Soundcore by Anker Life U2i Wireless Neckband Headphones, 10mm Drivers with BassUp Technology, 24H Playtime, AI-Enhanced Calls, Foldable and Lightweight, IPX5 Water-Resistant, Secure Fit, Bluetooth 5 In Stock

I am not sure why these are 4 stars. I have consistently been buying from Anker because of their insane battery life. I was compelled to write a review for this after I just got done with a washing machine run and they freakin survived.

I was about to throw them away and thought, what the hell, lemme just test them to make sure. Lo and behold, it turned on and they are unchanged. Sound quality is the same. Took a phone call perfectly fine.

If you want headphones with INSANE battery life and durability these are the ones. If you want like Beats level sound quality, well you are in the wrong price range my friend.

Easy to connect via Bluetooth & a easy to use design, i love that I don't have to keep something in my ear but is ready right there for me when im ready to reconnect, not off getting lost like most headsets today. They are comfortable on neck, I've forgotten I'm wearing them a few times. I also like a change they have made with this model that if nothing is playing it will partially disconnect and play ringtone and stuff over phone then when you start music or shows it will reconnect (just takes about 3 secs). i can normally run about 2 shifts on a charge but it fastly charges so even if I forget to charge and plug it in on the drive to work about 20-30 min it's plenty to get be through my shift and beyond. comes with different size rubbers and sound is perfect and clear even with my slight hearing lose. The design keeps headset at the ready for any time use ear peice cord is just right length its not in the way and magnetic so they stick together out of way when not in use but do stick to anything metal. can use my phone charger to charge so no special cords. these are my go to headsets and bonus so not overpriced which is always a win!

For the price, the quality and sound of these headphones is pretty good. They attached to my Bluetooth really easily and there's never really any problems there. They're overall solid headphones.

The only thing that annoys me about them is that there is a bright LED light on the play/power button and, if you like to wear your headphones at night while you sleep, this bright light shines basically anytime the audio pauses. The light is way brighter than it needs to be and can wake you up if you fall asleep with them on because the light is basically shining right into your face.

This review is to help anyone looking to replace their Soundcore Life U2's as I will be comparing the two.

Sound quality: The sound quality of the U2i is ever so slightly inferior to the U2. The U2i is a little more tinny and doesn't have as great of clarity. This isn't to say that the quality is bad; The U2 had great clarity so it is a high standard to live up to. For the price, I am satisfied with the sound quality.

Volume and bass: These U2i's are definitely capable of higher volumes. On the U2's, I would normally listen to music at 2 notches down from max volume. However, on the U2i's I have to turn them down a couple more notches or else I'd be blowing my eardrums. Accordingly, with higher volumes, the headphones are capable of more bass. I am happy with the amount and quality of the bass.

Battery life: Not much to say about this. The battery life is great just like the U2's. Maybe an hour or two less of playtime.

Fit: Looking at the picture of these U2i's, I was afraid they would fit oddly or fall out easily since they are bulkier than the U2's. Out the box, they fit great and I have had no issues with them falling out. Of course they come with small, medium, and large ear tips in case they don't fit well out the box. I've used them doing basic tasks and working out and I might adjust them a little bit every now and then; Not enough to complain about. I haven't used them while running so I can't attest to that. Some people complain about the neckband being slimmer or flimsier than the U2. This is true; it is a little more lightweight, but that hasn't changed the way they sit on my neck or anything. It's a non-issue in my opinion.

I remember purchasing the U2's for $50, so for half the price, the U2i's bring a lot of value and I would recommend them.

I typically really like the brand Anker. I've bought many products from them over the years. These headphones though… not great (in my opinion, obviously). Soundcore used to make a pair of headphones that they no longer sell – Soundcore Spirit. These were my favorite headphones out of any pair I've ever owned. They charged fast, the sound quality was great, they were lightweight, and they had a long battery life. These headphones lasted for about a decade. They even survived an accidental dip under water several times. But after many years, the button fell off and I can't get them to turn on. I've been looking for a pair to replace them and thought I'd give these a try. Several problems. The length of the cable is too long with no way to retract them. They are not comfortable in my ear and constantly feel like they're falling out of my ear. The mic is on the left side which might not matter to some people but I happen to wear a hearing aid in that ear which renders the mic useless.
I will say they charged quickly and the sound quality isn't bad and the connectivity was easy. Others may have more success with them than I did.

Sound quality is OK, mic quality is great, but they keep disconnecting from my PC. Even though they are connected as a Bluetooth device, the various apps like Teams, Chrome or Edge would periodically fail to output audio to the headset requiring a PC restart.