Best noise canceling wireless earbuds 2021

Best
noise canceling wireless earbuds
Android Central
2021

Best overall: Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony has been on a run with its wireless earbuds. The WF-1000XM3 were fantastic but had their flaws. Many of those were resolved with the Sony WF-1000XM4, where Sony did a fantastic job of refreshing an already great pair of earbuds that are often among the best in the business.

The overall shape of the XM4 is more in line with other earbuds, but the rest of their features are leaps and bounds better than competitors. Starting with the star feature — active noise cancelation (ANC), these earbuds’ ability to erase ambient noise with the ANC enabled seems almost magical, nearly to the same level as the full-sized over-ear Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Very impressive considering these are little earbuds that fit inside of the ear, where no matter how good the fit is, there’s always going to be a little bit of gap for noise to sneak in.

Aside from the amazing ANC, the WF-1000XM4 also pack incredible sound quality for whatever you like listening to. With the Sony Wireless Connect app, you get all sorts of settings to customize the sound profile specifically for your preferences. Of course, great-sounding earbuds don’t help if the battery is always dead, and with the XM4’s that won’t happen often.

With up to 8 hours of listening per charge, and if the battery does run low, pop them into the case and get up to 90 minutes of playback with a fast five-minute charge. You’ll also get IPX4 water resistance, a charging case with USB-C and wireless charging options, LDAC, and 360 Audio support. It’s not all roses though, these are on the pricey side, and the touch controls could be better. But in the end, if you crave amazing audio quality and the best ANC from wireless earbuds — the Sony WF-1000XM4 is for you.

Bose has established a reputation for creating some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market, and now, it’s brought that same level of prowess to the earbud space. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have arrived, and while they aren’t quite as impressive as the Sony WF-1000XM4’s — they’re still pretty impressive.

The QuietComfort Earbuds have 11 levels of noise cancelation to play with. So whether you want to block out everything or just dull background sounds, you have that control. There’s also a Transparency Mode, letting you easily hear everything around you when you still have the earbuds on. As for raw ANC power, these rank amongst the best.

Audio quality is top-notch (as you’d expect), with the QuietComfort Earbuds delivering audio that’s super crisp and detailed. You can expect up to six hours of continuous battery life, the charging case allows for another 12 hours of use, and there’s support for Qi wireless charging when you need to refuel. There’s also an IPX4 rating, helping keep the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds protected against rain or sweat.

So long as you’re OK with the bulky design and very steep price, the QuietComfort Earbuds are a fantastic option.

These Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro were updated nearly every way over their predecessors. Perhaps the most significant change is that Samsung included active noise cancelation.

It’s not the first time Samsung did so with a pair of its true wireless earbuds — Samsung Galaxy Buds Live got that honor — the ANC works pretty well given the unique shape of the Buds Live — on the Galaxy Buds Pro the feature works way better. The in-ear design allows for a better seal, yet because Samsung includes a vent, you don’t get that plugged-up feeling when wearing the earbuds.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro also have an immaculate and balanced sound profile outside of the ANC. You can make adjustments within the app to better fit your preferences, though the EQ is limited to a handful of presets. Some other features include a transparency mode that can let in some outside noises, including a voice detection option that lowers your music volume when speaking. These are a solid choice if you’re looking for great-sounding earbuds that have good ANC. With an IPX7 rating, they’re also excellent for workouts.

Even though Jabra still has the Elite 75t and Elite 85t readily available, but the Elite 7 Pro stand out for several reasons, not least of which is their unique abilities with phone calls.

These earbuds use the company’s own MultiSensor Voice Technology, enabling both ends of a call to sound clear and crisp. HearThrough also works well to bring in sound from the outside world to make it easier to hear or talk to someone. A handy mute button through the physical button controls is always there when you need it, too. Another part of the secret sauce also comes in the solid active noise cancelation (ANC), and while it is a little tedious to force you to customize it to your ears first, you do have the option to adjust it later. It’s just unfortunate there’s no multipoint support until Jabra releases a firmware update for it early in 2022.

They sound great for any genre you want to play, which you can tweak via the EQ in Jabra’s Sound+ app. Plus, you get IP57 water and dust resistance for those times when you might subject them to sweat, rain, snow, or water. Battery life holds up well at up to 8 hours per charge with ANC on, while the case gives you an extra three additional charges for an overall total of around 30 hours. The case itself charges via USB-C or Qi wireless charging, including a fast-charging option where plugging in for five minutes can get you up to 60 minutes of playback.

If you can’t justify the Sony Wf-1000XM4’s cost, check out the Mpow X3. Mpow may not be a household name, but the value and features you’re getting with the X3 are hard to ignore.

Right off the bat, the Mpow X3 sound really good. They offer a big and balanced soundstage, big bass and block out a decent level of ambient noise so you can focus on your music. They’re also backed by long battery life, getting up to 28 hours of total use between the earbuds and the included charging case.

Both earbuds have capacitive touch areas, making it super easy to control your playback without touching your phone. You can also use these controls for controlling the ANC and prompting the voice assistant on your phone.

For shoppers that want to go all-out with some of the most premium wireless earbuds money can buy, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 are bound to get your attention. We don’t consider them the best overall pick, though the previous enormously high price has since become more competitive, so if your budget allows, there’s plenty to like.

Being audio gear from Sennheiser, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Momentum True Wireless 2 sound fabulous. With bass, mids, and treble that are all so properly tuned, you end up with a listening experience unlike anything else. That’s also accompanied by highly effective ANC, ensuring you can focus on your music and not distracting background noise. Similarly, Sennheiser includes a transparent hearing mode so you can stay in touch with the world around you when needed.

You can expect around 28 hours of total battery life between the earbuds and the included charging case, which features a gorgeous fabric finish that stands out from the competition. Sennheiser’s touch controls are also pretty great, allowing you to control music playback, prompt your phone’s voice assistant, or enable/disable ANC and the passthrough mode through various customizable touches.

It’s a shame that Qi wireless charging isn’t offered, given how much money Sennheiser is asking for the Momentum True Wireless 2. Still, that omission aside, this is a truly elite package in every other way.

The Galaxy Buds 2 share a lot of DNA with the design and features in their predecessors, the Galaxy Buds Pro. But the differences between these two earbuds are key and perhaps a primary factor in choosing what’s better for your ears. Because each option excels in its own way, but if you are looking for the most comfortable pair of ANC wireless earbuds, then the Galaxy Buds 2 are the ones for you.

Samsung made ever so slight changes in the earbud shape to push the Galaxy Buds 2 into that “oh so comfortable” category. Of course, you want your earbuds to be comfortable, but if they sound bad, then — what’s the point? The Galaxy Buds 2 bring not only excellent audio but solid ANC into the comfy earbuds. The companion Galaxy Wearable app for your phone gives you added controls to tweak your earbuds to get them just right for you.

While the battery life in the Galaxy Buds 2 isn’t the absolute best, you can expect to get about 5.5 hours of use before popping them into the charging case. Turn off the ANC, and you’ll get about 8 hours between charges. Unfortunately, the water resistance rating is only IPX2, so even sweat can cause some issues here. Also, the microphones can pass for a casual call or video chat, but you probably don’t want to use them for your most important voice calls.