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Outlier Pro
Company ProductName Specs




Life Q20
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you frequently travel by air or exercise with your headphones, the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is a superior choice due to better noise isolation and a more secure fit for active use. However, if you require a wired connection option and prefer over-ear headphones for comfort, the Soundcore Life Q20 would suit you better despite being somewhat more expensive. The Outlier Pro also benefits from a longer battery life and sweatproof certification, making it a better option for extended use and physical activity, whereas the Q20 excels in soundstage for a more immersive audio experience. Both offer active noise cancelling, but neither is optimized for gaming due to latency issues. For calls and meetings, the Outlier Pro has higher microphone quality. 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 Pro
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Very good for exercise
  • Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q20
  • Good for music
  • Excellent for air travel

Key differences

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Music

5.9
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
7.0
The Soundcore Life Q20 is good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Phone Calls

8.3
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
4.9
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for phone calls, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.9
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
4.7
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.

Battery

10.0 Hours
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
32.3 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Life Q20 has 32.3 hours of battery life.

Cost

$45
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
$50
Product image
Product image

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has a price of $45 and the Soundcore Life Q20 costs $50.

Build Quality

9.0
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
8.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life Q20 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Gaming

5.3
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
5.2
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro and Soundcore Life Q20 are both poor for gaming.

TV and Video

5.5
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
5.3
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro and Soundcore Life Q20 are both poor for TV and video.

Noise Reduction

8.3
Outlier Pro
Life Q20
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q20 and Creative Labs Outlier Pro are both very good for noise reduction.

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How the Creative Labs Outlier Pro and the Soundcore Life Q20 compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Creative Labs Outlier ProSoundcore Life Q20
Creative Labs Outlier ProSoundcore Life Q20

GENERAL

Price
$45
$50
Brand
Creative LabsSoundcore
Release Date
April 1, 2022November 1, 2020
Form Factor
EarbudsHeadphones
Connectivity
WirelessWired + Wireless

SOUND

Music Score
5.9/107/10
Phone Calls Score
8.3/104.9/10
Gaming Score
5.4/105.2/10
TV and Video Score
5.6/105.3/10
Exercise Score
8/105.3/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
10 Hours32.3 Hours
Wireless charging
YesNo
Charging time
1.5 Hours1.8 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.25
Case Battery Life
45N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesYes
Noise Reduction Score
8.4/108.8/10
Virtual Surround
NoN/A
Android App
YesNo
iOS App
YesNo
Mic Quality
8/106.8/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/108/10
Comfort score
7/107.6/10
Size
LargeN/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
7.2 Grams258.5 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Creative Labs Outlier Pro

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Dig into reviews and images

Forbes

Brad Moon | September 2022
"If you listen to music for extended periods such as commuting and work, and you hate having to pause to charge, give the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds a try. You should be able to enjoy your tunes all day, or longer, without interruption."

Soundcore Life Q20

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Dig into reviews and images

Sound Guys

Christian Thomas | January 2022
"As far as headphones that cost under $100 go, the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a really solid option. Like any good tool, it does the job well without much guff, and it’s affordable to boot. Sure: it’s not going toe to toe with any of the higher-end models of ANC headphones out there—but the headphones do well enough for commuters that it’s a good stand-in if you were never planning on spending a bunch of money anyway."

Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Pro or the Soundcore Life Q20

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

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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.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
110,900
Recommendations made
16,635
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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