The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a tight budget, the KZ ZSN Pro X earbuds are remarkably affordable and offer good overall sound quality and comfort, but they lack wireless connectivity and active noise cancelling. They are suitable for listening to music and TV, however, their sound isolation is fair, and the microphone quality is poor, which might affect calls and meetings. In contrast, the Soundcore Life Q30 headphones are pricier but provide excellent comfort, very good noise isolation with active noise cancelling, and better build quality. They are wireless with an impressive battery life and are suitable for long periods of use, such as during air travel. But they might not be the best for exercise due to their size and are not as portable as the compact ZSN Pro X 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 KZ ZSN Pro X
Good for TV and video
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q30
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Gaming
5.9/10
5.3/10
The KZ ZSN Pro X and Soundcore Life Q30 are both poor for gaming, though the KZ ZSN Pro X is somewhat better.
Phone Calls
3.1/10
5.1/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 and KZ ZSN Pro X are both poor for phone calls, though the Soundcore Life Q30 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
7.3/10
5.4/10
The KZ ZSN Pro X is good for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q30 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.0/10
8.7/10
The Soundcore Life Q30 is very good for noise reduction, while the KZ ZSN Pro X is only fair.
Battery
N/A
44.0 Hours
The KZ ZSN Pro X does not have a battery. The Soundcore Life Q30 has 44 hours of battery life.
Cost
$22
$80
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The KZ ZSN Pro X has a price of $22 and the Soundcore Life Q30 costs $80.
"The KZ ZSN PRO X offers superb sound for very little money, like under $30 USD. It has some rough edges with a plastic seam on the cable that can rub on your ear, and the bud is a bit large. The tech isn't cutting edge, but new doesn't always equal better. You should try it."
"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 KZ ZSN Pro X or the Soundcore Life Q30
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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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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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.