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I tested the new cheap Earfun earbuds everyone’s raving about; here’s how they compare to my favorites

3:34 pm | November 13, 2025

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus: Two-minute review

I’ve tested quite a few pairs of Earfun earbuds before, but before I’d even had a chance to get the new Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus into my shell-likes, I’d already seen countless rave reviews of them from other websites. Suffice to say, the press at large finally discovered Earfun (not just audio-savvy types like me) and their impressions are glowing.

I can’t pretend to have reviewed every Earfun proposition – the budget brand puts out far more products than any one person could hope to review – but I’ve used multiple of its in-ears and over-ears, and some of them have made it into TechRadar's list of the best cheap headphones we (and I) have tested.

So what about the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus, so good that Earfun had to name it four times (then add a 'Plus' moniker, to make things a bit more confusing)? They’re – drumroll please – absolutely fine. More of the cheap-and-cheerful same that I’ve come to expect from the brand, but with a few rough edges that mean they’re not the best earbuds I’ve ever used. No, not even at this low price.

The 'Plus' presumably signifies a more advanced model of the Earfun Air Pro 4 I tested in late 2024, although with more titles than a character from Downton Abbey it’s hard to be sure. Those were decent and cheap headphones with a few too many EQ modes for their own good and a lack of refinement in the audio department, and the Plus has added a few things – but not fixed any of those issues.

As with other buds from the brand, my favorite thing about the Air Pro 4 Plus is the stand-out feature list, which rivals alternatives that’d cost you twice as much. There’s a stellar battery life, a listening test, dual-device connectivity and multiple other options. When you put some Earfuns in, the ball’s in your court.

The things is, loads of features can also become a problem – there are six different ANC modes (counting ‘off’, I’ll admit), one of which has its own slider. How to tell which mode you should be using at any one time is anyone’s guess (unless you want it ‘off’, which is a pretty easy pick).

The buds are nice and lightweight, surviving long listening periods as well as gym workouts and runs well, and the case is pretty svelte too. These are solid picks for your commute or while you’re sitting in the office.

If you’re an audiophile, though, these won’t tick your boxes; they’re not the best buds in terms of sound, even for their price. I’ll get to some better-sounding options below, but the feature set makes a great case for why you should consider buying these anyway.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Price and release date

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus on top of a keyboard. — (Image credit: Future)

Released on September 26, 2025
Costs $99.99 / £89.99 (around AU$280)
Slight price increase over non-Plus model

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus – I’m going to get really sick of writing that whole title out across this review, I can tell – were released on September 26, 2025, and could be bought on that day.

The official price of the earbuds is $99.99 / £89.99 (around AU$180) . Amazon lists those costs as the discounted price, and $119.99 / £109.99 (around AU$220) as the original price, but as far as I can tell they’ve never been sold for that higher price, making it look like a bit of an underhanded method to present the usual price as discounted. On Earfun’s website, the cheaper price is presented as the normal one, and so I’m taking that as my guide price for the purposes of context and comparison.

That price puts them as a hair pricier than the $89.99 / £79.99 (roughly AU$140) Air Pro 4, and roughly the same as the Air Pro 3. They’re among the priciest buds for Earfun but that’s not saying much, as the brand specializes in affordable audio.

At that cost, I’d still call the Air Pro 4 Plus ‘cheap earbuds’, although they’re toeing the border and bumping up against some real heavyweight rivals in the triple-figure-price-tag camp.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Specs

Drivers	Balanced Armature driver + 10mm dynamic driver
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	12 hours (buds) 54 hours (case)
Weight	5g (buds) 54g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6
Frequency response	Not listed
Waterproofing	IP55

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Features

8-hour buds battery, 54-hour with case
Confusing ANC modes
Loads of handy features in app

I love a meaty battery life in earbuds, and Earfun clearly concurs. With 54 hours of listening time in the tank, you’re not going to need to worry about powering the buds daily (or even weekly, depending on your listening habits).

That’s the figure for the case, and the buds themselves last 12 hours if you’re listening with ANC turned off or 8 hours if it’s turned on. Both are great figures, slightly better than on the non-Plus model, that’ll assuage any battery anxiety you might have.

You get a few extra features with Earfun Audio, the tie-in smartphone app. You can toggle wear detection, customize the buds’ touch controls, choose which Bluetooth codecs are in use, change some microphone settings, find your headphones if you’ve misplaced them, and set up dual device connection.

I’m always surprised by the number of features Earfun offers in its earbuds, with many premium alternatives having half as many. Sometimes that gets a little overwhelming though, like in the case of noise cancellation. Not counting ‘off’ or a useful Ambient mode, there are four different modes: Ear Adaptive, Environment Adaptive, Wind and Manual Adaptive (which lets you use a slider to choose its intensity).

Even after having read the descriptions multiple times, and having used other Earfun products with these modes, I can’t tell the difference between Ear and Environment, or Environment and Wind, and have no idea how to choose which of these modes to use. Even if I could work out the use case for each mode, there’s no way you’re going to catch me going into the app to change modes every time the wind picks up a little bit.

The app offers an equalizer with myriad presets, a ten-band custom mode or a sound profile test to create a personalized mix. This latter isn’t quite as accurate as rival modes, but generally speaking you have to spend a lot more money on alternatives with listening tests, so it’s a welcome presence in this budget option.

Through the entire testing process, I never once had any Bluetooth drop-out issues with the buds, and it was reliably quick to pair. You can probably thank the use of Bluetooth 6 for this, which is a much more advanced version of wireless connection than most rival buds have.

Features score: 4.5/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Design

Understated purple hue
Lightweight case and buds
IPX5 rating

It’s in the name: the ‘Air’ part of Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus describes the case. It’s lovely and light, weighing 54g, and the ‘clamshell’ style of opening means it’s easy enough to open and remove the buds. No fiddling involved.

Now onto the buds; they’re nice and lightweight too, hitting the scales at about 6g, although they seem a little bit bigger than the non-Plus models (at least, based on my recollection, and I’m sure a justification will be clear when we get to the sound quality section).

The Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus are stem-style buds, with the earbuds attached to your ear via a tip, and a stem dangling down, just like AirPods.

Each bud has a touch control, which you can trigger by tapping the circle at the top of the stem. I found them easy to press, albeit a little too sensitive when I was readjusting the buds in my ears.

The buds have an IP55 rating, which means they’re protected against limited dust ingress and jets of water. This latter means they’re not suitable for water submersion, so don’t take them for a swim. One of the benefits of a plastic build material ensures that the buds are hardy against drops and knocks.

I took the Earfuns to the gym a few times and they never fell out, and while they felt a little loose when they accompanied me on a run, they never actually did fall out. This was with the default tips, but the box comes with a few alternatives to account for various ear sizes. They were comfy to wear too, and I didn’t face any aches or strains after extended listening periods.

Design score: 4/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Sound quality

BA driver + 10mm dynamic driver
Range of codecs supported
Treble and mids still miss some pizzazz

Perhaps the biggest advances the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus brings over its siblings – and other cheap buds – is in the audio specs department.

There are two drivers: a 10mm composite dynamic driver which handles the bass and midrange, alongside a balanced armature driver which focuses on providing high-frequency response and high audio detail.

If that wasn’t enough, the Earfun supports a range of audio codecs and features that you’d expect from pricey buds: LDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive Snapdragon Sound and Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certification to be precise.

The spec improvements certainly bring some benefits over past Earfun buds I’ve tested, with well-defined bass and a slightly more pronounced sound stage, but the augments don’t do enough to make these sonic equals to some of the other budget buds on the market.

Treble remains somewhat dampened, with vocals missing that sparkly energy and depth that you’d want from a song, and mids still hopelessly lost in the mix. As I mentioned before, the bass improvements ensure it’s tactfully-tuned, and doesn’t drown out other parts of a song as much as in the non-Plus pair, but that also makes these buds less tempting for bass-heads.

Using the equalizer, you can pull out some strings to improve the sound – I liked Vocal Enhancement which added some force to the sung word and expanded the sound stage, but it increased the risk of peaking on certain instruments and made sibilant lines sound tinny. For certain other sounds I went for Bass Boost 1, which doesn’t send the bass into overdrive as you’d expect, but adds clarity and dimension to low-frequency lines. As a bass player myself, it got surprisingly close to replicating the sound of actually playing a bass guitar.

I don’t want to be too down on the Air Pro 4 Plus – it sounds perfectly fine, and I don’t imagine many people will be disappointed by how it sounds. But as someone that’s tested plenty of rivals, I’d be remiss not to point out that it’s not the top dog.

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Value

Feature set is great for price
Audio quality is more what you'd expect

As with its many past earbuds, Earfun has packed a great number of features and some impressive specs into a relatively low-cost set of buds.

Perhaps not all of those features are as fleshed-out as they would be on a pricier pair of buds, but their very presence in the first place is great for people who don’t want to pay more.

My only caveat would be that you could get even more bang for your buck by buying one of Earfun’s other, cheaper options.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus?

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	You're getting loads of features for the price, and a fantastic battery life, even if the ANC situation is confusing.	4.5/5
Design	They're nice and light, and reliably stick in the ear.	4/5
Sound quality	There are a few issues, but nothing that you can't overlook with the price.	3.5/5
Value	You're getting an impressive feature set for the price you're paying.	4/5

Buy it if…

You need buds for the long haul
Thanks to the case offering 54 hours of listening time, these buds will be great for people who can't regularly get to a charging point.

You like tweaking with your music
There are loads of presets, a 10-band equalizer and your own personal sound thanks to the listening test. Great for people who like their own music.View Deal

You need something lightweight
I liked how easy it was to forget about the Earfun; when the buds were in my ears, and while the case was in my pocket.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You need fine-tuned music
I didn't mind listening to the Air Pro 4 Plus, but they're not my favorite cheap buds ever, at least when it comes to audio quality.

You need the best noise cancellation
The ANC was fine, but due to the myriad options and my confusion on which to pick, it's hard to say how to get the best of the buds.

Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus review: Also consider

	Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus	Skullcandy Method 360	Sony WF-C710N
Drivers	Balanced Armature driver + 10mm dynamic driver	12mm	5mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	12 hours (buds) 54 hours total (with case)	11 hours (buds) 29 hours total (with case)	12 hours (buds) 30 hours total (with case)
Weight	5g (buds) 54g (case)	11g (buds); 77g (case)	5.2g (buds); 38g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IP55	IPX4	IPX4

Sony WF-C710N
These top-rated and similarly-priced earbuds from Sony have fantastic noise cancellation and a great range of the company's features. A few of the Earfun's features are missing, like LDAC, but it's still a top-rated pick (and it looks funky too).
Read our full Sony WF-C710N review here

Skullcandy Method 360
These are perhaps my favorite sub-$100 earbuds of the year so far. They've got a lovely bassy sound, a funky look (both for the buds and the case) and a snug fit that kept them safe in the ear. The case is absolutely huge, though.
Check out our full Skullcandy Method 360 review here

How I tested the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus

Tested for 2 weeks
Tested at home, on walks, and the gym and on runss

I used the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus for about two weeks to write this review, which is about enough time to write that entire name.

During the test process, the buds were mostly paired to my Android smartphone. I used them in a wide variety of environments including at home, at the gym, on walks around my borough, on runs and to the shops. I played games, listened to Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz and watched YouTube videos as the main ways to test, but used them as my daily blowers too, so there are a plethora of other tasks I used them for.

As mentioned in the introduction, I saw quite a bit of coverage on the Earfun before writing my review, however I never read into reviews beyond the positive headlines in order to avoid their biasing my opinions.

Also as mentioned, I've used other Earfun earbuds in the past, as well as plenty of other cheap alternatives in my six-plus years testing tech for TechRadar.

First reviewed in November 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Some of my favorite earbuds from last year just got a massive upgrade and the sound is excellent – bar one key issue

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Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

Creative Aurvana Ace 3: Two-minute review

Earbuds specialist Creative is back with another fully-fledged assault on our list of the best earbuds with its Aurvana Ace 3. And like 2024’s Aurvana Ace 2, one small piece of tech makes these a shoo-in for audiophiles’ wish-lists.

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 are the latest earbuds to have thoroughly modern solid-state drivers by tech manufacturer xMEMS, which are designed to bump up the phase consistency and allow audio to be dynamic while still coming from small drivers (and by ‘small’, I mean ‘ones that fit in tiny earbuds’). People who are put off by tech jargon may be scratching their head and preparing to tab out, but the gist is that the buds are designed to sound especially great. They do.

I said this about the Ace 2, and it’s true again: the buds provide high-quality well-defined sounds, bristling with energy and with a cosy, all-embracing soundstage. Fantastic. Audio spec-wise, though, the Aurvana Ace 3 take this pairing of xMEMS driver and a 10mm dynamic driver, and copy it wholesale. No hardware changes, but given what I thought about the previous buds, that’s no bad thing.

Instead, Creative has made improvements across the board to lots of other aspects of the previous buds that needed some help – mostly, but more on that in a moment – and brought some extras which make it easy to award the buds a higher star rating.

The battery life of the Ace 3 is greatly improved from the previous buds, touch controls feel a little bit more intuitive, the maximum volume has seen a bump, there’s LDAC support and the equalizer has a more palpable impact on sound quality. Plus, the introduction of a sound profile test (in collaboration with experts Mimi) provides you with a bespoke sound mix and, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the best listening tests I’ve taken in a pair of earbuds.

One area hasn’t seen a major improvement, and it’s ANC – noise cancellation still isn’t on par with rivals. And if you’ve just tabbed out to read my Ace 2 review, and were curious about the strange screaming sound the buds could make when in ANC mode, you’ll be confused to hear that it’s back – but only for ambient mode.

I first noticed this when I cycled to the cinema early on in my testing. I used ambient to be safe on the road but when I stepped into the foyer while removing my buds, I started getting odd looks: they were making a loud, shrill screaming sound, one far more pronounced than on the Ace 2. It stopped when I put the buds in the case, but on other occurrences, this wasn’t a reliable way to silence the noise; on one occasion they started making the sound out of the blue a few seconds after I’d cased them. It’s a shame, but having experienced the issue with the Ace 2, I did not request a fresh sample since I knew it had happened before. I’ve also occasionally faced it with other buds – it’s an odd side-effect of how noise cancellation works. Still, it's my job to notice these things and the simple fact is that many of the rival earbuds I have tested over the years do not suffer from this issue (and that is largely why this set of earbuds get the star rating you see above). If you use ambient and ANC sound profiles a lot, this will likely affect your decision on whether or not to purchase Creative's Aurvana Ace 3 earbuds – excellent audio performance or not.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Price and release date

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 buds and case on a pink bass guitar. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced on October 1, 2025
Priced $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Price increase, decrease or no change depending on where you live

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 were released on October 1, 2025, roughly 18 months on from the release of their predecessor.

Oddly, at the time of writing it seems difficult to buy the buds from anywhere other than Creative's own website, but I'll keep checking since major third-party retailer support is expected.

Anyway, the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 can be bought for $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, a fairly mid-ranged price for earbuds. For a bit of context, the Ace 2 sold for $149.99 / £169.99 / AU$229.95 so the new buds are cheaper in some places, more expensive in others but the same in the US.

That’s quite a competitive price point. Furthermore, out of all my favorite pairs of buds I tested in 2025, none are more than $50 / £40 above or below that (that’s about AU$80, but not all of the pairs were actually released in Australia, making it a harder comparison). You’ve already read the introduction though; you know the Ace 3 hold their own.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Specs

Drivers	xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	7 hours (buds) 26 hours (case)
Weight	4.7g (buds) 43g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3
Frequency response	5 - 40,000Hz
Waterproofing	IPX5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Features

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 buds and case in front of a stripy colorful screen. — (Image credit: Future)

7-hour buds battery, 26-hour with case
ANC doesn't cut the mustard
Highly intuitive sound profile test

One of my gripes with the Aurvana Ace 3’s predecessor was that the Active Noise Cancellation (or ANC) didn’t match up to rivals. Unfortunately that’s no different here and if there are improvements they’re not on par with the big leaps rivals are making. The buds will dampen surrounding sounds but you can still hear most of what’s going on around you – essentially, the ANC still leaves a lot to be desired.

The Ambient mode is a little worse though, and sadly the buds seem to amplify all surrounding whispers to deafening proportions when in this configuration. That’s not the worst of it either; the older Ace 2 had an odd ANC issue which would cause the buds to make a squealing sound when held tight in the hand, and while I didn’t have this issue with the Ace 3 in standard ANC mode, it was a lot more pronounced when I was in Ambient. Thankfully, simply using the buds in ANC mode (or with ANC off) stopped me facing this issue, but it’s something to know about if you often use ambient modes in earbuds.

Another problem of the Ace 2 that’s been nipped in the bud is battery life; no more 4 hours of listening time, or 16 hours in the case. The figure’s been nearly doubled, to 7 hours per earbud and 26 hours from the case. That’s still far from industry-leading (some buds can go for 8-10 hours now before needing a jolt of juice), but it’s a welcome upgrade nonetheless. Just note: listening with ANC or LDAC enabled will give you a lower stat, and I got 5.5 hours with ANC on.

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 buds on a pink bass guitar. — (Image credit: Future)

The Creative app reveals some of the earbuds’ best features; if you buy the Aurvana Ace 3, don’t be one of those people who never bothers downloading the companion software. The standards are here: you can customize the buds’ touch controls, toggle ANC, play with an equalizer and set up Auracast (although I wish the buds’ assistant wouldn’t loudly announce that it was scanning for broadcasts every time I opened the app).

There’s more: the Ace 3 has perhaps the best listening test I’ve used on a pair of wireless earbuds. It’s easy to use, not overly long and delivers noticeable results that significantly improve music. Creative’s partnership with audio profiling company Mimi for the buds pays dividends.

The buds connect to your phone via Bluetooth 5.4, and they support low-latency mode for gaming and movies as well as LDAC if you don’t mind your battery life taking a hit. I had a few issues with Bluetooth connectivity, most of which were solved by my returning the buds to the case for a few seconds and then trying again, though the app struggled to detect the buds when I began testing and it took quite a few tries to get it working.

Features score: 3.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Design

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 case on a pink bass guitar. — (Image credit: Future)

Understated purple hue
Lightweight case and buds
IPX5 rating

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 earbuds have benefitted from big changes, but these are definitely not reflected in the design. I had to get right into the nitty-gritty of my review of the predecessors to discover that the case is in fact 3g lighter, at 43g, but to me they’re identical (other than a slight color difference).

That’s no bad thing given how the distinctive hue and zingy inside help the Aurvana stand out from the line-up. It doesn’t quite translate on camera, but the case has a purple sheen that catches the light well.

A few tiny design tweaks and a slightly lighter build do little to differentiate the Ace 3 buds from the Ace 2, but again there are no complaints on my part. They fit like a dream, didn’t feel achy even after long listening sessions, and stuck strong in my ear even when I was at the gym or cycling.

I had a little bit of trouble with the touch controls, as finding the exact correct spot at the top of the stem takes some practice. It doesn’t help that there’s no single-tap gesture, so you need to hit the right spot at least twice in a row to trigger a command. But I still found it a lot more usable than the Ace 2’s, especially when I’d gotten the knack.

One thing to note is that the buds have an IPX5 rating, which means they’re protected against jets of water. This is fine for rain or sweat but it’s not the highest kind of protection you see on earbuds – the new AirPods Pro 3 have an IP57 rating, for example, which means that Apple's newest can actually be submerged in up to one meter of water and survive (for a limited time).

Design score: 4/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Sound quality

xMEMS + 10mm dynamic driver
Range of codecs supported
For natural-sounding detail and clarity, the audio quality is sublime

The bad news: while the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 enjoys a series of improvements across the board, that's not the case in the sonic department. The good news: that's because last year's buds were such a slam dunk that no upgrade was necessary to the sonic recipe.

So we're looking at a fancy xMEMS solid state driver paired with a 10mm dynamic driver. The first of those is the selling point: they can deliver high-quality, natural-sounding audio that's as true as possible to the artist's (well, sound engineer and producers') vision. The effect on your ears is that music is imbued with a sparkle and energy that you're simply not getting on lesser buds: it's palpable that these aren't electronic signals being blasted into your ears, but real musical instruments being played by real people (well, unless you listen to electronic music, that is).

The glorious bagpipe solo of John Farnham's You're The Voice rocks just as much as the later guitar solo and anthemic vocals, and you can hear the vibrato of The Boss' voice in Dancing in the Dark when it comes up on shuffle next. Next up is Chesney Hawkes' The One and Only, and I've never heard the harmonies as powerful and succinct as with the Ace 3.

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 bud on a pink bass guitar. — (Image credit: Future)

I've been focusing on treble and mids because there's no denying that the Aurvana maintain their predecessors' lovely neutral sound; you're not getting your tunes blown out by thumping bass like many cheap and mid-range earbud makers love to do.

Despite that, bass is lovely and scooping, enough that you can picture the bassist's fingers walking on the string. And when lower pitches are important, the Ace 3 delivers; Sayonara by The 502s offers a well-defined bassline that sits harmoniously against the brass stings without either losing any energy (see, I can use musical examples from the last half-century!). The encompassing soundstage of the buds gives all of the instruments in a busy composition like this enough breathing room that you don't miss a note or a line.

All of these points could equally be made about the Ace 2 (well, except Sayonara, which wasn't out when those buds were released), but that's not to say that nothing's new in the Aurvana Ace 3. The addition of LDAC and aptX Lossless means the buds are better at supporting lossless audio and there's also now support for Snapdragon Sound, which will have a similar effect if your broadcasting device also is compatible.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Value

A textbook example of getting what you paid for
Ace 2 discounts may make it a tempting alternative

At $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95, you’re getting what you pay for with the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 – they deliver a good sound quality and commendable feature set at a price that’s a little higher than some people can afford, but sits as a much more tempting alternative to many of the top-end buds on the market.

Don’t buy these expecting a bargain, but you’re certainly getting bang for your buck. Rather, you’re not getting bangs, but getting nice, well-tuned audio.

The messy price increase / decrease / maintenance of the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 compared to its predecessor, make a value comparison hard, especially with the older buds having seen a pretty significant price cut since release. The improvements may win over some people, but if all you care is the sound quality, you can save money with the Ace 2.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Creative Aurvana Ace 3?

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The ANC isn't great but the battery life is okay and the sound personalization is great.	3.5/5
Design	These are lovely little buds that fit well, look good and don't weigh you down.	4/5
Sound quality	The detailed, crystal-clear and naturalistic audio all create one wonderful musical package.	4.5/5
Value	The price is chosen well: you get as much as you pay for.	3.5/5

Buy it if…

You want a guiding hand with your sound mix
The Mimi customization mode is all but guaranteed to help you find a music mix for you – if you’re not keen to mess around with an equalizer, it’ll sort you right out.

You need buds that are lightweight
Even amongst other stem earbuds, the Aurvana Ace 3 are lovely and light, and you can listen for hours without feeling anything (or until the battery runs out). Perfect for people who readily feel buds in the ear.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You listen in ambient mode
I’ve already mentioned the strange screaming issues with ambient mode. If you tend to listen with ambient mode turned on, perhaps consider other earbuds.

You want a bassy sound profile
Some people need warm-sounding bassy buds, and the Aurvana Ace 3 are too neutral to give you those thumping rhythms that might help at the gym.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Also consider

	Creative Aurvana Ace 3	Nothing Ear (3)	Soundpeats H3
Drivers	xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver	12mm	12mm + dual balanced armatures
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	7 hours (buds) 26 hours total ( withcase)	5.5 hours (buds) 22 hours total (with case)	7 hours (buds) 37 hours total (with case)
Weight	4.7g (buds) 43g (case)	5.2g (buds); 61g (case)	6g (buds); 53g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX5	IP54	IPX5

Soundpeats H3
A pair of similar-costing earbuds, the Soundpeats use a cocktail of drivers to offer fantastic-sound music with an equally neutral sound profile. In fact they’re pretty similar in a lot of ways, but with a different design and a feature set that gains and loses various aspects of the Ace 3.
Read our full Soundpeats H3 review here

Nothing Ear (3)
Another pair of buds with a great personal hearing system, albeit one for a little more money, is Nothing’s latest pair of earbuds. The battery life and price leave something to be desired, but Nothing earbuds have long graced loads of our ‘best-of’ lists and the (3) is no exception.
Check out our full Nothing Ear (3) review here

How I tested the Creative Aurvana Ace 3

Tested for 2 weeks
Tested at home, on walks, and the gym and while cycling

The testing period for the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 was just over two weeks, and the buds were connected to my Android phone for the entirety of the testing process.

I mostly listened to the buds using Spotify, both with Lossless and standard quality, but I also watched some Netflix and played some games with them. I tested in loads of environments: at home, at my office, on walks around my neighborhood, on buses and trains, while cycling (in ambient mode for safety, of course), and while at several different gyms.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over six years now, which has included plenty of other similar-price earbuds, the previous Aurvana Ace last year and certain other Creative products.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Some of my favorite earbuds from last year just got a massive upgrade and the sound is excellent – bar one key issue

1:30 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

Creative Aurvana Ace 3: Two-minute review

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Price and release date

Announced on October 1, 2025
Priced $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Price increase, decrease or no change depending on where you live

The Creative Aurvana Ace 3 were released on October 1, 2025, roughly 18 months on from the release of their predecessor.

Oddly, at the time of writing it seems difficult to buy the buds from anywhere other than Creative's own website, but I'll keep checking since major third-party retailer support is expected.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Specs

Drivers	xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	7 hours (buds) 26 hours (case)
Weight	4.7g (buds) 43g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3
Frequency response	5 - 40,000Hz
Waterproofing	IPX5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Features

7-hour buds battery, 26-hour with case
ANC doesn't cut the mustard
Highly intuitive sound profile test

Features score: 3.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Design

Understated purple hue
Lightweight case and buds
IPX5 rating

Design score: 4/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Sound quality

xMEMS + 10mm dynamic driver
Range of codecs supported
For natural-sounding detail and clarity, the audio quality is sublime

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Value

A textbook example of getting what you paid for
Ace 2 discounts may make it a tempting alternative

Don’t buy these expecting a bargain, but you’re certainly getting bang for your buck. Rather, you’re not getting bangs, but getting nice, well-tuned audio.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Creative Aurvana Ace 3?

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The ANC isn't great but the battery life is okay and the sound personalization is great.	3.5/5
Design	These are lovely little buds that fit well, look good and don't weigh you down.	4/5
Sound quality	The detailed, crystal-clear and naturalistic audio all create one wonderful musical package.	4.5/5
Value	The price is chosen well: you get as much as you pay for.	3.5/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

You listen in ambient mode
I’ve already mentioned the strange screaming issues with ambient mode. If you tend to listen with ambient mode turned on, perhaps consider other earbuds.

You want a bassy sound profile
Some people need warm-sounding bassy buds, and the Aurvana Ace 3 are too neutral to give you those thumping rhythms that might help at the gym.

Creative Aurvana Ace 3 review: Also consider

	Creative Aurvana Ace 3	Nothing Ear (3)	Soundpeats H3
Drivers	xMEMS solid state driver + 10mm dynamic driver	12mm	12mm + dual balanced armatures
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	7 hours (buds) 26 hours total ( withcase)	5.5 hours (buds) 22 hours total (with case)	7 hours (buds) 37 hours total (with case)
Weight	4.7g (buds) 43g (case)	5.2g (buds); 61g (case)	6g (buds); 53g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX5	IP54	IPX5

How I tested the Creative Aurvana Ace 3

Tested for 2 weeks
Tested at home, on walks, and the gym and while cycling

The testing period for the Creative Aurvana Ace 3 was just over two weeks, and the buds were connected to my Android phone for the entirety of the testing process.

I've been testing gadgets for TechRadar for over six years now, which has included plenty of other similar-price earbuds, the previous Aurvana Ace last year and certain other Creative products.

First reviewed in October 2025

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I tested the AirPods Pro 3 and the ANC is even better than before – and that’s before I get to the improved fit and heart-rate monitor

4:52 pm | October 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC, LDAC | Comments: Off

Apple AirPods Pro 3: Two-minute review

Apple's AirPods Pro 3 are doubtless the biggest earbuds release of the year – figuratively and in terms of the furore surrounding them, that is, rather than physically (they're nice and small, as it happens). They're still ice-white only, and they'll still prefer an iPhone, iPad or MacBook over an Android device any day of the week – yes, they'll work with Android, but you'll miss even some of the more commonplace perks if using them this way, such as device switching and a quick way of checking the battery.

So know this: I wrote the bulk of this review while using the AirPods Pro 3 with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, otherwise known as the oldest iPhone that is still able to support Apple Intelligence. Why is that important? Because without it you'd miss key perks such as Live Translation (one of the headline features) and personalized fitness insights, for example.

This time around you get five ear tips in the box, although Apple has performed some wizardry with the shape of the driver housing, so they should slip right into your ear and stay there without too much fuss – at least they did for me, and for several others on the TechRadar team. Are these some of the best earbuds on the market for fit and novel features (I will mention heart-rate monitoring; I will also go into Live Translation at length, later) then, as well as claiming the best in-ear active noise cancellation? Oh, without a doubt.

These particular AirPods have very few snafus, but it's my job to mention the small issues I had. My AirPods Pro 3 review sample has refused to acknowledge the existence of the iPhone 12 Pro Max I've tried to pair them with several times, on the grounds that said phone is a non-Apple Intelligence option, and performing a reset is now quite a bit more fiddly than it was previously. This is because the button on the back of the case is now gone. Instead, you have to double-tap the front of the case to do a factory reset, but without touching the front of the case while flipping the lid. If that sounds tricky, it is.

Also, there's still a slight stamina niggle for me. Don't get me wrong: Apple has improved the battery life here, claiming up to eight hours from the earbuds with ANC on, which is up from six hours for the AirPods Pro 2. But this, of course, is without Spatial Audio, heart-rate monitoring and a few other bells and whistles deployed (which you may not have checked before leaving the house, because without a dedicated app to click, some of these toggles feel buried away in your phone's settings). I found the battery life a bit lower than that in real life, at around 5.5 hours in my testing, so it's fine, rather than fantastic.

All of this aside, the AirPods Pro 3's sound is both zealous and head-turning (especially with dynamic head-tracking on), bringing your music to your ears with panache and, hang it all, joy. And let me be clear: these ice-white buds can do this thanks largely to the neatest near-silent ANC performance I've ever experienced using an iPhone source device. And that's worth this kind of money for your next long-haul flight – or heck, even your commute, as far as I'm concerned.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Price and release date

Apple AirPods Pro 3 held in a hand, with beige woollen background — (Image credit: Future)

Released on September 9, 2025
Priced $249 / £219 / AU$429
Available in white or… white again

Both the inaugural AirPods Pro and the follow-up AirPods Pro 2 were priced at $249 / £249 / AU$399 when they first appeared, so the fact that AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 price tag when they hit shelves on September 19 come as a surprise to nobody.

What is a touch odd is the quoted pricing in other regions, because the AirPods Pro 3 are priced £219 in the UK (I double-checked so you don't have to) and AU$429. So, while they're £30 cheaper in the UK, they're AU$30 more expensive in Australia. I don't make the rules…

On the one hand, plenty of the best wireless earbuds have risen in price in the last few years in line with inflation, but the fact that Apple made a point of hanging on at the same price as the original AirPods Pro from 2019 – in the US at least – and even reduced them in the UK, is quite surprising.

And the huge news is that because of this pricing, Apple's flagship earbuds will actually come at the lower end of the premium earbuds market, depending on region. I know!

What of direct competition at the level? Your rivals are perhaps most pressingly the older AirPods Pro 2, which can now be yours for around $159 / £169 / AU$349, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 (which are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599), the Technics EAH-AZ100 which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or perhaps the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450.

So you see, Apple's actually gone quite aggressive with the pricing here, when you look at it like that…

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Specs

Drivers	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture and revised driver angle
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)
Weight	5.6g (buds); 44g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3 (H2 chip)
Waterproofing	IP57

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Features

Heart-rate monitoring
Live Translation is really fun (once set up)
Your fitness app may not support HRM natively though

There are plenty of features here to get through folks, but I want to start on the one no other AirPods are getting any time soon: heart-rate monitoring. Simply by wearing them, that extra black little bar on the inside neck of the bud plus the built-in movement sensors can track 50 workout types with just AirPods Pro 3 – ie. no Apple Watch needed – to give you a heart-rate reading as long as you're wearing at least one earbud.

According to Apple: “AirPods Pro 3 introduce a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow.”

Believe it or not, this is actually a different solution to the one found in the also-ticker-taking (and also made by Apple) Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, launched in February 2025. You need to be wearing both earbuds to get a reading there, because when you do, a green LED light sensor in each earpiece pulses over 100 times per second, then measures the light reflected back to calculate how many times your heart is beating per minute. See?

I had heard that my heavy-rotation free Seven app (of 'seven-minute workout' fame – because lunchtime is rarely the full hour in journalism) would simply work with AirPods Pro 3's heart-rate monitoring in-app, but alas, it does not. In fact, at the time of writing, Apple hasn't published a full list of third-party fitness apps that support AirPods' heart-rate monitoring natively. But I still know that my heart-rate went up from its resting 60 BPM to 117 BPM during that short workout, because your reading can be found in the Health app – or you can simply ask Siri to tell you your heart rate whenever you like (once you've turned it on and sorted out the correct permissions within Siri) provided you've got the breath to speak.

Apple is clearly using AirPods' newest trick to send you to its free Fitness app (or better still, its paid-for Fitness+ offering) because even in the free variant, 19 types of activity are clearly displayed with simple Apple Music integration, your AirPods icon in the top right, your choice of three 'workout buddy' voices for personalised encouragement using Apple Intelligence and a little heart icon as if to scream 'heart-rate logging here folks – just get going!' I'm a little disappointed to see no aerial silks/hoop or pole dance activities listed here, Apple (both are hugely popular) but this review is about AirPods Pro 3 rather than the suite of offerings within Fitness, and AirPods' help in facilitating all of this data accumulation does add a lot of value to your purchase.

Three screen grabs from iPhone using AirPods Pro 3, one showing the live translation feature — (Image credit: Apple)

Now, Live Translation: once you get it up and running, it's excellent. I say 'once you get it up and running' because there are various hoops you need to jump through and barriers to pass (and tricks I used) before it'll work properly. And you should do these when you first set up your AirPods if you'd like to get at it quick enough so that when the time comes, the poor bar-tender you're trying to talk to doesn't get cold feet and run away while you're telling them to hang on.

So, you need: your AirPods Pro 3 (although it is also available in AirPods 4 (ANC) and AirPods Pro 2); iPhone 15 Pro or later; iOS 26 or later; Apple Intelligence turned on; the Translate app downloaded (and the language modules you want downloaded) plus the latest AirPods Firmware version. In addition to this, I customised the iPhone Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max to start Live Translation – because I found it marginally quicker and more reliable than pressing both stems of my AirPods Pro 3. But do either of those things once you've got everything running and you'll feel like James Bond in Casino Royale, dropping in on local gossip at the tables in Venice's Hotel Danieli.

Luckily, I have a Spanish-speaking other half to deploy. He spoke to me about his plans to play tennis that night until 10pm (see the left screen-grab, below). The English version of his Spanish prose was piped vocally into my ears with very little delay, as well as appearing on my iPhone as a transcript. It is remarkably good.

Elsewhere, Apple's fit- and hearing tests are back (you do the first, before you can take the second) and very thorough they are too. Since I answered the hearing test honestly (stay with it; it's worth it), I cannot in good faith test the hearing aid help in action, because I do not require it. But what is very useful is Conversation Awareness, which you simply toggle on in the AirPods Pro tab of your iPhone's settings. Then, when you talk, your music volume is lowered and background noise is reduced so that you can easily converse.

It's worth noting that both of these features (Live Translation and Conversation Awareness) are not popular with some of the team, because they encourage wearing AirPods constantly – and some of us (myself included) find this rude. Perhaps in time the pet peeve of a friend or colleague refusing to remove their earbuds when talking to me will cease to annoy me, but I'm not so sure…

AirPods Pro 3 three screen grabs showing translation on the left, heart-rate in the center and the fit test on the right — (Image credit: Future)

Features score: 5 / 5

AirPods Pro 3 on a woollen background, held in a hand — (Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Sound quality

Enjoyable, emotive audio with personalised spatial audio on
Vocals nicely textured and three-dimensional
Not the last word in detail and neutrality, but that's not the point

Please, please take Apple's excellent ANC performance in the AirPods Pro 3 as read – it's almost scarily good at sucking the noise out of your ears, but without the actual sucky, wind tunnel, nauseating effect you can sometimes get with similar levels of noise-nixing. I found toggling on Apple's 'Adaptive' audio less effective (it felt just a touch laggy at picking up low-level noise when I'd have liked the AirPods to cancel it) so I chose to keep noise-cancelling and conversation awareness on, at my desk. And it eased me into my day in a cocoon of silence that very little could breach.

Sonically, you can expect an expansive, exuberant soundstage that allows bass registers ample space to rumble with regimented clout. The detailed Spanish guitar intro of Daddy Yankee's Toy Hermoso is textured through the mids and feels as if the guitarist is by my left ear, but as the reggaeton beat comes in, it's a toe-tapping and head-nodding mix that has me dancing at my desk like I'm in a Cuban salsa club – especially with head-tracked spatial audio on.

Cueing up Rema's FUN, the intentionally warm and static-filled intro is faithfully relayed, and as the dynamics and speed of the track build, I'm once again dancing in my seat.

For neutrality and detail (that 'integrated hi-fi versus fun' debate), it's worth pointing out that you'll get a little more from both the Technics EAH-AZ100 and the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 – think the breathy delivery of Taylor Swift's vocal in Elizabeth Taylor, which feels just slightly more human and detailed in the rival buds. But if you prioritise immersive, vigorous impact, I find the AirPods Pro 3 even better than the also-excellent Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) – and that's not a statement I make lightly.

Sound quality: 4.5 / 5

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Design

Vastly improved fit
Loss of the case button is a misstep
Could do with a dedicated app now

As mentioned (and pictured below), the AirPods Pro earpiece shape has been reworked this time around. The angle of the neck has been tweaked quite significantly and I'm a huge fan. Simply put, they fit well – and by that I mean securely, even when I shake my head – for me now, and that has never been the case with any AirPods until this iteration.

An IP57 rating means the buds are also dust resistant and waterproof to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, which is noteworthy.

The case is a touch taller and wider but less deep now. The LED light is now undetectable when it's not on, which makes for a sleek look. Also sleeker but for me less helpful is the loss of the reset button on the back of the case. I say this because when upgrading my iPhone to a model that supports Apple Intelligence to test these earbuds, I found myself needing to reset the AirPods. And that's no longer as easy as it once was, because double-tapping the front of the case with the lid flipped, but not touching the front of the case (so that said case registers my tap attempts) isn't a simple maneuver.

My one minor gripe here concerns the supporting software – because software design is still a 'design' issue, for me.

Yes, you can pull down on the Control Center on your iPhone to see the basic AirPods bubble, at which point you can check your listening mode, conversation awareness status and spatial audio profile. Then, you can go into your AirPods Pro tab, in Settings, to check the current state of more general features such as the Hearing Health tab, call controls, head gestures, enabling charging case sounds, automatic ear detection to pause your music when you remove one, and so on.

But given that so many of AirPods Pro 3's newer features require extra taps and navigation to alternate apps (there's the Translate app for your language modules, the Health app to see your heart-rate data, the Fitness app to see that heart-rate increase as you exercise) I wonder whether at this point it might make sense to have one dedicated AirPods Pro 3 app to rule them all. I'm speculating, but I'd definitely like to try that, because the current solution will doubtless have you consulting Apple's support pages in an effort to find how – or more importantly, where – to toggle on what you need…

Apple AirPods Pro 3 either worn by a man standing in front of a red-brick wall, or on a table with gray twine cover — (Image credit: Future)

Design score: 4.5 / 5

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: value

The best ANC earbuds on the market for iPhone owners
Not the most original choice… but the best

Popular taste doesn't always mean good taste, does it? And I say that as a fan of pop music. Value is also an odd thing to quantify, since whether or not these represent value for you will hone in on possibly three things. Firstly, do you want the best ANC for your iPhone? Because here, AirPods Pro 3 are doubtless the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market – Apple said they're twice as good as AirPods Pro 2, and I can vouch for that claim.

Secondly, do you value the extra battery life offered here over the Pro 2 – even though it's far from the the best on the wider market. For reference, the Technics EAH-AZ100 (which we called "good rather than great for battery") can offer up to 12 hours from the buds on a single charge with no ANC deployed, while AirPods Pro 3 can only manage a maximum of 10 hours before needing to be charged.

And thirdly, how much do you want your earbuds to take your heart-rate and use that reading within workouts (yes, even vocally, thanks to Apple Intelligence's virtual buddies)?

It's worth noting that I think AirPods Pro 3 are also the best earbuds for small ears Apple has made, because of the newer fit – and I found myself loving the Live Translation feature at home (although it's not exclusive to the Pro 3), since my other half speaks Spanish.

So, I'll leave all of that with you. For me personally though (and putting my minor queries with the case and software support to one side) there's great value here.

Value: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Apple AirPods Pro 3?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Heart-rate monitoring and Live Translation add to an extensive suite of perks for newer iPhone owners	5/5
Sound quality	Zealous, powerful and immersive audio backed by excellent ANC	4.5/5
Design	The tweaked shape and repositioned neck on the driver housing is a huge hit	4.5/5
Value	Simply the best iPhone earbuds for ANC on the market – if not the longest-lasting	4.5/5

Buy them if…

You work out (or you care about heart health)
If you don't have a subscription already, Apple will prompt you to try out Fitness+ for free, but even if you stick with free workouts – or you just like asking Siri "what's my heart-rate" – it becomes a very useful tool, very quickly

You want bubble-of-silence ANC from your iPhone
Simply put, no other buds do it quite like this if your source device is an iPhone

You have bilingual friends and family
Ha! We can all understand your French, Spanish, German or Portuguese conversations now…

Don’t buy them if…

You own an Android
It may go without saying, but for this money (and for the number of features that slip away for it) you'll be better served with a Bose, Technics or Bowers & Wilkins product.

You need long-haul flight stamina
The battery life isn't awful (and it is better than the AirPods Pro 2), but compared to rivals it can certainly be beaten – the Technics EAH-AZ100 last two hours longer on a single charge with no ANC, for instance.

You want Lossless audio support, LDAC or aptX
No dice here, friend. If you need Apple Music's Lossless support from an iPhone, AirPods Max do it (using the USB-C wire), but if you want aptX or Sony's higher-resolution Bluetooth audio codec (LDAC), look to the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Also consider

	Apple AirPods Pro 3	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	Technics EAH-AZ100	Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Drivers	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture	10mm	10mm free-edge dynamic	10mm Neodymium dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on; 10 hours with ANC off); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)	6 hours (earbuds, ANC off; 4 hours with it on) case not specified	12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case)	11 hours per charge; up to 39 hours with the case
Weight	5.6g per bud	7.7g per bud	5.9g per bud	4.7g per earbud
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless / Adaptive	Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LC3 compatibility	5.4 with LDAC and aptX Lossless
Waterproofing	IP57 case and earbuds	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX5 earbuds only

Technics EAH-AZ100
An option with slightly better stamina that also offers excellent sound quality and decent noise cancellation – plus LDAC higher-resolution Bluetooth support if you've got a Sony device. Here, you even get multi-point to three brand-agnostic devices (rather than the standard two) and the classy finish makes them nothing short of a joy to own – even though they won't take your heart-rate. Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
They've got excellent streaming-service agnostic immersive audio profiles, wonderful ANC for Android phones as well as iPhones and a colorful look. Some may find the buds a touch big and there are no guided hearing tests, but if it's the best ANC and an Android phone companion you seek, you've found the best there is. See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for more.View Deal

Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Cambridge Audio also offers a premium listen in its latest earbuds with good ANC. No heart-rate monitoring or Live Translation, of course, but if it's an integrated hi-fi listen you seek, add them to your list – and they'll last longer than the Bose option. Read more in our Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review.

How I tested the Apple AirPods Pro 3

Tested for three weeks
Tested walking along Seaham beach, on a packed Eurostar train and at home

I used AirPods Pro 3 for three weeks while compiling this review, and my testing involved listening to podcasts and music, as well as watching streamed movies from various devices and streaming platforms – including Android and Apple sources.

I listened at home, during several sea-glass hunting walks in County Durham and on a busy train to Paris – and let me tell you, with these as both a musical companion and live translation tool, they eased my journey no end.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly over at our sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer (locked in our hi-fi testing facility for two years, I was), then as senior writer at TechRadar – and, since early 2024, audio editor.

My background as a professional dancer meant I was very interested in what AirPods Pro 3 made of my heart-rate and overall fitness (still got it, friends) and my seemingly insatiable need to move to music is what drives me to search for faithful timing, precision, clarity and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.

First reviewed October 2025.

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I wanted to love Skullcandy’s workout headphones, but one big issue makes them a poor fit

1:30 pm | October 19, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: EQ, Jabra Elite | Comments: Off

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active: Two-minute review

Gym-goers or athletes who also care about their music quality surely know how few over-ear headphones are designed specifically for fitness; our list of the best workout headphones doesn’t have a single pair and my own fondness for them is tempered by just how rare they are. Most buyers instead have to buy workout earbuds, or repurpose normal over-ear headphones for their workout needs (and get very warm ears).

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active are a welcome addition to the anemic market segment, coming with a few features and design considerations which make them a step above rivals… though there are some curious deficiencies too.

You’d think US-based audio company Skullcandy would be a prime fit for workout headphones, due to its emphasis on bassy products and funky designs, and it is – its website has an entire section dedicated to ‘Gym & Workout Headphones’. But those are, like most companies’ offerings, just headphones that can be used to exercise. The Crusher 540 Active is different, as it’s designed intently for that purpose.

The ‘Crusher’ in the name points to one of the cans’ best features and the selling point for every member of this line. The 540 Active has a bass slider which can increase the bass from ‘normal’ to ‘quite bassy’ to ‘my head is shaking’, boosting the low end in an ill-tuned but energetic way. If you’re a gym user who loves bass-heavy thumping audio to help you push yourself to the max, this is a fantastic addition.

Dedicated Skullcandy fans might scroll down and notice that the Crusher 540 Active sounds startlingly similar to another pair of cans from the company called the Crusher Evo, and they cost exactly the same in most regions. I too was baffled by how similar these cans are and apparently fans were too, prompting Skullcandy to write a Reddit post detailing the differences.

The differences lie in a few design considerations: the soft pads can be removed and easily washed, perfect for people who get sweaty at the gym, and the band was designed to have a tighter clamp fit. This latter point, unfortunately, doesn’t have a noticeable effect, and the 540 Active frequently fell off my head at the gym when I was lying down. This could be a deal-breaker for some people, depending on your workout routine.

Audio-wise, you’re getting what you pay for; these headphones sound good but not quite great. However, the app offers perhaps the best personal audio test I’ve used in headphones so far, and the ability to crank the bass to 11 would make a nuanced audio design moot anyway.

I’ve mentioned a few features that I like so far, and they’re definitely the highlights of the Skullcandy, but beyond the bass and personal audio modes there’s a noticeable lack of extra features. I was surprised when first looking at the app to see how few tools were offered – but perhaps it’s best that you don’t use the app much, given the connection problems I had (more on these later).

You’re probably still wondering if I recommend the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active as workout headphones, and after testing them for several weeks, I’m not too sure either. They were great for running, great for workouts where I stayed upright, and good for general listening. But I found myself pre-emptively removing them during my gym sessions when I had to do a prone exercise, due to the fit – so you’ll have to ask yourself what your fitness life looks like and whether you need to do such workouts, before buying them.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Price and release date

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active on a sofa. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in summer 2025
Costs $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99
Few similar rivals

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active were released in summer 2025, and you can pick them up for $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99.

At that price they match the Crusher Evo and aren’t too far off other over-ears from the brand, slightly cheaper than the Crusher ANC 2 and more than the Hesh 540 ANC, so they’re a mid-range pick within Skullcandy's oeuvre.

Here’s where I’d normally compare the headphones to other options on the market going for the same thing, but the over-ear workout headphone market is so slim that there aren’t really any bespoke options to speak of.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No
Battery life (ANC off)	40 hours
Weight	312g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0
Waterproofing	NA

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Features

Bass slider for extra... bass
40 hours of battery
Useful sound personalization

It might offend some that I’m going to discuss the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active’s titular feature in this section rather than the ‘sound quality’ one, but at the end of the day the crushing bass is more of a novelty and a boost mode than it is a genuine way of refining your music.

I’m talking about the slider on the Active’s left cup, my allusion to which in the ‘design’ section may have raised eyebrows (if you didn’t read the introduction and haven’t seen any of Skullcandy’s Crusher headphones before).

This slider lets you control how bassy your music is, with the lowest setting matching other workout headphones and the highest one literally making the cans shake on your head. I was blown away by just how bassy music can get if you pick the right track and turn the mode to full; it felt like walking into a sticky nightclub from one of London’s late-night streets.

Audiophiles won’t like this mode, as this boosted bass is somewhat formless and unreliable in what it augments, but I found it infectiously fun to play around with nonetheless. There’s an inescapable novelty to having your head literally shake as you listen to ridiculously-amplified house or hip-hop. Some music just isn’t affected by the boost though, especially acoustic and classical tracks, but it was great fun to see just how the Crusher 540 would affect a song.

There’s no ANC here to cut out the chaos of a gym, but I found the earcup cushions were pretty good at blocking out a lot of noise passively anyway.

The battery life clocks in at 40 hours according to Skullcandy, which is, roughly speaking, an average figure for over-ear headphones, but given the lack of active noise cancellation it might come off a bit low.

On your phone or tablet, the Skullcandy app gets you some extra tools (not the Skull-IQ app which I’ve used for the brand’s earbuds, as that won’t work – judging by Play Store reviews, lots of people have made the same mistake as I). I had a few connection problems wherein the app wouldn’t pick up the paired headphones, but usually hard-closing and reopening it fixed the issue.

The app offers you a Personal Sound listening test to apply an automatic EQ to your music, and it’s one of the simplest and easiest examples of this test that I’ve ever used, as you’re simply prompted to select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on whether you can hear a series of beeping tones played. Its analysis of my hearing also matched what other tests have told me, so it seems fairly accurate.

You can also use the app to switch between three standard EQ presets: music, podcast (which boosts treble but strips bass) and movie which reduced treble slightly. There’s no custom EQ for you to make your own mix, so audiophiles will have to rely on SkullCandy’s judgements.

Various EQ modes are the only features you get from the app, so if you were hoping for a smorgasbord of extra tools, you’ll be disappointed.

Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Design

Plenty of buttons on cups
Doesn't clamp onto head strong enough
Cups are removable for cleaning

On the surface, the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active might just look like your standard over-ear headphones, but the devil’s in the detail.

Just look at the cups, for one example of that – they’re loaded with far more buttons and dials than you’d usually see. The left cup has the USB-C charging port, a 3.5mm jack, the aforementioned bass slider and a surprisingly-small power button while the right cup has volume up, play/pause and volume down. Neat touches like slightly-different-feeling buttons ensure it’s easy to work out via touch what you’re reaching for.

The design changes continue to the material, with intentional picks for the gym-going intended buyer. According to Skullcandy, the foam cups have a coating to protect them against sweat, and can be easily removed and cleaned if you do get them mucky – I found them really simple to remove although reattaching them was a lot more fiddly. The band is designed to avoid grime as much as possible.

Thanks to the breathable material, and the cans’ light body, I found the headphones comfortable to use, even if I was exercising and sweating. The brand deems the cups ‘Sweat & Water Resistant’ although I couldn’t find an official IP rating anywhere.

Skullcandy’s also using a tech here which it calls Clamp Force Secure Fit, designed to give the cans a rigid fit so they’ll stay on your head when you’re working out, but while that’s great in theory it didn’t work in practice. The headphones would regularly slip off my head when I was prone, which is quite frequent depending on my workout routine, and I found myself taking them off every time I needed to lie forward or backward. That’s not exactly ideal for gym use, although I didn’t face the problem when staying upright or running.

A neat (though small) design trait is that you can fold the cups in on the body to make the headphones more portable – I wish more brands would let you do this.

You can buy the Crusher 540 Active in black, white or pink, which is a much more slender list of offerings than Skullcandy’s other Crushers (the ANC 2 has 10 options listed on the brand’s site, while the Evo has six).

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Sound quality

40mm drivers per cup
Scooping bass, especially with slider
Vocals lack some sparkle

I’ve already mentioned that the bass slider lets you turn the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active into a head-worn sub-woofer, but for the purposes of this section let’s imagine I’ve got the slider set to its lowest setting.

Even when bass is stripped out like this, it’s still a prominent part of the sound mix – these are workout headphones after all, and ones made by Skullcandy no less, so scooping bass is part and parcel of what you’re paying for. The mids benefit from this to an extent too, though there were a few times in my testing when I found vocals lacking the power and sparkle that some other headphones lend to treble.

As you can probably expect from the price, you’re not getting the most crystal-clear audio quality or nuanced sound stage, and I did hear some distortion on certain songs. But those all reflect the changed priority values that gym-going or jogging users will want, and I wasn’t disappointed at all when listing.

Skullcandy says that both cans have 40mm drivers in them, which is the same as the Crusher Evo. Having heard the 540 Active and understanding how they tick all the workout-headphone boxes, the company’s confirmation that these are the Evos but tweaked for exercise users, makes total sense.

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Value

Paying for novel features...
... which won't be for everyone

At $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99, the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active aren’t the cheapest over-ear headphones in the world (although they’re certainly not premium models). That price isn’t going to the workout features – the Evo costs the same amount – and as I’ve already discussed, these didn’t always tick the boxes as workout headphones anyway.

What you’re actually paying for is the novel bass feature, which is what separates the Crusher 540 Active from other headphones you might be considering. And if this feature sounds great, then the price is certainly justified.

However if you don’t think you’ll make good use of the bass slider, or think the novelty will wear off quickly, there are other over-ears to pick up which are cheaper – and may perform just as well, or better, for a workout.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active?

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The bass slider and listening test are great, though more features would have been appreciated.	3.5/5
Design	The loose grip hurts the suitability for workouts, but otherwise the design is fine.	3.5/5
Sound quality	While the sound quality is just decent, it's exactly what exercise-minded buyers will want.	3.5/5
Value	If you're buying the Skullcandy for the extra features, it's decent value, but other buyers will be paying unnecessarily more.	3.5/5

Buy them if…

You’re a huge bass-head
Some people stopped reading this review when I mentioned a bass slider which gets your head literally shaking. I probably don’t need to tell you to buy Crushers if that sounds like a fantastic selling point to you.

You sweat a lot
The easily-removable and cleanable ear pads will be great news to people who sweat a lot, as you’ll be able to easily freshen up your cans.

You’re not great at tweaking EQ settings
No equalizer here, but the personal audio mode will help you find your perfect audio mix without you faffing over buttons and sliders.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You’ll need to lie down with them
Wearing these rules out sit-ups, press-ups, bridges, skull crushers, and more – if your workout routine relies on these, then maybe earbuds are best.

You’re not interested in fitness
Well done for reading a whole fitness headphone review without wanting headphones for this purpose, but some of the unique features here will only benefit people doing a workout.

You want funky-looking cans
Skullcandy specializes in funkily-colored or -designed headphones, but the 540 Active are some of its few options that don’t come in all sorts of patterns and hues.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Also consider

	Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active	SkullCandy Crusher Evo	Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2	Earfun Wave Pro
Drivers	40mm	40mm	6mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No	No	Yes	Yes
Battery life	40 hours	40 hours	14 hours (buds) 56 hours (case)	80 hours
Weight	312g	312g	5g (buds); 47.5g (case)	268g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	NA	NA	IP68	NA

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2
The Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2 cost more than the Skullcandys and are in-ears instead of over-ears, but sound great and offer top noise cancellation. I include them here as we rank them as our best workout earbuds.

See our full Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 review

Earfun Wave Pro
When I tested these older earbuds, I took them to the gym a few times and they worked fine. They have memory foam cups which won’t be damaged as much by sweat, have a fantastic battery life so you can forget charging them much, and sound really good for the price. Most importantly, they’re quite cheap.

See our full Earfun Wave Pro review

How I tested the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active

Tested for at least three weeks
Tested at home, on runs and at the gym

I spent at least three weeks testing the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active before writing this review. They were paired to my Android phone for the entirety of it, using Spotify, Netflix and a few other apps.

I did a lot of the testing at my local gym and on runs around my local area, as I've mentioned. I also listened at home, on public transport and on walks too.

This isn't my first Skullcandy review for TechRadar although I didn't test the original Evo. I've been reviewing devices for the brand for six years now including in-ear, open-ear and on-ear headphones.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

I wanted to love Skullcandy’s workout headphones, but one big issue makes them a poor fit

1:30 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: EQ, Jabra Elite | Comments: Off

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active: Two-minute review

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Price and release date

Released in summer 2025
Costs $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99
Few similar rivals

The Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active were released in summer 2025, and you can pick them up for $209.99 / £169.99 / AU$349.99.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No
Battery life (ANC off)	40 hours
Weight	312g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0
Waterproofing	NA

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Features

Bass slider for extra... bass
40 hours of battery
Useful sound personalization

There’s no ANC here to cut out the chaos of a gym, but I found the earcup cushions were pretty good at blocking out a lot of noise passively anyway.

Various EQ modes are the only features you get from the app, so if you were hoping for a smorgasbord of extra tools, you’ll be disappointed.

Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Design

Plenty of buttons on cups
Doesn't clamp onto head strong enough
Cups are removable for cleaning

On the surface, the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active might just look like your standard over-ear headphones, but the devil’s in the detail.

A neat (though small) design trait is that you can fold the cups in on the body to make the headphones more portable – I wish more brands would let you do this.

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Sound quality

40mm drivers per cup
Scooping bass, especially with slider
Vocals lack some sparkle

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Value

Paying for novel features...
... which won't be for everyone

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active?

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The bass slider and listening test are great, though more features would have been appreciated.	3.5/5
Design	The loose grip hurts the suitability for workouts, but otherwise the design is fine.	3.5/5
Sound quality	While the sound quality is just decent, it's exactly what exercise-minded buyers will want.	3.5/5
Value	If you're buying the Skullcandy for the extra features, it's decent value, but other buyers will be paying unnecessarily more.	3.5/5

Buy them if…

You sweat a lot
The easily-removable and cleanable ear pads will be great news to people who sweat a lot, as you’ll be able to easily freshen up your cans.

You’re not great at tweaking EQ settings
No equalizer here, but the personal audio mode will help you find your perfect audio mix without you faffing over buttons and sliders.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You’ll need to lie down with them
Wearing these rules out sit-ups, press-ups, bridges, skull crushers, and more – if your workout routine relies on these, then maybe earbuds are best.

You want funky-looking cans
Skullcandy specializes in funkily-colored or -designed headphones, but the 540 Active are some of its few options that don’t come in all sorts of patterns and hues.

Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active review: Also consider

	Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active	SkullCandy Crusher Evo	Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2	Earfun Wave Pro
Drivers	40mm	40mm	6mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	No	No	Yes	Yes
Battery life	40 hours	40 hours	14 hours (buds) 56 hours (case)	80 hours
Weight	312g	312g	5g (buds); 47.5g (case)	268g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	NA	NA	IP68	NA

See our full Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 review

See our full Earfun Wave Pro review

How I tested the Skullcandy Crusher 540 Active

Tested for at least three weeks
Tested at home, on runs and at the gym

I did a lot of the testing at my local gym and on runs around my local area, as I've mentioned. I also listened at home, on public transport and on walks too.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Audiophiles on a budget need to buy these wireless earbuds now – I’ve tested them and they’re the real deal

1:00 pm | October 11, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC | Comments: Off

Soundpeats H3: Two-minute review

While you’ll most likely know Chinese headphone company Soundpeats from its dime-a-dozen budget buds, this rare foray into the mid-range market is still enough to pique interest… and to open wallets, because let me be clear: these are some of the best cheap headphones I’ve tested all year.

The Soundpeats H3 (no, you’re not expected to have heard of the H2) look like and sound like premium earbuds, and they make easy work of rivals at their price point, such as the AirPods 4.

The unique selling point here is the specs list, as the buds each have three drivers per earpiece (the AirPods, for example, have one) which let them handle the extremes of the audio spectrum with grace. They offer a vivid, insightful and well-defined sound, an expansive soundstage and support for a range of audio codecs.

I personally appreciated how Soundpeats didn’t follow the example set by most other mid-range and budget audio brands: the buds don’t turn the bass up to 11 to excite, at the expense of balanced sound, making them an option that offers something distinct from other buds you might be considering.

Audiophiles on a budget should add this to the shopping list straight away – and I do not write that lightly.

The premium sound is reflected in the design, with both the buds and case looking chic and classy. The earpieces also fit well and I never had problems with them falling out, which isn’t something I can say about many non-stem earbuds.

If there are issues with the Soundpeats H3, or at least reasons to temper your expectations, it’s in the features department. The battery life and active noise cancellation (ANC) are both a little below what I’ve experienced in other similarly-priced earbuds, and I had some app connection troubles (these didn’t affect streaming music, just using Soundpeat’s apps for some extra functionality).

Despite these small setbacks, the Soundpeats H3 are still exemplary earbuds that have certainly earned their way onto personal ‘best headphones’ list of 2025.

Soundpeats H3 review: Price and release date

The Soundpeats H3 on the arm of a sofa. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in September 2025
Costs $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$142
Slightly pricier than AirPods (in most regions)

The Soundpeats H3 were released in September 2025, as a follow-up to 2021’s Soundpeats H2 – given that the new buds cost almost twice as much as their predecessors, and look vastly different too, it seems that the name is the only thing these buds have in common.

The new earbuds cost $149.99 / £139.99 / AU$142 (no, that’s not a typo, the buds are inexplicably cheaper in Australia compared to the rest of the world, given that an exact conversion would put them closer to AU$280).

That’s not cheap cheap like most Soundpeats earbuds, and it means the H3 bumps shoulders with the $129 / £129 / AU$219 AirPods 4, but any buds that serious audiophiles will be considering will cost a fair bit more. Top picks from Sony, Apple and Bose have much higher price tags.

Soundpeats H3 review: Specs

Drivers	12mm + dual balanced armatures
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	7 hours (buds) 37 hours (case)
Weight	6g (buds) 53g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX5

Soundpeats H3 review: Features

ANC is fine, but can be beaten by rivals
7/37 hour battery life (ANC off)
Occasional app connectivity problems

According to Soundpeats, the H3 last for 7 hours of listening time before needing to be charged. From my testing, this figure is presumably with ANC turned off, as I listened with it turned on and just scraped the 5 hour mark.

Soundpeat’s figures continue to 37 hours for the case, which again would be lower if your noise cancelling is hogging all the charge. That’s still a fair amount higher than many other rivals though, so I can’t knock it.

Another case of ‘fine, but not the best’ comes with the noise cancellation, which will certainly take the edge off surrounding sounds but not remove them. Some of the environments I was in when testing the buds included the gym, near busy roads, on the train and on a flight, and the H3’s ANC would rarely totally remove a sound, but was decent at reducing its volume so your music could sit over the top.

I can’t say the same about Transparency mode, however, which seemed to amplify ambient noise while muffling voices – that’s the opposite of what it’s meant to do.

In an apparent attempt to make my testing job harder, Soundpeats offers two different apps which you can use to control the buds (they work independently, so you only need one, but to do my job well I have to test both): there’s the SOUNDPEATS app (all caps in the name, not my excitement) as well as PeatsAudio.

SOUNDPEATS has the same features as PeatsAudio but also a little bit less visual flair… when it picks up the buds, which wasn’t always the case during my testing. Sometimes I had to re-enrol the buds in the app to listen.

You can use the app to toggle what the touch controls do, change the volume and language of voice prompts, turn on LDAC, connect to multiple devices, test your buds’ fit to see if you’re wearing them properly and, in theory, play with a 9-band equalizer. I say ‘in theory’ because every time I tried opening this part of the app, I got an error message in Chinese and also an error screen saying an error occurred in English, so could never try it. This happened even when I reset the app and the earbuds.

PeatsAudio, meanwhile, has most of the features of SOUNDPEATS but the EQ actually worked. I sometimes found that LDAC toggled itself though, once when I was looking at (and not touching) the toggle on the app. Unless I’ve unknowingly been cast in a new Paranormal Activity movie, that’s a possible bug.

Features score: 3/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Design

The Soundpeats H3 in a man's ear. — (Image credit: Future)

Light, well-fitting buds
Handy touch controls
Bulky carry case

I’ve never given Soundpeats kudos for original design, mostly because it’s never deserved any, but that’s certainly different now. The Soundpeats H3 have a unique and, dare I say, classy design.

It starts with the charging case, which I’ll readily admit is too big to comfortably fit in a pocket, but it makes up for it with its looks. The shell is transparent so you can see the buds while a gold trim blends well with the black; opening the case reveals the buds as well as a leather-esque patterned design. Admittedly the panel pleading “Hear the difference” looks a little gauche, especially with its inconsistent font that sees the ‘f’s descend to different levels, but this error triggers the editor in me instead of the tech reviewer in me, so I’ll let it slide.

Talking of letting things slide, let’s slide out the buds. These are in-ears with no stem; the whole thing sits in your ear. I’m generally skeptical about the reliability and fit of buds like this, as I’ve tested too many that are too heavy and fall from your ears, but the Soundpeats H3 worked a dream. They sat comfortably in my ear, never falling out and barely being noticeable during listening.

I’m a fan of how the shape of the H3’s body loosely resembles an ear, making the buds look like a part of the body when worn. This has a functional benefit too, with a small raised section at the far side of the body to the bud bearing a little hook, which helps keep the bud in place.

Each bud has a touch control and I found these fairly convenient to use. It feels like you can tap anywhere to trigger the function, instead of on one specific area, so you won’t waste time hammering away at your ear hoping to pause your music.

One thing that could be better here is the waterproofing which, at IPX5, sits below quite a few rivals. That marks the buds as being fine against sweat and rain but not water immersion or jets of water.

Design score: 4.5/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Sound quality

Three drivers per bud
Lovely neutral sound
Range of codecs supported

The Soundpeats H3 being held in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Why do these buds rate so highly? This section. The Soundpeats H3 come with three drivers, more than most rival buds: there’s a 12mm dynamic driver paired with two balanced armatures which in tandem, according to the company, ensure the entire audio spectrum is covered.

It works too, with the H3 perhaps the best-sounding mid-range earbuds I’ve ever tested that don’t have a bass focus (an important distinction given that many rivals focus on powerful bass more than Soundpeats has).

Treble is clearly the focus here. The balance, brimming with clarity and making vocals and higher-frequency instruments sparkle with energy and clarity, is refreshing and insightful. This extends to mids, which get to make a rare and detailed appearance, after getting somewhat overlooked in the vast majority of similarly-priced wireless earbuds.

Lower frequencies aren’t as powerful as on many rival buds, but they’re better-defined too, which more than makes up for it – the integrated bassline these buds provide sits well in the mix without ever dominating or encroaching.

There’s a lovely sound separation going on too, spacing and layering each musical passage and instrument in a way that justifies the use of multiple drivers.

Not content with a solid array of hardware, Soundpeats has included support for a wide variety of wireless audio codecs too, including aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC, AAC and SBC. I only briefly tested with LDAC for fear of running down the battery (unless the app turned it on without telling me…) but the buds’ release at the same time as Spotify Lossless is a lovely little treat for audio reviewers.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Soundpeats H3 review: Value

I’ve got an ongoing list of great-value mid-range wireless earbuds that I can recommend to people who ask for my advice – placement on the list boils down to whether or not I’d buy it myself if, god forbid, I stopped getting sent buds to test.

The Soundpeats H3 certainly earn a place on the list. They may not have the features of rivals but the audio chops more than make up for it. They sound great and, more importantly, distinctly different from most same-priced rivals – all for half the price of other audiophile-grade earbuds.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Soundpeats H3?

Soundpeats H3 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Middling battery life and ANC, with some app connection problems.	3/5
Design	Attractive and lightweight buds, albeit with a bit of a big case.	4.5/5
Sound quality	The specs list doesn't lie with these well-tuned buds.	4/5
Value	They're not the cheapest buds ever, but they're a lot more affordable than other equally-great sounding buds.	4/5

Buy them if…

You like stem-less buds
It's rare that I rate in-ear buds that don't have stems, as they often have balance or fit issues, but not here.

You like detailed, expansive-sounding tunes
Bass-heads might look away, but we don't need them anyway (jokes! You're very welcome here). These are some of the best-sounding earbuds that don't focus too heavily on 'excitement' via low end clout.

You value codec support
I've tested some great-sounding buds that don't go the extra mile by supporting extra, higher-resolution Bleutooth codecs. Soundpeats has you covered if you want high-quality music wirelessly.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need top-notch ANC
The noise cancellation isn't terrible, but plenty of other similarly-priced buds will beat the H3 for blocking out background sound.

You're a devout app user
While some earbuds users ignore the app, people who do spend time on PeatsAudio or SOUNDPEATS might find them frustrating.

Soundpeats H3 review: Also consider

	Soundpeats H3	OnePlus Buds 4	AirPods 4	Skullcandy Method 360
Drivers	12mm + dual balanced armatures	11mm + 6mm	Custom Apple design	12mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Battery life	12mm + dual balanced armatures	11 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)	5 hours (buds) 30 hours total (with case)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)
Weight	6g (buds) 53g (case)	4.73g (buds) 40g (case)	4.3g (buds); 32.3g (case)	11g (buds) 77g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IPX5	IP55	IP54	IPX4

Apple AirPods 4
Given the similar price, these are a natural competitor, but despite their popularity we're not overwhelmed by the AirPods. Soundpeats H3's audio, look and battery life all win out here.

See our full Apple AirPods 4 review

OnePlus Buds 4
If you want top-notch ANC, these slightly-cheaper buds are what you need, and they're also unlike the Soundpeats in that the audio mix clearly favors bass. They're for a very different kind of user, but that means that if you're not keen on the H3, they might have what you're looking for.

See our full OnePlus Buds 4 review

How I tested the Soundpeats H3

Tested for 21 days
Tested at home, in the office and on walks

I tested the Soundpeats H3 for at least three weeks in order to write this review.

For testing, the buds were connected to my Android phone and I used music platforms including Spotify, Tidal, Netflix, YouTube and various games. I tested at home, on walks around my neighborhood and on various modes of transport, including trains and planes.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for six years now, including many earbuds across a wide range of prices.

First reviewed in October 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Xiaomi’s shiny new open earbuds fix one massive problem with this kind of headphone design

1:00 pm | September 28, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro: Two-minute review

“I can hear your music,” is something my mother used to tell me when I was young, worried that I’d damage my hearing by cranking my music too loud, and it’s something I’ve heard from multiple people since I started testing even the best open earbuds.

These safety-focused open-fit headphones don’t put the earbud in your ear but just outside it, letting you hear surrounding sounds – but until the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro came along, this also meant that people around you could hear the distant ring of your tunes too.

No more! Xiaomi’s sophomore open-ear offering fixes the problem, with a bespoke 10mm driver that’s designed to eradicate sound leakage, and does a decent job at stopping bystanders hearing your music. My local park was no longer regaled by early-morning Busted and Hansen sprints, which I’m sure the community was overjoyed with.

That driver’s just one of five nestled into each earbud, a surprising spec given that most earbuds have one and even top-end ones have only two or three, and you can see them arranged in a flower-like pattern on each bud. But my first-glance comparison between this layout and the look of the five-camera Nokia 9 PureView, which was the first smartphone to use this many rear sensors, continues further than I’d like. Just as that phone offered a packed spec-sheet that didn’t deliver as promising results in testing, the OpenWear Stereo Pro may have the hardware but can’t seem to make good on it to stand a cut above the rest.

For most of my testing, I listened on the default sound profile and the buds sounded awful, really tinny and compressed – luckily I discovered that changing to one of the other few audio presets clears up lots of my problems, adding depth and range, and I wish I hadn’t written most of this review before discovering that! Oh well, a few hours of rewrites gave me more time to review the buds.

That extra testing time didn’t give me extra insight on the design, which isn’t quite as robust or rigid as open-ears need to be for gym users. Doing exercises that don’t see me stand upright like sit-ups, skull-crushers or anything reclined saw gravity drag the buds away from my ears, though thankfully they were okay when running or cycling.

It’s in the feature set that Xiaomi goes some way in winning me over. I’ve already mentioned the sound leak suppression system but the company has also brought back an easily-toggled voice note recording system, which I’ve found really useful in quickly letting me leave reminders to myself.

Despite winning points back, though, the Stereo Pro level out as being ‘fine’ buds, instead of the solid ones they’d need to be to compete in this rapidly-growing and hotly contested market.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Price and release date

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro in a sunny outdoor setting. — (Image credit: Future)

Available from September 24, 2025
Costs £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280)
In line with most open-ears

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro were announced in September 2025 at a launch event by the company, which also included the Xiaomi 15T smartphone, some new versions of existing wearables and a few other bits and pieces.

The earbuds cost £139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280). A US release is unlikely given precedent, and an Australian one is possible due to Xiaomi releasing some of its earbuds there, but not guaranteed.

That price puts the Stereo Pro in line with most other open-ears, which generally sit between £100 and £160 (or $/AU$ equivalent), though some of our favorite options sit at the lower end of that spectrum. More on that in the Competition section below.

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Specs

Drivers	Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver
Active noise cancellation	No
Battery life (ANC off)	8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)
Weight	9.7g (buds) 72g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	NA

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Features

Two useful features
Presets, but no equalizer
8.5 hours of listening per charge

Xiaomi puts the battery life of the OpenWear Stereo Pro at 8.5 hours for the buds, a figure which my own testing gave me no reason to doubt. The charging case bumps that up to 45 hours and both are slightly above average, the case figure to a commendable degree.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app for your phone or tablet gives you some extra control over your buds, with the ability to customise touch controls and jump between a few sound profiles (like EQ presets, but without there being an actual EQ). I’ll mention these in more detail later but it’s not quite as much as customization as other buds give you.

The flashy feature that’s designed to make the Stereo Pro stand out from the crowd is a driver which is designed to stop sound leaking. By ‘leaking’, I mean music from the buds that people around you can hear, which is both annoying for them and embarrassing for you (especially if your music taste is poor but trust me, we’re all judging you).

From my testing (and my partner’s, due to her being my guinea pig) the feature does a decent job at reducing sound leaking. It doesn’t totally remove it and sound leaking is still apparent, but it downplays open earbuds’ natural tendency to spread music around (due to the design). It’s most efficient in public areas where it brings your music just quiet enough to be drowned out by background noises.

Another feature present, that Xiaomi has ported over from its standard earbuds, is a recording mode. You can enable this with a gesture command, and it records audio from the buds or, apparently, a built-in speaker in the case.

It’s a useful feature for people who like to record their own voice notes on the go (let’s be honest: it’s a lot easier than using your phone’s notes app) but many countries have laws against recording unawares people, so you’ve been warned.

Throughout testing, I bumped up against a problem that seemed to be a connectivity one, rather than a sound one, though it did affect the audio. Now and then the buds would jump between tunings, from the usual one to an extra-compressed one and back again after a few seconds. There was no way of controlling or pre-empting this. I put it down to a connectivity issue because from time to time the buds would also lose connection for a few moments, a problem likely linked.

Features score: 4/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Design

Very shiny earbuds
Comfortable to wear but unreliable hold
Hardy carry case

If you’re familiar with the look of open earbuds, the thing that’ll hit you about the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro is just how shiny they are. The counterweight and bud both come with a sheen so clean you can do your hair in them, making them look really rather premium. You can pick up the buds in gray, white or, like my test unit, rose gold.

And if we’re making judgements based on appearance, seeing the five drivers on the other side, complete with the text ‘5-driver sound system, designed by Xiaomi’ makes a loud statement about the buds’ audio quality.

Each bud weighs 9.7g, which is a little more than some rivals I’ve tested, but it doesn’t tell. They’re comfortable to wear for long gym sessions or trips, though when I wore them for my workout the bud would often move away from my ear if I leant down or lay down. I’ve found this problem in a few other open-ears and it seems to happen most when the material connecting the bud and counterweight is weak, and therefore unable to hold the bud rigidly.

The case is an oval clamshell that retains your color choice from the bud – and again, has a little ‘designed by Xiaomi’ in case you forget who made it (the name appears four times across the case and buds, not counting a little removable information sticker on the case).

Strong magnets grip the Stereo Pro when you put them in the case, so I never needed to fuss much about putting them in perfectly, which was handy when I wanted to sheathe the Xiaomi in a hurry. Features of the case include a USB-C charging port and pairing button but not much else.

Pre-release information provided to TechRadar didn’t mention an IP rating for the buds or case, so keep them safe from rain.

Design score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Sound quality

Five drivers per bud
Default sound profile is bad
Low max volume

A glance at the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro’s specs list sets up high expectations for the buds’ audio chops, and that’s because each bud has a startling five drivers (most rivals have one).

There’s a tweeter for refining treble, dual balanced armatures aimed again at higher-frequency tones, an 18x13mm dynamic driver that’s targeted at bass and the aforementioned 10mm sound leak reducer. And if that overwhelming hardware list somehow doesn’t impress you, perhaps the support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs will.

After reading all those specs, seeing the five drivers individually presented on the earbuds in a distinct way, and setting up my expectations fittingly, I was pretty shocked to discover that the Stereo Pro don’t sound good at all. In fact, I wrote a pretty scathing review of the sound – and then connected the buds to the phone app (not available immediately because I had early access to my review sample), changed from the default sound profile and found most of my issues vanish. If you’ve just bought these buds, make this change straight away.

In their default sound profile, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sound tinny, compressing a multitude of instruments into one sound and losing the details from almost all of them. In rock songs instruments like rhythm guitar, accompaniment keys and backing vocals are muddled and drum lines and more prominent guitar lines are akin to sleigh bells for how jangling they sound. Reverb fills the space that a detailed soundstage should take up.

Changing from the default sound profile really widens instruments, as well as the soundstage (though if you’re a masochist, the in-app toggle to increase the dynamic range turns the tinniness up to 11). It doesn’t make audio sound great, but it brings it in line with other open-ears.

The drivers’ emphasis on higher-end audio helps vocals and guitar solos stand out, and while there’s sufficient bass it sounds ill-defined and loose unless you fix it in the equalizer. Most of the time, it turns songs into a wall of distorted sound in which you can’t make up the textural details. I can see some listeners being okay with this aspect of the buds, especially ones who like high-powered metal music, but bear in mind that if you try head-banging these buds are going to go flying.

The buds don’t even go very loud, so I sometimes struggled to hear music when I was nearby a road.

Sound quality: 3/5

Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Value

Your money could go further
…unless you want those features

As mentioned before, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sit around the average price of open earbuds, and also as mentioned, there’s lots of competition.

In fact, some of our favorite options are cheaper, making Xiaomi’s offering feel hard to recommend given that its performance also doesn’t match up.

The exception to this is whether or not the buds’ features sound enough to win you over, but for me, the sound quality is a sticking point.

Value: 3/5

Should I buy the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro?

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The decent battery life and useful extras make up for the wobbly connection.	4/5
Design	The buds are flashy and shiny with handy touch controls but the buds aren't held in place reliably.	3.5/5
Sound quality	The Stereo Pro gives unconvincing sound, even when you’ve turned off the poor default mode.	3/5
Value	There's bound to be something that works better within your budget... unless the features appeal to you.	3/5

Buy them if…

You're worried about sound leakage
The new anti-sound-leak driver reduces how much of your music people nearby can hear, so you don't have to feel ashamed when you listen to your guilty pleasures any more.

You take frequent voice notes
If you're the kind of person who likes to record their thoughts, either for voice memos or just to keep notes, the quick recording feature will be useful..

You want something flashy
Not literally flashy, but the Xiaomi's shiny design makes them stand out from the crowd.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You want refined audio
You've hopefully already read the sound quality section of this review. Suffice to say, the buds aren't for audiophiles.

You plan to mostly wear at the gym
I found the buds fit mostly well when I was walking, running and cycling, but gym workouts brought the fit problems when I'd bend over or lie down a lot.

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro review: Also consider

	Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro	Huawei FreeArc	Honor Earbuds Open	Technics EAH-AZ100
Drivers	Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver	17x12mm	16mm	17x12mm
Active noise cancellation	No	No	Yes	No
Battery life	8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)	7 hours (buds) 28 hours (total)	6 hours (buds) 40 hours (total)	7.5 hours (buds) 38.5 hours (case)
Weight	9.7g / charging case: 72g	8.9g / charging case: 67g	7.9g / charging case: 52.5g	9.6g / charging case: 88g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	NA	IP57	IP54	IP54

Huawei FreeArc
Our top-rated open earbuds stand out from the crowd for sounding better than any of their rivals. They’re also solid in build and understated in design and, most importantly, undercut the Xiaomi (and most other rivals).

See our full X review

Honor Earbuds Open
Another open earbud that excels in the features department — and roughly matches the Xiaomi in terms of price — comes from Honor. However again the fit is better and the presence of noise cancellation works wonders.

See our full Honor Earbuds Open review

How I tested the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, in the office, on runs, at the gym and while cycling

I used the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro for two weeks before writing this review, which is the standard TechRadar testing time.

During the testing period I used the buds at home, on walks around my neighborhood, on runs, at the gym, while cycling and on busy public transport. I paired them to my Android smartphone and most of the testing was done on Spotify and Netflix.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for nearly six years, which has included lots of Xiaomi gadgets in the past. For the last year I've been reviewing countless open earbuds, and so have a lot of experience in the area with which to compare the Xiaomis.

First reviewed in September 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Forget AirPods Pro 3, these premium buds sound fantastic and look so much classier

12:30 pm | September 27, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Comments: Off

Status Audio Pro X: Two-minute review

American audio company Status Audio was hurt by the curse of poor timing with the release of its next-gen premium earbuds and challengers to our best earbuds buying guide. That’s because less than two months after the firm unveiled the Pro X, Apple finally released its latest buds, the AirPods Pro 3, which slightly undercut the underdogs’ latest release in terms of price.

I don’t think Status needs to worry much about competition from Apple, though, because the product distinguishes itself in a few key areas (and, of course, actually works equally as well for Android users).

For one, the Status Pro X has three audio drivers per bud, one more than the AirPods Pro and two more than most earbuds I test. This trio works together to deliver well-defined and high-quality audio that sounds fantastic, making these some of the best earbuds you can try.

The earbuds also look as good as they sound, with the ellipsoid design language carried between the buds and the case to make them look some of the classiest buds I've seen. It's not all for show either as I found the fit reliable.

Status has nailed more of the basics with solid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), handy touch controls and wireless charging in the case.

The main let-down for me was the battery life, which basically scraped five hours if you've got ANC turned on. That's pretty poor when you look at averages on the market, even for high-end buds, and rules them out for certain use cases.

In fact, the overall feature set is a little bit anemic, and there are a few common perks that aren't available on the Pro X. It's clear that the emphasis here is on the audio quality and design, not the handy extras that often justify a higher price.

That's the one department where the AirPods Pro 3 cleanly beat the Status Pro X; don't expect any live translation or heart rate tracking here. But Status has Apple beat in the two other main areas, and that's good enough for me.

Status Audio Pro X review: Price and release date

The Status Audio Pro X on a window sill. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in 'batches' every few months from July 2025
Costs $299 / £272 / AU$470
Pricier than big-name rivals

The first thing to know about the Pro X is that they’re not cheap gadgets; these are pricey buds that bump elbows with some top-notch rivals.

The official retail price for the Status Audio Pro X is $299 / £272 / AU$470, though it’s worth noting that you can pre-order them for $249 / £226 / AU$384. When I say ‘pre-order’, I don’t mean that the buds aren’t out, but (at the time of writing at least) Status is selling them in waves, with one every couple of months. For the purpose of this review I’m taking the RRP as the real price of the buds though.

That price means the buds cost more than the new AirPods Pro 3, which go for $249 / £219 / AU$429 and roughly match the option that tops our best earbuds list, the Technics EAH-AZ100, which go for $299 / £259 / AU$478.

In other words, I went into this review expecting great things.

One more thing: the Pro X's predecessor, the excellent Status Between 3ANC, cost $249 (approx. £249 / AU$399).

Status Audio Pro X review: Specs

Drivers	12mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)
Weight	5g (buds) 48g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IP55

Status Audio Pro X review: Features

Poor battery life
Decent noise cancellation
Fewer features than rivals

According to Status Audio, the Pro X will last for 8 hours of listening time, with the charging case extending it to 24 hours in total. That figure must be for listening with ANC turned off, because when it was enabled, I got a far shorter listening time: roughly four and a half to five hours. That’s not exactly a competitive stat as it falls below average by a considerable way.

A better feature is the noise cancellation which, while not best-in-class, was solid enough to plaster over annoying background noises. The Ambient mode is one of the better examples of pass-through sound I’ve used, with surrounding sounds fed into your headphones without sounding amplified at all.

You can toggle between these modes using the Status Hub app which also lets you customize the touch controls, choose between one of five equalizer presets (plus a custom mode with an eight-band EQ for the audiophiles), find the buds if you’ve lost them (with location tracking and audio cues), set up multi-point connection and toggle whether your voice is hidden by the ANC when you talk in the phone. Hidden in the app’s settings is a Dynamic EQ mode which boosts bass and treble when the volume is low – it’s turned off by default though.

There are a few features which you may expect at this price point that you’re not getting, including surround-sound audio (see 'spatial audio'), toggle-able wearer detection, fit tests or the ability to change codec or music stream bitrate. The slender feature set is something we’ve knocked past Status buds for and while there are more here (the Between 3ANC didn’t let you change touch controls, for example, and GPS buds tracking is a great tool), I’d still like to see a little more to justify the price.

In terms of connection specs, the Pro X supports SBC, AAC and LDAC, at 24-bit/96 kHz. In my testing I didn’t have any connection issues between the buds and my phone.

Features score: 3/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Design

Classy look for bud and case
Handy touch controls
Case supports wireless charging

The Status Audio Pro X are some of the more refined earbuds I’ve tested this year in terms of design. They’re stem-toting buds, although ‘stem’ feels like an odd choice of word for the ellipsoid pillars standing tall from the earbuds.

Despite the size of the stems, which made me worry about the reliability of the ear fit, the Pro X stayed in my ears without any shifting or issues. The touch controls worked well and were easy to use, thanks to the size of the sensor area so you don’t need any precision to pause or skip your music.

The buds have an IP55 rating against dust ingress and jets of water, so don’t submerge them in puddles or sinks if you want them to keep working.

Now onto the case; it’s a small oblong box that weighs about 48g (according to my kitchen scales, though I couldn’t find an official figure from Status Audio). It’s not too huge a case although I did notice it in my trouser pocket. I like how it shares obvious design DNA with the earbuds, though I do feel Status missed a trick by not copying the buds’ two-tone shading.

In a neat addition, the case supports wireless charging, so you don’t need to rely on its USB-C port if you don’t want to.

Something I need to mention is that, during testing, one of the earbud charging connectors in the case stopped working. I wrote this off as an anomalous error and Status were quick to replace the test unit with another one – which didn’t break – but I feel compelled to mention the issue after I discovered a Reddit post in which people shared stories of the same issue happening, albeit in past Status buds.

Design score: 4/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Sound quality

12mm driver + dual balanced armature drivers
Equalizer plus loads of presets
Max volume should be higher

Status is putting all its eggs in the ‘sound quality’ basket with the Pro X. The buds have not one, not two but three drivers: a 12mm dynamic driver and two Knowles balanced armature drivers, with the triumvirate designed to individually hit bass, middle and treble respectively.

This gambit pays off: the Pro X sound fantastic and you won’t find much better on the market in the wireless realm. By default the sound profile is neutral, but the aforementioned app presets let you pull oodles of treble or bass out of your tunes – once you work out what each means, due to the lack of a guide (take a guess which has more bass: Status Signature, Status Audiophile or Knowles Preferred? That’s right, there’s no way of knowing – and that’s the only information you’re given). Whatever your taste, you’ll be able to cater your listening to it.

Treble is distinct and sparkling, while bass is well-defined and mids remain clear and strong. The quality is high, and you can hear the inflection in vocals and the squeak of fingers on a guitar string. There isn’t as defined a soundstage as on some other high-end buds though, beyond the natural separation that you can perceive when the quality of lines is higher.

The Pro X don’t go quite as loud as I would’ve liked either; a few times when I was listening outdoors they didn’t reach the volume or oomph I’d have liked to combat noisy situations, despite the decent noise cancellation.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Status Audio Pro X review: Value

Let's be clear, these are pricey buds
…but you can save money with pre-order

It’s always hard to defend the value proposition of top-end buds. After all, premium tech simply doesn’t give you value for money; you can buy decent buds for a third of the price that don’t drop the quality by a third – and the gains sonically here are absolutely worthy if you value them, but they're incremental.

So Status goes a long way to justifying the Pro X’s price with the high-quality audio and premium design, but the question of whether they’re great value for money would be a lot easier to answer if the feature set was more fleshed out.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Status Audio Pro X?

Status Pro X score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The unimpressive battery life and lack of super features hurts the buds	3/5
Design	These look great and fit into ears well.	4/5
Sound quality	The specs don't lie, and three drivers makes the audio sound fantastic.	4.5/5
Value	Can you expect great value from premium tech? This is pretty good, though the feature set would sway the needle.	3.5/5

Buy them if…

You want top-notch audio
The Status Pro X are audiophile's earbuds, not just for the high quality but for the versatility through the equalizer and presets.

You're an Android user
I can see these being a popular alternative to AirPods Pro 3 for their similar price and fantastic audio chops, and actually working on Android.

You like the style
It's hard to be objective when it comes to looks, but if you like the way the Status Pro X looks, they're a good buy.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need long-lasting battery
These buds won't see you through a work day if you listen with noise cancellation.

You're on a budget
If you've set yourself an upper limit to how much you're willing to spend on buds, I'd be surprised if the Pro X fit it.

Status Audio Pro X review: Also consider

	Status Pro X	Status Between 3ANC	AirPods Pro 3	Technics EAH-AZ100
Drivers	12mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers	10mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers	Custom driver, custom amplifier	10mm driver
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)	8 hours (buds) 30 hours (case)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)	12 hours (buds) 17 hours (case)
Weight	5g (buds) 48g (case)	13.6g (buds)	5.5g (buds) 44g (case)	5.9g (buds) 42g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IP55	IPX5	IP57	IPX4

AirPods Pro 3
Apple's latest undercut Status in price a little and have a much more impressive feature set, but don't have the same audio hardware (or impressive looks).

Technics EAH-AZ100
These slightly more affordable earbuds sound great and are small and comfortable to wear, even if they don't have the audio specs of the Status.

See our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review

How I tested the Status Audio Pro X

Tested for one month
Tested at home, in the office and on walks

As I mentioned earlier in this review, I tested two review samples of the Status Pro X due to one breaking, and it means the total testing period for the buds exceeded a month, longer than we usually give buds.

I paired the buds with my Android phone and used apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube and WhatsApp for various types of testing. I listened at home, on various types of public transport and on walks around my neighborhood.

I've been reviewing gadgets at TechRadar since early 2019 and have tested many different earbuds in that time.

First reviewed in September 2025

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Nothing Ear (3) earbuds look fantastic next to my phone and the ANC is solid –but I’m not sure the audio quality is good enough for this money

11:35 am | September 26, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: ANC, Apple Music, LDAC, Sony Xperia | Comments: Off

Nothing Ear (3): Two-minute review

Okay, so it's still hard to stop oneself from playing a game of Spot the Difference concerning Nothing's earbuds offering – but what of it? Apple's AirPods lineup is much the same, no? The problem is that this time (unlike Nothing's last major earbuds release, which came in at $50 / £30 cheaper than their older siblings) there's a price hike involved; and simply put, I'm not quite sure the extra perks here do enough to justify the extra outlay.

Sure, I'd say the new Nothing Ear (3) are they still among the best earbuds of the year – but one option in the duo of buds they replace has dropped so low in price that they've actually jumped into our best budget earbuds buying guide. So you see, to build a case for paying quite a bit extra for the new Ear (3), they'd need to be quite a bit better – and that's where I'm struggling.

To put the pricing into context, their closest rivals now would no longer be Sony's class-leading WF-C710N, which sell for around $120 / £100. No, at $179 / £179 / AU$299, the Nothing Ear (3) aren't exactly rubbing shoulders with the likes of the $299 / £299 / AU$450 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), but they have moved up a level – and it's tough company to keep.

There's no head-tracked spatial audio support (the device- and service-agnostic spatial audio option is either 'Static' or 'off') in the Ear (3), and although the ANC is solid and a new 'Super Mic' is fun to play with in calls, it hasn't become the new must-have earbuds feature for me – and if it was going to appeal to anyone, someone who remembers a world of landline phones only was probably the Nothing Ear (3)'s best shot.

My biggest gripe is the battery life, which I'll explain fully later. That said, I experienced no small sense of pride when wearing and showing off the Ear (3), thanks to the new aluminum 'elevated' build quality and finish – along with the return of the fidget-spinner case detail.

Is all of this enough to make the Ear (3) a hit? Perhaps, when you consider that the splendid hearing tests remain, along with advanced EQ tabs and LDAC support – all of which make the sound engaging, if a shade off excellent for dynamic nuance and treble clarity. Oh, and it's worth noting that if you have a Nothing phone, that Super Mic becomes a quick transcription tool, which admittedly makes it much more useful (I don't have a Nothing handset, so I'm typing out this review, dear reader)…

Nothing Ear (3) being tested on a commuter train late at night — (Image credit: Future)

For anyone scratching their heads as to how many Nothing earbuds iterations we're into now (because it certainly isn't three), Nothing fully admits its earbuds naming strategy to date may not have been the smartest. So to explain, the Ear (3) is an update on the flagship Nothing Ear primarily, but also on the Nothing Ear (a), which both launched in April 2024 on the self-same day – with the cheaper pair still sitting happily at the tippy-top of our best budget earbuds guide.

And here's my problem with that: a quick scan of current prices reveals that the aforementioned five-star Nothing Ear (a) are currently available for $89 / £69, which means they're half the price of the new Ear (3). And honestly, that makes the newest set even harder to recommend…

Nothing Ear (3) review: Price & release date

Released on September 18, 2025
Priced $179 / £179 / AU$299

The Nothing Ear (3) come in black or white finishes (no yellow this time around), and at this pricier level – Nothing's previous flagship Nothing Ear arrived with a list price of $149 / £129 / AU$249 – their closest competition may even be Apple's AirPods Pro 3, which retail for $249 / £219 / AU$429.

Yes, there's still a $70 / £40 difference between Apple's new top-tier AirPods Pro and Nothing's best buds, but if your budget stretches a bit further it does bring Apple's flagship earbuds into the conversation. And given that those AirPods now offer heart-rate monitoring, live translation and better stamina, Nothing is squaring up against some stiff competition.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Specs

Drivers	12mm custom driver
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	Buds: 5.5hrs (with ANC; up to 10 hours without) Total with case: 22hrs (ANC on; up to 38 hours without)
Weight	5.2g per earbud
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, USB-C
Frequency range	20Hz–40 kHz
Waterproofing	IP54 buds
Other features	New Super Mic case, 3 mics per earbud, Nothing X App support, Custom EQ with Advanced options, Static Spatial Audio, Personal Sound (Audiodo)

Nothing Ear (3) screen grab of three app images, showing the personal sound curation software — (Image credit: Nothing)

Nothing Ear (3) review: Features

'Static' spatial audio and Personal Sound curation
Total Radiated Power (TRP) up 15%; Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS) up 20%
'First of its kind Super Mic' in the charging case

Like many of tech's heavy-hitters (Samsung, Sony, Apple, I'm looking at you), Nothing would love to snag you and embroil you in its ecosystem with the promise of walled garden perks – and here, Nothing really does start to come into its own.

The ace up the collective sleeve of Nothing's earbuds prior to now has been that for owners of the Nothing Phone (3), the Phone (2), Phone (1) and Phone (2a) – because Nothing has been far more sensible concerning the naming of its handsets – Nothing has offered instant access to ChatGPT via a pinch-to-speak motion on the stems. Now, users of a Nothing smartphone can use the Super Mic on Nothing Ear (3)'s case to capture transcription of your voice notes, which will sync to your on-device 'Essential Space' for easy location.

Nothing calls Super Mic a "first of its kind" breakthrough, and although it initially struck me as very similar to the 'record' button on the Viaim RecDot earbuds, there are of course those aforementioned walled-garden perks.

Otherwise, Nothing's Super Mic is quite like those little clip-on wireless mics that content creators like to hold very close to their mouths (does this look a bit silly to anyone else?). Nothing calls Super Mic a "breakthrough dual-microphone system driven by ambient-filtering technology."

In a nutshell, the dual MEMS beamforming mics built into the case are designed to hone in on your voice, cutting through surrounding noise (up to 95dB is the claim) for clearer capture in calls or notes – and in my tests, it worked well. On a very blustery day on the cliffs and beaches of the UK's 'Jurassic coast' in Dorset, I found using the Super Mic over the three-mics-per-bud in the earpieces a welcome aid; "much better" was the general feedback from calls.

You're also getting Bluetooth v5.4 (the older set used 5.3), and LDAC support for hi-res audio (the Sony-developed codec that lets you stream high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth at up to 990kbps), which is a valuable inclusion at any level, but will benefit Android users most since iPhones can't support LDAC natively.

There's now onboard spatial audio wizardry too, irrespective of your phone or the music service you're streaming from – but only the 'static' kind (so you don't get to use your phone as a fixed-point source device) and in my tests, it was a little clunky and not quite as immersive or convincing as similar offerings from Bose, LG or of course Apple.

However, you do get in-ear detection (to pause music when they're out and resume it when they're in), an Auto-Transparency mode to make transparency kick in whenever you're on a phone call, an ear tip Fit Test, Find My earbuds (which issues a trigger sound from whichever earbud you've lost), a Low Lag toggle for gaming, issue-free multipoint to two devices, a Bass Enhancement toggle, an 8-tab EQ graph that lets you adjust both gain and the actual frequency of certain registers (provided you're prepared to switch off the spatial audio augmentation), and Personal Sound.

This last perk is perhaps my favorite, because the tests only take around three minutes – they involve sounds at different frequencies being piped into each ear, getting gradually quieter until you tap the screen to say you hear nothing – but the result (a fully curated personal sound profile) is very good indeed.

Now, the noise cancellation: hit ANC (rather than 'Transparency' or 'Off') and you can pick from High, Mid, Low, and Adaptive profiles. High is not bad at all – and it shouldn't be when the claim is 45dB (effective to 5kHz). The Transparency option is still signified by a woman exhaling, and it's still one of the best prompts in the business (aside from Matt Berry in Cambridge's headphones and earbuds), and it too is perfectly acceptable. But here's the thing: I did not find any of the ANC profiles better than on the Nothing Ear (a), which makes sense because that 45dB claim is the same as the older model.

And when that older model is now half the price of these newer earbuds, you have to be asking yourself if a Super Mic in the case and spatial audio that doesn't offer dynamic head-tracking is worth the extra outlay.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

Nothing Ear (3) review: Sound quality

LDAC adds to the performance (but the spatial audio can be beaten)
Forward, full-bodied sound
A shade off excellent for dynamic nuance

Occasionally in hi-fi circles, you'll come across the 'integrated hi-fi listen versus fun and exciting' sonic debate concerning portable audio. It boils down to this: do you want a faithfully accurate, neutral representation of a recording with everything as intended, or an energetic, potentially more emotive version of the track?

In the second option, certain frequencies might be augmented just slightly, to give you the 'feels' of a live gig from small drivers fitted into your ear. And the odd thing is that what you may think you want may not actually be what your ear prefers (as mystical and strange as that may sound)…

Anyway, the Nothing Ear (3) sit firmly in the latter camp. What you'll get here is excitement, energy, bass clout and oomph. Those with a Sony smartphone (I'm still using the Sony Xperia 1 IV, because it isn't broken, so why would I fix it?) will find LDAC codec files are delivered with extra expanse and detail over more 'vanilla' Bluetooth streaming, but the tuning is the same regardless – very little has been held back.

Streaming Fontaines D.C.'s Starburster is a head-nodding celebration of the track, where drum fills and Grian Chatten's voice leap two-footed into each ear with all of the bite and impetus the group could possibly want, but there is a downside. Some lesser backing vocals and sloping string elements occasionally get lost just slightly; it's hard to compete when so much emphasis and energy is placed on sounds at the forefront.

Yes, there are plenty of ways to tweak things more to your liking in the Nothing X app and here, the eight-tab EQ graph is the place to go – it does help. What I personally would leave well alone is the Bass Booster. It isn't necessary – this is a meaty listen from the box. Also, I'd tone down the treble; I know my own ear is sensitive to these frequencies, but nevertheless, stream Kate Bush's Army Dreamers and if you're anything like me you'll hear occasional harshness through the treble that can become a little wearying.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

Nothing Ear (3) three screen-grabs from the Nothing X app, showing how to use the new super mic — See how Ear (a) is just slightly bigger than Ear (2), across the board? (Image credit: Nothing)

Nothing Ear (3) review: Design

Solid, cool, pocketable case with 'TALK' button
IP54 earbuds are secure – but the comfort levels can now be beaten
Nothing's design language is even more striking now

After switching out to the smaller ear tips (you get four in total now: an XS, S and L options are supplied in addition to the pre-fitted M set), Nothing's ear tip fit test tells me I've nailed the fit.

I say that if you've got smaller ears I really would encourage you to try before you buy – and my guide to the best earbuds for small ears is worth consulting – because I found the driver housing just that little bit harder to accommodate this time around. It could be because of that larger 12mm driver (and "patterned diaphragm" which Nothing claims gives these buds "a 20% larger radiating area when compared to the previous generation"), or it could be because said earpiece is mounted at a slightly different angle to the stem now – see a close-up of Ear (3) next to the Ear (a) above – but they weren't as comfortable this time.

Nothing Ear (3) on the left, Nothing Ear (a) on the right, on a wooden table in close-up, to show marginal tweaks to the design — (Image credit: Future)

On this, readers might simply remark "Well, they're based on AirPods, can't really knock them for that – Apple did it first" but here's the thing: AirPods are different now! You might not have spotted it because it's all very new (and the heart-rate monitor and live translation perks have hogged headlines), but the AirPods Pro 3's fit has been completely reworked. I'm working on a full review of those too (they keep me chained up in TR HQ you know) but even at this early stage and during my testing, I can tell you that for me, the AirPods Pro 3 are much comfier than the Nothing Ear (3) now.

Nothing's pinch stems still work really well, but again (and at the risk of sounding like a broken record) it's only as good as the older, cheaper Nothing set. You can still customize what the morse code short- and long-press combinations do for each stem – including volume – and they also work with gloves on, unlike a lot of touch-capacitive solutions.

Now, the new case. If you've got a metallic-finish smartphone, the Nothing Ear (3) are going to look glorious beside it. Aesthetics really is one of Nothing's strong suits, and these earbuds are the ace in the pack. 'Elevated' is the word Nothing's team keep repeating on this; and it's true, they look more high-end now. There's a new custom Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) antenna, engineered to just 0.35 mm thick, that now runs along the still-see-through stems of the earbuds to keep connections stronger than ever. It's the same, but refined – it looks like a more expensive version of what was there before.

And if it's elevation we need to be focusing on, the charging nest is the thing that's, er, risen the most. It is now crafted from a block of 100% recycled aluminum and CNC machine finished through 27 processes. Nano injection moulding also "fuses the metal and transparent plastic without glue, achieving tight ±0.03mm tolerances for a seamless, compact body" according to Nothing, so there's no glue anywhere here. And the shiny 'TALK' button is placed directly under a nice snappy magnet where the case opens. Nothing assures me it has been positioned so that you won't cover it with your hand, and the green light-up LED to denote that you're recording is a strong touch.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

Nothing Ear (3) earbuds beside a phone with the advanced EQ filter showing — Rarely have I had so many colleagues strike up a conversation with me over a set of earbuds (Image credit: Future)

Nothing Ear (3) review: Value

Great-looking earbuds
LDAC adds sound-per-pound value
…but this is higher-end territory, and the Nothing Ear (a) still exist

The older Nothing earbuds were near-rivals for Sony's cheaper earbuds, but that's no longer the case: Sony's excellent affordable WF-C710N cost $119 / £100 / AU$189, so they're in a different category to the $179 / £179 Nothing Ear (3).

And although there's a lot to enjoy in the Ear (3), unless you have a Nothing handset for transcription features, the Super Mic really is just a better mic for calls and certain voice notes – it doesn't support WhatsApp voice notes (yet), which I explain in more depth in my early Ear (3) experiential.

The personalization is very very good, but the audio has suffered a little for me in this iteration, becoming a little harsher through the treble on occasion, probably due to the slightly bigger driver and tweaked acoustic architecture.

Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the Nothing Ear (3)?

Section	Notes	Score
Features	Solid spec sheet, but the Super Mic is really only a standout feature if you own a Nothing phone	4.5/5
Sound quality	Zeal and get up and go to a fault? Almost. They're vigorous and exciting, but there's occasional treble harshness	4/5
Design	Beautiful design language, but the earpieces are no longer among the comfiest around	4.5/5
Value	Given the price of older iterations, it's hard to see huge value for money here	3/5

Buy them if...

You're a content creator
The Super Mic could be just what you're looking for to glean better voice capture – and the general aesthetic of the Nothing Ear (3) is more than Instagram-worthy

You have a Sony or Android phone
Does your phone support LDAC? Hurrah! LDAC is also back in the Ear (3), and that means better-quality wireless audio from your device on the go

You prioritize style
Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! I loved wearing these (and using the case) during my testing. Make no mistake, these are good-looking earbuds.

Don't buy them if...

You have small ears
If your concha (aka ear-well) is particularly bijou, you may struggle here. I find them that bit harder to wear compared to the Ear (a), which were already on the slightly larger side. You have been warned!

You want head-tracked spatial audio wizardry
No dice here; you get a static profile it's true, but it's not as immersive or detailed as something like the LG Tone Free T90Q (head-tracked using Dolby Atmos), or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), an admittedly premium proprietary offering that combines adaptive sound profiles with head tracking.

You're on a tight budget
The thing is this: most of the things I loved in the cheaper Ear (a) are still here in the Ear (3), and when those still exist –and for big discounts – the smart money is arguably still on the 2024 product… View Deal

Nothing Ear (3) review: Also consider

	Nothing Ear (3)	Nothing Ear (a)	Sony WF-C710N
Price	$179 / £179 / AU$299	$99 / £99 / approx AU$192	$119 / £100 / AU$189
Drivers	12mm custom	11m custom	5mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Quoted battery life	Buds: 5.5hrs (with ANC; up to 10 hours without) Total with case: 22hrs (ANC on; up to 38 hours without)	Buds: 5.5 hrs (9.5 hours without ANC Total with case: 24.5 hrs (42.5 hrs without ANC)	8.5 hrs (ANC ON) / Max. 12 hrs (ANC off); up to 30 hours with the case
Weight	5.2g	4.8g	5.2g per earpiece
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, USB-C	Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC, USB-C (no wireless charging)	Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Sony 360 Reality Audio, AAC, SBC
Frequency range	20kHz-40kHz	5000Hz range	20Hz-20kHz
Waterproofing	Yes, IP54	Yes, IP54 earbuds; IPX2 case	Yes, IPX4
Other features	Static spatial audio, Super Mic case feature, Personal sound profiles, advanced EQ		Sony 360 Reality Audio

Sony WF-C710N
If you want Sony's 360 reality Audio support as well as its LDAC hi-res codec, this money buys you that – and by "this money", I mean "cheaper than the Nothing Ear (3)". The build is plastic and doesn't feel anywhere near as premium as Nothing Ear (3), but then, they are cheaper…
Read whether it matters, in our full Sony WF-C700N review

Nothing Ear (a)
I'm putting these here because for the money, they're exceptional – and at half the price of Nothing's premium set, I'm struggling to see why you would pay double the price. Is wireless charging support, a Super Mic, static spatial audio and/or a more advanced EQ tab worth the extra outlay? That's up to you, of course, but to me the smart money may still be with the 2024 set – especially since I prefer the slightly more detailed, marginally less full-bodied audio in the Ear (a). View Deal

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
You'll have to part with a bit more money to get it, but scale that food chain and you can get the QCUE (2nd Gen) and enjoy really, really good ANC and remarkable spatial audio that works in conjunction with those talented spatial sound profiles.
Learn more in our in-depth Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review

How I tested the Nothing Ear (3)

Nothing Ear (3) three screen-grabs from the Nothing X app, introducing the new super mic — (Image credit: Nothing)

Tested for two weeks, listened against AirPods Pro 3, Bose QCUE (2nd Gen) and Technics EAH-AZ100
Listened at work (in the office, walking on a beach, on a train) and at home
Listened to Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Spotify on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, MacBook Pro and heard LDAC on Sony Xperia 1 IV

The Nothing Ear (3) became my primary musical companions for 13 days – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period.

They accompanied me to London (walking brusquely from St. Pancras Station to Waterloo owing to strike action on the London Underground and my need to get a train back to Dorset in 43 minutes!) and at home – where I actually missed delivery of a review sample owing to the efficacy of Nothing Ear (3)'s ANC.

It goes without saying that to better test the comfort levels (and battery life claims), I followed TechRadar's meticulous methodology testing. I also used TechRadar's reference playlist (spanning everything from hip-hop to folk music) on Apple Music and Tidal, and also my own musical selections and podcasts. I wore the Ear (3) to watch YouTube videos (mostly about the Austrian singer Falco, since you ask) from my MacBook Pro.

I’ve been testing audio products for well over five years. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in another life, sound quality, fit, and user experience have always been imperative for me personally, but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I know what I'm listening out for here also.

First reviewed: September 2025