Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds for 2026

Why I like them

While expensive, Sony's flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds not only feature great sound and excellent noise canceling, but their voice-calling performance is also top-notch. Aside from an external makeover, the XM6s are upgraded on the inside with new drivers, a 3X more powerful QN3e chip with improved analog conversion technology, eight microphones -- up from six -- and an improved bone-conduction sensor that helps with voice-calling performance. The "HD Noise Canceling" QN3e processor is paired with Sony's Integrated Processor V2, which now supports 32-bit processing, up from 24-bit. Read Sony WF-1000M6 review.

Reasons to buy

The WF-1000XM6 are pretty hard to beat from a performance standpoint across all the key areas.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

Not everybody will get a tight seal from the included eartips (I swapped in some tips from another set of earbuds I was testing to get a tight seal). If you get a good seal and fit, these are special earbuds. But if you don't, you could find them underwhelming for the price. Ideally, with earbuds this expensive, Sony would have included a wider assortment of tips.

Why I like them
While I didn't get a new H3 chip and I was hoping that the charging case would be able to convert into a Bluetooth transceiver to use the buds on a plane with an inflight entertainment system, I did get most of what I was looking for in the AirPods Pro 3. The changes may seem incremental to some folks, but all the key elements such as fit, sound quality and noise cancellation have been noticeably leveled up along with single-charge battery. They're about as close as earbuds get to being complete: excellent noise cancellation, strong voice-calling performance and sound quality that rivals the very best. Few buds excel in all three areas -- and the Pro 3s manage it while packing in plenty of extra features, including their new heart-rate monitoring feature. Read my full review.

Reasons to buy
As I said, these buds are significantly improved in the four most important areas: fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life. The result is that you don't feel like you're making any compromises when buying the AirPods Pro 3 if you're an Apple user.

Reasons to skip/keep looking
While they work with Android devices, you lose many of the AriPods 3's extra features if you're not using them with Apple devices and its iPhones and iPad in particular. They also may just be a little too expensive for many folks.

Why I like them

As far as the hardware goes, the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) look exactly the same as the original QC Ultra Earbuds, although Bose has added a new plum color to the line. There are two small changes. The 2nd Gen Ultra Earbuds now support wireless charging, a feature that should have been available with the originals. The included ear tips now have wax guards, a fancy way of saying there's a silicone mesh that now covers the holes in the tips.

The reality is, they don't seem like a true 2.0 product. But they do feature improved adaptive noise canceling that's truly impressive (it's neck-and-neck with the Apple AirPods Pro 3's noise canceling for the best ANC in a set of earbuds), along with some sound quality enhancements, including a new spatialized immersive audio Cinema mode that widens the soundstage and makes "video content more lifelike" with clearer dialog. The mode also helps with spoken-word audio content like podcasts and audiobooks.

New features available in both the original QC Ultra Earbuds and Gen 2 model include:

• Bose SpeechClarity
• Spotify Tap
• Turn capacitive controls on/off
• General connectivity and stability improvements

Feature upgrades available exclusively to the Gen 2 model include:

• Enhanced adaptive noise cancellation
• Reduced noise floor (the faint hiss in noise-canceling mode)
• Case battery reporting
• Cinema Mode 

Reasons to buy

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra offer a comfortable, secure fit and feature superb noise canceling and excellent sound quality. While the improvements to this model are incremental, it's good that Bose has made some upgrades to an already great set of noise-canceling earbuds. They also work well with both iOS and Android smartphones.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

They're pretty pricey and a little bigger than some earbuds like the AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

Why I like them

Released in November 2025, Anker's Soundcore P31i deliver good bang for your buck, offering a comfortable fit, good sound and effective noise canceling performance for a set of buds that costs less than $40. Equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 and 11mm drivers, they may not offer the more refined sound of higher-end earbuds (they lack a bit of clarity and accuracy), but their sound measures up well to that of earbuds that once cost over $100, including some of Anker's earlier Liberty series buds. (Android users should note that they support Sony's LDAC audio codec.) Overall, they're a little more balanced than Anker's Soundcore P40i buds, which have a bit of bass push and are slightly warmer-sounding earbuds.

While their noise canceling isn't up to the level of what you get with flagship earbuds models from Bose, Apple and Sony, it's better than I expected it would be. Anker's early budget models just didn't have the most effective noise-canceling, but the P31i does a pretty good job muffling ambient sound. I also found it easy to use the buds' touch controls -- they're responsive and can be customized in Anker's Soundcore app for iOS and Android. The buds do have an AI translation feature that supports 100 languages, but note that translations are processed in the Soundcore app on the phone, and a data or Wi-Fi connection is required. It works OK in quieter environments with people enunciating their words clearly.

Reasons to buy them

They're a good option if you're looking for a much cheaper alternative to Apple's AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro that deliver decent performance and are comfortable to wear (they come with five different sizes of eartips, which should allow most people to get a tight seal and secure fit).

Reason to skip/keep looking

They're missing a few features that premium buds offer, including wireless charging, ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take the buds out of your ears and resume playback when you put them back in and spatial audio with head-tracking. And they don't offer top-tier voice-calling performance (callers said that while the buds did well reducing background noise, my voice warbled and was a little harder to hear when I was in environments with a lot of background noise). Also, they don't sound quite as good as certain budget models, like the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus, that cost a little more.

Why I like them

Last year, I awarded a CNET Editors' Choice to Earfun's Air Pro 4 earbuds, saying they were "hard to beat for the money." The same can be said for Earfun's new-for-2025 Air Pro 4 Plus, which also earned a CNET Editors' Choice award. Though these earbuds aren't without a few small shortcomings, those could easily be fixed with future firmware updates. At around $80 on Amazon, the Plus model costs $20 more than the standard Air Pro 4, but features a pretty significant upgrade to sound quality. (Note: Apply the code AP4PCNET at checkout on Amazon to get an additional 10% off.)

Reasons to buy them

The buds are equipped with a new dual-driver system that pairs a 10mm dynamic driver with an "ultra-light FeatherBA" balanced-armature driver that helps improve bass and treble performance. Typically, earbuds with dual drivers cost significantly more (these are the first earbuds that cost less than $100 that I've seen with dual drivers). The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus also offer a comfortable fit and a pretty robust feature set, along with improved noise canceling that's quite decent. (Read my full review.)

Reason to skip/keep looking

If Earfun could figure out a way to raise the level of the voice-calling performance of its flagship earbuds from a B- to an A- or so, they'd be the almost perfect sub $100 true-wireless earbuds. We'll see if we get some tweaks and small improvements with future firmware upgrades, but as it stands, the Air Pro 4 Plus are still excellent for the price.

Why I like them

A trickle of earbuds from value oriented brands have come out in the last year in collaboration with Bose, which has been gradually expanding its "Sound by Bose" initiative that brings its brand to more affordable headphones and earbuds. Like the Bose-infused Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds, the Baseus Inspire XP1 feature very good sound in a set of comfortable earbuds that share some similarities with Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, particularly how they fit (they have similar ear tips to the Ultras and the buds fit my ears quite well). Out of the box, they have a fairly balanced, though marginally V-shaped sound profile with slightly accentuated bass and treble and slightly recessed mids (the mids do sound warm and natural). But like Bose headphones and earbuds they're designed to sound good (smooth) with a variety of music genres and they feature strong, punchy bass and relatively detailed sound along with a fairly wide sound stage. Read full review.

While their noise canceling isn't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen)'s superb ANC, it's quite respectable, especially for a set earbuds that don't cost much more than $100 (and may dip to $100 during the holiday buying season). The Inspire XP1 are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and they have an IP54 water-resistance rating, which means they're splash-proof and dust-resistant. It's also worth noting that they're equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 and Dolby spatial audio, though I didn't notice much of a difference in sound quality when I turned the spatial audio on (there's a mode for music and movies).

Reasons to buy them

The buds are well-designed and sound very good for the price, with solid all-around performance, including good noise canceling and decent voice-calling performance with 3 microphones per bud.

Reason to skip/keep looking

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus feature slightly better sound for less. But I like the fit of these buds slightly better.

Why I like them

The AirPods 4 are, unsurprisingly, the fourth generation of Apple's original true-wireless earbuds that feature an open design, which means they don't have silicone ear tips like the AirPods Pro 3. Not only do they feature a slightly smaller design and better sound than their predecessor, but they're equipped with Apple's H2 chip that improves overall performance and powers Apple's ever expanding AirPods features, though they don't have the AirPods Pro 2's Hearing Aid mode. Read my Apple AirPods 4 review.

The AirPods 4 comes in two versions: a $129 entry-level model and a $179 step-up model with active noise canceling. ANC is a rare feature for open earbuds because it typically doesn't work with an open design, but these are the first open buds I've tried to have active noise canceling that actually works (it's about half as strong as the AirPods Pro 2's noise canceling and 25% as strong as the AirPods Pro's 3). That's pretty cool and worth the extra $50 if you can afford it.

Reasons to buy

A lot of people don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears and find open earbuds more comfortable (plus, you can hear the the outside world for safety reasons), and the AirPods 4 are made for those Apple users. They also sound very good for open earbuds and feature excellent voice-calling performance along with Apple's spatial audio and likable pinch controls. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Canceling are more special simply because they feature noise canceling. No, the AirPods 4 with ANC's noise muffling capabilities aren't that great compared with what you get with the AirPods Pro 3 and top noise-canceling earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) or the Sony WF-1000XM5. But that it works at all and is reasonably effective is kind of wild because, as I said, noise canceling and open earbuds usually aren't a good mix.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

While their slightly smaller, updated design fits a wider range of ears more securely, some folks may not get a secure fit. The AirPods Pro 3 offer a more flexible fit because they include five different sizes of ear tips. They also deliver better sound with more bass in a noise-isolating design (the AirPods Pro 3's excellent noise canceling is significantly better than that of the AirPods 4 with ANC).

Why I like them

Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 FE ($150) look nearly identical to the flagship Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ($250) but are missing those buds' LED lighting element, have a single-driver design instead of a dual-driver design and leave off a few other extras. Now that I've fully tested the Buds 3 FE, I'm impressed with their performance. If you don't mind missing those features, they're a better value than the Buds 3 Pro. Read my full Galaxy Buds 3 FE review.

Reasons to buy them

If the Buds 3 FE fit differently and had worse sound quality, noise-canceling and voice-calling performance than Buds 3 Pro, they'd be hard to recommend. But there's no fall-off in those key departments -- the noise canceling on the Buds 3 FE seems improved and some people may actually like the sound of the Buds 3 FE slightly better than the Buds 3 Pro. If you looking for a pair of more Android-centric earbuds that nail fit, sound and voice-calling and also feature decent noise canceling, they're an excellent option. 

Reasons to keep looking/skip

When I dug a little deeper into the feature comparisons between the two Galaxy buds, I realized that the Buds 3 FE were missing more features than I thought they did. The majority I could live without (LED lighting elements, wireless charging and head-tracking for spatial audio, for example), but I really like Buds 3 Pro's built-in voice commands and voice-detection features.

Why I like them

In a surprise move, Skullcandy has joined forces with Bose to create what's essentially a budget version of Bose's $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. With "Sound by Bose," not only do the Method 360 ANC buds sound better than most earbuds in this price class (they sound very similar to Bose's $170 QuietComfort Earbuds), they also fit comfortably and securely thanks to Bose's Fit Kit system that features stability bands to lock the buds in your ears. While they share many of the traits of Bose's flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, they're lighter and lack the more premium finish of those pricey buds. Also, their noise canceling isn't up to the QC Ultra's best-in-class ANC standard. But it's still effective and better than the noise canceling I experienced with previous Skullcandy earbuds I've tested. Read Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review.

Reasons to buy

While you can find earbuds that sound pretty decent for this price (or a little more), the Method 360 ANC's sound quality is a notch up from what you typically find at this price. Another selling point is that these buds should fit most ears comfortably and securely, thanks to the Bose-like design.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

The Method 360 ANC's biggest drawback is its rather large carrying case. In response to criticism about the case, Skullcandy has released the new Method 540 ANC ($150) with a 20% slimmer case (it is an improvement but is still large) and support for the company's Skull AI feature that requires a subscription. Some people won't mind that the case is bulky, but it may be a deal-breaker for some folks. Also, voice-calling performance could be better, but hopefully, that will improve with firmware updates.

Why I like them

The original Powerbeats Pro were released in May 2019, so Beats has had a lot of time to plot how to improve the second generation of its popular ear-hook style true-wireless sport earbuds. And improve they have -- by quite a bit. Not only do they feature a new, more refined design with better ergonomics, but new drivers, a more powerful Apple H2 chip, a new built-in heart-rate sensor and, yes, active noise canceling for the first time in a pair of Powerbeats. And that noise canceling is quite good, as is the sound quality and voice-calling performance -- so long as you get a tight seal from one of the 5 different included ear tips. Read my Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.

These new Powerbeats Pro 2 fit my ears better thanks to Beats improving the overall ergonomic shape of the earbud and completely redesigned the ear hook -- it's 50% smaller and incorporates nickel-titanium alloy, so it's both flexible and durable. The buds themselves are 20% lighter.

Reasons to buy

Fitness enthusiasts like earbuds with ear hooks so their buds won't fall out of their ears during intense workouts. Typically, such earbuds don't offer the greatest performance, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 have many of the same qualities and features as the AirPods Pro 2 with very good sound along with strong noise canceling and voice-calling performance. In short, they're versatile, also performing well as everyday earbuds. It's also worth noting that while the Powerbeats Pro 2 have some Apple-exclusive features, Beats does have an app for Android users that makes these more Android-friendly than AirPods.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

While Beats has improved the Powerbeats Pro 2's design and ergonomics, they still may not be a comfortable fit for everybody's ears and some people may not get a truly tight seal from any of Beats' ear tips (I had an issue and had to use another set of ear tips from my collection). If you don't get a tight seal, you'll likely be unimpressed with the sound quality and noise-cancelling and may want to return them to the store you bought them from (try to find some alternative ear tips before you do that).

Why I like them

Anker's earlier Soundcore P40 buds have a stand built into their charging case for propping your phone up for video watching. The new-for-2025 P41i not includes an integrated stand but a 3,000-mAh battery and USB-C cable that turns the case into a power bank for charging your phone (owners of older iPhones can also get a version with an integrated Lightning cable that costs $10 more). While the case is a little heavy and bulkier than many earbuds cases, I like the two-devices-in-one concept. Note that while it doesn't offer high-speed charging, it does charge at 10W speeds, which isn't too shabby.

As for the buds themselves, while they lack such extra features as ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take a bud out of your ear, they offer decent sound with strong bass performance and decent noise-canceling and voice-calling capabilities. The sound isn't as rich or detailed as what you get with more premium buds, but it's respectably smooth and steers clear of any harshness. Battery life is also good: A single charge gets you up to 10 hours of playback time at moderate volumes with ANC on. And if you don't use the case to charge your phone (it will charge an iPhone 16 to about 50%), it has enough juice to charge the buds around 15 times.

Reasons to buy them

You like the idea of combining your earbuds with a power bank to charge your phone in a pinch.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

If you like your earbuds cases small, these probably aren't the buds for you. While the case isn't huge, it's heavier and larger than a lot cases because it does have a 3,000-mAh battery in it. Typically, earbuds charging cases are equipped with 300-mAh to 700-mAh batteries (the AirPods Pro 2's charging case has a 523-mAh battery by comparison).

Why I like them

When they're in your ears, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 look a lot like the original Pixel Buds Pro and retain the stabilizer fins that help lock the buds in your ears. But they're smaller than their predecessor and Google equipped them with its new Tensor A1 chip, which offers more processing power and boosts their performance across the board. How you ultimately feel about them will largely depend on how well they fit your ears. That's the case for most noise-canceling earbuds, but with the Pixel Buds Pro 2, if you don't get a tight seal from the included ear tips, there's a massive dip in both sound quality and noise-canceling performance. If you do get a tight seal, these buds deliver excellent sound, strong noise-muffling capabilities and a robust feature set, particularly for Android and Google Pixel phone users. Read my Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review.

Reasons to buy

For Pixel device owners, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have some extra appeal because they're designed to work more seamlessly with your Pixel devices (there's automatic switching between Pixel smartphones, tablets and watches) and also feature "Clear Calling" for Pixel smartphones, which does improve voice calling performance a bit. That said, Android owners can take advantage of most of the Pixel Buds Pro 2's features, including hands-free Google Assistant and "Conversation Detect" feature that pauses what you're listening to and puts the buds in transparency mode when you start talking to someone.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

I'll start by pointing out that while buds work just fine with iPhones, iPhone users miss out out several features, so Apple users should probably look elsewhere. From an ergonomic standpoint, the buds' smaller design should provide a better fit for a wider range of ears, but some people may find that the original Pixel Buds Pro fit their ears better. Also, some Android owners may be disappointed that the buds support neither Qualcomm's AptX or Sony's LDAC audio codecs (AAC and SBC are supported). Lastly, it's a little annoying that the white case can pick up stains from objects in pockets, though the case is easy enough to clean off with a alcohol wipe.

Why I like them

Not surprisingly, the next-generation of Sony's entry-noise canceling earbuds now feature better noise canceling (with dual microphones). They also get a few other enhancements, including ear-detection sensors and upgraded voice-calling performance along with slightly better battery life and a style makeover, as these buds now come in an eye-catching translucent "glass" blue color that I liked a lot.

The successor to the WF-C700N, the WF-C710N is a definite upgrade that delivers pleasing, dynamic sound with deep, punchy bass. Initially, I thought the earbuds were lacking a bit in the clarity department but when I prioritized sound quality in the settings and engaged Sony's DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) in Sony's companion SoundConnect app, the sound improved. That said, you're just not going to get the more refined and accurate sound of Sony's flagship WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which sound smoother and more articulate (with some tracks I encountered a touch of distortion with the WF-C710N). The sound isn't quite as good as that offered by the more expensive LinkBuds Fit, which I like a little better because those buds are smaller and include sport fins. However, that model's battery life is only 5.5 hours and they do cost about $50 more.

Battery life is rated for up to 8.5 hours on single charge with noise canceling on and audio played at moderate volume levels, though that number will dip if you engage DSEE. With the improvements, the CF-C710N are overall quite appealing earbuds that I enthusiastically recommend when they go on sale for $90.

Reasons to buy

You want very good sounding Sony earbuds but can't afford the company's flagship buds.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

Sony's ear tips fit some people's ears better than others. If you don't get a good seal with the included ear tips, you may be disappointed in the sound quality and noise-canceling performance.

Why I like them

Panasonic's new flagship earbuds, the Technics EAH-AZ100, feature a more compact design than the earlier EAH-AZ80 buds (the AZ100s are 10% smaller and 16% lighter) along with improved sound quality, noise canceling and voice-calling performance. One of the key upgrade here is Panasonic's newly developed proprietary Magnetic Fluid Driver that Panasonic says creates "clean, high-resolution, low-vibration and low-distortion sounds for the most authentic, balanced audio that's true to the original source." This type of driver is found in Technics high-end EAH-TZ700 wired in-ear monitors ($1,200), and it's been miniaturized for use in the AZ100s.

I thought the AZ80s sounded really good, and these new AZ100s sound even better, with clean, accurate sound that brings out details in your music you don't hear with lesser earbuds (Android users get support for Sony's high-quality LDAC audio codec). As for extra features, there's Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, plus you can pair with up to 3 devices simultaneously (most multipoint Bluetooth-enabled earbuds allow you to pair to two devices).

Reasons to buy

The Technics EAH-AZ100 are among the best-sounding earbuds, so if sound quality is a priority, they should be on your short list. Also, the fact that their noise-canceling and voice-calling performance has improved slightly is icing on the cake,

Reasons to skip/keep looking

While earbuds like the AirPods Pro 2 don't sound as good as these earbuds, they do offer superior noise canceling and voice-calling performance for less money along with an even more robust feature set, particularly for iPhone users.

Why I like them

The Live Beam 3 earbuds look similar to the earlier Live Buds Pro 2, which I liked a lot, especially when they go on sale for less than $100. Essentially JBL's AirPods Pro 2 competitor, their distinguishing feature is the 1.45-inch touchscreen LCD integrated into their charging case that acts as a remote control for the buds and allows you to access their features. Equipped with 10mm drivers, not only do they offer clear, well-defined sound with punchy bass but their noise canceling and voice-calling performance are very solid. Their battery is also good -- they offer up to 10 hours of battery life with ANC on and 12 hours with it off at moderate volume levels (a 10-minute charge gives you four hours of battery life). Available in four color options, they're IP55 splash-proof and dust-resistant.

Note that JBL's flagship Tour Pro 3 earbuds also have an integrated LCD but feature dual drivers, which deliver even better sound than these buds with a little more depth and detail. However, the Live Beam 3 often sell for $50 off their $200 list price, which makes them a better deal overall.

Reasons to buy

The Live Beam 3 are really solid performing, well-designed earbuds that should most ears comfortably. Some may see the the touchscreen LCD as a bit of a gimmick, but it is useful as a remote control for the buds and a differentiating feature.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

My only minor gripes would be that the buds look a tad cheap for their somewhat elevated lists price. Also, the charging case is a bit larger and heavier than most charging cases becauseit has that built-in touchscreen LCD.

Why I like them

In recent years, when it came to its new earbuds, Bose has focused on premium noise-canceling buds with premium price tags. But now it's released more affordable QuietComfort Earbuds ($179) for folks priced out of its $299 flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The new QC Earbuds, as Bose calls them, don't perform quite as well as the QC Ultra Earbuds, but they offer a very secure, comfortable fit, strong sound and noice-canceling performance while adding a few new features, including built-in voice controls, not found in the Ultras. Read my Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) review.

Reasons to buy

I came away impressed with the QC Earbuds, despite a couple of small shortcomings. Overall, they're very good buds and certainly worth considering, especially when they're discounted to $150 or less, which they frequently are.

Reasons to skip

I do think the buds and case are a little big compared to what you get with other buds. And while the voice-calling performance had its plusses (good background noise reduction), callers said my voice sounded a little muffled and sometimes warbled in noisy environments. 

Why I like them

Simply put, the Pi8s are fantastic-sounding earbuds that also benefit from having a clearly improved design from the Pi7 S2 and Pi5 S2. It's debatable whether the Pi8s sound $150 better than the step-down Pi6s, but there's no doubt these are some of the best-sounding earbuds on the market, if not the best (everybody's sound tastes vary so it's hard to declare one set of buds the best-sounding overall). 

Like with the Pi7 S2, sound quality is the highlight here, along with the charging case's ability to transform into a Bluetooth transceiver. Noise cancellation seems improved, and noise reduction during calls seems better, but the voice-calling performance wasn't as good as what I got with Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

Reasons to buy

The Pi8 are easily among the top earbuds for sound quality with refined, spacious sound and deep, well-defined bass. Also, their noise-canceling and voice-calling performance has improved from their predecessor, making them better earbuds all around. And lastly, that their case turn into a Bluetooth transceiver is a nice feature for frequent travelers who want to use their wireless earbuds with an inflight entertainment system.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

The Pi8 are pricey earbuds that will be out of a lot people's price range. And while models like the AiPods Pro 2 may not feature as impressive sound quality, they do offer slightly better noise canceling and voice-calling performance (and some other extra features) and cost less.