What is a true wireless (TWS) earbud? Well, any in-ears earbud that has two separate earpieces for both ears, without a cable connecting them together can be categorized as a TWS earbud. Neckbands, for instance, are not TWS earbuds – although they are called “wireless earbuds”. Another distinct differentiation is that True Wireless earbuds also come in small, portable charging cases that house and recharge both earpieces. Although true wireless earbuds have been a thing for a while now, Apple made it a real thing when it unveiled the Airpods a couple of years back. Furthermore, the launch of Apple’s Airpods also took the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature we now see on a lot of earbuds, mainstream. Active Noise Cancellation earbuds, also known as ANC earbuds are perfect earbuds to go for if you always want to cut out ambient noise when listening to music. A typical Active Noise Cancellation enabled earbud helps to block out the ambient noises around you by sealing off your ear with the silicone ear tips that go into your ear canals, as well as using the built-in microphones and speakers to block out background noise. Related Article: Android TV streaming boxes and dongles: Here are our top recommendations of 2021
Before You Buy an ANC TWS Earbud
Before you buy Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) enabled, TWS earbuds, there are a couple of factors to put into consideration: Design/fitness/comfort, built-in features, battery life (on both earpieces and charging case), sound quality (head-rattling bass or a balanced immersive sound), etc. Earbuds that are designed to perfectly fit into your ear canals, for instance, will give you the liberty to go about your daily activities like your Morning workout sessions/runs or biking or driving around. With the right set of earbuds, you can do all of these things and more for long hours without feeling uncomfortable. Furthermore, some top earbuds come with mobile apps you can install on your smartphone. These apps let users personalize how the earbuds sound and also lets them reconfigure settings like ‘tap controls’. There are plenty of top-quality Active Noise-Cancellation (ANC) TWS earbuds to choose from – that you don’t necessarily have to break the bank for. Let’s dive in.
Bose QuietComfort
Although the Bose QuietComfort doesn’t have the typical earbud looks, it is has a reputation for an excellent noise cancellation feature. Acompanying the Active Noise Cancellation feature is the Transparency Mode feature that allows you to temporarily suspend the noise cancellation so you can hear everything going on in your environment. The built-in microphones and speakers on the earbuds are used to achieve this.
Full Specs:
Jabra Elite 85t
The Elite 85t earbuds are the best earbuds yet from Jabra. It comes with major upgrades when compared to its predecessor – the Jabra Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t. First off, the charging case has wireless charging capabilities. It also features Adjustable Hearthrough mode (Jabra’s own word for Transparency mode). This HearThrough lets you control how much of the outside world you want to let in using the handy slider on the app. Full Specs:
Size: 0.9 x 0.8 x 0.6 inchesWeight: 0.3 ounces (per bud)Battery life (rated): 5.5 hours (ANC on), 7.5 hours (ANC off), 24 hours (with charging case and ANC on), 28 hours (with charging case and ANC off)Bluetooth range: 35 feet (10 meters)Special features: Adjustable ANC, customizable EQ, wireless charging
New Beats Studios
The new beats studio earbuds was unveiled in June. This new set of Beats earbuds support both iOS and Android. For iPhone users, you will get the AirPods-like setup and Control Center integration. They also support the hands-free Hey Siri commands. For Android users, the new Beats Studios works with the Google’s Find My Device and Fast Pair features. It also comes with Active Noise Cancellation, as well as transparency mode. Full Specs:
Size: 0.9 x 0.8 x 0.6 inchesWeight: 0.2 ouncesBattery life (rated): 5 hours (ANC on), 8 hours (ANC off), 15 hours (with charging case), 24 hours (with charging case and ANC off)Bluetooth range: 30 feet (9 meters)Special features: Hybrid active noise cancellation, transparency mode, spatial audio, Fast Fuel charging, “Hey Siri” voice-activated assistance, Bluetooth 5.2, Fast Fuel charging, Google Fast Pair
Sony WF-1000XM4
Full Specs:
Size: 1 x 0.8 x 0.8 inchesWeight: 0.2 ounces (per bud)Battery life (rated): 8 hours (ANC on), 12 hours (ANC off), 24 hours (with charging case), 35 hours (with charging case and ANC off)Bluetooth range: 30 feet (9 meters)Special features: Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, Speak-to-Chat, customizable EQ, 360 Reality Audio, DSEE Extreme upscaling, LDAC, Bluetooth 5.2, tri-digital assistant support (Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri), quick charging, wireless charging
OnePlus Buds Pro
The Oneplus Buds Pro is the only earbuds in this list that has a similar design to the Apple Airpods Pro. I particularly like this design. it’s got this appealing look. The earbuds feature what it calls Smart Adaptive Noise Cancellation. The feature automatically adapts to ambient sound environment so users can immerse theirselves in the deepest sounds. It also comes with a dedicated app – HeyMelody app. Full specs:
Size: 1.25 x 0.9 inches (per bud), 2.3 x 1.9 x 0.9 inches (charging case)Weight: 0.15 ounces (per bud), 1.83 ounces (charging case)Battery life (rated): 5 hours (ANC on), 7 hours (ANC off), 28 hours (with charging case and ANC), 38 hours (with charging case, ANC off)Bluetooth range: 40 feet (12 meters)Special features: Active noise cancellation, fast charging, adjustable ambient mode, IP55 water resistance (earbuds), IPX4 (Charging case), voice assistant support, Auto play-pause.
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Choosing the Right Earbuds
These are some of the best ANC TWS earbuds in 2021, and we selected these earbuds keeping a couple of factors in mind; features, ratings, but most importantly, the quality of their Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature. Do you know any other recommendation you think we left out? let us know in the comments down below. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to some of the products that we recommend. This however, does not bias our recommendations or dictate our editorial policies.
