Overview
The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds offer a great mix of comfort, sound quality, and useful features, all at a fair price. If you’re someone who cares most about being comfortable while sleeping in different positions, these earbuds are a strong choice. I’m mostly a side and front sleeper, and I’ve been able to wear them all night without discomfort.
One reason they’re so small and comfy is that they don’t have active noise cancellation (ANC). While some people might miss that feature, the earbuds still do a great job of masking sounds like snoring or background noise using the sleep sounds on the app or your own audio.
| 🌟 Pros | ⚠️ Cons |
|---|---|
| 😴 Super comfy for all sleeping positions | 🔧 Tip and wing changes can be tricky |
| 🎵 Clear sound quality for relaxing audio | 📱 App can be a bit confusing |
| 🔋 Long-lasting battery life | |
| 📡 Strong and stable Bluetooth connection | |
| 🌿 Soothing white noise blocks distractions | |
| 📴 Works in sleep mode even if phone is off |
You can find them on Amazon and the Soundcore website.
Full Review
In this in-depth review, we’ll break down everything you need to know to see if this product is the perfect fit for you.
Parts and Earbuds Close Up
The Sleep A20 earbuds come in a smooth, round beige case that opens with a small sliding top. It’s a bit tricky to get used to, but it looks and feels premium. Inside, the earbuds are very small and come with different wing and tip sizes to help them fit securely.
The double-layered tips help block noise, and the soft silicone material feels gentle in your ears. You’ll also get a USB-C charging cable, extra wings and tips, and an easy-to-follow manual. My partner and I both found a comfortable fit by trying different tip sizes. While switching out parts can be fiddly, it’s worth it to find the right combination.
Battery Life
The battery life is one of the strongest features. If you only use the A20s at night, they’ll easily last through the night and even several nights. They offer up to 14 hours in sleep mode, 10 hours in Bluetooth mode, and a total of 80 hours using the charging case.
I tested them by streaming music during the day at 50% volume and got about nine hours from a single charge. The case holds plenty of extra charge, so if you top it off once a week, you’re good to go.
App Sleep Sounds & Main Features
The Soundcore app has a lot of features, but it takes some time to learn. There are two main modes: Bluetooth and sleep mode. In Bluetooth mode, you can play any audio—like from Spotify or YouTube. This is also where you choose which sounds to upload to the earbuds for offline use in sleep mode.
You can only store four sleep sounds at a time. Luckily, you can mix and match different sounds—like rain, crickets, and ocean waves—and adjust the volume for each. You can also use a “tune” feature to change how they sound. For example, the “soft” setting adds bass, which helps block snoring better.
Smart features include Smart Switch (which turns on sleep sounds when it thinks you’re asleep) and Smart Volume (which adjusts volume based on outside noise). But since sleep tracking isn’t always reliable, I prefer using the manual timer.
Comfort & Size Comparisons with Other Devices
Compared to other sleep earbuds and regular headphones, the A20 stands out for comfort. I compared them to the Philips Kokoon, Quieton 3.1, and Apple AirPods Pro 2. The A20s were smaller and more comfortable than all of them, especially for side sleeping.
Even compared to foam earplugs, the A20 did well, and unlike earplugs, you can listen to music or white noise. They fit snugly and don’t fall out, making them great for overnight use.
Pillow Comfort Test
I tested how each device felt on different pillows and sleep positions. The A20 scored 9/10 on my back, 9/10 on a feather pillow, and 8/10 on a memory foam pillow. That added up to 26/30—equal to SleepPhones and foam earplugs.
While comfort depends on your ear size and pillow type, the A20s worked well for me. I do have larger ears, and I still needed to adjust my head sometimes, especially on firm pillows. But they were still more comfortable than most other earbuds.
Audio Quality
The A20s sound better than any other sleep headphones I’ve used. If you’re used to high-end headphones, you’ll notice they don’t have the same deep bass or warmth. But for night-time listening, they offer more bass, clearer mids and highs, and more volume than other sleep headphones like SleepPhones, Philips Kokoon, or Cozyphones.
They won’t match premium audio gear, but they’re perfect for playing music, ambient sounds, or podcasts in bed.
Noise Masking Tests
I ran several tests to see how well the A20s blocked noise:
Moderate Snoring: Completely blocked with brown noise and rain sounds at 70% volume.
Severe Snoring: Couldn’t fully block it without turning the volume up uncomfortably high.
Music in Next Room: Blocked easily with brown noise at medium volume.
Light Snoring: Worked well with combos like airplane + spaceship or pink + brown noise.
Music & Podcasts: Music masked noise better than podcasts. Songs like “Saltwater” worked best.
The A20s don’t have ANC, but with the right sound mix and volume, they do a great job masking most noise.
Noise Isolation
Even without ANC, the A20s block outside sounds well thanks to their snug fit. I tested this by playing music, and my partner couldn’t hear anything unless the volume was very high.
Sleep Tracking Feature
Sleep tracking is one area where the A20 falls short. It uses motion sensors only, so it sometimes thinks you’re asleep when you’re just lying still. It doesn’t track REM sleep or long-term patterns. And if you remove them during the night, they stop recording.
The only parts I liked were tracking how often you roll over and how much time you spend in each position. But honestly, I already know I sleep mostly on my side. I don’t use the sleep tracking anymore—it just doesn’t add much.
Other Useful Features and Points to Know
Alarm: Handy if you don’t want to wake your partner.
Tap Controls: You can customize them, but I stick with double-tap for volume.
Snug Fit: They stay in place all night.
Offline Use: You can listen even with your phone off.
Accidental Water Test: Survived a drop in water and worked fine after drying.
Find Device: Helps you locate a lost earbud by making it beep.
Custom EQ: Lets you adjust bass and other audio settings to your liking.
Verdict
The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds do a great job at being comfortable, offering solid sound, and having helpful features for bedtime use. They’re not perfect—no ANC, limited sound storage, and weak sleep tracking—but they’re still one of the best sleep earbuds I’ve tested.
If comfort is your top concern and you want to enjoy calming sounds or music in bed, the A20s are an excellent choice