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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Sennheiser HD 250BT provides better overall sound quality, a good gaming and TV/video experience due to its lower latency, but is less portable and doesn't have active noise cancelling. In contrast, the Soundcore Life Q20 has active noise cancelling, longer battery life, and is better suited for air travel and noise isolation, despite its inferior sound quality compared to the Sennheisers. If sound quality is your top priority and you primarily game or watch TV, the Sennheisers may be the better choice, but if you need noise cancellation and a longer battery for travel or noisy environments, the Soundcore Q20 would suit you better. 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 Sennheiser HD 250BT
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Soundcore Life Q20
- Good for music
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Gaming
8.8
5.2
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for gaming, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.2
4.9
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is good for phone calls, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.1
4.7
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
TV and Video
8.4
5.3
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for TV and video, while the Soundcore Life Q20 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.0
8.7
The Soundcore Life Q20 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD 250BT is only fair.
Battery
25.0 Hours
32.3 Hours
The Sennheiser HD 250BT has 25 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Life Q20 has 32.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$64
$60
$50
$60
$70
$80
$90
$100
The Sennheiser HD 250BT has a price of $64 and the Soundcore Life Q20 costs $60.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Sennheiser HD 250BT has excellent build quality, while the Soundcore Life Q20 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Music
6.5
7.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Soundcore Life Q20 to be good for music, while the Sennheiser HD 250BT is only fair.
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How the Sennheiser HD 250BT and the Soundcore Life Q20 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser HD 250BT | Soundcore Life Q20 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$64 | $60 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | November 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.2/10 | 4.9/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.9/10 | 5.2/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 8.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.2/10 | 5.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 25 Hours | 32.3 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 3 Hours | 1.8 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | N/A | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | No | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | No | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 8.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 125 Grams | 258.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Sennheiser HD 250BT
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Pete Scholßnagel | 2020
"As a lightweight, robust audio provider with a long battery life, the Sennheiser HD 250BT offer a lot for their price: very good Bluetooth codecs, an app connection and an extremely understated design. These headphones may not be among the most comfortable, but they deliver adequate sound – without overdriving or distortion."
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 Sennheiser HD 250BT or the Soundcore Life Q20
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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