Choosing noise-cancelling earbuds: fit, phone and battery

How noise cancelling works

Active noise cancelling (ANC) uses small microphones in the earbuds. They pick up the sound around you, and the earbuds add a counter-sound that cancels it out. Sony and Bose describe it this way, and they also name its limit: it works mainly on low, even sounds. The drone of an engine, air conditioning or a plane gets much quieter. Voices, keyboard clicks and sudden sounds come through more.

Almost all earbuds with ANC also have a transparency mode (Apple), ambient sound (Sony) or Aware mode (Bose). The microphones then let outside sound in on purpose, so you hear an announcement or a conversation without taking them out.

Fit first

An earbud blocks sound even without electronics, simply by sealing your ear canal. That passive isolation and the ANC work together, so a bud that doesn't seal well blocks less and also gives less bass. Most in-ear models come with ear tips in several sizes. Apple has a test in the AirPods Pro settings that checks whether the tips seal properly.

There are also half-open models without a rubber tip, such as the Soundcore Liberty Buds, which Anker calls "semi-in-ear". They sit more loosely but seal less. If blocking sound is what you want most, choose a model that sits right in the ear canal.

Your phone and the codec

Some features only work fully within one brand. Apple lists automatic switching between iPhone, iPad and Mac on the same Apple Account for the AirPods Pro 3. Samsung lists automatic switching between Galaxy devices for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. They work with other phones too, just without those extras.

The codec is the way sound is sent wirelessly. iPhones use AAC. Many Android phones also support LDAC, Sony's codec, or Qualcomm's aptX. Sony lists LDAC for the WF-1000XM5; EarFun lists aptX Adaptive for the Air Pro 3. A codec only helps if your phone has it too, so check your phone's specifications.

Battery life with ANC on

Makers give two figures: how long the earbuds play on their own and how many extra hours the charging case adds. Denon gives 8 + 32 hours for the PerL Pro, JBL 50 hours in total for the Live Flex 4, Soundcore 50 hours for the Liberty 4 NC. Check in the specifications whether that figure is with ANC on or off: ANC uses power, and most makers give a lower figure with ANC on.

Wireless charging for the case is often listed too, as with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

Calls, sport and rain

For calls, what counts is the number of microphones and the software that separates your voice from the background. Soundcore lists 6 microphones for the Liberty 4 Pro; for other models the number is in the specifications.

Sweat and rain are covered by the IP code, under the international standard IEC 60529. The second digit is about water: 4 means resistant to splashing water, 7 to brief immersion. JBL gives IP54 for the Live Flex 4. Also check whether the IP code covers the case; makers state that separately.

Prefer a wire?

ANC exists in wired form too. Bose has wired noise cancelling earbuds; check in the specifications which connector they use, as many new phones no longer have a headphone jack. All wireless and wired models are under earbuds, with prices from several shops.