BEST ANKER SoundCore Wireless Earbuds – TOP 3

Anker was founded in 2011 in China. The founder is Steven Yang, a former Google engineer. The company’s initial focus was replacement batteries and chargers for phones and tablets. And in 2018, it spun off its audio equipment line into a separate sub-brand, Soundcore — wireless earbuds and portable speakers.

In May 2026, the parent company changed its name to Anker Innovations. And under the Anker brand and its subsidiaries, various consumer products are released:

Anker — chargers and mobile accessories:

• Portable power banks
• Wired and wireless chargers
• Car chargers
• Charging and data cables
• USB hubs and docking stations

Soundcore — audio equipment:

• Wireless earbuds and headsets
• Over-ear and on-ear headphones
• Portable and home Bluetooth speakers
• Sports and bone conduction / open-back earbuds

Eufy — home appliances and smart home devices:

• Robot vacuum cleaners and cordless stick vacuums
• Video surveillance cameras, smart doorbells, and locks
• Smart scales and monitors for childcare
• Pet devices

Nebula — projection equipment:

• Portable mini projectors
• Home laser and Smart projectors

Anker SOLIX — portable power and storage:

• High-capacity charging stations
• Portable and stationary solar panels
• Home energy accumulation and storage systems

AnkerWork — electronics for work and video conferencing:

• Webcams
• Speakerphones and conference microphones
• Office headsets

eufyMake / AnkerMake — creative devices:

• 3D printers and their consumables
• UV printers

Compatibility. The LDAC codec is the second most available audio codec on Android after AAC and SBC. With the LDAC codec, the sound is less compressed and more detailed, and the best sound quality is achieved with the “quality” preset at a bitrate of 909/990 Kbps. The codec appeared in Android 8.0 and is supported by all phones and tablets, except for some models where the manufacturer removed the codec from the system or the codec is hardware-locked. Therefore, in 99.9% of cases, an Android source is compatible with earbuds that have the LDAC codec.

The impact on sound, expectations versus reality. Sometimes, potential owners of headphones with the LDAC codec mistakenly think that having the codec guarantees high-quality sound. The formula “source with LDAC” + “headphones with LDAC” = “high-quality sound” doesn’t always work. The codec acts as a “data packer,” and the better the codec’s parameters, the fewer data losses occur during unpacking. The sound system plays the key role: the type and number of drivers, driver design, DACs and amplifiers, acoustic design, and other hidden parameters – both software and hardware. If any element in this system doesn’t work right, due to cost-cutting on components or a design flaw, the codec’s efficiency decreases. How else could it be? If the sound system can’t handle it, the codec won’t help.

Where does the LDAC codec work? Usually, the codec doesn’t work in earbuds under $50, or the quality improvement is minimal. More often, you get a noticeable improvement in earbuds $100+.

Quality improvements, and don’t let this surprise you, are more often noticeable in mid-range models and above. This is because the lower the production cost, the more limitations there are. At the same time, a high price for earbuds isn’t always an objective indicator of potential quality; there are models with cheap production and a high markup. And this markup usually goes into the pockets of the company’s shareholders or is distributed among famous personalities from the music and film industries. That’s why there are exceptions in models that are cheaper or more expensive.

A real boost with the LDAC codec. Based on my experience testing earbuds with different driver types and designs, the boost ranges from 1-3% to 15-20%. This is an approximate value because I have to rely on my hearing during tests. No devices for measuring quality have been invented yet. At least, I haven’t come across any.

It’s important to understand two main points. First, with the LDAC codec, you get an increase in detail. Naturalness doesn’t get better, and neither does the soundstage. The sound balance also doesn’t change.

Second, the percentage increase for each pair of earbuds is different. A 15-20% increase in earbuds with an overall score of 5-6 out of 10 is not comparable to a 3-5% increase in earbuds scoring 8-9. So, when you notice a big increase with a codec, it’s worth checking the overall sound score.

The LDAC codec is better for availability, and the LHDC is better for features.

The specs of both codecs are comparable, more in favor of LHDC. You get more settings to adjust, the sampling rate is higher, and there are switches for LHDC lossless and audio latency reduction.

The LDAC codec is far ahead in how common it is. The codec came out on Android version 8.0 or later, so you do not need to worry about compatibility. More headphones for sale support LDAC across different price ranges. There are also more USB adapters that support LDAC. In comparison, only 2 USB adapters work with LHDC, and only one of them works without issues. However, LHDC might catch up to LDAC in how common it is in the future, and it even has a chance to beat it. More flexible licensing and small license fees will quickly make the LHDC codec popular among manufacturers.

For signal stability, both codecs are at the same level.

In terms of sound, both codecs give the same quality, and you will need to listen closely for a difference. This is if the earbuds support LDAC and LHDC. So you should focus on the sound system, and then on the codec. More about codecs.