I Bought, and Kept, the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker
Back in January, I wrote about how I Bought, and Returned, the Ozlo Sleepbuds. I was excited to try a pair of headphones specifically made for sleep, as my AirPods Pro usually hurt my ears (I’m a side sleeper) and fell out.
The TL;DR of that post is that they are an incredibly disappointing product that also happens to cost $300.
At the behest of other folks who had trouble with the Ozlo Sleepbuds, I decided to give the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker a try.
My criteria were simple:
- They must fit nicely in my ears without falling out overnight
- I need to be able to take them out of the case and immediately start listening to audio on them.
If you didn’t read the full Ozlo Sleepbuds review, My biggest issue with them is they require the app to work at all.
That was a dealbreaker.
So how do the Soundcore A20s measure up?
Do the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker Fit?
YES. They fit great — they are small and soft, and come with several different sized coverings and tips.
They might lose a point because the coverings aren’t the easiest to change, but I also don’t have the nimblest of fingers.
I routinely fall asleep with them, and when I wake up, they are still in my ears, and my ears don’t hurt from sleeping on them.
Check.
Do the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker Connect Easily?
Here was the real test. Can I take presumably Bluetooth headphones out of their case and immediately connect them to my iPhone without an app?
YES.
Praise be. They worked exactly as I expected them to. I connected them and immediately started listening to music.
And now, as soon as I take them out of the case, they connect back to the most recent device they were connected to.
And the range is fantastic — they actually work one floor down in my house.
If I don’t want to listen to something, I tap on one of the buds twice and get a babbling brook.
I suspect this is customizable in the app. But here’s my favorite part: I’ve had these headphones for nearly 3 months and I haven’t downloaded the app at all.
It’s incredibly refreshing to see a piece of technology that doesn’t require or strongly suggest you need an account or their app to use.
Check
Caveats and Potential Improvements
So it might seem obvious at this point, but I didn’t have many requirements, so I didn’t test extensively — that’s the first caveat.
They fit, they work immediately, and they suitably block noise.
They also claim to have alarms, sleep monitoring, and some sort of AI features (naturally).
I didn’t try any of those, so I can’t speak to them.
I will say the 2 improvements I’d like to see:
Turn off the audio when I take them out of my ears. I’ve become accustomed to this with my AirPods, but I suspect this might be some Apple ecosystem magic.
Make it a little easier to switch devices. If I connect to my iPad and leave it downstairs, I either need go downstairs to disconnect them so I can connect to my phone, or do a weird button pushing dance I can’t always remember.
It is possible (maybe even likely) that these would be easier with the app. But I really, really don’t want to have an app for my headphones, and fortunately these aren’t very big issues. That’s the second caveat.
The third and final caveat is the price.
Are the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker Worth the Price?
I bought these in February for $120. It seems that they’ve gone up in Price. Maybe it’s demand or competitive pricing (the Ozlo Sleepbuds are $300).
Or maybe it’s the tariffs…though other stuff is on sale so maybe not.
Given I have Tinnitus and these really help, I suspect I still would have bought them at the higher price point.
However, as I’m not using any of the actual sleep functions, something like the Soundcore by Anker Space A40 might actually be better. They’re listed at $79 (currently on sale for $45), so something to consider for yourself.
Earlier this week, the A20s would have been “on sale” for the $120 I paid for them, so if you’re keen on trying the sleep features, you may get lucky with a Spring Sale if you don’t want them right now.
All-in-all, I believe the Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds by Anker are indeed worth the price — they are comfortable and work easily. They are still nearly half the prices of the Ozlo Sleepbuds, and much much better.
And as you can see, I haven’t even tapped into some of the more advanced features.