The Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds represent Anker’s attempt to solve what the A20 model couldn’t: blocking snoring. These new buds pack Active Noise Cancellation and a microphone in the charging case that adjusts masking audio to cancel out nighttime disruptions.
The specs sound promising – smaller design for side sleepers, better noise blocking, and adaptive snore masking. But after a month of nightly testing, the reality proves more complicated than the marketing promises.
For context, this review comes from someone with challenging sleep habits: frequent podcast listening, waking 1-5 times per night, and side sleeping that makes most earbuds uncomfortable.
Battery Life: The Streaming Reality Check
Anker advertises 9 hours of battery with ANC enabled, extending to 45 hours with the charging case. That’s accurate – but only when using locally stored white noise or snore-masking sounds.
Real-world battery performance:
- Local audio (white noise, rain sounds): 9 hours as advertised
- Bluetooth streaming (podcasts, music): Closer to 6.5 hours
- Frequent wake-ups and restarts: Even shorter practical life
For podcast listeners, dead earbuds before dawn became a regular occurrence at least twice weekly. This represents a step backward from the passive A20 buds, which didn’t have this streaming penalty.
The battery limitation hits hardest during “doomscrolling sessions” before bed, when late starts mean even less overnight runtime.
Comfort Improvements for Side Sleepers
The A30 buds delivered on their comfort promise. The smaller design works better than the A20s for side sleeping, requiring only minor pillow adjustments to avoid pressure points and audio muffling.
Compared to regular earbuds like AirPods Pro, which make side sleeping impossible, this represents a major advantage. After a month of testing, no morning soreness occurred – a genuine win for Anker’s design team.
Snore Masking: Testing the Core Promise
To test adaptive snore masking, the reviewer used Alexa to play snoring sounds from an Echo speaker positioned about a meter away. Testing included ANC alone, local masking audio, and Bluetooth streaming at three volume levels.
Snore blocking performance:
- Volume 3 (light snoring): 100% blocked with masking audio, 90% with ANC only
- Volume 6 (moderate snoring): 70% blocked with masking audio
- Volume 9 (heavy snoring): Limited effectiveness
At light to moderate snoring levels, the A30 buds perform impressively. The masking was so effective that bud removal was necessary to confirm the test audio was still playing.
Sleep Tracking: Overly Optimistic Results
The sleep tracking feature provides general sleep quality metrics, but with questionable accuracy and excessive enthusiasm.
Example tracking issues:
- 87 sleep score after a restless night with 4-5 wake-ups
- “Wow, you slept like a baby!” message after listening to an entire podcast from 4am-5:15am
- Reported 29% “prone” sleeping despite never sleeping on stomach
The tracking appears more marketing feature than useful tool, celebrating poor sleep with congratulatory messages that don’t match reality.
Touch Controls and User Experience Issues
Touch controls respond to single or double taps for switching modes, skipping tracks, and volume adjustment. However, reliability problems plague the system.
Controls fail frequently enough that first-attempt success isn’t expected. When combined with battery uncertainty, failed taps often trigger assumptions of dead buds rather than control issues.
This creates frustrating experiences when trying to fall back asleep – exactly when reliable controls matter most.
Additional Features and Limitations
White noise and soundscapes: Extensive library of nature sounds and ambient audio for spa-like relaxation options.
AI Brainwave Audio: Delivers different frequencies to each ear, supposedly syncing brainwaves for better sleep. Effectiveness varies significantly between users.
Notable limitations:
- No wireless charging (USB-C only)
- Local audio volume can’t be controlled via phone buttons
- Find Device feature works well for lost buds
- Includes microphone for calls
A20 vs A30: Worth the $50 Premium?
The A20 buds remain available for $179.99, while the A30 costs $229.90. For the $50 difference, you gain ANC, adaptive snore masking, and slightly better comfort.
The A30 makes sense if:
- Your partner snores at light to moderate levels
- You primarily use local white noise rather than streaming audio
- The improved comfort justifies the cost
Stick with the A20 if:
- You’re a podcast listener who streams audio nightly
- Snoring isn’t your primary concern
- Budget considerations matter
The A30 delivers on its core snore-masking promise for appropriate noise levels, but streaming audio limitations and reliability issues prevent it from being a universal upgrade over the proven A20 design.