There are few Bluetooth earphones priced at $100 that deliver quality ANC (active noise cancellation)—in fact, we can't think of any model that does.
Anker's $99 Soundcore Life NC in-ears don't change this, though they manage to deliver ANC that doesn't ruin the audio experience.
They also get plenty else right, including a water-resistant design, a secure in-ear fit, and thunderous bass that'll appeal to anyone looking for some extra-low frequency boost.
Consider the noise cancellation a decent add-on, and these are solid Bluetooth earphones for the price.
Design
Available in a black matte plastic and silicone design, the Soundcore Life NC look like your typical neckband-style earphones.
Thin cabling extends from the neckband to the ear, and the earpieces fit securely and comfortably.
In fact, the eartips do a decent job of blocking out some room noise on their own.
There are four total pairs of silicone eartips in various sizes included with the earphones.
Although the neckband design may not be ideal for all exercise, an IPX5 rating means the earphones can withstand water projected from any direction.
Don't submerge them, but they should also be fine in heavy rain.
The neckband's left end houses the snap-shut protective cover for the micro USB charging port, near which is a power/pairing button and a play/pause button that also serves as the call answer/end control.
(The neckband vibrates when calls or texts come in.) The power/pairing button also serves as the ANC button—holding it for one second or longer controls power/pairing, while tapping it switches between ANC modes.
The right end of the neckband houses buttons for track navigation that double as volume controls depending on how long they are pressed for—combining those two functions isn't our favorite move, as it makes it easy to accidentally skip a track when you mean to adjust volume levels.
The earphones ship with a micro USB-to-3.5mm cable for wired, passive listening if the battery runs out, which is a rare added convenience for in-ears, especially under $100.
In addition to the cable, Anker includes a padded drawstring pouch.
The free Soundcore app for Android and iOS allows you to adjust the EQ, as well as customize the actions performed by the physical onboard controls and set a maximum volume level.
The EQ only uses presets, so you can't adjust individual bands on your own or save any custom profiles, and there are no customizable controls for the ANC.
The app is mainly useful as a way to manage firmware updates and adjust control settings.
Anker estimates battery life to be roughly 10 hours per charge, but your results will vary with your mix of ANC and regular listening modes, as well as your volume levels.
Performance
In terms of noise cancellation, the earphones deliver relatively tame ANC.
The earpieces themselves seem to do most of the work.
The best thing we can say is that the ANC circuitry doesn't really add any hiss to the equation, which is often what less expensive models do.
There is definitely a drop in surrounding noise, but it's subtle—the sound of typing or low-frequency rumble from a plane or a train will get through.
Sure, their levels are lessened somewhat, but compared with powerful ANC, there's not much going on here.
For $100, there's also not much to complain about.
Transparency mode, which allows you to hear your surroundings without removing the earpieces, works just fine, though its overall levels are a bit low—most ambient modes we test boost the mics a little.
The built-in mic offers average intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded, but there were typical fuzzy Bluetooth artifacts in play.
That said, the mic level itself is strong—callers should be able to hear you loud and clear.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency depth that will appeal to bass lovers.
You can move things into insane territory by switching to Bass Boost mode in the app, if you wish.
At modest levels, with the regular EQ mode in use, you get plenty of low-frequency punch.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Soundcore Life NC's general sound signature.
The drums here sound round, full, and not overly boosted—but they certainly get a little added bass depth.
The high-mids and highs are also quite crisp and bright, adding some nice treble edge to Callahan's baritone vocals and some snappy presence to the higher-register percussive hits and acoustic guitar strums.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an ideal level of high-mid presence, allowing the attack to retain its punchiness.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with serious depth that will, again, appeal to bass lovers—the lows are intense without overwhelming the rest of the mix.
The vocals on this track have a bright, crisp presence with a little bit of added sibilance.
In other words, this is a bass-boosted, sculpted sound signature—and it can go to crazy levels in Bass Boost mode.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, offer a bit too much bass for purists—the lower-register instrumentation steps forward notably in the mix.
The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals are still crisp and bright, but the lows come a little too far forward, even in normal EQ mode.
Conclusions
From an audio perspective, Anker's Soundcore Life NC earphones deliver a powerful experience, especially for the price.
The ANC tamps down surrounding noise somewhat, but it really shouldn't be a major factor in your buying decision.
If you want excellent ANC, you need to spend a lot more money—the $300 Bose QuietControl 30 earphones deliver the best in-ear ANC we've tested.
If you're just looking for solid Bluetooth audio in this price range, we're also fans of the Jaybird X4 and the JBL UA Sport Wireless Pivot, both of which can be found for far below their $130 list prices, as well as Anker's own Soundcore Liberty Air true wireless earphones, which are $20 less expensive.
Pros
View MoreThe Bottom Line
Anker's Soundcore Life NC earphones deliver some serious bass depth and some less serious noise cancellation, but at $100, it's hard to complain.
