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Anker just unveiled its Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds - with several key upgrades
When Anker debuted its Soundcore Sleep A10 earbuds in 2022, the earbuds were a welcome addition to a scarce market of sleep headphones -- but they weren't without their first-generation kinks. Following the A10's success, Anker is launching the second generation of its sleep earbuds, the Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds, which upgrade a few key features, like battery life, comfort, and sound masking.
More: These Anker sleep earbuds are our favorite for a silent night
The earbuds improve upon the A10's 10-hour battery life in sleep mode by adding four more hours of battery into the earbuds themselves and 80 hours into the charging case. Anker also brings improved noise masking -- not noise canceling -- to the earbuds through Twin Seal ear tips for a listening experience that dims down disturbances three times better than the first generation A10, according to the press release. This improved design blocks out more noise, like a "partner sawing wood, chopping logs or grinding gravel" on the other side of the bed, according to Anker. We'll see how accurate that statement is once we get our hands on the A20.
Other helpful features we can expect include automatic sleep monitoring that users can access through the Soundcore app.
Anker is also implementing an audible alert for when you need to locate the A20 earbuds. This is handy because when former ZDNET associate editor Christina Darby reviewed the Sleep A10 earbuds in 2022, she commented on how difficult it was to find the earbuds in the morning when they fell out of her ears mid-sleep.
Also: Best sleep headphones
The new generation of Anker's sleep earbuds comes at a booming time in the sleep tech market. The market size for sleep tech devices is projected to grow by 18% by 2032, according to data from Global Market Insights.
The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds will retail for $150 in the US. Anker is putting the Sleep A20 earbuds on Kickstarter starting April 16 through May 9. You can find them on Amazon by May 20.