The 7 Best Noise Canceling Earbuds

1. Apple AirPods Pro (Gen 2)

In recent years, it’s become hard not to give Apple AirPods their dues. While they aren’t perfect, they have become synonymous with music and life in general in popular culture. But how do they stack up when paired against the competition? Is this a case of marketing hype, or is there something more to the Apple AirPods Pro?

Design & Comfort

There are not many areas where these noise canceling earbuds fall behind, but the design is still not the most conducive to being seated stably. Even though Apple has provided many additional ear tip sizes, this doesn’t prevent the AirPods from falling out during rigorous movement. If you’re an everyday user, this may not be a problem, but for those looking for an ideal pair of noise-canceling earbuds for working out, this can be a problem.

In terms of actual comfort, the Apple AirPods Pro typically feels good across multiple types of ear shapes and isn’t likely to cause much ear discomfort during use, even for extended periods.

Sound Quality

Here’s where the Apple AirPods Pro really steps up to the plate and justifies their prevalence in modern culture. Gone are the days of metallic-sounding treble and distorted bass, as we used to so often find with earbuds. The AirPods Pro starkly contrasts that historical experience with a balanced sound signature and warm profile that comes across as natural and appealing.

The adaptive sound option also brings value into the mix. It can create a wider sounding experience that will be appreciated by those with enjoyment for a fuller, more bass-inclusive sound. On the topic of bass as a whole, the Apple AirPods 2 Pro performs very well in the low end with tuning that isn’t accentuated but focused on depth and accuracy. For instance, they’re a bit more subtle than the Bose QuietComfort II earbuds.

When it comes to midrange response, the Apple AirPods 2 Pro isn’t bad. They fall slightly behind the Bose with a little less distinction, especially towards the lower end of the frequency, where the clarity could be improved marginally. This type of tuning lends itself to some muddiness in certain songs.

The treble response is fairly accurate, and if anything, perhaps a little recessed, particularly towards the low and mid-treble range. This is where the Apple AirPods 2 Pro and the Bose diverge, with the Apple AirPods 2 sounding less bright but also protecting from the sibilance that the Bose tended to be subject to. If you’re sensitive to sibilance, this tuning may benefit you.

Noise Cancellation

While the Apple AirPods 2 Pro do well overall at noise isolation and can protect from high and low frequencies, they won’t dethrone the Bose. Both earbuds excel at reducing noise from similar frequencies, but the Bose is more efficient.

In its own right, however, the Apple AirPods 2 Pro still does an excellent job which will still edge out most other noise-canceling earbuds on the market. But if you have incredibly high demands from your earbuds, with a lot of environmental noise to remove, Bose will be your best bet here.

Battery Performance & Charging

The Apple AirPods 2 Pro has excellent battery features that see a whopping four additional charges being provided by the charging case. While these noise-canceling earbuds have a bit less playtime per charge than the Bose, the availability of an additional charge means you actually get a few more hours of use out of the AirPods 2 Pro before you need to recharge the docking station. You can expect just shy of 6 hours of battery life from a single charge of the buds.

2. Bose QuietComfort 2

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II follows the remarkable success of the original QuietComfort earbud model. This second iteration improves on a number of features from the original earbuds but also slightly falls behind in other areas, depending on how you approach sound. One of the most obvious changes is the design, which moves away from a somewhat generic pill-styled design to a more nuanced shape. This change was made to provide additional comfort, somewhat of a weak point for the original QuietComfort Truly Wireless earbuds.

Design & Comfort

As touched on, the design of the Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds features a few new elements to it. These changes were made to improve some ear shapes’ initial comfort issues. The Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds come with three sizes of ear tips, as well as three variants of stability bands. These added accessories allow you to create the combination that best works with your ears, and they do it well. The nature of these changes also ensures that the Bose QuietComfort II can have more stability in your ear, reducing movement or displacement during exercise.

While we don’t see a mass of new features added to the Bose QuietComfort II, it retains all the original series’s essential features – such as volume control, voice assistant, call, and music control. 

The upgrade from Bluetooth 5.1 to 5.3 sees the overall range performance improve, as well as seeing lower latency on most operating systems. While the 5.1 Bluetooth was still more than viable, we are always happy to see new products being launched with the latest Bluetooth connectivity available.

Sound Quality

When we look at the sound quality of these earbuds, this is where things become a little more subjective. The Bose QuietComfort II has a bass response that is more accentuated than the previous model, which was renowned for its mostly flat sound signature. The change in the sound signature in both the lows and highs may split some fans of this Bose series.

The original QuietComfort Truly Wireless earbuds will be preferential if you’re allergic to bass. However, if you like more accentuated low end and brighter treble, the QuietComfort II provides this with great tact. The bass is far from obnoxious or overtuned, and is still well within what I’d consider a good sound signature. If you felt like the original earbuds from this series lacked the ‘oomph’ you were looking for, an upgrade may be on the cards.

The midrange is where these earbuds shine, with a balanced but full sound that leaves everything sounding warm and easy to listen to. This is at least true for most of the midrange, as we hear some dips and peaks in the upper midrange and treble range. While noteworthy, these imbalances are still well within the range of sound signature variance between some of the flagship models we see, and they still sound great. However, it is worth noting that those sensitive to sibilance may not appreciate these peaks, which can be equalized using the Bose Music app.

Noise Cancellation

Even though we see some subjectivity in the sound profile, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are hard to fault regarding noise isolation. They offer some of the best noise-canceling capabilities we’ve seen.

What separates these noise canceling earbuds from many others on the market is the ability to deal with noise across almost all frequencies effectively. Further on in this article, we discuss finding a noise-canceling earbud that masks the sounds you’re trying to avoid. Still, with these earbuds, regardless of the noises you’re looking to reduce – they are likely to be effective in blocking them.

Battery Performance & Charging

We’ve also seen improvements in the charging and battery life of the Bose QuietComfort II earbuds, which can now squeeze out three recharges from the case, which initially could only provide two. The charging time has been reduced by more than 30%, and you can now fully charge in around an hour. You’ll find that you typically get around 6 hours of battery life from a single charge or close to 25 hours of total listening time.

It’s hard to fault the battery and charge capabilities of the QuietComfort earbuds II, which are superb, even when compared with other flagship products.

3. Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro

The Samsung Galaxy Buds series hasn’t provided me with the best experiences in the past. Last year I reviewed the Galaxy Buds Live and found them to be a somewhat disappointing experience when compared to other earbuds on the market. However, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro is a vastly different earbud that performs better across the board when compared to the more affordable Buds Live.

Design & Comfort

The shape of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro design still closely resembles that of the first iteration of the Buds Pro. One area where these earbuds show their dominance over the Buds Live is in their comfort. They feel like they sit better in the ear, with less discomfort over time. In fact, the Buds2 Pro is comfortable not only when compared with cheaper models from the Galaxy range but also able to compete with AirPods Pro (2nd gen).

The controls on the Galaxy Buds2 Pro aren’t my personal favorite, but it’s hard to find faults in how Samsung has laid out its controls. They remain easy to use and quite intuitive.

While the build quality feels good, the waterproofing offered by these noise-canceling earbuds is a big plus for Samsung, as IPX4 is the most commonly found waterproofing for earbuds currently, and while IPX4 is decent in its own right, having the added protection of a full IPX7 rating means the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are better suited for longer periods of water exposure. You could even use these in the shower.

Sound Quality

When it comes to audio performance, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro has one of our favorite response signatures out of the earbuds we’ve come across. It’s very balanced but still breathes life into the listening experience, with a particularly impressive low-end response that is possibly the most natural of all earbuds on this list.

The midrange is somewhat similar, with a rich but accurate sound that lets instruments and vocals shine through, particularly towards the upper end. As frequency response charts show, the treble is a little more volatile, but not without merit. There are some peaked and recessed elements to the treble that, while not appealing to everyone, may be seen as a big positive to those particularly sensitive to piercing sibilance.

Noise Cancellation

Samsung has made marked improvements in the overall noise isolation found on the Buds2 Pro, even when compared with the previous iteration. Samsung has taken the fight to Apple with noise cancellation that spans across low and high frequencies to ensure versatile protection from external noise.

Battery Performance & Charging

Battery performance is where things go a little downhill for the Buds2 Pro. While Apple, Bose, and Google can offer a single charge that lasts for close to 6 hours, the Buds2 Pro falls short of this and typically provides around 5 hours of use on a single charge.

While the recharge time is still competitive at around an hour for a full charge, we are a little disappointed to see that the charging dock offers just over two full additional charges. The result here is that you’ll get around 17 hours of total use, which is substantially lower than the 25-30 hours we see from the aforementioned earbuds.

4. Jabra Elite 7 Active

The Jabra Elite 7 Active is a bit of an enigma. While we are used to expecting big things from big brand names, Jabra isn’t exactly a household name. So how have they managed to become one of the most loved earbuds around? The Elite 7 Active gives us a glimpse into why these noise-canceling earbuds are so popular.

Design & Comfort

The Jabra Elite 7 Active has a fairly standard design & build, which is especially familiar to fans of the other Sony earbuds that have been brought to market over the years. When it comes to how they fit in the ear, the experience is going to somewhat depend on how they align with your own ear shape, but on the whole, they do very well with several ear tip pieces you can swap out for a better fit.

We love that the Elite 7 Active come with an IP57 rating. This is especially cool to see since we barely see dust protection provided to earbuds, but this can go a long way in ensuring the longevity of your earbuds. It is especially useful if you find yourself using them for walks or runs on the beach.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is perhaps the most surprising part of these earbuds. Despite their affordable price tag, they are able to keep up with every earbud on this list in terms of audio performance and, in many cases, are just simply better.

The bass has some slight accentuation, but in a way that is tasteful and very clean in its presentation. When one talks about a punchy bass, the Elite 7 Active has nailed it. The bass remains slightly elevated as one moves into the midrange frequency, but again just slightly so, with the mid and upper midrange sounding particularly balanced yet warm.

The treble presentation is also outstanding, with bright and warm sounds that come across as wide and enjoyable. There is a slight recess in the treble, but this will again serve well for those who tend to be sensitive to sibilance.

Overall, the sound quality on the Jabra Elite 7 Active has no excuse for being this good. This budget pair of earbuds perform like a leading flagship product.

Noise Cancellation

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the Jabra Elite 7, and the noise-cancellation is one area where although these earbuds still perform extremely well, they couldn’t keep up with some of the other products on this list.

The biggest challenge here is that the Elite 7 Active struggles to isolate low-end frequencies. This makes them less than ideal for public transportation where the low droning of engines may be present. But they still perform well in dampening nearby conversations.

Battery Performance & Charging

Jabra continues to impress when it comes to battery performance. A single charge can provide around 8 hours of battery life, while the charging station can provide around three additional charges. This brings it neck and neck with the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen) regarding total battery life.

The only downside here is a rather extended charging time compared to the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro can charge within an hour, while the Jabra typically takes closer to two hours for a full charge.

While the somewhat long charge time is unlikely to impact everyone, it is worth noting for frequent travelers who may be limited on time per location.

5. Sony WF-1000XM4

It’s impossible to talk about noise cancellation without mentioning Sony. Their WH series of noise-canceling headphones, along with the WF ANC earbud range, has been adopted as a favorite by many consumers in recent years due to their overall high-quality build and impressive performance. 

The WF-1000XM4 is their flagship noise canceling earbud, though we do expect to see the XM5 released later this year, given the recent release of the WH-1000XM5.

Design & Comfort

The Sony WF-1000XM4 features a design that doesn’t stray too far from conventional. They’re set fairly shallow in the ear canal, which has merits but can also create a less comfortable fit for particular ear shapes. While we wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re uncomfortable as a whole, it should be noted that if you find particular earbud types uncomfortable, there are more safe options out there. The 1000XM4 has three different sizes of ear tips, which allow you to customize the fit to achieve the best comfort possible. 

The fit, despite not being very deep, tends to lend itself to very reasonable stability, and most people will find that they can perform light exercise with the WF-1000XM4 not falling out. The Bose is still superior in this regard, but these earbuds are far from the worst we’ve seen regarding the looseness of the fit.

Sound Quality

When it comes to sound performance, the Sony WF-1000XM4 does well overall, with a balanced, accurate bass response. The midrange is also pleasant, particularly in the lower mids. However, there is a distinct drop-off from the upper midrange, which also spans the treble range.

This largely recessed upper-range signature means that these earbuds are not the brightest listening experience, with the highs sounding a little compressed and subdued. While this isn’t ideal, for most listeners, it won’t be a deal breaker. Thankfully the Sony Headphones Connect mobile app offers both graphic and preset EQ options that can help you dial in the sound that you are looking for.

Noise Cancellation

The noise cancellation of the Sony WF-1000XM4 is good but not the best out there. Similar to sound quality, it falls a bit behind some of the other models on this list. It does very well in isolated higher-pitched frequencies but doesn’t quite perform as well in the low-range isolation.

This particular type of isolation can still work well in office environments where you’re trying to eliminate chatter, but there are better options out there for those needing a pair of travel-focused earbuds.

Battery Performance & Charging

In terms of battery performance, the Sony WF-1000XM4 shines. You’ll easily get around 10 hours of use from a single charge, significantly more than most other alternatives. The charging dock can only perform an additional two charges, which means a total battery life of around 30 hours. But even with the lower amount of charging cycles from the dock, this number still edges out most other earbuds.

The charging time is a little longer than the Apple AirPods Pro, for example, but at around 75 minutes per charge, they are comparable in this regard to the Google Pixel Buds Pro.

6. Google Pixel Buds Pro

It’s poetic that the next noise-canceling earbud on our list is the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which is often seen as the antithesis of Apple, with the battle of Android vs. iOS seemingly turning into a multigenerational debate. So how does the Google Pixel Buds Pro compare?

Design & Comfort

The Google Pixel Buds Pro feels great out the gate for most ear shapes. However, they sit quite far into the ear and can cause some discomfort for certain individuals due to subsequent pressure. Despite the nature of the seating, the earbuds can fall out during even moderate movements, such as jogging or other forms of exercise.

The Galaxy Pixel Buds Pro offers three different ear tip sizes to help cater to different ear sizes, and while these are often enough to provide a stable fit, it still doesn’t guarantee the same stability as some other models. Again, this is only usually a problem for those who want an active lifestyle-focused earbud.

Sound Quality

These noise-canceling earbuds perform extremely well in the overall sound quality but with what is perhaps a bit of a niche sound signature. A noticeable emphasis on the bass and treble response make these a good choice for those who like what is often referred to as an EDM/Hip-Hop sound profile, following a somewhat v-shaped sound signature.

The bass is beefy, the midrange is primarily balanced, albeit a little recessed in place, and the treble is bright. Perhaps too bright for some listeners, as a noticeable spike towards the mid-treble causes the emphasis on sibilance that we mentioned earlier.

If you’re looking for a balanced sound for critical listening, this isn’t the best option on the list. However, that’s not to say these don’t hold merit because they still perform very well, as long as you appreciate an elevated bass and don’t struggle with sibilance. It is worth noting, however, that the graphic EQ that the Google Pixel Buds app provides can help you in tailoring the sound profile to your preference. This can ultimately remove many of the issues of sharp treble.

Noise Cancellation

We weren’t expecting the Google Pixel Buds Pro to be quite as impressive as it was in terms of noise cancellation. They do very well at eliminating both low and high-frequency sounds and do so with similar efficacy as the Apple AirPods 2 Pro.

Because they do so well at a large range of frequencies, these noise-canceling earbuds are a great solution as a general pair of earbuds for those who find themselves looking to block out various noises depending on what they’re doing. We’re glad to see that Google was able to keep up in this regard, as both the Bose and Apple noise-canceling earbuds set quite a high benchmark for flagship noise-canceling earbuds.

Battery Performance & Charging

While the Google Pixel Buds Pro does a very good job of providing an extensive battery life on a single charge, the lack of charging cycles available from the dock means that the overall potential battery life still falls a little short of the AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds II. You’ll be able to get around seven and a half hours of battery life from a single charge, while the dock will provide you with around another 14 hours. 

This total, while respectable in its own right and still competitive, does mean that it offers 20-30% less battery life than the aforementioned earbuds.

Charging time is also something where the Google Pixel Buds Pro is able to keep up but still falls slightly short of the competition, with around 75 to 80 minutes per full charge.

7. JBL Club Pro+

JBL find themselves recommended on a number of our best lists, and this is mostly thanks to the balance between quality and affordability that they bring to the table. It’s rare that we test a JBL product that we dislike, and we’re happy that the Club Pro has not strayed from tradition.

Design & Comfort

The JBL Club Pro+ is somewhat large in that they consist of a deep design that sees the JBL logo in very clear sight. If there’s one thing that JBL may go a bit overboard with, it’s the branding of its products. That said, this doesn’t take much away from these earbuds’ actual build and design. They feature a somewhat angulated design on the control area, but unfortunately, the controls themselves aren’t the easiest we’ve worked with.

There are three pairs of different-sized ear tips, which help ensure comfort and a snug fit. The JBL Club fits well in most ears and should provide enough stability to perform light exercise.

Sound Quality

The JBL Club comes to the party in the sound department. Out the gate with default EQ, these ANC earbuds provide a balanced and accurate sound signature that even critical listeners can appreciate. While they aren’t the most lively-sounding earbuds, the signature is so well-balanced that it makes it a breeze to EQ them to your preferred sound.

The bass response on these earbuds is awe-inspiring if you enjoy a flat sound signature. I prefer a little more thump, but this is easily adjustable with the mobile app’s EQ. The midrange response is also mostly balanced and provides an intelligible instrumental presence that sounds balanced and clean. The treble response is equally impressive, and no strong sibilants are present. Overall, the sound profile of these earbuds is just overall extremely high quality, though it is worth noting that the stereo imaging falls short of things like the QuietComfort 2 and Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen).

Noise Cancellation

While the noise cancellation on the JBL Club is what we’d consider good, they are perhaps the weak point in what could otherwise be a formidable ANC earbud. They still do a relatively good job at isolating noise from most frequencies, but they don’t have the same type of performance as some of our other top picks.

Low and midrange frequencies, while fairly handled, are not as easily suppressed as some of the higher frequencies. The biggest disappointment here is that we have seen better ANC performance from other JBL earbuds that don’t quite match up to the same level of audio performance.

Battery Performance & Charging

JBL has a pretty good reputation regarding battery performance across their devices, and the JBL Club Pro doesn’t stray far from this tradition. You can expect around seven and a half hours of battery life from a single charge, which can be done three additional times with the charging dock.

This brings the overall battery life up to an impressive 30 hours, on par with the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)