Soundcore P30i vs P31i
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Differences Summary
P31i is pink and P30i is light blue.
The Soundcore P31i is the overall better overall pair of earbuds, but it is not as much of a bass monster as the P30i.
The P31i has a clearer and more balanced sound, but the P30i has more powerful bass.
The P31i also has the better microphone with noticeably fewer cutouts and less aggressive background noise processing.
The P31i has a thinner frame, which makes it harder to grip when pulling it out of the case, though both earbuds are comfortable and fit similarly.
The P31i adds LDAC support.
Connectivity
The P30i uses Bluetooth 5.4 and supports SBC and AAC. It also supports multipoint, so you can stay connected to two devices at a time, but audio only plays from one device at a time.
The P31i uses Bluetooth 6.1 with LDAC support (firmware update required for LDAC). Just like the P30i, it supports multipoint.
Battery Life and Case
The battery life is strong on both earbuds, and in real-world use they are quite close.
With ANC off, the P30i is rated for up to 10 hours per charge with the earbuds themselves. The case adds an extra 45 hours. If you are going to have ANC on, battery life drops to about 6 hours instead of 10.
The P31i also gets about 10 hours per charge. If you turn ANC on, that brings it down to 8 hours. The case also adds 50 extra hours with ANC off. I usually have ANC on, so I’m only getting about 60% of the case’s added power.
So the P31i gets a slight advantage.
Both also support quick charging. The P30i is rated for 2 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge, while the P31i case is rated for 3.5 hours from 10 minutes of charging.
Controls
Here are the default controls for both earbuds.
The logo touch area is very sensitive on both, so setting one tap to do nothing can mitigate accidental presses. You can customize the controls in the app.
If you set volume control to hold, you have to do a separate press and hold for each volume increase or decrease. You cannot just hold it to max out or drop the volume to zero with one hold.
On Android at least, the earbud volume is separate from system volume. I would max out the volume on the earbuds themselves first, then adjust system volume separately if you want these to be at their loudest.
Active Noise Cancellation
Both the P30i and P31i have quite effective noise cancellation. The P31i is slightly stronger, but not by a lot.
On the train, both cut down passengers talking and general background noise quite a bit. Indoors, they also handle things like fans, cooking sounds, and cars outside very well. For constant background noise, performance between them is actually pretty similar, but a small edge goes to the P31i.
The difference mainly shows up with sudden impacts and wind. When something abrupt happens, like a bus hitting a bump or a sudden gust of wind, the P30i sometimes produces a quick correction noise, kind of like its own boom or thump, that can be more noticeable than the sound it was trying to cancel.
The P31i handles these situations much more smoothly, adjusting without drawing attention to the ANC system itself.
Both earbuds also have that typical seashell background noise you get with many ANC earbuds, but it is not too distracting.
Audio Quality
Measurements taken with my miniDSP EARS (not industry standard).
The P30i uses a 10 mm dynamic driver while the P31i uses an 11 mm titanium-coated driver. Both have a frequency response range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
Soundcore advertises two times stronger bass, and claims tighter bass as well. Only the second part is true.
The P31i sounds cleaner with less distortion, but there’s also less bass quantity. Most people will probably prefer the P31i tuning, but bassheads like myself will still lean toward the P30i.
In most use cases, the P31i is better. Vocals come through clearer. On the P30i, listening to YouTube videos recorded on bass-heavy mics like the Shure SM7B can give voices an exaggerated and potentially distracting proximity effect.
On the P31i, the treble does not lose detail at higher volumes quite as fast. When there is a hit of bass, it has a quicker impact without the lingering boominess.
That is all fine and well, but this is The Bass Arena. We love more bass!
The P30i is not quite as clear overall, however the sub-bass reaches deeper and it has that thump and rumble when you need it, especially with equalization. Neither of these is going to keep up with some of the more expensive wireless earbuds like the Skullcandy Rail, but at this price range they are unmatched.
Better sound overall: P31i. Stronger bass: P30i.
Microphone Audio Quality
The P30i microphone is pretty rough. It is attempting to cancel out as much background noise as possible, but it results in a very compressed sound which makes my voice cut in and out. It seems to have a combination of a noise reduction filter and a noise gate. Overall, it is just not really that great of a microphone.
The P31i microphone is significantly improved. It is still able to cut out a decent amount of background noise, but it does not warp the voice in the same way. The noise gate is not as strong, and overall it sounds more natural.
Soundcore App
In the Soundcore app, you can change the ANC modes, though honestly that did not do much aside from changing the intensity slider. You can make your own EQ, select from a bunch of presets, change the controls, and adjust other small options. It is fast and responsive.
Comfort and Build Quality
Both of these have the same dust protection, but the P31i has an IP55 rating while the P30i has IP54. That means the P31i can handle stronger water exposure, while the P30i can only handle mild sweat and splashes. Neither of them can be submerged anyway.
Both include multiple ear tips. The P31i comes with one extra pair, so there are four total versus three total on the P30i.
Both are comfortable for long periods of time. I use the largest ear tips on both. Unfortunately, they do get a bit loose after about an hour and a half just due to oils and wax. Since there is no hook, you will probably have to readjust them every 20 minutes or so.
I find it slightly easier to grab onto the P30i without pressing the touch sensor, but I still get accidental presses on both a lot when making adjustments. I recommend having one press do nothing on both of these.
