Anker Soundcore H30i review: affordable wireless headphones with high-quality sound and foldable design

Anker Soundcore H30i headphones were introduced in Ukraine at the end of February. We have already tested the new product, and now we share our impressions of listening to music on them, using them in games, on various devices in wireless and wired modes. I should note right away that I did not expect anything from the model at all, but it unexpectedly surprised me. Details, as always, are in the review below.

Anker Soundcore H30i

Pluses:

folding compact design with swivel cups; reliable quality of materials and assembly; pleasant price; adequate passive noise reduction; universal sound quality with powerful bass; the model will suit many user segments; headphones can be switched between two devices; clear useful application; long battery life; adequate price/quality/features ratio

Minuses:

bass clogs the midrange; mediocre microphone; no support for aptX or LDAC codecs; sound lag in some mobile games

8.5/10

Rating ITC.ua

Technical specifications of Anker Soundcore H30i

Packaging and equipment

Anker Soundcore H30i comes in a flat, relatively small box.

Inside are the headphones themselves, which are stored in a soft wrapper, a USB-C cable for charging, a meter-long AUX cable, and a manual.

Design and ergonomics of Anker Soundcore H30i

Anker Soundcore H30i — over-ear headphones with swivel ear cups and folding design. The declared weight is 183 grams.

The cups are not full-size, but only partially cover the ears of an adult. Because of this, the relatively small weight and size of the device make the headphones suitable for men and women, teenagers, and even children.

The three available colors (black, milky white, and wine red) also indicate maximum coverage of different users.

We had all three versions for review, and I must say that they look even better in person than in the advertising images. Depending on their preferences, age, and gender, users will surely like at least one of the available colors.

The case of Anker Soundcore H30i is made of matte plastic, and inside there is a metal plate. The bottom of the headband is covered with eco-leather, and the inside is foam. The headband extends 5 cm on both sides.

The cups are round and compact. On the outside, we see silver circles and the Anker Soundcore logo in the middle.

The ear cushions are made of eco-leather, and inside, as usual, there is soft filler. The speakers are covered with a cloth with the left and right earpieces indicated.

All the controls are located on the right cup. There is a microphone built into the case, a status indicator, a 3.5 mm audio jack, an on/off button, and volume buttons.

Features of the Anker Soundcore H30i

Anker Soundcore is equipped with 40-inch dynamic drivers. The declared impedance is 18 ohms, the frequency range is from 20 to 20,000 Hz, and the sensitivity is 93 dB.

The headphones do not have an active noise reduction function, which means that «transparent» mode is not available here. However, I note good passive noise reduction. The model is tightly pressed to the ears, so neither voices nor relatively loud surroundings are heard. Of course, if you are on the street, then it’s a different story, and in this case, you need to hear more.

Indoors, in the office, in a coffee shop, or at home, passive noise reduction is more than enough to block out the outside world, listen to music, browse the Internet, etc.

Sound and microphone

The headphones support the popular AAC and SBC codecs. Yes, these are basic formats that don’t provide the best sound, but they are still able to maintain quality at a good level. This is especially true for the AAC codec.

Anker Soundcore H30i is characterized by rich, powerful bass, which you would not expect from a headphone of this price and size. In some styles, it scores well in the middle and high frequencies, but well, it’s only noticeable in this way. In general, the low frequencies are rich and well-balanced, the sound is three-dimensional and pleasant for its price segment.

The shortcomings of the sound are corrected through the built-in equalizer or one of the many ready-made audio presets available in the proprietary application. For example, I liked the Bass Reducer, which reduces the amount of low frequencies, which is great for when there is too much bass.

Anker Soundcore H30i — is a universal model, so they are not only pleasant to listen to music, but also to watch movies, YouTube videos, etc. They are especially suitable for movies and TV series. A powerful midrange is added to the bass mentioned above, so all together it makes a pleasant impression and is a good substitute for a home theater as far as possible.

The microphone is built into the case, so it’s just there and that’s enough. Its voice sound is a bit robotic, which can most likely be attributed to some simple noise reduction function, although I did not find information about it.

Connection, software, and control

Anker Soundcore H30i are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 support. The wireless headphones work with the Soundcore proprietary application. This is a modern, user-friendly program that allows you to control other devices of the manufacturer.

The headphone menu shows the battery level, a section with an equalizer and presets, a section where you can activate the dual-connect function, and choose which gadgets they will be. There is also a section for updating the headphones’ firmware, etc.

Controlling the headphones via the physical buttons on the right ear cup is relatively simple and standard. A short press of the volume buttons adjusts the volume, and a long press allows you to skip tracks. The main button next to it also has several functions. Pressing it once plays or pauses the music, double — switches to the next track, and long pressing the button turns the device on or off. During a call, a short press answers the call, and a long press for a second will hang up the call. Long pressing for three seconds in the off state activates the Bluetooth pairing mode.

Anker Soundcore H30i autonomous robot

Anker Soundcore H30i has an 800 mAh battery. The manufacturer claims 70 hours of battery life (with the volume at no more than 50%). It also has fast charging — five minutes of charging provides four hours of operation.

In fact, the headphones really last that long, and in my case even longer. As usual, I listen to music in the background while working, and it’s usually 20-30% volume. I also watched movies and YouTube videos with the headphones and it was already at 50-70% volume. In total, I used the headphones every day for two weeks for 5–8 hours, and they ran out of power only at the end of this period.

User experience

I was pleasantly surprised by Anker Soundcore H30i. The audio device costs an adequate amount of money, they have a neat, ascetic design in black, but in other colors they look more interesting and may appeal to girls, women, or teenagers.

At first, the headphones pressed a little on my head, but it was not too much and only for the first few hours. Then they stretched out and became just right. They didn’t fall off or slip while walking or doing my home workouts. At the same time, there is good passive noise reduction, so if the music is not even loud and someone is talking to you, you will not hear it.

I should note that the ear cushions are made of eco-leather, but in the summer, most likely, they will not be as hot as in the full-size model. Because in fact, the headphones cover only half of the ear, and the rest is open. But this is just my guess for now.

Anker Soundcore H30i sound really good. The bass is powerful, and the midrange also stands out, especially when watching video content. The audio gadget is suitable for all styles of music, and the sound features are adjusted by activating a particular preset in the app. Of course, these headphones are not for audiophiles, but everyone else, that is, most users, will definitely like the sound for this price.

The microphone is the weakest link of this device, but this is predictable, because it is very small and hidden in the case. This means that the distance to the mouth is large, so along with the voice, it captures the sounds of the environment, and then tries to filter them out, which gives a mediocre voice quality.

I liked the incredible battery life and this is with the compact size of the headphones. They also work from a cable, but you need to turn them off completely. I used this scenario to play PlayStation 5 when I connected them through a gamepad. But you can’t use the headphones while charging, and this is important to know.

I should also mention a subtle delay in sound when connected wirelessly to a smartphone when I played some mobile games. For example, the sound lagged a bit in Wild Rift and PUBG Mobile, but in some other projects everything was fine. Therefore, Anker Soundcore H30i is least suitable for mobile gaming via Bluetooth, but there is still an option to connect via cable.

Price and competitors

Anker Soundcore H30i are sold at a price starting at UAH 1399. In my opinion, this is a good and fair price for everything the headphones include, for the foldable form factor, for their compact size and versatility. However, competitors are not sleeping either, so they offer similar over-the-ear models in the same price category.

It is worth noting Proove 70’s Classic. There is also a classic model Marshall Major IV, which is copied by the previous manufacturer. They are much pricier, but it is a kind of initial pass to the world of audiophilia, as far as it is possible for this money. There are also JBL Tune 520BT and Sony WH-CH520.

8.5/10

Rating ITC.ua

Autonomy

9

70 hours on a single charge for such dimensions deserves a good rating.

Software

8

The proprietary app is simple, nice, and clear. There are many functions and modes, but there is nothing unique.

Design, Ergonomics, Materials, Build Quality

9

The headphones are well built, with a metal base and matte plastic that does not collect fingerprints. They are compact, have swivel ear cups, and a folding design.

Price

8.5

For the price of 1399 UAH, this is an adequate price/quality/features ratio.

Sound quality

8

The headphones have a strong bass and a pleasant overall sound, but the lower frequencies sometimes get clogged by others. It's a universally good sound for most users, but it's not enough for audiophiles.