional. Choose the Sony WH-1000XM5 if your use case necessitates the best noise cancellation available.

The Soundcore Space Q45 is the first alternative that comes to mind. They are comparable to the WH-1000XM4 and offer better sound quality than the Q30. Even if the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a fantastic alternative, the new price hasn’t decreased significantly with the XM5 introduction. If you can locate excellent noise cancelling on sale or secondhand, you can save money. Additionally, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 is a good option for its strong ANC, long battery life, and more neutral sound profile.

Anker Soundcore Life Q30 vs Sony WH-1000XM5: FAQs