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Big over-ear headphones have become a shorthand of sorts foractive noise cancelation. This shouldn’t be particularly surprising. Anything that covers your ears will create a seal, so adding in feedback mics to cancel incoming noise would naturally take it to the next level. Increasingly, though, as smartphones and tablets swap headphone jacks for some sort of wireless audio output, a lighter weight, more compact, noise-cancelling solution has become popular in the form of wireless earbuds. While smaller, it doesn’t mean they don’t do an excellent job of keeping unwanted sound out, and letting you lock in to your audio.
Noise-cancelling earbuds are small, wire and headband free, and can easily pop in your ear. They’re also increasingly offering sound quality and active noise cancelation that’s as good or better than somepopular headphones. And that’s not even taking into account the smart software features companies like Google, Apple, Sony, and more are building into their true wireless earbuds options. If you’re looking for a way to listen to music or podcasts from your phone that can fit in your pocket, you’re going to want a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds and the list we put together below is a great place to start, starting with one of our new favorites, the Nothing Ear.
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Best overall noise-cancelling earbuds
Nothing Ear
Slick style and sound
Nothing’s latest Ear is so good it’s dropped its number. These wireless earbuds have active noise cancelation, new ChatGPT integration, and highly customizable, crystal-clear sound.
Why the Nothing Ear are my designated Tortured Poet’s Department earbuds
Nothing dropped numerical nomenclature with its Nothing Ear earbuds, which in name and performance is simple, yet makes a statement.
The Nothing Ear are Nothing’s follow-up to theNothing Ear (2)and our overall favorite noise-cancelling wireless earbuds, not because they’re necessarily the best at active noise cancelation (ANC), but because they offer the best overall wireless earbuds experience for their price. Nothing is able to create crystal clear audio that captures all the textures and layers of your favorite songs, and thanks to the Ear’s companion, it can be extremely customized to your specific tastes.
In terms of ANC, options from Bose are likely better, but with the Nothing Ear, you’ll still get noise-cancelling on par with the second-generation AirPods Pro with USB-C. The key advantage of the Nothing Ear, besides its excellent audio performance and bonus features likeChatGPT-integration when you connect it to a Nothing phone, is that these earbuds just look cool. Their translucent design makes them stand out from pretty much every pair of wireless earbuds out there, save for the Beats Studio Buds+.
Best premium noise-cancelling earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
An even bigger step-up for ANC
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds combine the best of spatialized audio and active noise cancelation for more immersive listening than ever.
These Bose QuietComfort Ultra give me the best ANC, but there’s a catch
With incredible ANC, spatial audio smarts, and a comfortable fit, these buds almost deserve the $299 price tag, but miss on some key features.
For our premium pick, spend a bit more on theBose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, it’s worth it. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer the best active noise-cancellation of any wireless earbuds we’ve tried and support spatial audio if you have a taste for a more immersive music listening experience. Like some of Bose’s other high-end headphones, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds now also support high-res audio codes for an even more premium audio experience.
The biggest disadvantage of the Ultra Earbuds in comparison to the Nothing Ear we chose as our overall pick is that, for what you’re paying, you’re missing some fairly common features. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds don’t have multipoint Bluetooth for connections to multiple devices at once and don’t support wireless charging, two features you’d get from similarly priced wireless earbuds.
Best budget noise-cancelling earbuds
CMF Buds by Nothing
A lot of features for little cost
The CMF Buds are Nothing’s cheapest wireless earbuds, but they offer a lot for a little. ANC, bass-y sound, and excellent built-in mics.
Nothing’s CMF Buds are bass-ically a no-brainer for my ears and wallet
Despite the budget price, the CMF Buds pack a punch.
In terms of budget options, it’s hard to find an option that’s as fun and competent as the CMF Buds. Nothing’s budget line is all about offering premium design at low costs, and the CMF Buds are no exception. But the great thing about these budget headphones is you still get a lot of premium audio features for a low cost. The CMF Buds pair with the Nothing X app, which gives you deep audio presets and Equalizer options to sound to your taste – much more than you’d get from other $40 wireless earbuds. They also come with active noise cancelation, which also feels special at bargain bin prices.
During the review process, we found that the ear tips that ship with the CMF Buds don’t offer the perfect fit for all ears, which impacts sound quality and ANC, but otherwise, the experience you’ll get from the Buds is premium in surprising ways. Nothing recently announced theCMF Buds Pro 2, so there are newer options worth considering, but if price is your biggest concern, the CMF Buds are a fantastic choice.
Best noise-cancelling wireless earbuds from Apple
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation (USB-C)
Perfect for iPhones
Apple’s ultra-popular AirPods Pro 2nd Generation come with a new Adaptive Audio feature that intelligently changes the volume depending on what’s going on around you, excellent active noise cancellation, and support for Find My’s Precision Finding feature.
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation (USB-C) review: Do you need to upgrade?
The AirPods Pro 2nd Generation now have a MagSafe and USB-C case, plus some other improvements, but should you buy them? Here’s my review.
If you’re an iPhone owner, the only reasonthe new AirPods Pro 2nd Generationwith a USB-C charging case shouldn’t be your first pick is price. Apple designed the AirPods Pro to work seamlessly with its other products, which is true a majority of the time. They sound clear, support spatial audio, and get six hours of battery life before you even get the charging case involved. They’re popular for a reason.
With the updated version of the AirPods Pro Apple introduced alongside the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, they also now include support for lossless audio on the upcomingApple Vision Pro, charging over USB-C, and improved dust resistance, making them more durable and useful overall.
Best noise-cancelling earbuds for Android
Google Pixel Buds Pro
AirPods for Android
The Google Pixel Buds Pro give you easy access to Google Assistant, are water resistant, and should make it through a full day and then some if you use their charging case.
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Google goes premium
Google’s flagship headphones offer great ANC - but can they compete with the best out there?
Google’s answer to the AirPods Pro, thePixel Buds Proare a high-end pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancelation and a transparency mode. Google Assistant and a relatively long battery life of 31 hours (while using the charging case) are the stars, because for the most part, Google’s matching the feature set of other similarly priced wireless earbuds.
Still, the Pixel Buds Pro has some things working in their favor. Google Fast Pair means connecting them to your Android device should be as simple as opening the charging case and tapping an onscreen button. That’s the kind of convenience you don’t always get with Android devices that Google has long pushed with thePixel phoneand accessories.
Sony quality noise-cancelling earbuds on a budget
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones
Adaptive Sound Control and more
The Sony LinkBuds S are affordable without losing out on Sony’s smart software features for controlling playback or active noise cancellation.
Sony LinkBuds S: Super sounding
Sony’s LinkBuds S adopt many of the skills of the flagship 1000X, but offer those skills at a more affordable price. A winning formula?
Sony’sLinkbuds Sare a step-down from the WF-1000XM5 but still offer a satisfying ANC experience, and still sound better than a lot of other options out there. The LinkBuds S don’t have the open-ring design ofthe original LinkBuds, but they do have touch controls and IPX4 sweat and water resistance.
These earbuds get around six hours of battery life, which grows up to 20 hours with the charging case. Linkbuds S provide Sony quality sound at a more approachable price than some of the premium options, like Sony’s WF-1000XM5 or the Apple AirPod Pro 2nd generation models.
Noise-cancelling earbuds equally good for Android or iOS
Beats Studio Buds+
Get the translucent option
The Beats Studio Buds+ come in a slick, see-through plastic variant, work just as well with Android devices as they do iOS ones, support high-end audio features like spatial audio, and have great active noise cancellation.
Beats Studio Buds+: The best Beats buds for most people.
The Beats Studio Buds+ are promising a better fit, better sound and better noise cancellation. Should you buy them? Here’s our full review.
Beats earned its spot on this list by looking great and being flexible, two important traits of accessories that stand the test of time. TheBeats Studio Buds+don’t look all that different from the previous Beats Studio Buds, or their cousins, the second-generation AirPods Pro. Rather than a stem on each bud there’s a raised touch surface for controlling playback, but if you’ve worn one Apple-produced wireless earbud, you’ve used them all.
Where the Studio Buds+ stand out is their design – Beats is selling a “transparent” version that looks like those old see-through iMacs – and their ability to play nice with Android and iOS. Our review set was their traditional black color, but the transparent set is the clear winner. Connected to an iPhone, you’ll get several of the important quality of life features from the AirPods like instantaneous pairing and switching between devices,Find Mysupport, and always-on access to Siri. On Android,Google Fast Pair, Find My Device, and Google Assistant fill in more or less the same spots. Sure, you’ll miss out on Apple’s newAdaptive Audiofeature, but for the more wallet-friendly price, it shouldn’t matter.
Premium Sony noise-cancelling earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM5
Packed with software features
The Sony WF-1000XM5 covers all the basics with active noise cancelation, transparency modes, the ability to connect to multiple devices over Bluetooth at once, and Sony’s superior sound profile thanks to the earbuds' Dynamic Driver X.
Sony WF-1000XM5: Still great, but the competition looms large
Sony’s popular noise-cancelling buds are back for round number five, but can they still land the knock out blow to the competition?
If you’ve enjoyed Sony’s over-ear headphones like theWH-1000XM5, theSony WF-1000XM5earbuds are close to the same thing in a smaller package. The earbuds sound great, they block out noise well, offer eight hours of battery life (24 hours with the charging case), and they’re packed to the gills with smart and EQ features you can control in Sony’s companion app.
That includes Adaptive Sound Control, which lets the WF-1000XM5s track your motion and location to intelligently adjust noise cancelation and volume levels depending on what you’re doing and where you are. The earbuds can also automatically pause your audio if they detect you talking.
The bottom line: What are the best noise-cancelling earbuds?
Noise-cancelling earbuds are for the size-conscious, the easily sweaty, and anyone who doesn’t have to deal with the bulk or cost of over-ear headphones but wants a good audio experience. The Nothing Ear are our overall pick because their ANC is good enough, and their audio performance and extra software features make them more than worth it. ChatGPT access is limited to when your Nothing Ear is connected to a Nothing Phone, but otherwise the earbuds work as well on Android as they do on iOS.
Stepping up to our premium pick is all about doing just that much more. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have the best active noise cancelation, and sound better than most of our other picks, with only a few missing features that might give you pause. And in terms of getting a lot for a little, it’s hard to beat the CMF Buds by Nothing. They have active noise-cancelling, a fun, colorful design, and solid battery life and audio performance, all for less than $40. That’s nothing if not impressive.
