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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
stemmed earbuds. The Zen Air offers better noise isolation and it's also sweatproof, making it more suited for exercise. While both have good onboard controls and built-in mic quality, the P20i stands out with its lower weight, making it possibly more comfortable for long listening sessions. If you value longer battery life and virtual surround for a more immersive gaming and TV experience, the P20i would be the better choice. However, if you frequently travel or need to block out ambient sound, the Zen Air’s active noise canceling feature makes them more appropriate. Both are optimized for Android and Apple devices, so connectivity should be smooth regardless of your phone. 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 P20i.
Advantages of the Soundcore P20i
- Good for gaming
- Good for TV and video
Key differences
Gaming
5.1
7.3
The Soundcore P20i is good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
4.7
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Soundcore P20i are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Creative Labs Zen Air is somewhat better.
TV and Video
5.6
7.0
The Soundcore P20i is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Battery
5.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Soundcore P20i has 9 hours of battery life.
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Key similarities
Music
6.8
6.4
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Soundcore P20i are both only fair for music.
Phone Calls
5.1
5.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Soundcore P20i are both poor for phone calls.
Noise Reduction
7.0
6.5
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Creative Labs Zen Air to be good for noise reduction, while the Soundcore P20i is only fair.
Cost
$30
$30
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Soundcore P20i costs $30.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Soundcore P20i both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Soundcore P20i compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Soundcore P20i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $30 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 7.4/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 7/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 6.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | Yes | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.3 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | 20 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 4.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"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."
Soundcore P20i
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Dig into reviews and images
Critic Reviewer
Ranbir Sen | May 2023
"I would recommend the Soundcore P20i Earbuds to everyone who loves music and would like to own comfortable pair of earbuds with a great range of sound quality. I would recommend users who buy this device use the right comfortable ear tips as per your ear design."
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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.
By the numbers
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Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
123,200
Recommendations made
18,480
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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