Soundcore A30i by Anker, Smart Noise Cancelling Earbuds, Lipstick-Shaped Stylish Design, Tiny, Lightweight Comfort, Clear Sound, IP54, 15H Playtime in ANC Mode, Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth 5.4

I had been on the hunt for a while for good earbuds. Most of the main ones on the market hurt my ears after a while. I try the smallest tip but it's just uncomfortable. Especially the ones with a stalk sticking out. Other brands were small ear specific, but a plastic seam irritated my ear where it sat. Unrelated to my earbud search, I was thinking how much I love my Ankr charger brick. I came to Amazon to confirm I bought it 8 years ago and it still works amazingly. Charges 2 phones at once in around 30 min or less. Takes overnight to charge but has never let me down. Always has extra juice, always gets me back full in no time. Anyone I share it with is impressed for the size and quality. So when i saw soundcore was made by Ankr, I was intrigued.I am not a person who works out a lot but the sweating I have done, they stayed in place. Usually if I smile or huff and puff the bud moves and I have to readjust. These stay still if they are clean. I got some hearing aid wipes and clean them from time to time, it helps.I think the sound quality is great but I'm not a music theory expert. I can hear bass and high notes clearly. The noise canceling is ok, but even with it off I can only hear my music unless it's very low. One earbud at a time works great: I can still hear around me and the other stays charged. I haven't had a bud die on me yet. They connect well to my android phone and turn off/on when removed from case.Now, as far as on-device controls. Do I know what I'm doing? No, of course not. I beleive 1 tap does nothing, long press changes between anc and not, hold for 10s....turns them off? Not sure. Typically I would accidentally press a button with other earbuds when I didn't mean to. Doesn't happen with these. If you want to control volume and ANC I think you can, I don't think you can advance to next track or skip. I don't really need on device tap features so that's probably user error. 1 tap= nothing is my favorite. That way I don't skip or pause with my ear accidentallyWhen I bought these, it was like $20. Freaking amazing quality for that price. It fits so snugly in my small ear and gives good sound. The active noise canceling seems to cancel noise when on or off so I can't really tell when I'm listening to music but works great with nothing playing.The case is adorable???? I saw someone call it a lipstick case and that's pretty close to how it feels. Slides open and close easy, pieces go in and come out fine, stands up better than a rounded or bulky case. Fits in my bag and is easy to find by touch. I really love these. I have had them 2 months and have needed to charge the case 0 times. I'll report back if anything goes wrong but now I'm wondering if Ankr makes other stuff. Kitchen gadgets? Spouses?? I mean this quality would be welcome almost anywhere

I’m usually the type who treats earbuds like tiny, high-tech minions, but the Soundcore A30i by Anker has me rethinking everything. These lipstick-shaped wonders come in a case that’s so cool it practically has its own fan club. They fit my ears so perfectly I’m convinced they were crafted by the tech gods themselves.And then there's the moment of truth: "Is that Lipstick? Is that a personal massager? Nope. But it will cause an eargasm!" With smart noise cancelling and crystal-clear sound, these buds turn my daily commute into a private concert—minus the high price tag. At under $20 on sale, they’re the best earbuds you can snag on a budget. Add in 15 hours of playtime in ANC mode, an IP54 rating for splash and dust resistance, and Bluetooth 5.4 for a stable connection, and you’ve got a pair of wireless earbuds that can take on the world.Bottom line? The Soundcore A30i is a quirky, budget-friendly masterpiece that delivers both style and performance—proof that great things really do come in small, lipstick-shaped packages.

Final update:The replacement earbuds sent via a warranty claim (no cost to me) are working much better. The ANC is still only a 3 out of 5, but the synching issues are rare and usually only occur when I'm connected to two devices at once. Overall, these earbuds are well worth the money considering they're less than $50. If you purchase these and have significant issues, try all the trouble shooting steps suggested on the app, and if that doesn't fix it, the manufacturer is extremely quick on providing replacements through their warranty.First Update to my review: Anker suggested replacing my earbuds via the warranty, so I can say their customer service is great and quite responsive so far. I will update again after trying out the replacement earbuds. I'm giving them a star rating increase (for now) from one to three based on my experience with customer service.Original review:Unfortunately, there are so many synching issues that I feel compelled to say DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.The earbuds fit well and they look nice. As far as value, I would repeat my first sentence.Initially the sound was great and still is when the ear buds actually synch properly (which never lasts long).The ANC options seem decent, but I don't know if I'll continue to use these long enough to truly test the ANC out of the house.The app is great; it has many equalizer options and other sound options. The app also has many tutorials on ways to possibly fix synching and battery issues. Unfortunately, none of the "fixes" last very long.The battery in the left ear bud drains nearly twice as fast as the right. The suggested fixes haven't helped.The sound often becomes unsynchronized, even when every ANC feature is not in use. Examples of the synching issues include:One earbud has a slight delay, causing an echo-like effect,or sound goes out completely in one earbud at a time, often self correcting before the other earbud starts doing the same, or an earbud loses connection then power (even when the battery is not low) and won't restart until you drop it in the charging case to reboot it.I have had many Bluetooth earbuds and none of them have had synching issues like this. I'm wondering if these earbuds would have worked better if the app hadn't updated the firmware on them as soon as they initially connected.