Description
Where the P40i sits, and who it suits
The Soundcore P40i is Anker’s mid catalog noise cancelling earbud, model number A3955, listed on Amazon since February 2024. It is aimed at the commuter and the general listener rather than the audio enthusiast or the athlete: adaptive noise cancellation for a train carriage, a long combined battery figure so charging is a weekly thought rather than a daily one, and a charging case that folds out into a phone stand.
The listener who gets the most out of this is someone who spends real time in constant low frequency noise, wants a set they can forget about between charges, and does not need a named high quality codec or a sports grade water rating. Anyone chasing critical listening, wired grade detail or gym proof durability should read the sections below carefully, because the published specification does not support any of those uses as strongly as the headline copy implies.
Connection: Bluetooth 5.3, and a codec list that is not there
Anker lists Bluetooth 5.3. That version improves connection stability and power efficiency and enables newer standards, and that is the whole of what a version number tells you.
What the listing does not publish is any Bluetooth audio codec. Not SBC, not AAC, not LDAC, not any of the aptX family. That absence matters more than it looks. SBC is the baseline every Bluetooth device supports, so it is present by definition. AAC is the codec that matters on iPhones and iPads. LDAC and aptX Adaptive are the ones marketed as high resolution, and they only function when the source device supports the same codec, which most iPhones do not. Because Anker names none of them here, we are not going to state that the P40i delivers high resolution or lossless audio. If codec support is a factor in your decision, confirm it with Anker before buying rather than assuming it from the brand.
The listing is also silent on multipoint pairing to two devices at once, on wear detection, and on companion app support. Anker does publish an app for other products in the range, but nothing on this listing states that the P40i works with it, and we do not assume features that a listing declines to state. If app based equalization is important, treat it as unconfirmed. A set where the noise cancelling and app behavior is documented more fully, such as the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC with its adaptive cancellation, is the sibling to compare against.
The junk fields on this page
Two specification entries on this listing are not real. Frequency Range is recorded as 902 to 928MHz, which is a radio band used by cordless devices in North America and is neither an audio frequency response nor the 2.4GHz band Bluetooth actually uses. And the battery field states “3 A batteries required (included),” which is impossible for a sealed lithium earbud. Both are import artifacts.
Battery: separate the bud from the case
Anker publishes both numbers, which is more than most brands in this catalog manage. The buds are rated at 12 hours on a single charge, and the case extends the total to 60 hours. Those are two different claims and they should never be collapsed into one. Twelve hours is what you get on a flight or a workday. Sixty hours is what you get before the case itself needs a cable, across roughly four bud recharges.
Both figures are best case. Quoted playtimes in this category are measured at moderate volume, and noise cancellation draws power continuously, so running adaptive ANC will pull the real bud runtime below the quoted 12 hours. Anker does not state whether the 12 hour figure is measured with cancellation on or off, which is the single most useful thing a battery specification could disclose and is almost always omitted. Treat 12 hours as the ceiling and expect less with ANC engaged.
The title also advertises wireless charging, while no bullet mentions it and the specification table does not list it. If charging the case on a pad is part of why you are buying, confirm that before you commit, because the listing supports it in exactly one place.
Noise cancellation, fit and the water rating the page gets wrong
The P40i uses adaptive active noise cancellation, which Anker describes as detecting ambient noise and adjusting the level of cancellation automatically. Anker publishes no decibel reduction figure and names no test standard, so there is nothing here to verify. What is worth knowing about ANC generally applies: it works well against constant low frequency sound such as engine drone, cabin rumble and air conditioning, and it works poorly against speech and sudden sounds. No earbud makes a room silent, and anything that promises that is selling a feeling rather than a measurement. Six microphones and an AI algorithm are quoted for call quality, which is a separate system from playback cancellation and only affects what the person on the other end hears.
Fit is the strongest part of this listing. Anker includes ear tips in XS, S, L and XL with medium pre-installed, which is five sizes in the box. That is unusually generous and it matters, because seal decides perceived bass on any sealed earbud. If the P40i sounds thin, the tips are the first thing to change, not the equalizer.
Now the contradiction. The title states IPX5. The specification table states “Waterproof” with no code. IPX5 is not waterproof. It is a rating for low pressure water jets from any direction, which covers sweat and rain and a rinse, and does not cover immersion. Do not swim with these, do not submerge them, and do not treat the specification table’s word as the specification. No IP rating covers seawater or high pressure water, and the sealing degrades as the product ages. For genuine immersion protection you need IPX7 or better, which this is not. If you want a set built for training rather than commuting, the Soundcore A20i and its published rating and the Sony WF-C700N with noise cancelling in a smaller shell are worth reading first.
What else to weigh, and who this is not for
Amazon lists the P40i as ranked 583rd in Electronics and 100th among earbud and in-ear headphones, with a 4.3 star average across roughly 7,437 ratings. Anker’s own range makes the closest competition: the Soundcore P30i sits one step down the same line with different battery and case tradeoffs, and the naming across that range is close enough that it is easy to buy the wrong one. Check the model code, not the marketing name. Everything in this shape is collected in our true wireless earbud reviews, with the wider set in our earbud headphone reviews.
Because the P40i seals the ear canal and actively suppresses ambient sound, it is the wrong choice for cycling, road running or anything else where hearing traffic is part of staying safe. Keep the volume moderate, particularly with cancellation on, because effective ANC removes the background cue that normally tells you when you have turned the music up too far.
Buy it, or skip it
Buy the P40i if you commute, want adaptive noise cancellation with a 12 hour bud runtime and a 60 hour case total, and value five ear tip sizes and a case that props up your phone. Skip it if you need a confirmed codec, confirmed multipoint, confirmed app support or confirmed wireless charging, because the listing publishes none of those clearly. And read the IPX5 rating as sweat and rain protection only, never as waterproof, whatever the specification table says.
