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JLab Go Pop ANC review: some of the best ultra-cheap noise cancelling earbuds on the market

6:46 pm | October 15, 2024

JLab Go Pop ANC: one-minute review

The JLab Go Pop ANC have all the hallmarks of an instant budget favorite. These wireless earbuds pack in plenty of quality in the audio department, with particularly impressive bass and treble, strong active noise cancellation and a tiny, lightweight design.

By covering these core essentials, it's already hard to believe the JLab Go Pop ANC are only $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99. However, JLab has gone beyond the basics by including companion app compatibility, which lets you fully customize touch controls – a great addition for the amount you expend.

Earbuds in this price range don’t often feature ANC and although you won’t get the near-silence that some of the best wireless earbuds might offer, overall quality here is good. It’s certainly enough to keep conversations muted and loud noises dulled when you’re out in public. Similarly, sound quality – although not mind-blowing due to a relatively narrow soundstage – is still up-to-standard, thanks to energetic bass and treble output.

With a great seven hours worth of battery per bud (with ANC on), high-comfort feel and IP55 waterproof rating, you’re getting more than your money’s worth from the JLab Go Pop 4, so don’t be surprised if they appear in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds sometime soon.

JLab Go Pop ANC inside charging case being held in someone's hand — (Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: price and release date

$29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99
Launches on October 15 in the US
Expected to launch in Q1 2025 in the UK and Australia

The JLab Go Pop ANC are set to launch on October 15 in the US and although there’s no confirmed release date for the UK and Australia, it seems likely you'll see them on sale sometime in the first quarter of 2025. We’ll keep you updated with full availability info as it comes.

I tested the Black color variant, but if you want to jazz things up a bit, you’ll also be able to grab them in either Fuchsia or Teal. But arguably the main draw of these wireless earbuds is their ultra-low price. They’ll be just $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99 at launch, so you’re going to be hard pressed to find better value ANC buds.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: specs

USB-C cable on JLab Go Pop ANC charging case folded in — (Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: features

Solid ANC
Companion app compatibility
Customizable touch controls

The JLab Go Pop ANC surprised me in that they offer a fairly personalized user experience.

At the core of this is the JLab app, which offers a handful of tasty options. This includes customizable touch controls for each earbud, allowing you to choose between play/pause, volume controls, skip/previous track, voice assistant and EQ controls. I personally love touch controls, but if you find them irritating, fear not – you can deactivate them entirely in the JLab app.

I touched on EQ options there – and these are very good. There are three presets – JLab Signature (a fairly exciting sound with more of a bass/treble focus), Balanced, and Bass Boost. You can also alter EQ to your personal taste with a Custom option. In a similar vein, there are also Music and Movie modes to choose from, depending on the sort of media you’re consuming.

The main event, though, is ANC. You can adjust the strength of this with an in-app slider or simply switch between Noise Canceling and Be Aware mode – the latter of which lets in more ambient sound. And ANC quality itself is good overall. You’re not going to get the near-silence you'd expect from some of the best noise cancelling earbuds, though. What the Go Pop ANC can do is effectively dull external noise – I was unable to clearly make out conversations when in the office and playing music at medium-high volume. You can’t ask for much better at this price-point.

Finally, you’re getting good battery life out of these buds. They can survive for approximately 24 hours with a fully juiced charging case and you’ll get seven hours out of each earbud with ANC on. When testing this over the course of an entire work-day, I found the seven-hour timeframe to be accurate after listening at medium-high volume.

Features score: 4.5/5

JLab Go Pop ANC inside charging case, against a pink background — (Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: sound quality

Sparkling treble; impressive bass
Mids not so prominent
Limited tinniness and distortion

For some super-cheap wireless earbuds, the JLab Go Pop ANC fare well in the audio-quality realm. It’s worth noting upfront, you’re not getting great audio here. The soundstage is pretty narrow and details won’t be fully realized. As you’d anticipate, there’s nothing fancy on offer like ‘lossless’ audio codecs, so if you’re an audiophile, it might be worth looking elsewhere (and perhaps spending a little more too).

But for buds like this, none of that matters all that much. For the most part, I used the default JLab Signature EQ setting and found that bass was surprisingly impactful and treble was sharp enough to add some flair to the overall listening experience.

When listening to I Want You by Moloko, instrumental separation was admittedly quite limited, with the complex mix a little constrained. However, the actual punch of the bass was still satisfying, synths had a cutting, prominent edge and there was little-to-no tinniness, even at high volumes.

I also tried tuning into Black Eye by Allie X. The track’s all-action intro was replicated well; the depth of the drum machine came through nicely and the dynamism of the bouncing bass line – which connects up to the lower-mid range – was responsive. I didn’t sense incredible agility or explosiveness when listening to this track, but for some budget wireless earbuds these replicated the intended energy accurately.

If you’re really into podcasts, these earbuds might not be ideal for you, though. Mids can be pushed a little bit towards the background, so vocal-heavy media doesn’t always sound perfectly clear. Of course, you can make EQ adjustments in the JBL app to partially offset this, but these earbuds are really at their best when leaning into their strengths in the lower and higher-end frequencies.

Audio is decent for calls, however. I made a phone call, Messenger video call and Google Meet video call and the quality was decently clear across the board. The only problem here is that higher-pitched sounds have a bit of a hiss, but this is a pretty common issue, even with a lot of the more expensive wireless earbuds out there.

Sound quality score: 3.5/5

JLab Go Pop ANC outside of charging case on a stone surface — (Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: design

Pleasingly lightweight
Super-small build
Admittedly a tad cheap-looking

Something that I instantly loved about the JLab Go Pop ANC was their ultra-lightweight, compact build. These factors combine to give them a truly minimalistic profile – both in terms of feel and aesthetic. I happily kept these buds in across multiple full work days without any irritation or discomfort.

Looks-wise, I have mixed feelings here. Given their price, I wasn’t expecting beautiful quality, but I still wasn’t won over by the plastic JLab logo etched on the outside of each bud. That is me nitpicking, though. Ultimately, these are a little cheap-looking across the board, from bud to charging case, but they aren’t off-putting by any means.

Another design aspect that could be better is the color options. Don’t get me wrong, the fact there are options at all is a nice touch – but both the purple/maroon Fuchsia and the Teal colors didn’t do it for me. They lack vibrancy, but don’t have a mild, classy look either, floating in an awkward middle ground. The classic Black will be perfectly fine for most, however.

Practically speaking though, these are very well designed. The charging case is tiny, perfect for carrying in your pocket. It also has a USB-C cable that's folded inside the base of the case, which is incredibly handy for charging on-the-go (although if you were hoping for a new USB-C to USB-C cable for general use, you'll be disappointed; this one's permanently attached to its product). The buds themselves are also IP55 rated, meaning they’re both sweat and splashproof – ideal for workouts or if, like me, you live in a rainy English city.

Design score: 4/5

USB-C cable on JLab Go Pop ANC charging case folded out — (Image credit: Future)

JLab Go Pop ANC review: value

Incredibly cheap wireless earbuds
Very impressive sound quality at this level
ANC at this price-point a rarity

OK, spoiler alert, these get full marks in the value department, but honestly, reader, I expect you saw that coming. ANC, app compatibility and solid audio quality all for less than $30 / £30 / AU$70 – that’s truly exceptional.

ANC especially is a massive win for wireless earbuds in this price range. It’s quite unusual to find this feature for so little – not to mention that the actual ANC quality is admirable. In the context of its cost, the sound quality is strong here too. Sure, it’s nothing mind-blowing and audiophiles will likely find a few faults – but their exciting sound signature is still very much enjoyable.

Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the JLab Go Pop ANC?

Buy them if...

You’re on a budget but want ANC
Active noise cancellation at $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$69.99? Go on then. There aren’t too many competitors offering ANC for this little and given the actual quality is good here too, these buds are an absolute steal.

You want some small, lightweight buds
These buds are absolutely tiny – even their case is as diminutive as it gets. On top of that they feel about as heavy as a feather, which combined with their high-comfort fit makes them ideal if you want to lock in for a long listening session.

Don't buy them if...

You’re an audiophile
Right, so as much as the sound quality here is great for the price, it’s still not going to be enough to impress audiophiles. There are no fancy Bluetooth codecs here like LDAC and the soundstage is a tad narrow. As a result, audiophiles, you’ll almost certainly have to splash a bit more cash to get the rich sound quality you crave.

You’re a fashionista first, listener second
For all their perks, I can’t lie, these buds haven’t won me over looks-wise. The plastic JLab logo on the buds isn’t the easiest on the eye and the color options weren’t my thing either. If you want to look a bit more stylish, it may be worth looking at another strong budget option, like the (still) amazing Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW.

JLab Go Pop ANC: Also consider

EarFun Air Pro 3
The EarFun Air Pro 3 are probably the closest competitor to the JLab Go Pop ANC when it comes to pound-for-pound value. With solid ANC and sound quality, Bluetooth LE Audio support and a lightweight design they hit all of the right notes. Their stem-like look might not be for everyone, so weigh up whether that more out-of-the-box appearance is for you before picking them over these brilliant JLab buds. Read our full EarFun Air Pro 3 review.

Sony WF-C700N
Right, these are admittedly a fair step-up over the JLab Go Pop ANC price-wise. However, I’ve seen these go on sale for as little as $98 / £67 on Amazon UK and US respectively – that’s great value. I personally own these buds and you get impressive, customizable sound, plenty of fun features and perfect comfort levels. The ANC here is very competent too, so given that these are budget earbuds, you’re not sacrificing much at all on quality. Read our full Sony WF-C700N review.

JLab Go Pop ANC review: How I tested

Tested over the course of one week
Used in the office, at home and while on walks
Predominantly tested using Spotify on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

I tested the JLab Go Pop ANC over an intense week-long period, keeping the buds in for the majority of my work days. I used them at the office, while at home and when on walks to grasp the competency of ANC in multiple environments.

Although I predominantly tested these wireless earbuds using Spotify on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, I did also try using them while using both Tidal and YouTube. When listening to music, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres but also tuned in to hours worth of bangers from my personal library.

Where appropriate, I compared these to my Sony WF-C700N earbuds on metrics such as comfort, audio quality, ANC capabilities and features.

JLab Go Pop ANC in-ear — (Image credit: Future)

First reviewed: October 2024
Read more about how we test

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds review: ‘feature-packed’ is an understatement, but JBL’s own cheaper version makes them a tough sell

11:30 am |

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

JBL Tour Pro 3: Two-minute review

Sometimes, we can become victims of our own success. Are the new JBL Tour Pro 3 some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds I've ever tested? They're emphatically the most feature-packed I've ever used, bar none, and that is wholly commendable. A quick scroll through the on-screen menu options is testament to that. These flagship earbuds do so much; to your music, to the voice of anyone you talk to during calls, to the ambient sounds around you, to your in-game experience, to broadcast audio to your friends – I could go on (I will go on, don't worry).

So why do you sense a 'but' coming? Well, since the arrival of the January 2023-issue JBL Tour Pro 2 upon which this third-gen flagship set are built, JBL has offered much of its once-flagship tech to the cheaper Live 3 earbuds (which come in three flavors: 'toothbrush-head' Beam, 'open-ear-ish' Flex and 'no-tail' Buds propositions) including that super-impressive smart case. Which is good, right?

Yes, except it means that justifying the price hike from $199.95 / £179.99 for the excellent JBL Live Beam 3 up to $299.99 / £279.99 for the Tour Pro 3 isn't easy. And making a case for buying the flagship set only becomes harder when you discover that the more budget set is now available for a bit less; a quick UK scan proved you can buy the Live Beam 3 for £149.99 – and I'd suggest that they're amazing value for that money.

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds on floral background — (Image credit: Future)

So what are the upgrades here? Let's not mess around, I'll tell you right now: you now get two color choices – black and a new 'latte' caramel-type finish – and the screen is 30% larger than the older Tour. Also the case a little smaller than that of the Tour Pro 2, but it's still bigger than the Live Beam 3.

The headline-grabber is that this case is now a transmitter (see the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 or LG Tone Free T90S for similar) meaning that with the included 3.5mm-to-USB-C cable, you can hook up to the in-flight movie system in your airplane seat (say) and broadcast the audio to your buds – but like B&W's option, it'll do it in high-quality audio, this time using LE Audio and the LC3 codec.

The JBL Tour Pro 3's case is also one of the first registered Auracast source devices in portable audio, which means anyone in the vicinity with Auracast-enabled headphones (there aren't too many about right now, but they're coming) could also join to hear the sound being transmitted, and you can add a password if you don't want random listeners hooking up to your broadcast.

JBL's Spatial Audio 360 is onboard too, which now includes head-tracked, device-agnostic immersive audio helped by an updated algorithm; L/R balance optimization; 12 EQ bands to tailor things sonically and JBL's new Personi-Fi 3.0 update. Personi-Fi helps to personalize the sound to your liking, creating a sound profile based on your hearing by giving you an otoacoustic test of sorts (more on this later).

Under the driver housing there's now a hybrid 10.2mm cellulose dynamic driver coupled with a 5.1mm x 2.8mm balanced armature setup, which splits the audio signal so different frequencies go to their optimized drivers. Codec support is also better: in addition to SBC and AAC, hi-res LDAC joins the party when listening wirelessly – great news for Sony Xperia or other Android phone owners.

JBL also claims its new AI algorithm means the company's True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 with 'smart calibration' is actually able to tackle what it calls 'incident noises' – think unusual, one-off sounds rather than constant jet engine cabin noise.

If that sounds like a lot for it to offer over the Live Beam 3, it is and it isn't. The difference in screen size is negligible to the eye and for me the case is a touch on the bulky side to be truly pocketable. It'll come down to whether you want that head-tracked spatial audio (which is very good indeed), the transmitter in the case, and/or an Auracast source device. If you're not worried about those last two perks, I cannot build a compelling case for paying the significant price hike over the Live Beam 3.

Add to this the fact that for me, the Tour Pro 3 earbuds themselves are on the large side (despite the addition of foam tips as well as silicone, I struggled to get them to stay put in my ears) plus the fact that, like the cheaper set, you still need to make a compromise in terms of on-ear control options and you'll see why I can't give them the full five stars – or the 4.5-star verdict their cheaper siblings get – despite the plethora of perks.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Price & release date

Unveiled on August 21, 2024
Priced $299.95 / £279.99 / (approx.) AU$545

OK, so the JBL Tour Pro 3 are not cheap. What to say about the asking price? Well, the aforementioned flagship Bowers & Wilkins earbuds (which coincidentally launched on the same day and also offer a case transmission feature – but no spatial audio processing) are even more expensive, at $399 / £349 / AU$699.

Elsewhere, Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds also come in at $299 / £299 / AU$449; Technics' excellent EAH-AZ80 are $299 / £259 / AU$499 as well, and the Final ZE8000 MK2 are $399 / £289 (around AU$609), where available.

It's worth noting that the older Tour Pro 2 launched in January 2023 at MSRPs of $249.95 / £220 / AU$350, so there's been a $50 / £50 price hike this time around. Given the upgraded specs listed, you could say that the new asking fee doesn't seem unreasonable. On the other hand, I really think the small matter of the splendid $199.95 / £179.99 / AU$249 JBL Live Beam 3 remains a thorn in this Pro set's side…

JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds held in a hand, with navy floral background — (Image credit: Future)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Specs

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Features

Excellent spatial audio with head-tracking
Case retransmission feature adds value
Noise cancellation is good rather than excellent

Before I launch headfirst into what the Tour Pro 3 do incredibly well, if you want Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or AirPods Pro 2 levels of active noise cancellation, you don't quite get it from JBL Tour Pro 3. When I deploy ANC (and here you can select from a seven-step slider or pick 'Adaptive ANC' to have JBL's algorithm sort it) I do feel the noise floor drop, but that cocooned, bubble-of-silence feeling is never quite achieved.

This may be in part to the fit and seal I was personally able to get – despite the in-app 'Check my best fit' test telling me I'd got it just fine and toggling 'Auto compensation' on, in the ANC customization tab (which promises to check wearing and ear canal status to adjust ANC in real time) the Tour Pro 3 never felt incredibly secure in my ears, and this does contribute to sound leakage and passive isolation.

However fervent the claims JBL makes about its souped-up True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 with 'smart calibration' (the company says it does a good job of nixing 'incident noises' as well as regular low-level constants), I never quite feel it. Don't get me wrong: there is a marked difference to the level of extraneous noise that seeps in, but it isn't wholly cancelled, and the Tour Pro 3 never perform as well as the options listed above in this area.

Now, the really very good bits: spatial audio. Oh, it's good. When I cue up Rod Stewart's Handbags & Gladrags, the drums sit over on my right as flutes join in, somewhere behind my brainstem. Honestly, as I deploy head-tracking and turn my head slowly away from my phone, I notice when Stewart belts a little too close into the mic, or a key is miss-played in a chord – or that there's actually a conversation barely audible, during the last chorus. You don't get this head-tracked spatial audio support with the cheaper Live Beam 3. Is it worth the $100 / £100 price hike? If they only fit a little better for me, probably… but I'm getting ahead of myself (the sound and design sections come later).

Now the screen: it's just as snappy as the one you'll find on the JBL Live Beam 3 and although marginally bigger, it doesn't do an awful lot more. Functional screens (ear tip sound settings; toggling between Bluetooth and transmitter mode; options within spatial sound) are here, but the chief benefit here is still the lock-screen wallpaper.

Elsewhere, JBL really has thrown everything and the kitchen sink at these earbuds. Top of the pile is Personi-Fi 3.0, but here again I find myself backtracking to the Live Beam 3 and trying to justify whether they're worth a price hike. I absolutely loved Personi-Fi 2.0, in the Live Beam 3, and I'm not 100% sure how this has been upgraded – because I once again took the test (which involves listening to various tones and lifting your finger from a button when you can no longer hear them) to create a test report and your own personal augmented profile, and once again I got the self-same result. I still love the effect of it in the Tour Pro 3, but I can get it for cheaper in the Live Beam 3…

Call-handling is again very good, thanks (again) to the numerous options you have available to enhance the experience, including Sound Level Optimiser, which balances the volume of the voice on the other end of the line; Sound Setting, to increase the bass or treble of the voice at the other end of the phone, or keep things "natural"; Voice Setting, aka same thing but for your own dulcet tones in the call; VoiceAware, which is a slider to control how much of your own voice you'd like to hear during calls; and Private Call Mode, which actually lets you remove one bud and use it as a mic – ie. to talk a little quieter and keep the conversation on the down-low. Again, it's all very good, but you can get it in the Live Beam 3 too, for less.

You get the same six EQ presets as the Live Beam 3 too, or the ability to create your own, plus Adaptive EQ for automatic adjustments in real-time with the option of toggling on "Low Volume EQ" to boost highs and lows if listening at low volumes, plus "Leakage Compensation", to help the sonics if the tips you've fitted don't offer a perfect seal.

And of course, here you also get a transmitter mode. Do you take a lot of flights? You'll love it and so will the person sitting next to you, who won't entangle themselves in any headphone cables when trying to politely nip past you and your tray table. Also, the Tour Pro 3's case is an Auracast source device, if you've got friends with (new, Bluetooth 5.2 and later) earbuds that can join the party. Will I personally use these features often? No. But they are extra perks in a set of earbuds that already offered myriad features.

The JBL Tour Pro 3 offer an admirable battery life of up to 44 hours in total – 11 hours from the buds plus three more full charges with ANC off. If you're always using ANC, it's eight hours plus three more full charges with ANC on, for a 32-hour total. During my testing I got just over eight hours and 20 minutes from them on a single charge with ANC deployed, which is very impressive. And that claim of an additional three hours of listening with a quick 10-minute speed charge? Yup, all good – and very useful.

Features score: 5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 a trio of JBL Headphones app Personi-Fi screen-grabs — Personi-Fi 3.0 is just as good as 2.0… (Image credit: JBL)

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Sound quality

Admirable separation and detail in head-tracked audio
A zealous mix; brims with energy
Plays nice and loud at 50% volume

I knocked the JBL Tour Pro 2's sound quality and the good news is, it's a different story with the Tour Pro 3. Your codec support here includes LDAC if you own an Android device to deploy it, which won't do much for your lowly Spotify streams but will help you get the best from Tidal Max tracks, Apple Music playlists or Qobuz albums.

The rumble at the outset of Grian Chatten's The Score is deftly handled and gives way to the detailed and textured Spanish guitar. The album continues to Last Time Every Time Forever and something I haven't felt since testing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra happens: I forget I'm wearing earbuds for a second because the head-tracked spatial audio sounds so convincingly like it's coming from below my chin. Sadly, this only lasts until I turn my head sharply (as that dislodges the right earpiece) but you can't knock the talent of the driver array here.

Switching to Free Fallin' by Tom Petty, jangly guitars, a resolute easy drum and Petty's vocal are present with ample room to shine, in a cohesive mix that never sees one instrument or musical passage vying for enough space to be impactful. When backing vocals come in to echo the words "Ventura Boulevard", there's a level of detail to the dynamics to the mix similar to the kind you get with the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8.

Also, the Tour Pro 3 play nice and loud, even at 50% volume, which means those battery claims are bang on. (Often find yourself whacking the volume up to get robust audio from your earbuds? Impacts the stamina doesn't it? Not a problem here.)

In direct comparison, the zealous and energetic presentation of the Tour Pro 3 may have one very small shortfall, and it's to do with the timing. It's not a cluttered or disorganised performance by any means, you understand, but I tap my feet more readily during what I call the 'marching band' section of this track (where Phil Jones switches up the time signature on his drums) when listening to the Bowers & Wilkins earbuds.

Again, it's only a very minor issue and only notable in direct comparison, but the JBL earbuds lose out just fractionally for regimented accuracy across the frequencies here – as if the two drivers under the hood haven't quite married up perfectly. It's a difficult concept to explain without going overboard, so know that it isn't a big issue at all. If pushed to expand on it, it's as if the B&W product keeps a wholly tight grip on every musical strand, constantly, and the JBL earbuds just very occasionally loosen one, through the treble.

Sound quality score: 4.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Design

Driver housings feel a little thick
On-ear functions still require a compromise
Not-so pocketable case

One thing I really like about the JBL Tour Pro 3 is the rubberized section on the back of the case that offers traction when placed on most surfaces. If, like me, you tend to gesture a lot when you talk (or love a good dance al desko) often swiping your earbuds case to the floor with a flourish, this won't happen here.

The JBL Tour Pro 3's case opens like a satchel (think AirPods) rather than a suitcase (think JBL Live Beam 3) and while it feels well-made, the case is a little too bulky to slip into my pocket anonymously. Also, there isn't a lanyard hole here, as there is with the Live Beam 3, which was a fun way to showcase your lock-screen wallpaper.

My issue with the JBL Tour Pro 3's design and where they lose marks in this section is the size of the driver housings. Now, I know I've said before that actually, deeper 'concha-fit' designs – see the Technics EAH-AZ80 – often look a little big and end up feeling anything but. Sadly, that's not the case with the Tour Pro 3. Despite supplying foam tips as well as silicone, the addition of a stem and a deeper housing makes for a poor fit, for me. I still struggle to keep them in my ears.

Now, fit is obviously subjective, but I know (after compiling a list of the best earbuds for smaller ears) I'm not alone in finding certain options easier to accommodate in my bijou ears than others. This set of earbuds will not be making an appearance in the above buying guide.

A JBL Live Beam 3 earbuds and a Tour Pro 3 earbud, held in a hand, to show the relative depth — The Tour Pro 3 (right) is a deeper design and doesn't feel as ergonomic or secure as the Live Beam 3 (left). (Image credit: Future)

I do have one more minor negative though, and it's the self-same minor issue I encountered with the JBL Live Beam 3. Basically, you need to ditch a set of functions again. To explain, you can customize what tapping each bud controls, but the sums don't work. Your command options are Playback Control, Ambient Sound Control, and Volume Control – ie. three-fold. But humans typically have only two ears and thus only two earbuds to give jobs to, so one useful thing is left out of the mix.

It could be worse; earbuds that don't offer a way to tweak the volume of music without having to dig out my phone (or ask Siri) annoy me most, but while the JBL Tour Pro do offer volume control, assigning that to my left earbud and Playback Control to my right means foregoing on-ear ANC > Ambient aware > Off tweaks. The touchscreen gives you another way to quickly access the ANC, Ambient or TalkThru modes besides my phone, it's true, but at this level I think it's not unreasonable to expect a comprehensive set of on-ear controls that covers the lot simultaneously – because other options, such as the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, do.

Design score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Value

The most fully-featured earbuds around
…but sadly, the JBL Live Beam 3 exist
Can't offer the full suite of on-ear controls at once

As I've tried at length to explain in this review, the JBL Tour Pro 3 are a very interesting proposition and to justify their price hike over JBL's talented Live Beam 3, you do get head-tracked spatial audio, Auracast broadcasting, a slightly bigger screen, a case retransmission feature for in-flight entertainment systems, plus additional foam eartips and processing that claims to compensate for the tips you've chosen.

On paper and in the flesh, they're stuffed to the gills with features. The problem is the existence of the excellent, cheaper, also screen-enhanced earbuds the company released in January 2024, instantly making those once-flagship perks afforded by a smart screen available for much less.

Are the extras listed above enough to represent great value? I think for most people, no. Yes, the Denon PerL Pro-esque Person-Fi hearing tests are excellent, but for me, they're no different to those you'll get within the much cheaper JBL Live Beam 3. Both are very good indeed, and one can be had for significantly less money (aka, better value). And the thing is, the cheaper set fit my ears much better than the flagship Tour Pro 3's bulkier driver-housing…

Value score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 3 held in a hand — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the JBL Tour Pro 3?

Buy them if...

You prioritize natural head-tracked spatial audio
These earbuds don't care which streaming service you're listening to, simply toggle it on and hear the sound open out all around you – and fix itself as you turn your head to each sonic article.

You like to wear your heart on your sleeve
This is the biggest smart screen JBL's ever put on a case, so you'll get a few millimeters more of lock-screen wallpaper.

You have an Android phone
Your Sony Xperia phone (and other Androids) will let you have at LDAC quality streaming using the JBL Tour Pro 3

Don't buy them if...

You have smaller ears
The buds are on the large side, and they feel it.

…and smaller pockets
I mean physically: the case is pretty big. Then again, they're not exactly wallet-friendly either, so deep pockets are metaphorically preferable here too…

You want the best ANC on the market
Here, AirPods Pro 2, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra or even the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 will serve you better.

JBL Tour Pro 3: Also consider

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
I think these are the best-sounding buds you can get, with superior noise cancellation than the JBL as well, and they also have the audio transmission features. But they're very pricey, and there's no spatial audio, so take a read of my full Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 to see if they're right for you.

JBL Live Beam 3
I've already talked a lot about these, but the pitch is simple: most of the best features of the Tour Pro 3, for a much lower price. Definitely take a read of my JBL Live Beam 3 review to see if they're right for you.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Want device-agnostic, head-tracked spatial audio as well as some of the best ANC in the business? It's here in the September 2023-issue earbuds from Bose. It's rare that we get to call Bose the cheaper option, and they aren't here – but they're only slightly more expensive than JBL's flagship offering. You'll have to forego multi-point connectivity, wireless charging support, and a modicum of detail sonically speaking, but maybe noise-nixing takes priority for you, and that's ok. You can read more in-depth in our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review.

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
The ANC is very good indeed here, too – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is sublime). You don't get a case with a screen on it, mind – and the fit is good rather than exceptional, but the M100's still a viable cheaper rival, depending on your priorities. Our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review will help you sort through the details.

How I tested the JBL Tour Pro 3

Tested for three weeks; listened against the competition
Used at work and home
Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify

The JBL Tour Pro 3 became my musical companions for nearly four weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period, as per our guidelines on how we test wireless earbuds.

I wore them to work on weekdays (running to the station; on the London Underground; at the office), and during a weekend on Weymouth sea-front – the best way to test blustery wind interference from mics during calls I've ever found.

To better test the comfort and security of the Tour Pro 3, I even wore them during a cycle along the promenade, and while they did ping out onto the street, they seem virtually uncrushable (since I believe another bicycle may have gone over it).

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to TR's playlist (spanning everything from acoustic mixes to electronica) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but I also tested using podcasts and albums on Spotify, plus YouTube tutorials (mostly about how to duck-dive while surfing because I still can't do it, in case you wondered) on my MacBook Pro. I compared them directly against the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2 and JBL Live Beam 3.

I’ve been testing audio products well for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in a previous life, sound quality, fit and user experience always take priority for me – but having heard how effective ANC can be when done well, I have grown to love immersing myself in a cocoon of silence also.

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First reviewed: October 2024

AirPods 4 review: they’re good, but you can do better for the price

5:51 pm | October 11, 2024

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

Apple AirPods 4: Two-minute review

Apple's AirPods 4 – which are the cheaper version of AirPods 4 at $129 / £129 / AU$219, not the more expensive model with active noise cancellation and some other extra features – are the latest version of Apple's open-ear wireless earbuds. Designed for people who don't want anything inside their ear canal, the AirPods 4 sit just outside it, and they stay remarkably stable and sound nice while doing it.

But the main refrain you're going to hear throughout this AirPods 4 review is that if you don't mind in-ear tips, you can get better sound quality and a more flexible set of features for a lower price among the best budget earbuds.

There are good reasons for Apple users to stick with AirPods though, because all their best features work with Apple tech exclusively, as you'd expect. The head-tracked spatial audio is so impressive with movies, the auto-device switching between Apple tech is really useful, and it's generally a seamless experience.

The sound is fulsome and fairly dynamic, and it's easy to have a good time listening to all kinds of tracks, thanks to their superb balance between frequencies. But there's a lack of fine detail compared to the mid-range competition that means music lacks that extra realism and deep satisfaction. The open-ear design allows a lot of sound to leak in as well, which interferes with the audio fidelity.

The issue for people at large is the lack of standard Bluetooth multi-point pairing, which means you only get seamless switching if you have multiple Apple devices. Nearly all the best wireless earbuds at a similar price offer multi-point pairing, which means you can switch from an iPhone to a Chromebook or Windows laptop easily – and those earbuds also offer better sound, the option of active noise cancellation, and on-ear volume control – for a lower price than the AirPods 4.

These earbuds do the job for their intended Apple audience, with some great unique features and a good design (I really like the pinch controls) and fit. But if you want real bang for your buck, look to the $119 / £79 / AU$149 Sony WF-C700N or the $99 / £99 / AU$169 Nothing Ear (a).

AirPods 4 outside of their case on a table — (Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Price & release date

$129 / £129 / AU$219
Released on September 20, 2024
The cheapest current AirPods

With an official price of $129 / £129 / AU$219, the AirPods 4 wander dangerously into 'mid-range earbuds' territory for earbuds with a feature set that's closer to those of budget buds. Apple does now offer discounts on its earbuds around sales events (which didn't use to be the case), but I doubt these will drop under $100 / £100 for quite a while.

It's not a bad price for a pair of good-sounding earbuds with excellent spatial audio, but basically all the competition at this price offer active noise cancellation – including the $99 / £99 Nothing Ear (a), for example.

Apple AirPods 4 review: Specs

Apple AirPods 4 review: Features

Good features for Apple devices
No cross-platform multi-point pairing
No on-ear volume control

As we expect from AirPods, the AirPods 4 only give you the full power of their features if all your devices are Apple-made.

They offer fast pairing with Apple tech, and will auto-switch between any bit of Apple tech you're signed into with your Apple ID, which means they're effectively 'paired' with all your devices at once, whether that's an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or Apple Watch. Just start playing something on a new device while wearing them and you can automatically switch, or choose to switch in some cases. It works extremely well, and is a slick benefit of buying into Apple's cosy ecosystem.

While they can be paired with non-Apple devices, you won't get access to most of the features mentioned here, and they don't support Bluetooth's standard multi-point pairing, meaning that if you have an iPhone and a Windows laptop, you'll only get the good features when you’re using the AirPods with your iPhone, and there's no easy switching to your laptop.

They offer head-tracked spatial audio when used with Apple devices, which is a highlight. This means that when listening to anything in surround sound or Dolby Atmos, it'll seem like the sound is coming from a set of static speakers around you that don't move even when you move your head, like a home theater system. I've never been a big fan of this with music because I just tend to move around too much while listening for it to make sense (though I enjoy spatial audio without head-tracking for music, where it just creates a kind of bubble of expanded sound around your head), but spatial audio with movies is just fantastic.

You get a convincing feeling of surround sound, with your device as the 'center' of the home theater effect, and the feeling of speakers all around you. When you're watching movies on a long journey, it really helps you to feel like you're less trapped in a space, and makes the experience more engaging and immersive. I love it.

Speaking of journeys, one nice touch with AirPods (and many of the best Beats headphones) is that you can share audio between them, so two people can watch the same show on an iPad together while traveling.

There's limited support for Apple's Find My service here: the app can tell you where you last had them, and the AirPods can 'call home' via the Find My network of other people's iPhones to tell you roughly where they are. But these don't have the precision finding of the AirPods Pro 2 (where your iPhone can literally point you towards them), or the ability of the AirPods 4 with ANC to play a sound to help you find them.

AirPods 4 case held in a man's hand — (Image credit: Future)

They support 'Hey Siri' so you can ask Apple's assistant for things, though frankly I don't find Siri useful enough to want this turned on. Similarly, the AirPods 4 support Apple's 'Announce Notifications' feature, where Siri's voice will read you out notifications that have arrived on your iPhone or Apple Watch, which I also have turned off. It certainly can be a useful feature in a clutch, but as an Apple Watch user I already have quick access to my notifications on my wrist, and that route doesn't interrupt my podcast.

Still, if you use Announce Notifications (you'll be given the option when you first pair), you can also use the AirPods' new gesture controls to respond to certain notifications by nodding or shaking your head. For example, when my Apple Watch asks if I'm doing an outdoor walk, I can nod to confirm and start the tracking.

These gestures are smartly implemented, with a blip of audio feedback when the AirPods detect that you're moving your head. You'll need to move your head fairly definitively to confirm, so perhaps left, right and left again to reject a notification with a shake of the head, but it's very clear if and when the AirPods are picking up the gestures, though I felt like the head motions I made were a little too exaggerated to be subtle – while waiting with other people to cross a road, I can only assume that people thought I was vehemently agreeing with a radio call-in show or something.

Also for controls, you've got pinchable stems on the earbuds, basically borrowed from the original AirPods Pro. You can pinch to play/pause, double-pinch to skip tracks, triple to skip back, hold to trigger Siri. I really like this control system, because it's comfortable (you don't push the buds into your ears while pressing a button) and works if you're wearing gloves (unlike touch-only systems). However, you can't pinch for on-ear volume control, which seems very miserly.

Apple's claim of five-hour battery life was, frankly, extremely disappointing, but the good news is that in my battery testing at 50% volume the AirPods 4 took seven hours and five minutes to run down from 100% to nothing. Apple says you should get another 25 hours from the case (though that could be as much as 34 hours based on my testing), and that five minutes of charging in the case provides the buds with around an hour of listening time.

Five hours is way behind the curve on battery life, and while seven hours is acceptable for such lightweight buds, it's still not amazing considering there's no ANC here. We measured 9.5 hours from the Nothing Ear (a) with ANC turned off.

There's no wireless charging here, unlike the more expensive models – just USB-C charging.

The microphone quality is very good, as is common for Apple's earbuds. The voice is a little quiet (common for earbuds in general) and there's a little bit of digital artefacting to the sound, presumably coming from the clean-up and processing Apple is applying, but speech is clear and represents your voice well, and that's all we need.

Features score: 3.5/5

AirPods 4 bud held in a hand, showing the speaker section — (Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Sound quality

Very well balanced
Good bass and energy
Loss of fine detail

Compared to Apple's previous cheapest AirPods, the AirPods 4 are in another world of sound quality, even without considering spatial audio. They're a bigger, more natural, and more dynamic listen, and I enjoyed music with them.

The bass feels well presented and full, and while it's not super-deep, it underpins things exactly as it's supposed to. It may not hit unctuous levels of sub-bass, but it's really well controlled, so something like the bassline of Allie X's Black Eye bounces along as it should – some cheaper headphones will lack the range for a full bounce, or each beat will hit with a thud. The AirPods are nimble enough to handle this kind of thing.

The mid-range is clear and well resolved, capable of letting individual instruments stand out even among more crammed songs, such as when Moloko's I Want You gets super-busy with lots of overlapping sounds – the AirPods are capable of holding onto each strand, and making sure it doesn’t just turn into a mess of noise. Vocals of all types are lifted out of the mix well.

The treble is similarly well represented, and there's plenty of sparkle in high-frequency details so they shimmer among the rest of the mix. In terms of being a good representation of the bones of music tracks, the AirPods 4 work great, especially since they're reasonably dynamic as well, shifting up a gear in good time when songs pop off.

The problem is that they're soft on fine detail, and it means they're limited to being a fun listen rather than a truly satisfying one, or one that lets you engage with your music at a high level.

The open-ear design that lets in more outside sound doesn't help with this – fine detail is exactly what you lose most from being able to hear chatter or traffic – but I listened in multiple environments and the issue is still there.

When the fine resolution is lost, the realism of the track is lost. That doesn't matter in every track (I wasn't exactly missing it in Eric Prydz' Call On Me, I was just bopping along), but there's a clear difference in a few tracks. Sonny Rollins' St. Thomas is a track that should really put you among the instruments, because it's built around the slight scrape of a drumstick or the click of a tongue on a reed – but that's basically lost when listening on the AirPods 4. The track sounds like a recording, a diminished facsimile, not the close-to-real audio that it can do.

Rains Again by Solji is another clear example – it opens with a heavy rainfall sound that becomes static on headphones that can't deal with the complex detail, but stays as distinct drops on headphones that can deal with it… and on the AirPods 4, it's more in the static column.

With movies, spatial audio works excellently, providing convincing sound that moves around you, doing a great impression of a home theater. There's also a great sense of impact to bassier sounds and a good elevation of treble details – it's exciting to watch action movies this way, and the AirPods' ability to be dynamic is effective here too.

However, dialogue isn't represented as well as effects in the mix, so feels quieter and more unclear, relatively speaking – and with sound leaking in through the open-ear design (and no ANC), it's the first thing to get muddied by outside noises. I compared the AirPods 4 to my AirPods Pro 2, and while the dialogue is a similar level in the Pro 2, the other sounds are closer to that level, so you can just crank the volume up and get a good experience. With the AirPods 4, turning the volume up means effects become a bit much when dialogue gets to the right level.

The lack of fine detail also hits here – for example, during The Matrix's helicopter rescue scene, the cascade of water from the sprinklers becomes a hiss of sound in the background, but again other headphones can pick out the drops. I don't mind this as much here as with the music, though – it's better to have it, but it isn't essential.

I don't think the AirPods 4 are bad for sound at all, but when the competition is as hot for music fidelity as the Sony WF-C700N and the Nothing Ear (a), they pale.

Sound quality score: 3.5/5

AirPods 4 being placed back into their case — (Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Design

Secure open-ear fit
Smallest case yet is great
IP54 rating for buds and case is good

I've never been a fan of this kind of earbuds design, where they're held in place by the areas of skin around your ear canal – I much prefer the fit of an in-ear tip. However, the AirPods 4 are the best and most comfortable version of this design so far, and I can happily wear then for an extended period without feeling like they're sore or applying pressure, which hasn't always been the case for me. However, when taking them out after a long time, I can slightly feel where they were sitting, so they won't convert me from in-ears just yet.

They're very secure, and didn't shift in any meaningful way during my general use – i.e., mostly while walking or working. They stayed secure while I was jogging too, though I can't promise that this will also be the case for long-distance runs or other workouts.

They're extremely light at 4.3g per bud, which helps with comfort, and they stick out of your ears less far than the AirPods Pro 2 do, which might please some people. And while not everyone likes the stick design, I think it works well for balancing the weight, and this is arguably the most subtle and perhaps preferable version of the design so far.

The case is Apple's smallest AirPods case to date, and I really appreciate that as well – some buds makers perhaps forget that people often just want to slip this stuff into a pocket and not feel it pressing against them. There no reason not to carry these buds with you everywhere, and that's useful.

A nice touch is that the charging light is now totally hidden behind the white of the case – when it's illuminated it appears out of nowhere. A less-nice touch is that the pairing/reset button is now a touch element on the back with no indicator, rather than a physical button, and given that this will mostly be used when people are in a pinch, I think the clarity of a real button was better.

I found that the AirPods 4 are a little harder to grab out of their case than previous models – you'll develop a technique for getting a grip to overcome the magnets, but I suspect that, like me, many people will take a couple of days to get in the groove.

The IP54 waterproof rating for both the earbuds and the case is impressive – not too many mid-range or budget earbuds offer both. This means they should keep dust out, and be fine against water splashes, including rain if you get caught outdoors for a short time.

Incidentally, if you're wondering if it's possible to tell the difference between these AirPods 4 and the ANC model: not from the buds. They are truly identical apart from a tiny printing of the model number. The ANC case has telltale speaker holes on the bottom, though.

Design score: 4/5

AirPods 4 case showing the charging port — (Image credit: Future)

Apple AirPods 4 review: Value

Cheaper headphones offer better sound
…and better cross-platform features
But for Apple-only users, they have big advantages

The AirPods 4 are aimed at people who are big on Apple tech, so I'm taking that into account when scoring their value. But as you've likely already picked up in this review, for sound quality, or if you have an iPhone and a Windows laptop (for example), they don't excel for bang-per-buck.

You'll get the extra realism and detail pop in music that these AirPods lack from the likes of the Sony WF-C700N and the Nothing Ear (a), as well as active noise cancellation to make sure you can really hear it. You'll get Bluetooth multi-point with both those devices as well – and even hi-res audio from the Nothing. They both have on-ear volume control as well (and the Nothing even pinch the great pinchable gestures from the AirPods).

However, if you are all-in on Apple, the auto-switching between all your devices without pairing, the (admittedly limited) Find My support, and the excellent spatial audio all help boost the value here. It is frustrating that the AirPods 4 with ANC offer lots more features, though, including wireless charging, and improved Find My support in the case, in addition to the ANC itself.

Let's not forget the design: some people really don't want ear tips, and my recommended alternatives have them. So if your preference is not to have tips, there's added value to these because of their shape. But still, on balance, I don't think they offer any better value than average.

Value score: 3/5

AirPods 4 next to their open case on a table — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the AirPods 4?

Buy them if...

You want Apple's cheapest earbuds
If you really want Apple's unique tech that works with all your Apple devices, and you want to spend the minimum, these tick the key boxes, and sound fun while doing it.

You hate in-ear tips on earbuds
The options that really beat the AirPods 4 tend to use in-ear tips, so if you don't want that style, these become a much better option.

Don't buy them if...

You don't own Apple gadgets exclusively
The lack of standard Bluetooth multi-point means no quick switching between, say, an iPhone and a Windows machine. So why not buy something that has that, and has better sound and ANC?

You travel a lot
AirPods 4's small size is great for travel, but they let in so much sound from outside that you won't hear your music very well. Get something with active noise cancellation.

Apple AirPods 4 review: Also consider

Sony WF-C700N
Sony's superb buds offer fantastic fidelity in music, solid noise cancellation, control via the Sony app, and Bluetooth multi-point. We've championed them since their launch, and you can read why in our full Sony WF-C700N review.

Nothing Ear (a)
If you like the stick design and pinch control of AirPods, these offer that, along with even better sound and ANC than the Sony option above, for just a little more cash than the Sony. These are the mid-range buds to beat right now, as our Nothing Ear (a) review explains.

How I tested the AirPods 4

AirPods 4 worn in a man's ears — (Image credit: Future)

Tested over three weeks
Connected to an iPhone, iPad Pro and MacBook Air
Tested alongside AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2

I reviewed the AirPods 4 as part of my typical daily routine, using them at home, at the office, and while commuting. I have an iPhone 13 Pro, MacBook Air M1, iPad Pro, and an Apple TV 4K, so they were used just as Tim Cook intended.

For testing sound quality and battery life, I followed the procedures laid out in our explainer on how we test earbuds.

I had the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2 available for any direct comparisons that were useful, across Apple's current earbuds lineup.

Xiaomi Buds 5: Two-minute review

Like most Chinese tech companies, Xiaomi's product portfolio runs the gamut from smartphones and fitness trackers to tablets, air fryers, electric scooters and massage guns, and while you may know the company for a few of those gadgets, headphones may not be one of them. And it's true that the company has yet to feature in our roundup of the best earbuds we've tested, although we keep checking with reviews just like these.

So while the likes of the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra smartphones may be stealing headlines and winning hearts (we gave both 4.5/5), the Xiaomi Buds 5 have more of an uphill battle in order to win listeners over. And as you'll soon find out, the buds' favorite direction is actually 'down'.

The Xiaomi Buds 5 are new headphones that are some of Xiaomi's higher-end audio offerings, but still certainly fall into the 'best cheap headphones' category, bumping up against many options from rival audio brands as well as from market stalwarts.

There's a lot to like with the Xiaomi Buds 5, but enough to dislike that you may not want to put up with the good parts.

My main issue, which plagued testing from the day I started until the day I finished, was the fit of these earbuds. Without any silicone tip, or much of an arch in the design to hook them into your ear, the Buds 5 just refuse to stay in place. They'll start to slip if you so much as walk, and a head shake or jump will see them tumble from place. I found myself repeatedly pushing them back into my ear if I had to go on walks with them in.

I thought the issue was down to my ear shape but (after heavy sanitization) I made a few other people test them out too. They all commented, unprovoked, that the buds felt very loose. A decent fit in a design that doesn't use ear tips to achieve a seal something Apple's worked on extensively for its AirPods 4 rollout, and Xiaomi could learn a little for the Cupertino giant here.

So you're only going to be able to enjoy your music if you're sitting still, or doing gentle activities like chopping veg for dinner or vacuuming your apartment. But then you're going to have to contend with an app that I found to be quite buggy.

Many times during testing, I'd pop the buds in my ears only to find that some key features weren't working. I found that the buds needed to be manually reconnected in the app for these features to work, with ANC and my custom equalizer only enabled after this. I can't imagine that this is an intentional feature, so I can only presume that it's a bug (hopefully, one that an update will fix).

These are two major issues but there are a few things that I'd consider significant 'cons' on better earbuds: the noise cancellation, battery life and call quality are all middling to poor.

So with that all in mind, why have I given the Xiaomi Buds 5 a fairly reasonable score? Well, it's largely down to the sound quality: they have a really distinctive and appealing audio balance that leans heavily on bass without losing trebles and mids. It's zealous, it's punchy and it's oh-so likeable! Music is high-quality, thanks to support for a few big codecs, and Harman Kardon tuning helps you appreciate your songs in a roaring and bordering on warm balance. That's if you can enjoy your music before the buds fall from your ears!

A few more features win the Xiaomi Buds 5 points too, including an audio-recording feature that you can enable straight from your ears, really convenient gesture controls, and a svelte and lightweight carry case. Honestly, the poor app and irritating fit let these otherwise promising earbuds down.

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Price and release date

The Xiaomi Buds 5 on a bookshelf. — (Image credit: Future)

Unveiled in September 2024
Sells for £69.99 (roughly $90, AU$140)
On sale in Europe for now

The Xiaomi Buds 5 were announced in late September 2024, alongside the Mi Smart Band 9 and a range of smart-home products.

You can pick up the buds for £69.99 (roughly $90, AU$140) which makes these contenders for our round-up of the best cheap earbuds. Based on precedent, Xiaomi could release a pricier Pro version down the line, and its full audio range extends from pricier open-ear sports buds to some staggeringly cheap buds under its Redmi sub-brand.

At that price you’d be comparing these to a few rivals from other mobile brands including the CMF Buds Pro 2 and OnePlus Buds Nord 3 Pro, as well as the fantastic Sony WF-C510 and Earfun Air Pro 4.

There's no news on a release outside Europe just yet and Xiaomi doesn't release much of its tech in the US, but in Australia we could well see it go on sale based on precedent.

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Specs

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Features

Middling battery life and ANC performance
Offers novel audio recording feature
App has some bugs

The Buds 5 do offer active noise cancellation, but it’s nothing to write home about. There are two modes: Balanced and Deep, with an adaptive mode that’ll toggle between the two depending on your environment, but neither are particularly hardcore. They’ll take the edge off of annoying background noises but not muffle them in any significant way, and the lack of passive noise isolation from the buds’ design doesn’t help either.

The battery life of the buds isn’t fantastic, clocking in at 6.5 hours with ANC turned off according to Xiaomi. The company doesn’t provide a figure for listening time with it turned on, but I got the buds to last a touch over 5 hours with ANC deployed. The case will keeping ticking for a lot longer though, with 39 hours of playback when ANC is off according to Xiaomi. Based on my aforementioned figures, I’d estimate that you’d get 30 hours with ANC on.

For the rest of the features we need to jump into the app, but there’s a problem here. The Xiaomi Earbuds app had a big issue which affected the use of many of the Buds 5 features, and I can’t tell if it’s an intentional one or a bug.

Every time I put the earbuds in my ears, the app wouldn’t automatically realize that they were connected – I’d have to load it up and press ‘connect’. Before I did this, features including ANC control and the ability to tweak settings wouldn’t work, and it was an irritating extra step every time I wanted to listen to music. Other options don't do it; I can't imagine why it would be desirable.

Some of the features offered by the buds are standard ones that we’ve come to expect in wireless earbuds (not that all rivals offer them, so their presence in the Xiaomi Buds are welcome). These include changing the gesture controls, toggling wear detection, setting up dual-device connectivity, checking the buds’ battery life, changing ANC modes and finding the buds if you’ve misplaced them.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app offers an equalizer, albeit one hidden away in the Audio Effects menu, as well as a few simple presets like Enhance Voice or Decrease Bass. I found myself using the Harman AudioEFX preset mostly, which I’ll explore in more detail later on.

You can also use Audio Effects to turn on ‘Dimensional Audio’, which is presumably Xiaomi’s answer to Spatial Audio, a feature that plenty of earbuds offer in order to make music sound like it’s surrounding you. However, this feature in the Buds 5 transports you to one space in particular: the cellar underneath a nightclub bar. It seems to simply slather on oceans of artificial reverb, as though you’re hearing tunes through several layers of brick, making music sound awful. Avoid!

One novel feature the Xiaomi Buds 5 offer is an audio-recording feature. While most earbuds will do this, as they’ll replace the audio input of your phone while connected, Xiaomi bakes this feature into the app, and also lets you enable it as a gesture control for the buds.

It’s not a feature that everyone will find hugely useful, but I can see some finding it handy in certain situations. I found it convenient as a way to leave myself voice memos without having to find a pen and paper or my smartphone, and I see it being handy for anyone who likes hands-free note-taking like this. Just bear in mind the laws where you live regarding recording people without their consent, something the app does remind you about.

Features score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Design

Earbuds keep slipping out
Touch controls on the bud
Lightweight carry case

Unlike many of its rivals and contemporaries, Xiaomi hasn’t put a silicon tip of the Buds 5. It didn’t for its predecessors, saving that for the Pro equivalents. It’s a shame because my biggest gripe with the earbuds is that they had trouble staying in my ears, a problem eartips would likely fix.

This problem didn’t occur if I was seated or keeping my head relatively static, but when walking (or doing any other kind of movement) the Buds 5 would quickly start to slip – I’d have to constantly be re-adjusting the fit and pushing the buds back into my ears.

Not only was this indescribably irritating, but buds that are half out the ear aren’t delivering on their full sonic potential, and also fall foul of sensitive wear detection too. This issue ruled me out form using the buds in the gym, and I stopped using them when cooking too as I didn’t want to push them back into my ears with messy hands – or have them fall into the pot.

Each bud has a small button on the stem that you can squeeze for various controls: single, double, triple and long presses for different functions. It takes quite a hearty press to trigger the function but a light ‘click’ lets you know that your action was successful.

The buds are relatively light, weighing 4.2g each. They have an IP54 protection which means they’re safe from splashes of water and ingress of dust, but immersion in water will wreck them.

The Buds 5 come in a shiny plastic chrome-looking case, which I think is pretty neat-looking even though the reflections make taking review pictures an absolute nightmare!

Opening this clam-shell case reveals the entirety of the buds, unlike many other cases which hide the stems in the body – because of this I found it really easy to remove the buds when I wasn’t paying attention, as the process was less fiddly than almost all rivals on the market.

The case weighs 36.6g and comes with a USB-C port for charging, and not a lot else. You can pick up the buds in silver, white and black, and your choice affects the case and the buds.

Design score: 3.5/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Sound quality

Great audio for price
Tuning from Harman Kardon
Support for good list of codices

The Xiaomi Buds 5 have 11mm drivers and tick quite a few audiophile boxes. These include support for a range of codecs including AAC, SBC, LC3, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive, connectivity using Bluetooth 5.4, and support for Bluetooth Low Energy. They also have an audio balance tuned by Harman Kardon, continuing a partnership between Xiaomi and the audio specialists which has also extended to its smartphones and speakers.

When I first started listening to the Xiaomi Buds 5, I was surprised just how much bass they offered for in-ear buds, and of all the buds I’ve tested recently they’re second only to Nothing’s recent audio offerings in terms of sheer thump-power (that’s the technical term).

In the default audio balance, the Harman AudioEFX, here’s a distinctive focus on lower-focus instruments and pitches, making for a balance so warm that you’d think Xiaomi had used some tech from one of its kitchen gadgets. I can see some people loving the mix, and others really not getting on with it, but the other presets can balance the sound a little better.

Whether you like the balance or don’t, it’s hard to deny that the quality is great for the price; I don’t notice significant peaking or distortion, and the treble and mid were still palpable in the mix even if they weren’t the priority. Music had a level of energy that I’ve longed for in other similarly-priced rivals that I’ve tested.

Marring the otherwise-great audio quality is the bud fit issue that I mentioned before – music sounds great when the buds are sitting comfortably in your ears, but as soon as they begin to slip out you’ll be losing that music magic.

As mentioned earlier there’s an equalizer mode and I see most people relying on the presets due to the way they’re laid out in the app. These largely deliver on the promise in the title: increased bass, focus on voice and so on, with the default mode delivering the most nuanced mix.

Sound quality: 4/5

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Value

Better audio than you'd expect for the price
Perhaps hold out for a Pro model

When I first started testing the Xiaomi Buds 5 I didn’t know the exact price they’d launch for, and the cost that I guessed they’d retail for ended up being a slight amount more than the actual price. That is to say, I thought the earbuds would cost more than they do.

That’s mainly down to the audio chops: between the sound quality, specs list and Harman Kardon tuning, Xiaomi seems to have hit exactly what it aimed at, whether or not it’ll be to everyone’s specific tastes. You’re also getting all the features you’d expect for earbuds at this price and they mostly seem to work well.

The one thing I should flag though is the prospect of Pro buds: in the past Xiaomi’s Pro options have had silicon tips, unlike the standard models, and these would fit my ear fit issues. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the Buds 5 if a reasonably-priced Buds 5 Pro could be around the corner.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Xiaomi Buds 5?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Xiaomi Buds 5 review: Also consider

How I tested the Xiaomi Buds 5

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, in the office and on trips

The Xiaomi Buds 5 enjoyed a testing period of two weeks, though I used the buds for longer than that while I was writing the review itself. They were mainly connected to my Android phone though I paired them to a few other devices, including an iPad and Windows laptop.

Testing was mostly done at home or in my office but I also used the earbuds on a few walks and on public transport. I mostly listened to music using Spotify but also listened to spoken word, played games and watched TV shows on Netflix.

I've tested tech for TechRadar for over 5 years now and that includes countless Xiaomi devices and rival budget earbuds. I tested all of the Buds 5's close contemporary rivals.

First reviewed in September 2024

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Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: tiny earphones that are drowned out by the competition

7:07 am | September 26, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Earbuds & Airpods Gadgets Headphones | Tags: Samsung Galaxy Buds | Comments: Off

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: One-minute review

As a long-time user of Google’s incredible first generation Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, I was very excited to stuff the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds into my ears. Having received them at the same time as Samsung’s also brilliant Galaxy Buds 3 Pros has, however, muted my opinion of the smaller Google earphones.

Google has gone back to the drawing board for the aesthetic of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, with a much smaller design while retaining the egg-shaped case. This new design sits more firmly in the user’s ear with the same brilliant touch controls on the sides, though a new ‘twist-to-adjust stabilizer’, taking the form of a physical plastic fin, may lead to some discomfort in your ears (in fairness with this criticism, a colleague of mine also using the headphones said he didn’t mind).

Battery life is better than ever with the second generation, boasting up to eight hours with noise cancellation on or 12 with it off (30 and 48 hours respectively with case recharging factored in).

Noise cancellation has been improved with a redesigned seal and the transparency mode is just as effective as with the previous model. I’ve certainly noticed a difference between the new noise cancellation and Google’s old noise cancellation in the previous generation when walking beside a busy road, though ultimately I don't expect all sounds to be blocked out entirely. In fact, with the earbuds placed in some positions at different adjustments, you may notice an odd windy or whistling sound. Adjust your buds the best you can to mitigate this odd noise, but ultimately it makes quick ease-of-use a step more difficult.

Though perhaps the most unfortunate thing about the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds is that they’re priced far too confidently. At $229/£219/AU$379, the buds fall within range of the better Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, at $249/£219/AU$399. Were you shopping at these price points, I would usher you in the direction of Samsung’s new Pro earbuds.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Price and release date

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 on a table — (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

Unveiled on August 14
Priced at $229/£219/AU$379
Price increase over the Google Pixel Buds Pro ($199/£179/$AU299)

We can immediately applaud Google for the bold colorways it’s offering the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 in, which are far more interesting than the finishes you'll find when shopping for either the Samsung Galaxy Buds or Apple AirPods.

The standard black (Hazel) and white (Porcelain) are here, but also a gorgeous candy pink called Peony is available, along with a brilliant mint green called Wintergreen.

While I won’t admonish anyone for shopping based on color (I have friends who tend to buy a lot of pink tech) I would encourage you to think of the better quality on offer with similarly priced headphones, and to maybe consider the original Pixel Buds Pro if you want a splash of color without spending too much.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Specs

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Features

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 in their case — (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

Exceptional battery life
Strong noise cancellation and transparency modes
Twist-to-adjust stabilizers may feel awkward in-ear

The feature set on offer with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 puts it in direct competition with any other Pro earbuds on the market, but you may find some things are a bit off.

These earbuds are more good than bad, so let’s start with the good stuff. The battery life is not only brilliant, but it also bests the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros ever so slightly (8 hours versus 7 hours for the Samsung pair). The original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds had great battery life, so it’s great to see Google keep it up.

Noise cancellation has seen a noticeable improvement with the introduction of what Google calls ‘SilentSeal 2.0’. I tend to walk beside a lot of busy roads in Sydney quite often, and switching between the previous generation and current generation Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, I can certainly hear the difference when a bus rolls past. The Pro 2s are able to block out much more noise, not that the first-generation buds did a bad job. If the transparency mode received any upgrades, for which I can’t find any evidence, it’s not noticeable between the earbuds.

A major point of conflict I have for the earbuds is the in-ear comfort, and truth be told I can’t make heads or tails of it. Google has not just subtly redesigned how the earbuds sit in your ear, but has also introduced a new feature called ‘twist-to-adjust’. We’ll talk about this in greater depth in the design section below, but it’s essentially a plastic fin that sits neatly within your ear for greater support. Twist the earbud up and the bud will sit more strongly in your ear, making it ideal for physical exercise.

This is a great feature and I’ve certainly been using it regularly when going for walks (though it is more intended for cyclists and runners). One of my major problems with the original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds was that they can fall out of your ear all too easily, so it’s nice to see an improvement made on this front.

Finally, the buds also come with Google Gemini support for hands-free use, activated with the simple saying of ‘hey Google’ (or have a free-flowing conversation with the assistant by saying ‘hey Google, let’s talk live’). It’s neat for if you want a quick action performed without using your hands, but it might make you look a bit strange on the train. I didn’t use this feature much as I’m still yet to find a use for a large language model AI assistant.

Features score: 4/5

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Design

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 in-ear — (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / Techradar)

Much smaller design than original generation
Difficult to make comfortable in your ears
Egg-shaped case returns with Google Find My Device

The main drawcard of the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds is that they’re smaller than the first generation buds – and it’s quite a noticeable size down. Where in the past a much less careful grip could have firmly inserted, removed, or adjusted the buds in your ears, a deliberate pinch is now required to tweak the buds in and out. The great haptic buttons on the sides of the buds are the same, though obviously with the smaller form factor it may be more difficult for those with larger hands to make adjustments.

As you may have assumed, this smaller size is both a blessing and a boon. They look much more premium and unique, sure, but the smaller fit forces the user to make their interactions with the buds much more deliberate to make any adjustments. I for one prefer the size and shape of the original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds.

The more egregious matter at hand with the design changes comes down to comfort. I just can’t get consistently comfortable with these earbuds. I feel like I’m constantly adjusting them, as I move from the office, to the train, to my home, to walking through the street. The twist-to-adjust stabilizer fins and the surrounding plastic add quite a bit of discomfort to the experience that didn’t exist with the previous generation or the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, for which I’m constantly tweaking the earbuds in an attempt to counteract. This leads to complications with the sound quality, which I’ll touch on below.

Finally, the cute egg-shaped design for the charging case has returned with a subtle improvement – support for Google Find My Device. This includes an integrated speaker that plays a chime when you enter pairing mode or a persistent noise when you’re using the Find My Device app. It’s a great addition if you’re the type to constantly lose your earbuds.

Design score: 3/5

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Sound quality

Great sound, if a bit wooly and quiet
Decent equalizer customization
Complications with comfort can bleed into sound issues

I can’t fault the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earphones on sound all too much, though when constantly switching between these earbuds and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, you’ll quickly learn that there’s better sound depth with Samsung’s alternative, despite smaller audio drivers on paper.

That’s not to say the sound produced by the Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds is bad – it’s just flatter and more wooly. This can be mitigated significantly by using the Pixel Buds app to adjust the equalizer. There are quite a few presets to choose from and the ability to set and save your own custom levels.

The only real problem I had with sound stemmed from the trouble I had with the design. When constantly adjusting these buds, pulling them in and out of my ears and tweaking them around, the buds would start to produce an awkward whistling or windy noise.

This would be much more pronounced when outside and blocking out an abundance of noise with ANC on or absorbing said noise with transparency enabled. I could hear the seal coming unstuck with each step and the flow of wind past my ear being dulled.

With the smaller design, it’s obvious that you need to find the ‘Goldilocks’ zone in your ears for the buds to sit, lest you succumb to sound issues like me.

Sound quality score: 4/5

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Value

Much more expensive than the first-gen Pros
Difficult to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds are priced to directly compete with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, and that’s a problem because the Galaxy Buds 3 Pros are better in every way. This is a problem that is becoming more pronounced across the Pixel product range as Google is starting to price its tech at more premium price points.

The sounds produced by the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a bit flatter and quieter, and the noise cancellation is a bit less impressive when compared to Samsung’s top-end option. With Samsung’s shift to a stem design, the buds also sit more confidently in the user’s ear, and because the buds are naturally larger, it’s easier for more clumsy fingers to make playback adjustments.

It’s not a night-and-day difference between these buds, but it is noticeable.

Value score: 2/5

Should I buy the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

From the moment I received the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds, I got to work reviewing them. I’ve been using the buds for about two weeks, switching between them and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pros as I’ve gone along.

In my testing, I used Spotify as my music app, switching both pairs of earbuds between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Google Pixel Pro Fold 9. Both pairs of earbuds were tested in the same environments, including walks beside busy roads, in-office use, home use, walks through the park and when sleeping.

Noise cancellation was used a lot with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. In terms of EQ, I mostly used the default option, though I did enable the heavy bass option now and again.

To justify the direct comparisons in this review, I found myself constantly listening to the same songs and albums back to back between the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

First reviewed in September 2024

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: excellence across the board from B&W’s much-changed flagship noise-cancelling earbuds

4:30 pm | September 22, 2024

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

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Two-minute review

I was once told that only a poor writer starts with a quote. So forgive me, because this one (from author and leadership mentor John C. Maxwell) explains my thoughts on Bowers & Wilkins' Pi8 far better than I could: A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

A lot has been corrected here, and it takes a big man (or woman, or person) to do it. TechRadar reviews typically begin with the bold claims made by a product's marketing team, and end with whether or not we felt the performance lived up to the hype. But B&W has approached this iteration with such humility, honesty and determination (rather than nonchalance and bravado) that I cannot do that. What I can tell you – and with some joy – is that the Pi8 are some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds I've ever tested.

They are, as you'll probably have guessed, completely unlike their older siblings. Gone are the Swiss watch-style embellishments and metallic circular top plates of the Pi7 and Pi5 (and the Pi5 S2 and Pi7 S2), which looked beautiful in my hand but didn't work in my ear canal. Bowers & Wilkins has effectively started from scratch this time around, deploying the services of the same in-house team that created its PX7 S2 and sublime PX8 over-ear headphones – a set of cans I said "look stunning and sound even better" under intense review.

Has the gamble worked? While I'd love to stretch this two-minute verdict out, let's face it, the star rating at the top of this review is kind of a giveaway. Yes, it has. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are now as physically comfortable and secure as they are sonically detailed and dynamically agile.

Also, you now get on-ear volume control. I've been knocking B&W's decision to leave this off the spec sheet since 2021, which meant that even with the company's most elite earbuds, I had to rifle through my bag to alter the volume, while propositions at a fifth of the price could do it. And now that's fixed. Okay, you have to choose whether you want the tap-and-hold gesture of either earbud to tweak volume (left down; right up) or scroll between ANC and passthrough in the left bud, and voice assistant activation in the right, but I don't care – at least, not enough to knock a half-star off.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are a five-star set of earbuds all day long, even at their considerable price point.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 held in a hand, with floral background — (Image credit: Future)

A quick bit about their corresponding Pi6 siblings, which were unveiled (as is B&W's tradition) on the same day: aptX Lossless support is reserved for the flagship Pi8. Also, while the slightly cheaper Pi6 feature new 12mm bio-cellulose drivers (based on tech used in the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e, B&W's 2023 update to the aforementioned PX7 S2 over-ears), the Pi8 get an upgraded DAC, DSP and amplifier components from ADI, meaning they effectively bypass Qualcomm's digital-to-analog converter. You also get the carbon cone drive unit technology first used in the excellent top-tier PX8 over-ear headphones in the Pi8 – see the design language carried over from that in-house team?

The Pi8 also offer the case retransmission function first seen in the Pi7 and January 2023-issue Pi7 S2. This lets you ping audio to the earbuds wirelessly but without Bluetooth, from connected analog or digital sources, (in-flight entertainment systems, gym equipment, newer USB-C-enabled iPhones, and so on). It's not the first case capable of doing the retransmission dance – see the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 or LG Tone Free T90S for more examples – but B&W's case goes a step beyond, by retransmitting in aptX Adaptive (ie. up to 24-bit/96kHz quality). It's quite the upgrade if you care about streaming quality – and with earbuds as capable (and aspirational) as the Pi8, you really should.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Price & release date

Unveiled on August 21, 2024
Priced $399 / £349 / AU$599

Admittedly, the Pi8 are not cheap. The best one can say about the asking price is that the 2021 Pi7 launched at the same $399 / £349 / AU$699, so it's refreshing to see that Bowers & Wilkins hasn't hiked the price – although that's still top-end in today's money, to be sure.

The cheaper Pi6 became available on September 15, priced at $249 / £219 / AU$449, which is more palatable, but remember that you don't get the flagship features or hardware, as detailed above.

What else can this kind of money buy? Why, competition is rife up here, friend! Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds come in at $299 / £299 / AU$449; Technics' excellent EAH-AZ80 are also in the same ballpark, at $299 / £259 / AU$499 and the Final ZE8000 MK2 (our pick for the best-sounding buds we've ever tested) are $399 / £289 (around AU$609), where available.

Suffice to say, it's tough at the top. But that's where B&W now finds itself – and the Pi8 are sitting rather prettily up there, it must be said.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Specs

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Features

Excellent case retransmission feature
Effective ANC
Very good call-quality; Music App is a joy to use

Do the Pi8 nix noise as deftly as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the AirPods Pro 2? For me, yes. As I understand it, the Pi8 have received quite the overhaul here – using tech from their PX8 over-ear siblings – and however B&W has implemented this, it works. That cocooned feeling of leaving the outside world behind kicked straight in but without any sense of wind-tunnel nausea or my eardrums being unceremoniously sucked into a vacuum. It's probably also thanks to the hugely improved fit and the seal it creates betwixt those talented drivers and my ear canals (more on this later), but you should know that here, the noise-cancelling is very good.

There’s also a useful 'Pass Through' mode, that lets me hear my colleague talking next to me. You can switch these profiles off entirely, but there’s no capacity to tweak the levels of ANC any further, and no 'adaptive' ANC option. I don't care. When the full-fat version is this good, why get granular and try to tweak things? If you just want something that kicks extraneous noise to the curb so you can revel uninterrupted in your sonic selections, the Pi8 are it.

Now, the case: aside from its no-nonsense, pocketable appeal, you can plug that USB-C port (USB-C to 3.5mm and USB-C cables are in the box) into a non-Bluetooth source, such as an in-flight entertainment system, and it'll double as a wireless audio re-transmitter but in aptX Adaptive transmission up to 24-bit/96kHz quality. Imagine the scene: you're in the middle seat on a long-haul flight, and the window-seat passenger wants to get out. It's fine! Your earbuds are safe in your ears, still sending audio, and your fellow passenger won't trip over long tangling cables – not on your watch!

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds, held in a hand on grassy background — (Image credit: Future)

What about call quality? I liked it a lot, despite the lack of sidetone-type tech to either boost or minimize my own or the caller's voice manually. The Pi8 have three mics per earbud and B&W says the setup's been upgraded using PX8-flavor tech. For me, even during an off-shore windy day in Woolacombe (never been? It's on the UK's North Devon coastline, surfer hotspot, you should check it out), my caller told me I came through loud and clear.

It's worth noting that there are no ear-tip fit tests, hearing tests for creating personalized sound profiles, or proprietary spatial audio processing here. If you want those things, you'll need to look at options from Bose, JBL, or even Nothing. What you'll find instead is a very good five-band EQ tab and the talented Bowers & Wilkins Music app. This companion app will quickly become the way you access your music since it corrals all of your paid-for music streaming services (so I never need to go to Qobuz or Tidal specifically – it's all here!) and even serves up various "curated by Bowers & Wilkins" playlist selections for your new listening gear.

For better or worse, B&W wants the star of the show to be the untouched and unadulterated sound quality, rather than giving you ways to mess with it. The inclusion of Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Bluetooth 5.4 chipset is a testament to that. But remember, a separate high-performance dedicated DAC/DSP amp has also been thrown in, to swerve that within even the Qualcomm chip. That's the extent to which B&W has taken matters into its own hands regarding the sound quality. While it might not be an ideal proposition for those who know they need to augment certain frequencies right from the box (and would rather have B&W do it for them), those who don't need specific sonic recipes cannot fail to be wowed by the separation, neutrality and sonic clarity here.

If you've got an aptX-compatible source, you'll get much better wireless audio support too, including aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive support at up to 24-bit/96kHz. And as you'll read below, the sound quality here is unparalleled from a wireless earbuds design.

Features score: 4.5/5

Three screengrabs of the B&W Music app, using the Pi8 earbuds — Yes, I still love 2003 Laith Al-Deen… (Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins)

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Sound quality

Separation, detail and clarity in spades
Bass is resolute; mids textured
Noise-cancellation doesn't mar the experience

Rarely will you read a TechRadar section entitled 'Sound' so wholly positive, so prepare yourself: no matter what genre of music I threw at them (and no matter the streaming source) it felt as if the B&W Pi8 had unpacked, weighed, opened out, examined, layered and finally presented my music with the skilled hand of a French pâtissier. The Pi8 buds also didn't seem to care whether they were working with lowly compressed Spotify streams, Tidal Max tracks, Apple Music offerings or Qobuz albums. Everything was served up with a flourish.

In Lupe Fiasco's Cake, bass frequencies in the vocals sink easily as low as Fiasco is able (which is considerable), revealing a bass floor few earbuds can take you to. During the title track, Samurai, I'm struck by the pin-point accuracy of each voice's placement in the mix. Hype men jump out from my ear lobes, my temples and beneath my chin in a raucous and zealous mix.

Switching to Stranger by Hinds and Grian Chatten, jangly guitars and Hinds' ethereal vocal stylings are present and have ample room to shine, joining each other in a cohesive mix but never competing for space. Chatten's voice joins centrally and I'm living inside my head as if at a gig, with the Fontaines D.C. front-man, well, literally in front of me…

Refreshingly, deploying ANC or pass-through doesn't make anything go sonically awry either. Bass is just as resolute in Gunna's collage with pass-through on, a profile that can so often throw a slightly tinny, sweet veil over the audio.

Any downsides? I'm struggling – and we pride ourselves on being tough critics here at TechRadar. For attack, drive, musicality, dynamic nuance, balance across the frequencies, placement, timing, and all the other things I usually talk about where sound is concerned, Bowers & Wilkins' considerable work and back-to-the-drawing-board approach has paid off. Oh, do these earbuds sound good…

Sound quality score: 5/5

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Design

Totally reworked driver housings – and it works
On-ear functions require a compromise
Pocketable case

While they might not look as resoundingly premium as the Swiss watch-esque Pi5 or Pi7, the redesign here was necessary. The top surface of each nicely-branded bud is a shiny touch-capacitive button that works very well.

The buds are available in Anthracite Black with silvery accents (the sample pictured here), Dove White, Midnight Blue and Jade Green. It's a plastic build, but of premium matte plastic that seems to murmur 'I'm expensive' when you pluck them from their small, pebble-shaped case.

Bowers & Wilkins came clean to me and admitted it needed to fix some issues in the older iterations: the mic and sensors on the older Pi7 models weren’t in the best position, meaning they could get blocked by the wearer. Remember my quote at the very top of this review? It takes a big company to admit to its mistakes, and it has all been fixed for Pi8.

There's now a little indentation containing a sliver of grille, running the entire circumference of each earpiece and directly under that touch capacitive top plate. Under it are those mics and sensors – as far away from your head and ear folds as it's possible to put them. Neat.

As noted previously, a brand new "trickled down from the PX8" carbon cone driver is at the helm here, and you get four silicone ear tip options in the box: extra small, small, medium and large. I switched to the small set, but since the neck of the earbud isn't long and the design has been so carefully conceived, I don't think the tip size is paramount here. Honestly? I truly feel that B&W has taken a long, hard, humble look at Technics' EAH-AZ80 with 'concha-fit' design for the Pi8. Why do I think this? Because, as with the Technics earbuds, they look a little bulky (and they do weigh 7g each, which isn't light) but they fit just as naturally and unobtrusively. The weight is distributed as evenly as possible so they feel as if they hug your outer ear, once in situ. Simply put: they fit beautifully, and you don't need to keep screwing them further down your delicate ear canal.

The Pi8 offer more battery life than their older siblings – but not much more. The maximum playtime is 6.5 hours from the earbuds and a further 13.5 hours from the case, for 20 hours of total use – but the good news is that those tests are with ANC on. Without it, I got closer to 8.5 hours from a single charge in my testing. For clarity, the Pi7 S2's stamina was 5 hours for the earbuds (ANC off) and an additional 16 hours from the charging case, for a 21-hour total.

I do have one minor negative though, and it's similar to the minor issue I encountered with the JBL Live Beam 3. Basically, you need to ditch a set of functions again. To clarify, you can now get on-ear volume control by long-pressing either Pi8 earbud, but to have it you need to forego scrolling through ANC profiles and access to your voice assistant. On the one hand, I love that I now get on-ear volume support. On the other, I'd also like to have the option to deploy ANC by touching the earbuds as well. And I know it's not too much to ask at this level because the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 can do it.

That's where the complaints end though because when you add in that case retransmission feature, this is a very likeable, comfortable design from Bowers & Wilkins – and a complete rewrite of the playbook that I'm sure did not come easy.

Design score: 4.5/5

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review: Value

Acceptable battery life given the excellent sound
Sound-per-pound, they're winning
If you want hearing tests, you'll be disappointed

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are not cheap. They are earbuds for the listener who wants excellent, unchanged, high-quality audio in a comfortable build. If that's you, the sound here is the best I've heard in a wireless design to date. And if you've got a decent hi-res music service subscription, the B&W Music app will have at it and make your life very easy. Essentially, if you value sound quality above all else, here's where the smart money goes.

However, for battery life, the Pi8 can be beaten by recent options from JBL and Cambridge Audio, and if you want spatial audio mixed in with the ANC, you'll need to look to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.

Hearing tests (and the personalized sound profiles they can facilitate, from the Nothing Ear, for example) and ear-tip fit tests are also absent in the Pi8, so if those extras are high on your list of priorities, the value-for-money option lies elsewhere – possibly with Nothing; maybe even with the Denon PerL Pro.

Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Also consider

Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
The ANC is very good indeed here, too – as is the sound quality. And to top it all off, you get the option of Matt Berry on voice prompts (his "Waiting to pair!" is the best you've ever heard). The overall aesthetic isn't as polished (the case is a little bigger) and the fit is good but not exceptional, but the M100's still a viable rival, depending on your priorities.
Make your choice by reading our Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 review

How I tested the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Tested for three weeks; listened against the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100, AirPods Pro 2, JBL Live Beam 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Used at work, at home and on a long weekend away (in the office, walking along Woolacombe beach, on a train)
Listened to Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless tracks and Spotify on an iPhone 12 Pro, a Sony Xperia 1 V and a MacBook Pro

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 became my musical companions for over three weeks – after a thorough 48-hour run-in period.

They accompanied me to work on weekdays (walking brusquely to the station; on the London Underground network; at the office), and throughout a long weekend in Woolacombe, with regular trips along the seafront after surfing – which is a great way to test any wind interference from mics during calls.

To better test the fit and security of the Pi8, I even wore them during an aerial silks training session, and they did not budge.

To check the audio quality across the frequencies, I listened to various playlists (spanning everything from grime to classical) on Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal, but also podcasts and albums on Spotify, and YouTube tutorials (mostly about checking the tire pressure on my car, and how to reset the system so the warning light goes off, in case you wondered) on my MacBook Pro.

I’ve been testing audio products well for over five years now. As a dancer, aerialist and musical theater performer in a previous life, sound quality, fit and user experience have always taken priority for me – but having heard how wonderful ANC can be when done well, I have grown to love immersing myself in a bubble of silence too.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3: Two-minute review

Earlier this year, the OnePlus Buds 3 made their debut with an updated design language and a more balanced sound than anything we'd heard from the company to date. Now, with the arrival of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3, that same approach has been kicked into overdrive; resulting in OnePlus' best noise-cancelling earbuds yet, and by quite a stretch.

Although on paper, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 sport a similar spec sheet to their predecessors, the company has enhanced things at a component level; meaning the familiar dual driver design is now also backed by dual DACs in each earbud, plus a few other hardware tweaks. Pair that with revised tuning from Dynaudio and, while the Buds Pro 3 retain their forebears penchant for bass, there's far more dynamism in that lower frequency range, joined by more balanced mids and crisp highs; right through the volume range.

The Pro 3 are also brimming with features and most of them aren't solely tied to OnePlus devices anymore. You now get decent spatial audio support (with head tracking) that works on a far greater range of Android devices than before (as well as non-Android iPhones). Seamless dual device switching, a low latency game mode and five excellent EQ presets, along with a frankly outlandish bass boost feature and the ability to tune your own profiles too.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review case closed OnePlus Pad 2 OnePlus Nord 4 — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Any downsides? One. As much as the sonic profile has come on – enough to make these true rivals for notable buds from audio-first brands such as Bose and Technics – and despite packing what OnePlus bills as its best noise cancelling yet, ANC (active noise cancellation) is good but not class-leading. Microphone performance is fine too, with acceptable background noise suppression, but the transparency mode does little to differentiate itself from being switched off entirely.

You'll also have to reconcile yourself to the absence of features from similarly-priced rivals, namely conversation-awareness and voice command support. Are these deal-breakers? (I'd suggest they're not, but it's worth noting that they're not here.)

Speaking of deals, despite all the advantages and upgrades over its last few buds, OnePlus hasn't upped the price of the Buds Pro 3 in most markets, including the US, where they cost $179 (with an early bird reduction at the time of writing, to $149). UK buyers will have to swallow a £20 price bump versus the Buds Pro 2, but they too can be had with an early bird offer that knocks them back down to £179. Not bad, eh?

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Price and release date

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review settings — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Launched on August 20, 2024
Priced at $179.99 / £199 / Australian pricing TBC
Early bird pricing includes a $20 / £20 discount

The standard OnePlus Buds 3 arrived on the market in February 2024 and six months later (in which time they leaked extensively), the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 launched, on August 20, 2024.

In most markets, OnePlus has set the Buds Pro 3 at the same asking price as the previous OnePlus Buds Pro 2: $179.99 in the US, €179 in Europe and ₹13,999 in India. The exception to that is the UK, where the Buds Pro 3 see a £20 increase to £199, which reframes their standing in the market as a slightly more premium offering, comparatively.

The silver lining is that, at the time of writing, OnePlus is still offering the Buds Pro 3 up with an early bird discount; a $20 reduction to $149.99 Stateside; making them something of a steal, considering the sound quality on offer. That same reduction also carries over to the UK too, so the price drops back down to its predecessor's RRP of £179, for the time being.

Australian pricing and availability hasn't yet been revealed, but as the Buds Pro 3 are already listed on OnePlus' regional website, the implication is that they'll be on sale sometime soon.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Specs

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Features

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review EQ — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Check out 'neck vertebrae health' tool
Broader compatibility than predecessor
No voice command or conversation awareness

Pairing the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is as easy as opening up the case near a Google Fast Pair-compatible Android phone. So long as Bluetooth is turned on, all you have to do is choose to connect via the card that pops up on-screen, and that's it. iPhones unsurprisingly don't feature Google Fast Pair but connection is still painless, with a long-press on the pairing button on the side of the case, after which you just have to select the buds from the Bluetooth menu, like usual.

If you're rocking any of the best OnePlus phones, unlocking the full feature set of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is as easy as pairing; with access to everything direct from the Bluetooth devices menu. For any other Android phone or iPhone, control falls to the HeyMelody app (which serves up an identical UI).

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review ANC — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

From top to bottom, you're presented with a battery readout, Noise Control (which lets you toggle on ANC, Transparency or turn off both). There's then a noise cancellation sub-menu, where you can select the degree of background noise suppression; that includes three levels, as well as a dynamic 'auto' mode.

The Sound Master EQ sub-menu plays home to the hard work the Danish engineers at Dynaudio contributed to the Buds Pro 3, with five presets (Balanced, Bold, Serenade, Bass and Dynaudio featured), along with an additional BassWave toggle that can be paired with any of the EQ profiles and itself includes a -/+ 5 slider. Rounding out this menu is where you can build your own custom EQ profiles, split into six frequency sliders.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review EQ presets — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Hi-Res mode is next, with the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 opting for LHDC 5.0 as its codec of choice here (alongside SBC and AAC). As for devices that support it, in the smartphone space recent OnePlus, Oppo & Realme phones, as well as the top entries amongst the best Xiaomi phones, and Nothing Phone 1 and 2, are all confirmed to support LHDC 5.0, but there are other offerings from brands like Motorola that play nice with older iterations of the codec too.

I preferred the default 'Balanced' EQ profile, with BassWave disabled for general listening, but collectively augmented that configuration with the Golden Sound feature. It takes you through a frequency test for each bud, before building an audio profile unique to your ears; a feature I'd highly recommend you spend the time to set up to get the most out of the listening experience here.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review spatial audio — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Next-up is spatial audio, which was available on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 but only worked with flagship OnePlus phones at launch. Now, support is hugely expanded, available across popular music and streaming apps on all sorts of Android phones, and even iPhones (although iOS isn't using Google's Spatial Audio profile). Optional head tracking is on the table too, which works well in practice.

There are three Buds Pro 3 features exclusively available to OnePlus smartphone/tablet users, but in the grand scheme of things, don't feel like damaging omissions if you're on another platform.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review neck mobility — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The most interesting is the 'neck vertebrae health' tool, which can use the sensors in the buds to assess your neck mobility and even notify you of bad neck posture while you're wearing them. Zen Mode Air serves up relaxing white noise sounds (like 'Summer Waves' or 'Forest Rain' in wonderful high fidelity. Lastly, the Buds Pro 3 supports camera control on OnePlus devices, letting you snap a picture with their on-stem controls, or supply your videos with the microphone feed from the buds, if desired.

Game Mode reduces latency between the buds and your device, turning on automatically on OnePlus devices when they detect you're running a game, while it appears as a toggle in the HeyMelody app for other Android and iOS users.

Multipoint connectivity (branded 'Dual connection' here) is a great inclusion on the Buds Pro 3 that, once setup, lets you seamlessly pause audio on one device and move to another without needing to re-pair to keep listening. This works without issue in practice, tested across OnePlus, Android and iOS devices.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review Zen Mode Air — The soundscapes available in Zen Mode Air (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The last two features at the OnePlus Buds Pro 3's disposal are a fit test – to ensure you have a good seal when wearing them, and a Find My option, which emits a loud tone from the buds when activated, and on Android devices also plugs into Google's Find My Device system; noting the last location they were used.

In short, an absolute mountain of functionality that makes the Buds Pro 3 incredibly versatile for a variety of listening conditions. All that's missing is conversation-aware ANC (which quietens or pauses music when the buds detect someone speaking to you or vice versa) and voice commands; for hands-free playback control or interaction with your device's smart assistant.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Design

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review case open plus buds near — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Stemmed buds w/ chromed outer face
New top-loading case is better, but wireless charging is backwards
IP55 rated buds, IPX4 case

OnePlus' Buds Pro line has always sported a stem-style design, originally accented with a chrome-dipped tip aesthetic, while the driver housing has typically been finished in lightly textured plastic. With the Buds Pro 3, however, that chrome finish has crept up to cover the stem and housing completely, which I think is a shame.

While eye-catching, the 'dipped' look of previous entries made for a more distinctive appearance, even at a distance. Many levied criticism at Samsung for the design similarities of its new angular stemmed Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but the more rounded stems and, now consistent, surface finish of OnePlus' latest buds renders them far more like chrome-clad AirPods Pro 2 doppelgangers, in my opinion.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review bud in hand — Look closely and you can see the touch sensitive area on the inside of the stem (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

That said, while the finish more readily holds onto fingerprints than previous iterations, ergonomically, it sits far more comfortably in the ear than any true wireless buds I've worn of late, and that's with the pre-fitted medium silicone ear tips. OnePlus also includes extra small, small and large-size oval-shaped alternatives in the box (along with a charging cable).

Despite the fact that they've gained a little weight, I found the Buds Pro 3 to be more comfortable and secure when worn (over the older Buds Pro 2), even when working out or for extended periods. In-ear detection proved reliable too, pausing and resuming music when you remove or insert either bud, and it works on iOS as well as Android.

The Buds Pro 3 boasts a completely redesigned case that has caused some discord among fans on platforms like Reddit. In place of the squared makeup compact-style case of previous generations – which opened to reveal the buds in their entirety – the Pro 3's buds reside within a new top-loading oval enclosure, that features smooth edges, contrasted against a leather-like textured surface finish.

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OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review case closed near — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

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OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review case open handheld — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

I think the new case makes the Pro 3 more pocketable and more likely to retain the buds inside, should you drop it, but some people don't seem to appreciate the change. The USB-C port on the case's underside allows for a quick 10-minute charge to deliver 13 hours of playback (for comparison AirPods Pro 2 deliver just 1 hour of playback from a 5-minute recharge), while a full 100% refill takes approximately 70 minutes.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 also, conveniently, include wireless charging too (a full recharge this way takes about 2.5 hours), but for some unknown reason, unlike every other pair of wireless charging-capable buds out there, OnePlus' new case design demands that you place it face down, instead of face up when recharging without cables. It's an unintuitive design move that just takes some getting used to. At least with up to 43 hours of use per charge, you won't have to worry about fiddling with the case on a wireless charger all too often.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review earbud controls — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Along with the existing repertoire of stem-based press or press-and-hold controls that previous Buds Pro have sported, the Buds Pro 3 carry across the new swipe gesture added to the OnePlus Buds 3; letting you adjust volume (or switch track) on-ear, by swiping up or down on the front of the stem. Even now, I still sometimes struggle to find the touch-sensitive area consistently, but controls otherwise work reliably.

For added peace of mind, the case is IPX4-rated, while the buds themselves are IP55-rated against dust and water ingress; collectively meaning you should have no issues wearing these when working up a sweat or getting caught in the rain.

Design score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Sound quality

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review in ear side — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Excellent, well-balanced sound profile
Huge upgrade on predecessor that's comparable to pricier rivals
Still behind the curve on mic voice isolation and ANC

Perhaps the most divisive aspect of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is the audio performance. In a nutshell, this product outputs exceptional sound, with a great default profile, outlandishly lavish bass (without making things muddy), and significantly-improved response in the mids and highs (compared to the Buds Pro 2), that punches above its weight.

The flip side is that, despite the promise of strides made in ANC, microphone performance and transparency mode, the improvements feel significantly more pedestrian.

If you didn't tell me the buds' noise cancellation was dynamic, I wouldn't readily know. ANC performance is good at slightly softening mids, while also trimming low drones and high hisses, but speech and the like still slip through, as do sudden changes in volume in your surroundings. Of course, that's to be expected to a degree, but still, the performance here when massaging away constant, low-level sounds was fine rather than fantastic.

On calls and when recording your voice, the Buds Pro 3 boast a three-microphone setup, supported by a VPU (voice pick up bone) sensor, however, the results are again just 'fine'. They're more full-bodied than the mics on some other buds around this price point, but plosives in speech tend to get lost when the Buds Pro 3 are trying to iron out background noise at the same time.

While I already touched on a lack of awareness to Transparency mode, any benefit over just disabling it altogether went as far as adding more high frequency sounds back into the buds' passive isolation.

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review Dynaudio logo

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Microphone-bashing out of the way, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3's excellent sound improvements likely come as a result of the move to dual DACs per driver, per bud; one for the 11mm woofer and one for the 6mm tweeter. Dual DACs, two magnets and a fancy new ceramic-metal composite diaphragm on the woofer, alongside a "small but mighty" 35-micrometer flat voice coil for the high frequencies (likely the biggest contributor the this generation's more balanced sound profile) collectively elevate the standard of OnePlus' audio quality to new heights.

The result is a cleaner, more dynamic sound, with great separation, less crowding in the lower frequencies and more definition in the mids and highs.

Sound quality score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Value

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review case closed OnePlus Pad 2 — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Superb sound for the price
You'll need to pay more for buds with superior ANC
Discounts bring strong rivals down to a similar price point

If you spend the majority of your time listening on your headphones, rather than talking, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 impress with just how much they improve over the Buds Pro 2, while also serving up excellent sound outright, that belies their $179 / £199 asking price.

With the transitional pricing space they reside in, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 serve as worthwhile alternatives to the likes of more established premium entries, like the Sony WF-1000XM5 (originally $300 / £260 but available today in the UK, at least, for as low as £190) or Technics EAH-AZ80 (available today for around $300 / £240), as well as more budget focused options, like the Bose-certified Moto Buds Plus (approximately $150 / £130).

Headphones today aren't just about listening, however, and so even with their comparatively paltry battery life, if microphone quality, ANC and Transparency mode are major factors for you, you'll likely want to cough up a little extra and go for a known quantity, like Apple's AirPods Pro 2 ($250 / £230) or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 (about $180 / £250 today).

Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the OnePlus Buds Pro 3?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review: Also consider

How I tested the OnePlus Buds Pro 3

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review in pocket — (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Review test period: 1.5 weeks
Testing included streaming from different audio sources, including spatial audio supported videos
Switched between OnePlus, (other) Android, iPhone and PC devices

I used the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 every day for the duration of the review period, giving them an initial 10-hour burn-in before assessing sound characteristics.

I paired the Buds Pro 3 with all manner of devices, from Android phones made by OnePlus and other manufacturers, as well as iPhones and a Windows laptop. This was partially to test the likes of multipoint, as well as checking which feature, if any, were exclusive to certain device types or operating systems.

I used every feature that the Pro 3's software experience had to offer and tried the buds themselves in all manner of environments, with varying degrees of ambient noise to test features like ANC and microphone quality against.

As a reviewer with 13 years experience, and having reviewed numerous audio products – from Bluetooth speakers to a myriad of true wireless buds at a full range of price points – I felt confident assessing and scoring the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 in the context of the wider TWS earphones market in which it competes.

Sony WF-C510: Two-minute review

Sony is one of the biggest players in the audio market but its focus has always seemed to lean towards the elite, top-quality premium earbuds or over-ears market. The Japanese tech giant doesn’t need to break a sweat to keep on top of the best budget earbuds market though, if the new Sony WF-C510 are anything to go by.

The company’s follow-up to 2021’s Sony WF-C500, and a newer and more affordable alterative to the top-rated WF-C700N, these new earbuds come at a time when there’s more and more competition at the low-end of the market. I’d name some competitors but I don’t really need to – not when Sony’s offerings are this good.

In fact, I think the WF-C510 could draw some fans away from the top-end Sony WF-1000XM5 and the new sans-ANC entry-level AirPods 4. Who needs to pay double, triple or even quadruple the price when cheap and cheery gets you this far?

I really liked the sound of the new Sonys; I prefer sound that prioritizes clean treble over thumping bass, and so the Sony WF-C510 tick all my boxes and then some. Home-brewed Sony algorithms and a reasonably responsive equalizer just add to my enjoyment of the audio.

The design is stellar too – the buds stuck in my ears like the Abba songs they played stayed stuck in my head. Thanks to the nice grippy material used for the tips, and each earpiece weighing less than 5g, never once did a bud fall from my ears. I even cycled confidently with them and completed a full workout at the gym without gravity doing its thing to them.

This lightweight design extends to the case too, which is tiny and can easily disappear into a pocket. Unfortunately this does contribute to one of my gripes: the case only offers 11 hours of extra listening time, which is much less than basically any rival on the market.

The Sony WF-C510 on a bronze table. — (Image credit: Future)

That’s extra listening time over what the buds offer by default, but contrarily you can go 11 hours with these without needing to return them to the case. This is a fantastic amount of listening time, and the WF-C510 would be my first port of call over pricier rivals for long trips.

Part of the reason for this long battery life is that the Sonys don’t have ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), which is something I can’t knock the buds for as it’s a feature that’s never guaranteed at this price. Instead, they have an ambient mode which is pretty commonplace in wireless earbuds, but it’s only useful in certain situations so I didn’t use it much.

Noise cancellation isn’t the only feature that the WF-C510s lack: wear detection, low-latency mode, 'find my' locaters and a few other more premium perks don’t rear their heads here. Again, the price justifies this, but it’s something I’d be remiss not to flag – if you’ve got a certain mode or feature you love to use, you’d better check that the Sonys offer it.

Given that this is a two-minute review, I probably don’t have time to go into lots of detail about the other great parts of the Sony WF-C510, but between the responsive and easy-to-use touch buttons, the useful eartip fit test, the range of color options and the audio avoiding all the pitfalls I usually see in budget earbuds, I feel comfortable recommending these over some of the much pricier competitors I’ve tested this year.

Sony WF-C510 review: Price and release date

Released in September 2024
Cost $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$109

The Sony WF-C510 were released in September 2024 as the new entries in Sony’s WF-C line of low-cost earbuds.

You can pick them up for $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$109, and at that price point they’re in contention with our list of the best cheap earbuds. In fact, as of their launch, they’re Sony’s cheapest true wireless earbuds, drastically undercutting the $119 / £89 / AU$199 WF-C700N (which we gave five stars to in our review). The WF-C500 aren’t officially ranged by Sony any more, but they launched for $99 / £89 / AU$149 three years ago, and have seen price cuts from third-party retailers since.

The cheap earbuds market is a competitive one, with fresh competitors hitting the market all the time; in the months before this Sony proposition I've also tested the likes of the Earfun Air Pro 4 and CMF Buds Pro 2 for the same price. And the WF-C510 is my pick of the bunch.

Sony WF-C510 review: Specs

Sony WF-C510 review: Features

In-bud battery life is great – but the case less so
No ANC, but there is 'sound control'
Headphones app brings some extra features

Something I both love and hate about the Sony WF-C510 is the battery life.

The buds themselves have a fantastic battery life: 8 hours with sound control on, and 11 hours with it off, makes these Sonys some of the longest-lasting earbuds I’ve tested recently. However, the case itself only offers one extra charge-up, while basically all others on the market give you at least two extra charges. As a result, these buds gave me more battery anxiety on trips than most others I’ve tested.

That 11-hour figure is Sony's. In my testing, with sound control turned off, the right bud lasted for 10 hours and 42 minutes, while the left one was still somehow blasting out music 40 minutes later when my phone ran out of charge. Gaping inconsistency aside, that averages over 11 hours, so I'll concur with Sony's estimate.

Audio fans might be wondering why I’ve referred to ‘sound control’ and not active noise cancellation – this is because the Sonys don’t have ANC, but do offer noise cancellation in the form of an ‘Ambient Sound Control’ mode. This amplifies sounds around you, so you can be aware of what’s going on regardless of how much noise would otherwise be drowned out by your music. It’s a fine mode, with results that are more subtle and nuanced than the similar equivalent that many rival earbuds have, but ambient modes are generally quite situational so I didn’t find myself using it a whole lot.

Of course, ambient noise control isn’t the same as noise cancellation – it’s ANC you may want at home – but the passive noise cancellation offered by the ear-tips was enough to make me happy.

For the rest of the feature set we’re going to have to boot up Sony’s Headphones app, which, while a great addition at this level, has a logo so generic that I kept losing it on my phone’s menu.

Using said Headphones app, you can see the battery life of the earbuds, arrange which devices they’re connected to (up to two – yes, there's multi-point), toggle ambient mode off or on to a variety of intensities, play with an equalizer (including a test to find the best preset for you, and another to detect which eartips are best for you), set up 360 Reality Audio (Sony’s version of spatial audio), change what the buttons do, and enable Spotify Tap which basically makes Spotify play by default.

The equalizer gives you quite a few presets, with the ability to modify them too, and lots of the rest is par for the course. However, I found the EQ test quite confusing – unlike Nothing Ear’s fantastic automatic detection test, you basically have to ‘blind test’ some presets to see which you prefer. I found the difference between many of them inaudible, and sometimes I liked two equally. Ultimately, the mode is fine for people who know the sound they want (or the parts of recordings they usually augment), but for everyone else it’s perhaps not worth bothering with, although it does add value at this level.

Beyond ANC, there are a few features not present in the WF-C510 that some might miss, although I can’t hold these cheap buds to blame given the price. The major one is wear detection, so you have to pause music manually when you remove the buds. There’s also no low-latency mode which is quite common even amongst cheap buds, or any kind of ‘find my buds’ feature.

Another thing I should note, which is a problem I’ve had with other Sony audio products too, is that by default the volume sounds incredibly low – even when it shouldn’t. It’s because there’s a volume slider in the app, separate to your phone’s one, which I’d recommend you immediately raise to near-full intensity and rely on your phone’s volume rocker for control. The first time I used Sony headphones I thought they were incredibly quiet until I noticed this feature – what I should also note is that the in-app volume resets to 50% if you pair the earphones to a different device and then back to your phone, so you’ll need to rectify it manually. This is an irksome feature for people who are unaware, but even for those of us who’ve been using them for years, it’s an unnecessary extra step that most other earbuds don’t require.

Features score: 3.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Design

Incredibly lightweight case
Buds fit nice and snug – and don't budge
Convenient-to-use physical button

The Sony WF-C510 charging case is lovely and svelte – it’s one of my favorite cases for slipping into my pocket or bag.

A lozenge-shaped slither of plastic, it measures about 6.8 x 2.7 x 3.1 cm (all my measurements – I couldn’t find any on the Sony website) and weighs “approx” 31g (that’s Sony’s exact wording). Vague measurements aside, it’s really slender, with basically enough space for the buds and not much excess (which is probably why it doesn’t provide much charge!). Main points to note here are the USB-C port for charging, a small button for pairing and an LED status indicator. All par for the course, really.

I liked the textured plastic case, but I can see some finding it a bit cheap-feeling, and it does creak a little if you put pressure on it. That’s the trade-off with its light build.

The buds are equally light, weighing 4.6g each. At least Sony has an exact measurement for that! They’re in-ear buds so this particular figure is really important, as heavy in-ear buds (or those that aren't shaped carefully to distribute said weight) sometimes have trouble staying in the ear.

No issue for the Sonys though: they always felt rigid in my testing, never once falling out or even feeling loose. The box includes larger and smaller alternatives, with the app having an ear fit test, if the default tips don’t fit.

The fact that they fit and stay securely in my ears sounds simple enough, but so many competing options at double the price can't seem to do it. If you want cheap earbuds that don't budge and sound good, the Sony WF-C510 are it.

There are a few color options for the aspiring fashionistas out there: black and white are pretty standard, but there’s also light blue and light yellow. The latter hue is modelled by me in the pictures.

One feature of note on the WF-C510s is a button on each bud – it’s quite big, and takes up most of the body of each. It’s a physical button, meaning you have to actually depress it to trigger it, but I found it sensitive enough that it was easy to use. The size also ensures that you don’t have to keep jabbing at the bud, and shoving it into your ear, to trigger the function (which is customizable in the app).

In terms of waterproofing, the buds are IPX4 resistant to water, which means they’ll survive splashes from any angle, but not jets. That’s what the rating stands for but in real life the difference between ‘splashes’ and ‘jets’ isn’t always apparent so I’d recommend doing your best to keep these away from anything wetter than rain or sweat.

Design score: 4.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Sound quality

Bright sound; some might miss bass
High-quality given price
DSEE improves compressed music

I really like the sound of the Sony WF-C510s – obviously you have to set your expectations to a certain level with low-cost earbuds, but I found the audio high-quality and also certainly distinct in that Sony, "have this sound, and have it good and clear" way.

This is possibly thanks, at least in part, to Sony’s DSEE, which stands for digital sound enhancement engine – basically it’s tech that restores the range of the compressed audio tracks you’re playing from your chosen streaming service. It gives Sony earbuds, including the WF-C510, an edge over similar alternatives, as long as you remember to turn it on via the app.

The driver itself is a 6mm unit, so not necessarily as big as some similar-priced alternatives, but bigger than the more expensive WF-C700N.

The Sony WF-C510s have a slightly forward sound profile (and I say this as a compliment rather than a shortfall), offering clear and pronounced treble sounds like your guitars, vocals and piano parts. This is great for some genres of music, and I enjoyed listening to songs with prominent and distinct vocal lines that were beamed into my ears.

The flip side is that you can’t feel the bass quite as much in certain genres of music, which might be an issue for people who like their bass thumping to their back teeth. You can rectify it to a degree using the in-app equalizer, but not quite enough to please bass-heads.

I was surprised by the lack of peaking or distortion at normal listening volumes, and I had to really push the buds to a painfully-loud volume to hear any crackling, muddying or artefacts.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Sony WF-C510 review: Value

Look at the price
Seriously, look at it

I’d consider the Sony WF-C510 great value for money even if the audio was only ‘fine’. It’s not, though, and fans of Sony's typical sound profile (that's most of us) will really love what they’re getting here.

If you’re being offered the Sonys as a gift or bundled with another Sony product, you might think you’re just getting some cheap buds thrown in to sweeten the deal, but trust me when I say these are better than their lowly price suggests.

Value: 5/5

Should I buy the Sony WF-C510?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Sony WF-C510 review: Also consider

How I tested the Sony WF-C510

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, in the office and on trips

The Sony WF-C510 enjoyed two weeks of listening time for this review, and as mentioned earlier I've tested a string of their closest rivals recently, which helped with the comparisons.

I tested the buds while they were paired to my Android smartphone, and I connected them to a different mobile to test multi-point pairing. Mostly I listened to music with Spotify but to fully test the buds I also tried other apps including games and streaming services. Testing was done at home, in the office and on various trips around my city, including walks in the park and gym excursions.

I've been testing gadgets at TechRadar for over five years now, and in that time have used plenty of budget earbuds and other Sony products. Outside of reviewing headphones, my trusty Sony WH-1000XM3 are my go-to headphones so I'm well versed in Sony's audio products and software.

First reviewed in September 2024

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Hands-on Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Higher-end features for all

3:20 pm | September 16, 2024

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

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: Two-Minute Review

When they're in the ear, at first glance the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation might not look much different to the third-generation AirPods. However, the design has been streamlined for a better fit, while the internal hardware has been upgraded, with many of the best features of AirPods Pro 2 trickling down to Apple's new entry-level earbuds, making them a tempting option among the best AirPods.

For one, both styles of AirPods 4 – these and the standard version, which don’t offer noise cancellation – are powered by the Apple-made H2 chip that stretches the battery life, delivers excellent audio playback, and provides enough horsepower for Apple to offer Adaptive Audio on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

While it doesn't entirely block out the world around you in the way that the best noise cancelling earbuds do – remember these are open-ear earbuds – when paired with music, it can reduce loud rumbles, like a jet engine, down to a drastically reduced sound.

I think folks who desire the ability to block out the world around them without fully sealing off the ear will find a nice middle ground here. The Transparency mode, as well as how these pick up the user's voice, is very well done and sounds incredibly natural.

You'll also be able to answer or decline calls with a shake of your head and press the stems for easy control, other than for adjusting the volume. Sadly, the ability to swipe to change the volume didn't trickle down from AirPods Pro 2. However, excellent audio quality with a wide soundstage did, and that's paired with support for Personalized Spatial Audio.

Overall, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation make a bit more sense over the entry-level for the price and provide some future-proofing, but they also make an impact as powerful open-ear earbuds.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Pricing and Availability

The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are priced at $179 / £179 / AU$299. They're available from September 20th, 2024, though are available to order already.

The $129 / £129 / AU$219 entry-level AirPods 4 do not offer noise cancellation, or, as their pricier siblings do, a Find My-enabled case and a couple of other features, but they still offer excellent audio quality and spatial audio support.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Specs

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Features

Much like the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, AirPods Max, or even the third-generation model that they replace, the AirPods 4 – with or without active noise cancellation – offer several useful features, which make them an excellent choice for anyone with an iPhone, or who’s otherwise invested in Apple’s device ecosystem.

After unboxing, you need to flip the lid open and hold the AirPods 4 near your iPhone to start the pairing process. You’ll see a prompt appear on the bottom half of your screen and can click ‘Connect’ to pair the AirPods 4 with your iPhone and your iCloud account for easy syncing between devices. I found that this process took just a few seconds to complete.

Fast-pairing and quick switching between devices have long been staples of AirPods, with the former dating back to the first generation, and they perform well here. Right after pairing, I was able to begin listening on my iPhone, and I could quickly switch to listening to audio on a 14-inch MacBook Pro or an iPad. Apple’s various platforms will even automatically switch your AirPods between devices based on what you’re actively using or playing audio on,, but I found this to be a little less helpful.

One very helpful feature here, though, is the arrival of gesture controls. First announced as an upgrade for the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation at Apple’s WWDC in June, these head gestures launch on day one with AirPods 4, allowing you to easily answer or dismiss a call with a simple head shake. Just in my few days of using the AirPods 4 this has come in handy several times, especially when my hands are full or I’m walking around town. It works for phone calls, FaceTime, and other calling apps that use Apple’s APIs.

Aside from nodding your head or saying “yes” or “no”, you can also press the stems, or press and hold, to trigger a few actions. A single press lets you play or pause, while a long press lets you select listening modes. While these open-ear earbuds won’t fully isolate you from your surroundings, the AirPods 4 offer active noise cancellation, transparency, and Adaptive Audio (blending those two) modes. You cannot, however, swipe or down on the stem to adjust the volume – the ability to do this on the AirPods Pro is super-handy, but seemingly, Apple wants to keep that feature for its flagship earbuds.

Apple’s H2 chip – the same chip found in AirPods Pro – powers all of these features, as well as the microphones, custom algorithms, and sensors. As I wrote in my hands-on review, after I tried the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation right after the launch event to quiet down a noisy space, they offer seriously impressive noise cancellation for open-ear earbuds or buds that don’t fully seal off the ear. In that space, with ANC engaged, the sound of the crowded space was muffled, and when music playback began, it was mostly quieted down.

On an airplane, it was much the same experience – you can get some peace and quiet with them, but they won't fully drown out the environmental noise as the AirPods Pro can. Part of this might be due to the fact that your body is feeling vibrations and wants to match them with sound, but I think another factor is that without the full seal and as you move your head, ambient sound has more opportunity to enter your ear. The result is that AirPods 4 block out most sound, but on an airplane – or a train – you’ll still hear the engine roar and even some cabin noise. Still, though, these effectively block out a lot of noise.

I’ve long thought that the AirPods Pro offered the best transparency mode, in which they intelligently let environmental sounds in and lower the decibels so as not to harm your ears. I think the AirPods 4 outpace those, though – with transparency mode enabled here, any sense of roboticness or noise being piped in is pretty much removed; with Conversation Awareness turned on, you can also effectively have conversations with folks quite naturally, at times even forgetting these are in your ears. Your own voice, or in this case my voice, sounds a bit more natural and less processed as well.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Design

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don’t stray too far from the working formula of Apple’s other true-wireless earbuds. They opt for short stems like the AirPods Pro or the AirPods 3rd Generation that these directly replace. The curved portion of hard plastic that sits in your ear has been slightly redesigned and is now more curved, to provide a better fit in the ear.

I found the AirPods 4 to be pretty cozy in my ears. I comfortably wore them for over four and a half hours while on a flight and for countless hours with intermittent usage while working. They still just kind of plop in your ear and rest there. I didn’t have them fall out on any occasion, whether on a turbulent flight, while working out, or while walking indoors and outside in a bustling city.

The case is downright tiny given the smaller footprint that the left and right AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation take up. It’s much smaller than the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation case, and even the case for the cheaper AirPods 4, and is shorter than the AirPods 2nd Generation’s case. You still flip it open to take out or put back your AirPods 4, and there’s a multi-purpose indicator light on the front.

There’s no back button on the back case for easy pairing, though. Instead, you’ll double-press the back to trigger pairing for other devices, including non-Apple ones. It’s an easter egg that Apple needs to publicize a bit more.

To charge the AirPods 4, you can plug them in via USB-C, though there’s no longer a charger in the box. If you get the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, you can also place them on any Qi-wireless charger or Apple Watch charging puck.

In my testing, I found that with active noise cancellation, transparent, or Adaptive Audio enabled, you’ll get around four hours and 15 to 20 minutes of usage. That’s beyond Apple’s promised four hours of playback with a listening mode enabled. With no mode on, you can get about five to five-and-a-half hours of playback, depending on the volume you’re listening at. A quick five minutes of charging in the case also provides at least an hour of listening.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Sound Quality

To sum up, the AirPods 4 essentially sound as good as AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, and, as with their predecessors, that’s without the buds providing a true seal of the ear. There’s a clear and rich audio mix with a fairly wide sound stage, but the real chef’s kiss here would be the Spatial Audio support.

Powering the audio experience is Adaptive EQ via the H2 chip, and pushing out sound is a custom high-excursion drive and a high-dynamic range amplifier. It’s also worth noting that there’s a single H2 chip in each bud, with audio sent over Bluetooth 5.3 from the connected device.

This all comes together to give you a balanced representation of the track you’re listening to, but if you’re listening to something that bops with more oomph the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation won’t shy away from raising the lower-end or really offering a surprising amount of bass for earbuds of this size. For instance, with Burnin’ Train by Bruce Springsteen, the track starts off with a rising guitar riff that’s quickly joined by drums, piano, and vocals all across the sound spectrum – it sounds sonically here and in lossless via Apple Music I didn’t notice any distortion or dropouts.

With a pop/EDM track like Apple by Charli XCX, you can see how the AirPods 4 handle layering of sound, with a surprisingly sharp bass track that doesn’t distort with the singer’s vocals on top at higher frequencies, with various electrical beats in between. The AirPods 4 tend to handle almost all genres well, and even without a full seal, deliver a great balanced mix, although at higher volumes you will have some sound leakage.

Spatial Audio here essentially gets rid of stereo’s left and right channels, with various elements of a track flowing around you. It’s a more immersive listening experience, and Apple’s implementation here is excellent. I particularly like spinning it with a live track, but I think the album version of Down On The Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the best examples. Not to mention, it also works with some movies and TV shows to put you right in the middle of the action.

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review: Value

At $179 / £169 / AU$279 with active noise cancellation or $129 without, AirPods 4 offers a variety of features previously found only on Apple’s most high-end earbuds. The new design language streamlines the AirPods' appearance, as they all look similar.

If you’re sold on open-ear earbuds or ones that lack silicone tips, AirPods 4 are likely your best bet if you want to be within Apple’s ecosystem. The higher price might only be $70 away from AirPods Pro, but you still get a lot of value for the price: three listening modes, a comfortable open-ear design that doesn’t fall out, solid battery life, and a findable case should they go missing.

The $129 / £129 edition of AirPods 4 will lose the listening modes and the Find My enabled case, but it still offers a rich, crisp audio experience, all of the handy Apple ecosystem features, and support for Spatial Audio.

Should I Buy Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation?

Buy them if...

If you want an open-ear fit that works in the Apple ecosystem

Replacing AirPods 2nd and 3rd gen, AirPods 4 are the new open-ear, non-ear sealing earbuds that work extremely well with the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.

Don't buy them if...

If you want the best noise cancellation in an earbud

Considering AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation don't seal off your ear with a silicone ear-tip, these earbuds won't block out all environmental sound. So if you're looking for that consider another pair like AirPods Pro 2nd Gen or one of the best wireless earbuds from elsewhere.

How I tested Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

For the past several days, I've been living with and using Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad Mini, iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple TV 4K.

I tested audio playback, standard, and Spatial Audio tracks in various locations to gauge and track performance and see if there was sound leakage since these are open-ear earbuds. I threw various tracks across genres at AirPods 4, streamed from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Nugs.net.

I used active noise cancellation, transparency, and "Adaptive Audio" listening modes in various locations, including at home, in an office environment, while walking around a city, on a train, in a car, and on a plane. I tracked and measured how long the battery lasted with these modes on and off and the charging time.

First reviewed September 2024.

AirPods 4 review – Seriously impressive noise cancellation for no ear tip earbuds

8:05 pm | September 10, 2024

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

Hands-on AirPods 4 review: Two-minute preview

AirPods fans take notice: You no longer need to go Pro to get active noise cancellation. Furthermore, Apple has answered the call if you have a distaste for ear tips or simply don’t want your ears sealed off.

AirPods 4 are now official and come in two flavors: just AirPods 4 at $129 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation at $179. After spending some time with the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series X, I dashed over to the AirPods 4 on display. I got the chance to briefly test the higher-end option – including putting the noise cancelation to the test in a noisy, loud, and crowded hands-on area.

For one, the case is very compact and tiny, appearing smaller than the AirPods Pro or even the third-generation AirPods. In fact, it’s kind of like a shorter AirPods second-generation carrying case in terms of width across. You should have no issue bringing these with you and fitting them within most pockets.

Apple AirPods 4, bottom of case. — (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation also trickles down some of my favorite features of the AirPods Pro case. Bluetooth Low-Energy is inside and a speaker, making the case here findable within Find My. So, if you lose it, you can ping it from another Apple device to help you find it. There is also a USB-C port for charging, and a cable comes in the box, but the rear here also supports recharging with an Apple Watch charger or a standard Qi charger.

Flip open the lid, and you’ll find the left and right AirPods 4, which Apple dubs the “best-fitting AirPods ever.” I’ll need to spend more time with them, but they’re very compact, with short stems containing the force sensor for intuitive controls. However, the overall look is similar to that of AirPods' third generation.

Apple has redesigned the fit here to better stay in the ear, be comfortable for an extended period, and for the best acoustic performance. I found them comfortable during my brief demo, and even with a few headshakes, I couldn’t get them to fall out. However, I haven’t had that issue with previous open-ear style AirPods like the first-, second-, or third-generation models.

With their lack of silicone ear tips, AirPods 4 rest in your ear and won’t fully seal it off from the world around you. With no audio playing and no listening mode on, you will still hear a good bit of the world around you. With the H2 onboard here and the higher price, these feature listening modes, though.

These seriously impressed me in my brief demo – I started with Transparency mode engaged and 1901 by Phoenix playing in the background at a low volume. I could hear the track playing and the noisy crowd of folks demoing other gadgets around me, albeit at a slightly lower volume. The overall audio mix was vibrant and crisp. I couldn't test out "Personalized Spatial Audio" in this space, but AirPods 4 does support it.

AirPods 4 in hand — (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

When I engaged the AirPods 4's Active Noise Cancellation feature and had the track playing, it pretty much lowered the volume of the crowd completely – this was with audio at about 60-70%. At a lower volume, that crowd roar can still be there a bit, but considering the open style of AirPods 4, these performed way better than I had initially anticipated. I’m curious how these might perform with blocking out noise in other situations, be it a plane or a place with a roaring HVAC system. I didn’t get the chance to try Adaptive Audio here, but I look forward to testing that and seeing how it handles blending transparency and active noise cancellation together.

That about sums up my first impressions of AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. For one, they make noise cancellation more affordable within the AirPods lineup – though $179 is still not the cheapest – and also deliver a potentially more comfortable fit for folks who don’t like ear tips. I especially like that it ushers in some of the nicer-to-have features of AirPods Pro, like Find My for the case and the H2 chip, which should deliver great sound playback. AirPods 4 will also feature gesture controls like nodding your head up or down to answer a call or left and right to ignore it.

AirPods 4 tour in case — (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

You can also use “Hey Siri” hands-free for things like sending a message or asking a topical question. Apple promises five hours of playback on a full charge and 30 hours with recharges in the case. If you engage Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, or Adaptive Audio, that will drop to 20 hours with recharges.

Of course, if you don’t need noise cancellation and can live without wirelessly charging the AirPods case, the $129 AirPods 4 might be a better fit – pun intended – and won’t be as big of a hit on your wallet. These have the same fit from the redesign and have the H2 chip inside.

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