Excellent noise cancelling headphones that oozes premium quality and Hi-Res HD audio, featuring Bluetooth 5.0 and LDAC. Comes with a semi-hard cover oval shaped travel case, airplane audio adapter, USB-C to USB-A cable, 3.5mm right-angle audio cable with in-line MIC inside a drawstring pouch and User Guide.
The firs thing I did was charge the headphones with my PowerPort Atom PD 2 charger for about 2 hours (4 hours of playing time after 5 minutes of USB-C charging. Nice!). Once charging was finished, I long-pressed the Power button for 3 seconds and I paired the Life Q35 with my new Samsung S21 5G phone via NFC. Connection was quick. I was also able to Bluetooth multipoint pair the Life Q35 to my iPad Pro 11" without issue. With the iPad Pro, the AAC codec was chosen by default in streaming audio. With my Samsung S21, I was able to use the new LDAC lossless codec by enabling it in my phone in Bluetooth audio codec settings (Developer Options in Android 11+). I’d like to see this also implemented in the Soundcore app, but at this time it’s not available to do it from there.
The companion Soundcore app found the Life Q35 quickly and I was able to check firmware, change the ambient sound by cycling thru Normal operation, Noise Cancellation (Transport, Indoor or Outdoor modes) or Transparency Mode. There’s also an Equalizer where you can choose 22 different preset EQ settings or create your own, which I did to taste and promptly named it “Dez”. Anker has also included various sleep modes with ambient sounds to improve your sleep. You can even add the Soundcore Widget to your home screen for quick access to the noise cancelling modes.
I listen to House Music & EDM and I’m not a fan of earbuds, to be honest. I guess it’s the old school DJ in me. I prefer over the hear headphones, such as the Life Q35. It has superior sound compared to the Life Q20 headphones I was previously using and another competitor’s Bluetooth headphone (I’m listening with them now as I type this review). The Life Q35’s high frequencies are crisp, mids are tight and the bass thumps. The stereo separation is wide and I can hear every instrument. It sounds like I’m travelling with a nightclub in my head 
The Noise Cancellation works as expected. Also, it’s remarkable how you can hear ambient sounds via the dual microphones and still listen to music, should you choose the Transparency Mode in the Soundcore app or cycling through the NC button on the left earcup. Answering phone calls is a easy. The music pauses while being notified of an incoming call. Callers heard me loud and clear. The labeled button controls are tactile and easy to use. Bluetooth 5.0 allows connections of up to 50 feet away. I tried this by going 3 rooms away, between several apartment walls, from my phone and the sound was steady & didn’t break.
Q20 on the left. Q35 on the right:
The over the ear memory foam earcups are very soft, comfortable and the standard 40mm diameter. The headphone band is nicely padded and sits perfectly on my head. I like the matte midnight blue color they chose. I would have liked matte black as well. Smart Wearing Detection: removing the Life Q35 pauses music and continues where you left off when you put them back on. I love that! It weighs a light 9.2 ounces, the same as the Life Q20. Battery life on these are big plus as well. But should you ever run out of juice, simply plug in the include audio cable.
Anker, you have a winner here. For the price point of $129, these headphones are a no-brainer as it rivals the sound of headphones with ANC that cost alot more, such as the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II. I’m loving the LDAC enabled sounds coming out of my phone. My Life Q20 will be retired now 
