The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're looking for a budget-friendly option, the Creative Labs Zen Air is the more economical choice. These earbuds offer good overall sound quality and excellent build quality, making them robust for everyday use. They're suitable for air travel and exercise due to their sweatproof certification and active noise cancelling feature, which can help block out ambient noise. However, they may not be the best for making calls or engaging in media consumption like gaming or watching TV, as they have been noted to perform poorly in those areas.
On the other hand, the Soundcore Life P3 earbuds are a bit more expensive but provide excellent noise isolation and have a longer battery life, which is handy for extended use without the need for frequent charging. They also come with app control customization options and are optimized for both Android and Apple devices. Yet, just like the Zen Air, they don't excel in call quality or gaming suitability.
In summary, if cost and build quality are your priorities, and you need them for active use or travel, the Creative Labs Zen Air could be the better option. But if you can stretch your budget for better noise isolation, battery life, and customizable controls, consider the Soundcore Life P3 instead. Both options are sound investments for someone who doesn’t prioritize call quality or gaming with their earbuds. 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 Zen Air
The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the Soundcore Life P3.
Advantages of the Soundcore Life P3
Very good for exercise
Key differences
Music
6.8/10
5.7/10
The Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair for music, while the Soundcore Life P3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4/10
5.9/10
The Soundcore Life P3 and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Soundcore Life P3 is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
7.0/10
9.1/10
The Soundcore Life P3 is excellent for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is good.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Life P3 has 7 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$50
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Soundcore Life P3 costs $50.
The Soundcore Life P3 and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for gaming.
Phone Calls
5.1/10
5.1/10
The Soundcore Life P3 and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for phone calls.
TV and Video
5.6/10
5.5/10
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Soundcore Life P3 are both poor for TV and video.
Build Quality
9.0/10
8.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Creative Labs Zen Air to have excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life P3 has very good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Soundcore Life P3 compare to other earbuds and headphones
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
"Anker continues its trend of stealth releases, recently dropping the Soundcore Life P3 out of nowhere. This product essentially replaces the disappointing Life A2 NC as the brand’s flagship ANC model under $100. It comes with bassy audio and enough features to give even the best noise-cancelling earbuds pause."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the Soundcore Life P3
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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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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