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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If your priority is affordability and you're mainly using them for exercise, the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are more cost-effective and have a higher score for use during exercise. They're also more portable, with a smaller, earbud design, sweatproof certification, and a longer battery life with wireless charging. However, if you need headphones for air travel or desire better noise isolation, the Soundcore Life Q30 headphones would be better despite being more expensive, as they offer active noise cancelling and are rated higher for air travel use. Both have similar overall sound quality, but the Q30 has a better soundstage, which may make them more immersive for music and TV. Additionally, the Life Q30 has a detachable cable, which can be useful if you prefer a wired connection at times. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for exercise
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q30
- Good for music
Key differences
Music
5.7
7.1
The Soundcore Life Q30 is good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
5.1
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good for phone calls, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9
4.8
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.5
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q30 is very good for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair.
Battery
10.0 Hours
44.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$80
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life Q30 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Gaming
5.1
5.3
The Soundcore Life Q30 and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.4
5.4
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for TV and video.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and the Soundcore Life Q30 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 | Soundcore Life Q30 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $80 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | August 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.7/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 5.2/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.2/10 | 5.3/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.5/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 8/10 | 5.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 10 Hours | 44 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 1.7 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.2 | 5 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 40 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | N/A | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.8/10 | 8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5.2 Grams | 263 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Dig into reviews and images
Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
Soundcore Life Q30
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphones Addict
Peter Susic | December 2021
"Every once in a while, headphones with an excellent price/performance ratio arrive that truly deserves all attention. Anker Soundcore Life Q30 are one of those headphones. Of course, they aren’t perfect, but they do most things better than their competition. Or they give you the option to make them better."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the Soundcore Life Q30
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Soundcore
Soundcore is a sub-brand belonging to Anker Innovations. Starting in 2014, initially marketing wireless, Bluetooth, speakers, Anker now offers an array of, budget-friendly, wireless earbuds and headphones that directly compete, especially in the Active Noise Canceling field, with other brands several times as expensive.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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