DESIGN, COMFORT AND BATTERY LIFE

Anker's Soundcore has gathered an incredibly large fanbase in a short amount of time, and it's no question why. Even apart from the marketing and terrific packaging, Soundcore knows how to present its products. The previously released Soundcore Life P2, Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, Soundcore Spirit Dot 2, Soundcore Life A1, Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, and Soundcore Life P3 all have fantastic build quality - they look and feel more expensive than they are.

The Soundcore Life P2 Mini is no exception - it's designed and built very nice for a pair of $40 earphones. The matte black oval charging case has a nice heft to it, has a shiny black line to give it some class, and the lid closes with a dampened click. Three LED lights on the front indicate the remaining battery of the case, which can recharge the earbuds fully three times before needing new power via USB-C itself.

The earbuds themselves have a stem-design, but the stems are much shorter than on the Life P2 and Life P3. That's good - they look nicer in your ears. They are matte with a shiny back inlay in the middle, and the top of the stem is connected to an oval in-ear piece we now see on so many wireless earbuds. It's no wonder why everyone chooses this shape: it's easy to get a snug and comfortable fit with these buds. They also block out some noise around you, although it's hardly at noise cancelling-level. The Life P2 mini is IPX5-waterproof, meaning it can withstand sweat and rain during your commuting or working out.

 The battery life of the earbuds is fantastic, delivering up to 8 hours of playtime on a single charge.

CONTROLS AND CONNECTIVITY

Unlike more expensive models from the range, the Life P2 Mini doesn't support the impressive Soundcore app, meaning the controls and features you get on the buds are all that you're going to get. The controls are simple:

• Double-tap L or R to play/pause music

• Hold R to skip to the next song

• Hold L to return to the previous song

• Triple-tap R to switch between equalizers (standard, clarity, and bass)

• Triple-tap L to activate the voice assistant

The touch panels don't respond to a single touch, so accidental touches rarely happen. The downside is you can't change the volume from the earbuds directly. The model doesn't support noise-canceling, Transparency, or a low-latency mode like more expensive Soundcores.

Unfortunately, there's no voice prompt to announce the next equalizer. Changing the EQ is confirmed with a gentle beep instead. If you don't have a trained ear, it may be hard to know in which EQ you are.

The P2 Mini holds a strong Bluetooth connection up to 9-10 meters away from your device and works great in areas full of wireless connections as well. It's always possible to switch between listening to one or two earbuds, for instance, charging one bud while using the other.

CALLING AND WATCHING MOVIES 

Despite the stem design with microphones aimed at your mouth, the call quality of the Soundcore Life P2 mini is a bit hit-and-miss.

Your voice has plenty of volume, but sounds harsh and tinny. Noises around you are often reduced well in calls, including accelerating traffic and chatter around you. However, when a scooter passing by does intrude in the call, it sounds very sharp and annoying to the other end of the line. After quite a bit of testing, it's not really clear when noises are reduced well, or when they come through loud - inconvenient. The call quality is stable and convenient for phone calls in quieter indoor areas - and the same goes for video calls like Microsoft Teams or Zoom meetings.

Watching videos on this Soundcore is a blast, with flawless synchronization between audio and video on iPhone and Android. There is a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games, however.

SOUND QUALITY OF SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI: BASS

 The Life P2 Mini's unique selling point is that it has three equalizers you can switch from straight from the earbuds. Unfortunately, unless you're a big bass lover, it's a matter of quantity over quality.

In the standard mode the Life P2 Mini presents to you the very first time, the mid-bass is prominent when you play music. It has this typical thick Soundcore-thump: it's not very fast or precise, but it still feels powerful as its strikes last quite a while. Every bass slam rumbles on a bit. The sub-bass doesn't strike very deep or detailed, but there's plenty of rumble and mid-bass presence to make it sound full in the lows.

In the higher frequencies things get a little tackier. While center mid-tones like guitar and piano play on themselves are nicely represented and boast a fair amount of detail, they drown when the Soundcore plays higher notes.

The Life P2 Mini doesn't handle upper-mids and highs very well. There's enough clarity in the sound, but vocals lack a natural tonality. Singers often sound lighter, higher than average. When a female or higher-pitched male vocalist enters a song, the sound immediately turns metallic and thin. It's the same with brighter instruments, such as violins and cymbals: they've been stretched a bit too much - not sounding overly peaky or loud, but too metallic. A bit harsh too.

That's with the standard sound. Tap the right earbud three times, and you'll go to a treble-oriented mode, which drops the bass strength and extends upper-mids and highs further - letting in more of this metallic-ness. A sound signature that may be suitable for podcasts but only imbalances music more.

Another three taps activates the Bass mode, and that's where probably most people will stay. This mode takes the highs down a notch, making the upper mids and vocal outbursts less forward and much less tinny - although a bit nasal instead. In addition, the Life P2 mini boosts the bass even more. WAY more. It sounds deeper, fuller, and darker. There still isn't much separation between the mid-bass and deepest darkest sub-bass tones, and the mid-bass doesn't strike as fast or isn't as detailed as on some other Soundcore's more affordable models. However, the bass now is very powerful - pure bass lovers will feel right at home. Heck, it can even be punchy in singer-songwriter songs.

The Bass mode boosts the lower-mids (emphasizing darker electronic tones in modern dance genres) fiercely and adds warmth to the sound. Add up the Life P2 mini's moderate amount of detail in the mid-tones and solid left-right separation in the sound, and the Bass mode saves the day.

It's a mistake to think the Soundcore Life P2 mini is a great all-rounder with three different equalizers, but if you're a bass lover, you may well enjoy the generous Bass quantity the P2 mini throws at you.

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI COMPARISONS

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI VS SOUNDCORE LIFE P3: WHICH IS BETTER?

The Soundcore Life P3 is the more expensive brother of the Life P2 mini, and for its 80 dollars, it fares better in basically every regard. The P3 has solid ANC active noise cancelling and Transparency mode, handles outdoor phone calls better, and supports the brilliant Soundcore app. This app lets you activate a low-latency gaming mode, change controls, and enter a sleep mode with all kinds of soothing sound effects. Compared to the Bass mode of the Life P2 mini, the Life P3 has more articulated bass thumps, more controlled lower mids, clearer vocals and upper-mids, and its sound feels more around you as well. If you like the bass up to P2 mini levels - just dive in the app with the extensive equalizing options. The Life P3 may be worth the extra price.

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI VS SOUNDCORE LIFE A1

Surprise - the Life P2 mini isn't the first model to boost three sound equalizers straight from the earbuds. The Life A1 did the trick earlier, including two modes that put the bass in the front and center. The Bass Mode of the Life A1 is even more outspoken than on the P2 mini. It has harder rumbles and bass slams, but also offers more technical separation between the mid-bass and sub-bass. The Life A1 has better specs as well: ear-wings for a tight workout-proof fit, IPX7 waterproof-rating so you can take them under the shower, and even longer battery life on a single charge. The P2 mini is still a bit more capable of handling phone calls.

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI VS LYPERTEK S20

Now available for 50 dollars, the Lypertek SoundFree S20 has the energetic bass sound you may just be looking for in a cheap Soundcore model. Music on the S20 sounds airier, more immersive thanks to the bigger soundstage, and vocals appear more prominent and lively than on Soundcores Bass Mode. The Lypertek has more clarity, and it's especially noticeable coming from the bass- and lower-mid-focused Soundcore. The S20 has around 2 hours less battery life per charge but comes with psyhical buttons with volume controls and boasts an IPX5 waterproof rating.

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI VS EARFUN FREE 2

With better call quality, IPX7 waterproof-rating, wireless charging, volume controls on the earbuds, and a still very impressive 7 hours of playtime on a single charge, the Earfun Free 2 is a strong competitor to the Life P2 mini. The Soundcore does feel smaller in your ears. Compared to Soundcore's Bass Mode, the Earfun Free 2 has more upfront vocals, better representation of mid-tones and a much wider, much more immersive soundstage. The Earfun sub-bass hits a tad deeper as well. The only tradeoff is the slight sibilance (audible sss-hissing), which the Life P2 mini controls better.

SOUNDCORE LIFE P2 MINI VS QCY T13

The $25 QCY T13 mid-bass strength comes surprisingly close to the Life P2 mini with Bass mode on, yet Soundcore's bass does seem deeper and fuller. Both don't bear the tightest bass slams, but instead punch and rumble loosely and joyfully. The QCY is a more engaging and balanced earphone, however, with further extended highs, more prominent vocals, and better-resolved mid-tones - beneficial for a lot of acoustic instruments. The QCY also has a wider soundstage to give dance music a 'bigger' vibe. Vocals can be a bit sharp on the QCY, yet lack the slight hiss and tinniness from the Soundcore. Spec-wise, the QCY handles phone and video calls better. Comfort and battery life are comparable.

VERDICT 

The Soundcore Life P2 Mini will please the biggest bass lovers, but its features, sound quality and call clarity aren't up to the standard of the brands' more expensive models. 

 FOUR STARS - GOOD

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