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‘A serious Apple AirPods Pro rival’: five sweet stars prove Huawei’s new FreeBuds Pro 5 are the real deal

11:00 am | March 20, 2026

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5: Two-minute review

Let’s be clear from the start. For everyday listening, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are the best earbuds you can get without spending significantly more. They tick every box, deliver across the board and make a compelling case that there’s life beyond Apple for those who have been reluctant to shop around.

They’re the fifth generation of Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro line, which has been around since 2020 and we’ve always rated them well. In fact, I tested the FreeBuds Pro 2 back in 2022. The FreeBuds Pro 4 landed in November 2024 and scored four stars in our review. They were strong but not quite there. The Pro 5 are different and good enough to go head-to-head with the best at this level, including the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 look and feel more premium than their price suggests, and so does the charging case. They’re smaller and lighter than the Pro 4 at 5.5g per bud, which is noticeable. Build quality is excellent, the stems have a high-shine finish and the case has a satiny coating that feels upscale.

Most importantly, the design translates into a supremely comfortable wear. As someone with small, particular ears who put these through gym sessions, runs and full working days, I can tell you the fit is impressive.

The feature set is extensive. There’s smooth multipoint connectivity, customisable gesture controls that are responsive and the Huawei Audio Connect app is one of my favourites at this level. Battery life reaches around 8.5 hours with ANC off and nearly 6 with it on, with 38 hours total from the case. That’s not as good as rivals for ANC listening time, but the amount of power the case holds is great.

ANC is one of the headline upgrades here. The FreeBuds Pro 5 use a dual-driver system and they work together as noise-cancelling engines, paired with an AI sensing model. In practice, it’s close to silence but without that airless, pressurized quality that heavy ANC can sometimes produce. Call quality benefits from the same tech, I found it to be clear and natural, even in busy environments.

Then there’s sound, which is very good indeed. The dual-driver acoustic system delivers a wide, rich soundstage with strong low-end response, excellent instrument separation and detail that holds up across genres, from driving rock to expansive orchestral soundtracks. I think you’d have to spend significantly more or go wired to do meaningfully better.

Our audio editor Becky Scarrott called these “hands-down Huawei’s best buds yet” after five days of early testing at launch. After several weeks with them, I wholeheartedly agree. They earn their five stars because they’re excellent value, genuinely well-made and perform at a level that earbuds costing more would be proud of.

Now, are they perfect? Not quite. Lossless audio requires a Huawei device, which many don’t have. The design is fractionally chunkier than some rivals at this price too and you don't get foam tips in the box like you did with the Pro 4. But if those are the only cons (and they are), they’re doing well. I’d bet none of these would register on the radar of most everyday listeners.

That’s precisely who I think these buds are for. Not the audiophile chasing the absolutely best sound or the dedicated athlete who needs purpose built workout buds. But the everyday listener who wants the best all-rounders. They've got wide appeal, strong value and no meaningful ecosystem restrictions.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Price and release date

The huawei FreeBus Pro 5 pictured on a stone surface in their charging case — (Image credit: Future)

Released globally in February 2026
Sells for £179.99 in the UK
No price hike from past models

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 were released in February 2026 in many markets across the UK, Europe and Asia. Though there are still ongoing trade restrictions between Huawei and the US.

The buds cost £179.99 in the UK. But it's worth noting that, at the time of writing, the official Huawei website is offering a £30 off coupon for the FreeBuds Pro 5. This may not last long, but it makes an already great value pair of buds even easier to recommend.

Whether you find them for £179.99 or get the £149.99 deal, they're a good price for earbuds designed to compete with high-end rivals.

Let's put that into context. The latest AirPods Pro cost $249 / £219 / AU$429. So they're undercutting those while being a very solid alternative, particularly for Android users. Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which are going to be seen as the top AirPods Pro alternative for Androids users, sell for $249 / £219 / AU$399.

They're pricier than some of our favorite mid-range picks, like the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 at $149 / £119 and the Nothing Ear (a) at $99 / £99. But I'd say they're positioned as a step above both of those options, so that would make sense here.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Specs

Drivers	11mm dynamic woofer and micro-planar tweeter
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	9 hours buds, 38 hours case
Weight	5.5g per bud, 43g case
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6
Frequency response	10 Hz to 48 kHz
Waterproofing	IP57 buds, IP54 case

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Features

Someone holding one of the huawei freebuds pro 5 buds close to the camera — (Image credit: Future)

9/38-hour battery life, less with ANC or features
Plenty of useful features in the easy-to-use app
Fantastic ANC

The FreeBuds Pro 5 are packed with features, and almost all of them live inside the Huawei Audio Connect app, which is one of the cleanest companion apps I’ve tested. Everything is easy to find and nothing is buried in sub-menus.

Huawei claims the FreeBuds Pro 5 are the world’s first dual-driver ANC earbuds, meaning both the dynamic driver and the micro planar diaphragm unit work together to tackle noise. The low-frequency driver targeting rumble and bass-heavy interference, the high-frequency driver handling sharper sounds. This hardware is then paired with a real-time AI sensing model that samples ambient noise 400,000 times per second (yes, you read that right!), which means it’s continuously adapting to whatever environment you’re in.

In practice, it’s incredibly effective. I tried them in all sorts of environments and low rumbles, like traffic, air conditioning, the hum of a commute, are all handled incredibly well. The overall effect is close to silence without tipping into the slightly pressurized, airless quality some ANC can produce. I know some people do prefer that, but what Huawei does here is my preference. There’s also a good passive isolation baseline here thanks to the secure fit.

There are four ANC models to pick. Dual-Engine, which adapts automatically to your surroundings. Cozy, which is for quieter environments. General for everyday noise and Ultra for loud environments. With Ultra you might notice more of a pressure sensation, which is worth knowing if you’re sensitive to that feeling, but it does do a good job at eliminating almost all ambient sound.

There’s a good Awareness mode here, which has a bunch of options within it. Standard, Voice Awareness, which filters in voices while suppressing other noises, and Adaptive Awareness, which adjusts dynamically.

Conversation Awareness is also on board. When you start speaking, the buds automatically switch from ANC to Awareness mode and lower the volume, then gradually fade back after around ten seconds once you stop. I found I could hold a natural conversation without touching the buds at all, and the transition back was gradual and smooth rather than jarring. Sony’s Speak to Chat works similarly.

The FreeBuds Pro 5 move up to Bluetooth 6.0 from the Pro 4’s 5.2, and multipoint pairing of two devices is supported. Switching between my laptop and phone during testing was smooth with no lag. There’s also Find My Earbuds, which emits a round from whichever bud you’ve lost. I used it several times when one slipped under my desk, it’s one of those features you’ll be more grateful for than you’d expect.

A new internal antenna promises a 38% improvement in Bluetooth range alongside better interference rejection. I had no dropouts during testing across gym sessions and on the move.

A close up of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 in their charging case with the green light on — (Image credit: Future)

On the codec side, iPhone users get AAC, Android users get LDAC and Huawei devices get access to lossless audio via L2HC 4.0 at 2.3Mbps. So that lossless tier is firmly Huawei ecosystem only. For the rest of us though, LDAC and AAC are still solid options and the good news is very few other features here are gated behind a Huawei device.

Control across the stems are tap, pinch and swipe, which is a good range for buds. You can customize these in the app and I really liked that they registered with a satisfying, audible little click. Head gesture controls let you answer or reject calls with a nod or a shake, which worked well most of the time. Wear detection pauses playback when you remove a single bud, and you can listen with ANC active in just one earbud, which I liked. There’s also a low-latency mode here for gamers.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Pro 5 last 9 hours with ANC off and around 6 hours with it on, with 38 hours in total from the charging case. During testing, I got just over 8.5 hours with ANC off at 50% volume. I then got nearly 6 hours with ANC on. So that’s close to the claimed figure, though it is worth bearing in mind that these real-world results with ANC active do tend to vary based on environment and mode – I had the Dual-engine setting on for testing.

For context, the AirPods Pro 3 offer 8 hours with ANC on and 10 hours with it off, with 24 hours in total from the case. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro come in at 6 hours with ANC on and 7 hours with it off, and 30 hours from the case.

So the FreeBuds Pro 5 don’t beat those figures, but do hold up fairly well. Though the case’s 38 hour total is an advantage over the AirPods. Worth knowing if you travel a lot and know you may have to rely solely on the case for a few days.

One final point worth making when it comes to the battery is that thanks to the solid fit and passive isolation, you won’t always need ANC. I found that for lower noise environments, running on ANC off really extended my listening time without a sacrifice.

Features score: 4.5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Design

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 earbuds next to their charging case — (Image credit: Future)

Design is smaller, lighter and more comfortable than ever
IP57-rated buds make them genuinely workout-friendly
Lovely case with strong magnets and a handy ring light

The FreeBuds Pro 5 are a clear evolution of the Pro line, and that’s a good thing. As long as you’re on board with stems. They work particularly well for smaller ears and make gesture controls far more reliable than tap-based alternatives. That said, stem-free designs might suit some ear shapes better, so this is a subjective thing.

Huawei says the FreeBuds Pro 5 are 10% smaller and 6% lighter than previous buds and at 5.5g per bud, you can feel it. I do think they’re a fraction chunkier than say the AirPods Pro 3 and a few rivals at this level, but once they’re in the comfort level is genuinely impressive.

I wore them for around three hours straight one morning and for a further four in the afternoon without any ache or fatigue, and this is coming from someone with smaller ears who can be sensitive to heavier buds.

Huawei says it used more than 10,000 ear profiles to inform the fit here, and it shows. Four silicone tip sizes are included, and I found the medium worked well for me, despite usually needing to reach for the smallest pair.

The one minor gripe here on comfort is the absence of foam tips, which have come with some previous FreeBuds Pro models and are still mentioned in the app, which suggests they may arrive later. Most people seem to prefer silicone anyway, but foam can add passive isolation and a slightly more immersive ANC effect. Though this omission isn’t a dealbreaker by any means.

The stems themselves have shifted from rectangular to a flat oval profile, with a high-shine front panel and metallic detailing round the edges that reads as genuinely premium. I tested the sand/gold shade, which adds to the premium feel, though white, silver and a blue option with a vegan leather case are also available too.

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 charging case, shown closed on a stone surface — (Image credit: Future)

The new IP57 rating on the buds is a real highlight. That covers sweat, splashes and brief submersion, making them as workout-friendly as an everyday pair of buds gets. I took them out on several runs and to the gym throughout testing and they stayed secure throughout.

The charging case is nicely designed too. At 43g it’s light and pocket-friendly with a smooth, rounded shape and soft film coating that feels premium when you gold it. Strong magnets snap it shut and a hidden hinge keeps the lines clean.

On the front, the halo ring light glows in different colors to indicate battery and pairing status, which is both practical and a nice-looking design touch. The case is IP54-rated now as well, offering solid splash and rain resistance.

All in all, there’s very little to fault where design is concerned. If you want stems, these are among the best-looking and best-built options at this price.

Design score: 5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Sound quality

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 buds pictured from above in their charging case with the light on — (Image credit: Future)

New dual-driver acoustic system.
Dynamic and energetic sound
Huawei phone needed for lossless audio

The big hardware news for the FreeBuds Pro 5 is a new dual-driver acoustic system, combining a low-frequency dynamic driver with a high-frequency micro planar diaphragm driver.

The low-end response is strong and present from the get-go, with the buds leaning into bass-forward tuning that feels deliberate and punchy. There’s also a bass boosting mode available if you want to push that even further. Impressively, even with that boost applied, the low-end stays controlled. No muddiness or bloat, just a lot of energy and power.

Crucially, they’re not bass-heavy though, a lot of detail survives alongside it. That dual-driver setup handles separation well across the whole frequency range, which keeps mids and highs really clean even when the low-end is doing a lot of work. So the overall character is dynamic and energetic, nothing feels lost in the mix here.

Listening to Queens of the Stone Age’s No One Knows, that dynamic quality is front and centre. Josh Homme’s vocals have a real presence, they’re bright and cutting, but the guitars still drive hard underneath without crowding them out of the picture. Instrument separation is confident here too, and there’s this pleasing sense that the track is opening up at higher volumes rather than compressing. It’s the kind of rock mix that rewards earbuds with genuine low-end grunt, and the FreeBuds Pro 5 deliver that in spades.

But I also loved listening to anything orchestral with them too. Hans Zimmer’s Dune soundtrack is a demanding test, spanning whispered, layered vocals, sweeping strings, dark percussion and heaps of bass, and the Freebuds Pro 5 handle it without flinching.

The Bene Gesserit chants land with an appropriately unsettling, layered depth, while Ripples in the Sand opens into a wide, rich soundstage where every element holds its place. Strings, percussion, and those haunting high vocals all occupy their place in the mix. The soundstage here is genuinely impressive for earbuds at this price, with no detectable distortion even pushed to higher volumes.

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 buds pictured on a stone surface next to their charging case — (Image credit: Future)

All of the above was tested on default settings, but there’s plenty of room to customize the sound. Eight EQ presets are available, each developed in partnership with the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. Balanced is the default, which is the most accurate and natural-sounding. That’s the one I kept returning to despite trying and enjoying many of the rest.

Voice brightens things up for vocals. Classical adds a concert hall quality that worked particularly well with those big movie soundtracks, and Bass does exactly what it promises. There are also some purpose built presets for movies, podcasts and games. If none of these work for you, there’s also a 10-band custom EQ that gives you full control.

Spatial Audio with head-tracking is also on-board here and it doesn’t require Dolby Atmos tracks, it works with whatever you’re playing. It’s not usually my preference for music, but paired with the movie preset it added a genuinely immersive quality to films and TV. Worth knowing too that you don’t need a Huawei device to access it.

Call quality is also worth noting here. In a quiet space it’s clean and natural. In a busy market with chatter, loud sounds and low-level rumbling of vans and traffic nearby, some background noise crept in. But my voice remained clear and isolated, which I still found impressive given the conditions. Wind interference caused some wobble on a really blustery day, though I was still perfectly audible. As a serial voice note leaver, these passed that test too.

Between the new hardware, tuning options and the spatial audio, the FreeBuds Pro 5 make a strong case across almost any genre or use case you throw at them.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Value

Someone holding the huawei freebuds pro 5 in their charging case — (Image credit: Future)

Great value for money
Undercuts rivals
Already promotions on the official Huawei website

It's a bold claim, but I think the FreeBuds Pro 5 are the strongest all-round option at this price right now for everyday listening.

If you have a very specific priority, such as dedicated workout buds or audiophile-grade lossless sound, you may find better value elsewhere. And if you're one of the few people who think the weaknesses are dealbreakers, like no Huawei phone for lossless audio or a preference for tiny, stemless designs, then it's worth factoring that in.

But everyone else who wants great sound, strong ANC and a comfortable, premium-feeling design with all the essential features, then these deliver a lot.

They're even easier to recommend because they're priced lower than most of their rivals at launch. In fact, Huawei is already offering a discount code on them at the time of writing if you head to their official site, which makes them even harder to argue with on value. Can I give them 5.5 stars out of 5 for this section? No? Fine.

Value: 5/5

Should I buy the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5?

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	An excellent suite of features, upgraded driver system and lovely app. Battery life with ANC playback is good but is bested by high-end rivals.	4.5/5
Design	Smaller and lighter than predecessors. They fit very well, look more premium than they should and gestures work are nice with that stem.	5/5
Sound quality	They sound great, call quality is improved and there's a lot of customisation. You only get lossless with Huawei phones, though.	4.5/5
Value	Everything you need is here at a price that undercuts most rivals.	5/5

Buy them if…

You want an AirPods Pro alternative
Maybe you’re on Android, want a cheaper option or just don’t gel with the sound signature of the AirPods. Whatever the reason for wanting to ditch Apple, these are a solid alternative pick.

You want all-rounders for everyday listening
If you really care about audio, workouts or ANC you can find high-end options that specialize in those things, sure. But for an everyday listening experience that ticks all of the boxes, they’re really hard to beat.View Deal

You want premium sound, looks and build at a good price
They really do look, feel and sound more premium than they should. And while we wouldn’t describe them as affordable, they’re certainly excellent value for the price. View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You don’t like the stem design
They have long stems, there’s no getting away from it. Some people love how they look, fit and work with gestures. But if you’re not a fan, you might prefer a more compact look, like the Technics EAH-AZ100.

You want lossless
If you have a Huawei phone these are a no-brainer, have at it. If you don’t and you’d really like lossless sound, you won’t find it here. Try the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 instead.

You already own the FreeBuds Pro 4
There are upgrades here, so if only the best ANC, transparency and calls are a priority for you, it’s worth it. For everyone else, you shouldn’t rush to upgrade.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Also consider

	Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5	Apple AirPods Pro 3	Technics EAH-AZ100
Drivers	11mm dynamic woofer and micro-planar tweeter	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver	10mm free-edge dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	6 hours (buds) 25 hours (case)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)	10 hours (buds) 28 hours (case)
Weight	5.5g (buds) 43g (case)	5.6g (buds) 44g (case)	5.9g (buds) 42g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Waterproofing	IP57	IP57	IPX4

AirPods Pro 3
The Freebuds Pro 5 give them a run for their money. But Apple's AirPods Pro are still some of the best wireless earbuds for iPhone owners, with great ANC, unique features and slightly better battery life with ANC playback.
Read our full AirPods Pro 3 review

Technics EAH-AZ100
Not many earbuds will beat the FreeBuds Pro 5 for sound, but these Technics are the best. They also don't have a stem-like design, which some of you may prefer. Though they are considerably more expensive.
Read our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review

How I tested the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5

Tested for three weeks
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport in a city, working in a cafe and a co-working space, while running and at the gym

I tested the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 for just over three weeks to write this review. I mostly had them paired with an iPhone 16 Pro, but I also used them with a MacBook Pro.

I used a range of different music and film apps to test the buds. They played music from Spotify, Qobuz and tunes from internal storage, as well as videos from YouTube, Prime Video and Mubi.

I’ve tested many headphones and earbuds over the past 13 years as a tech journalist. Including devices from top audio brands, like Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, as well as cheaper buds from the likes of JLab, Nothing, Skullcandy and more. I’m interested in tech that prioritises comfort and ease of use.

First reviewed in March 2026

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

I tested Sennheiser’s new USB-C wired earbuds and was wowed by their stellar sound, luxurious looks, and legendary low price

2:00 pm | March 10, 2026

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

Sennheiser CX 80U: review

Recently, one of my esteemed colleagues shared a brand new term with me: “friction-maxxing”. The term – coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton – concerns the practice of rejecting modern digital conveniences, and building tolerance for discomfort while resisting the temptations of technological ease. I assure you, all of this is relevant to my verdict on the retro-feel Sennheiser CX-80U wired earbuds — just stay with me a little longer.So, all of this friction-maxxing talk got me thinking about tech and its role in our lives. Previously, we’d head to a Blockbuster or a local library to hunt down a movie we want to see, whereas we now bear witness to an unending wall of films on Netflix. Once we would have gone to a record store or entertainment outlet, and purchased a new vinyl pressing or CD, but now we just stream tunes via Spotify. And we used to queue up outside video game stores eagerly awaiting a new release, while now, you can pre-order a title from a digital store instantaneously.We’ve taken so many inconveniences away, but has it come at the expense of the human experiences that stick with us forever? Maybe. But all is not lost. We can still bring some friction back into our lives. For instance, Sennheiser is here, and it’s plugging the wires back into your earbuds, and transporting you away from the ultra-convenient Bluetooth earbuds that dominate today’s market. Yes, I present to you, the Sennheiser CX 80U – a budget-friendly pair of USB-C in-ear headphones, aiming to compete with the best wired earbuds in their price bracket.The Sennheiser CX 80U are a USB-C adaption of 2021’s Sennheiser CX 80S – essentially the same buds, but ones that use a 3.5mm connector. Like the CX 80S, Sennheiser’s new earbuds use 9.7mm dynamic drivers, with a frequency range of 17Hz-20kHz. The result? Clear full range sound, with powerful bass, clean mids, and vibrant treble. Given that they’re on sale for less than $40 / £35, I was really impressed with the sonic capabilities of these buds and, after two weeks of testing, I’d argue that they’re among the best I’ve tried in the budget category.When I tuned into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was treated to full-sounding, impactful bass and exciting yet controlled percussion in the treble range. Piano and vocal chops came through with plenty of clarity in the mids too, and as the track built, the individual layers never got muddied or convoluted. I was especially pleased with the sense of space that treble sounds have. Highs often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving them plenty of room to express themselves. For me, this created a great sense of immersion in my tunes, something that many budget rivals fail to offer. Even at peak volumes, the CX 80U’s treble never sounded harsh or tinny, and solid dynamics were maintained at all times.As a regular user of the Sennheiser IE 200, I like the way that Sennheiser approaches the low-end on its more budget-friendly products. It never feels like bass is bloated or over-emphasized for an attention grabbing, but unbalanced sound. Instead, products like the IE 200 favor an agile, clear interpretation of low-end sounds – a punchy sound, rather than an untamed one. And it’s a very similar story on the CX 80U.These wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges. For instance, when I tuned into Fascinator by Max Dean, although the sub-bass was a little subdued, mid-bass sounds were rapid and full-sounding, never sounding lethargic or ‘boomy’. It would be rude not to give the mids a bit of airtime too, so let’s discuss them for a bit. Now, I’ll be upfront, I don’t think you’re getting the most nuanced or detail-oriented mids around with these earbuds. However, they certainly sound clear, and well balanced and very robust for buds in this price-range.For instance, when I listened to Ventura Highway by America, acoustic guitars in the intro came through with beautiful tonal accuracy, and sounded surprisingly expressive too. But as vocals entered the mix, I couldn’t help but realize that they didn’t sound perfectly separated from those guitars, and lacked the definition in the mix supplied by pricier rivals. This really is a nitpick, though. These budget-friendly buds sound absolutely fantastic, and I’d never expect them to compete with $100 / £100 models.

Sennheiser CX 80U earbuds with different-sized eartips — (Image credit: Future)

I’ve spoken about sound pretty extensively now, so let’s talk about something else that will affect your enjoyment of these buds – their comfort. Now, I have to say that I found the CX 80U to feel very pleasant in-ear. I happily engaged in multi-hour listening sessions, and never experienced discomfort or irritation. For reference, I used the medium-sized eartips, although small and large alternatives are included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.And getting that ideal seal will be pretty important if you want to enjoy the CX 80U at their best. With the right fit, I didn’t only unlock high-level comfort, but surprisingly strong passive noise isolation. When people were chattering away in my office, I genuinely couldn’t hear a word they were saying at around 70% listening volume. On top of that, typing sounds and doors closing barely broke through at all.That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the CX 80U don’t use fancy foam eartips or any particularly advanced technologies to keep noise out. Sure, they won’t stop you from hearing surrounding traffic or the rumble of a jet engine if you’re taking a flight, but they’ll still dampen surrounding clamors nicely, and that in itself is a major plus.Sennheiser’s in-ears are well designed in just about every other way too. For instance, I love their classy look, which is marked by rounded buds, attractive silver details, and slim wires. There’s an in-line controller here too, which isn’t too close to the face or too far down, and is attached to the right bud, so you know which side is which.But unfortunately, the controller seems to house just about every issue I have with the Sennheiser CX 80U – even though my critiques are few and far between. First of all, I was puzzled by the lack of volume controls. There’s a single button that can be used to pause or play tracks or take calls, but that’s all. That meant that whenever I wanted to change volume, I had to pull my phone out – not ideal when you’re on the go.My second point of criticism – which is admittedly pretty minor – concerns the controller’s built-in mic. I tried recording a voice note, and realized that there was noticeable background static in the recording throughout. My voice was decently clear, in fairness, and the mic isn’t bad overall, but it won’t provide the best call quality around.But that’s about where my complaints end. Sure, it would be nice if the CX 80U had an IPX4 rating for some protection against raindrops, for instance, but it’s pretty common for buds in this price range to leave waterproofing out. Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about the Sennheiser CX 80U. They sound spectacular for their sub-$40 / £35 price-tag, they’ve got a classy look, and their adoption of USB-C makes them a great fit for modern smartphones and laptops. If you want to bring some friction back into your life with a budget-friendly pair of wired buds, the CX 80U would be my top recommendation.

Sennheiser CX 80U earbuds — (Image credit: Future)

Sennheiser CX 80U review: price and release date

$39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)
Launched in January 2026

The Sennheiser CX 80U were announced in January 2026, alongside the Sennheiser HD 400U USB-C wired headphones. They have a list price of $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), planting them firmly in the budget category. They’re available in a single black and silver colorway.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: specs

Drivers	9.7mm dynamic
Weight	0.5oz / 15g
Frequency range	17Hz-20kHz
Waterproofing	Not stated
Connectivity	USB-C

Controller on the Sennheiser CX 80U — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Sennheiser CX 80U?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Surprisingly good noise isolation, mic is just OK, and controller could use volume buttons.	3.5/5
Sound quality	Clean, agile bass, clear mids, expressive treble – very solid detail for the price.	4.5/5
Design	Classy look, impressive build quality, no waterproofing.	4.5/5
Value	Very cheap and sound more premium than you’d expect – you can’t ask for much more.	5/5

Buy them if...

You want good sound at a low cost
The Sennheiser CX 80U are some of the best-sounding wired earbuds I’ve tested in their price category, offering powerful bass, clear mids, and expressive treble. For less than $40 / £35, they really are worth every penny.

You’ve got an eye (and an ear) for detail
For the price you pay, the Sennheiser CX 80U look seriously classy. Their metallic details and rounded buds make them very easy on the eye, and their comfortable fit ensures that they’re strong performers in the design category.

Don't buy them if...

You want ultimate convenience
As much as I loved using the Sennheiser CX 80U, I wouldn’t say they were the most convenient buds I’ve tested. The main reason for that was their lack of volume adjustment buttons on the controller. This would have made using them on the go a lot easier, as I had to take my phone from my pocket to crank the volume up (or dial it down) every time.

You need your buds to be waterproof
There’s no mention of a waterproof rating for these wired buds, which is pretty common for Sennheiser audio gear. If you want splash-resistant in-ears, I’d recommend trying out the Skullcandy Set USB-C.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: also consider

	Sennheiser CX 80U	SoundMagic E80D	Apple EarPods USB-C
Price	$39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)	$44 / £39.98 / AU$66	$19 / £19 / AU$29
Drivers	9.7mm dynamic	10mm dynamic	Dynamic
Weight	0.5oz / 15g	0.6oz / 16g	1.1oz / 30g
Frequency range	17Hz-20kHz	15Hz-22kHz	20Hz-20kHz
Connectivity	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C

SoundMagic E80D
SoundMagic may not be quite the household name Sennheiser is (unless you're an audiophile on a budget), but the company produces a lot of great quality affordable audio gear, including the SoundMagic E80D USB-C earbuds. With detailed audio, impressive noise isolation and a genuinely comfortable fit, these buds have a lot going for them. Read our full SoundMagic E80D review.

Apple EarPods USB-C
Here’s a super-cheap pair of wired earbuds that you’ve probably come across before: the Apple EarPods USB-C. These buds have a more open design, leaving out the in-ear seal of the CX 80U and SoundMagic E80D. They’re sleek, well-made, and have a solid built-in mic too. They sound OK for the price, with solid low-end weight, but you won’t get the detail or nuance of Sennheiser’s buds. Read our full Apple EarPods USB-C review.

How I tested the Sennheiser CX 80U

USB-C connector on the Sennheiser CX 80U — (Image credit: Future)

Tested for two weeks
Used in the office and while out and about
Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent two weeks testing the Sennheiser CX 80U, and took them with me just about everywhere I went. I tested them at home, at the office, and even on walks, to really grasp their noise isolation capabilities.Although I used them for streaming the odd bit of video, I predominantly used the CX 80U for music listening. When playing tunes, I predominantly used Tidal, and had them connected up to the Nothing Phone (4a). To begin with, I made sure to run through our TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide array of genres. However, I also made sure to tap into some tracks from my personal library.More generally, I’ve spent two years reviewing gadgets here at TechRadar, and audio gear is a key focus of mine. I’ve reviewed a lot of wired earbuds like the Master & Dynamic ME05 and the JBL Tune 310C, but I’ve also tested IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 200 and IE 600. On top of that, I’ve gone hands on with some of the best noise cancelling headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q800F, and Bluetooth speakers like the Marshall Kilburn III.

Read more about how we test
First reviewed: March 2026

‘Fantastic, and a disappointment’: I love the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but they don’t fix the problems of the past

8:31 pm | March 9, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: ANC, Samsung Galaxy Buds | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Two-minute review

Can earbuds be fantastic, and a disappointment, at the same time? Apparently so: the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are some of the best earbuds I’ve ever tested, but the company has failed to address any of the issues which put buyers (myself included) off the Buds 3 Pro.The latest AirPods Pro rivals from Samsung were released alongside the Galaxy S26 Ultra and co., including a cheaper Galaxy Buds 4 with a few choice downgrades. The Korean company doesn’t just upgrade its audio line-up annually, seemingly waiting for tech to move on enough to justify a newer model. And the good news is, there’s no doubt that these 2026 earbuds prove themselves against their predecessors.The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sit among the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever tested, with a driver upgrade letting them stack up against audiophile-designed premium options I’ve tried like the triple-driver Status Pro X and slightly-more-affordable Creative Aurvana Ace 3. You’re going to have to pay a lot to get better in-ear sounds, or opt for a wired pair.The upgrade is in the woofer, designed for bass, which Samsung says is 20% bigger than before. This allows for meaty but controlled bass, allowing the buds to retain the warm sound of past models but without overshadowing mids and trebles. You can also get incredibly high-quality sound thanks to Samsung’s own SSC Bluetooth standard, but only if you’re using a Galaxy phone. The fact that you need a handset from the company to unlock all the features is something we complained about in the past buds, and it’s just one of several issues from older models that hasn’t been addressed. As TechRadar's audio editor wrote recently, if Samsung revived Milk Music so we never had to leave the Galaxy ecosystem, it might be a different story, in the way that Apple Music is the irrefutable bridge between Apple's AirPods and its iPhone, but that isn't the case (so I do still have to mention it). And that's not the only issue that's been carried over. Take, for example, the proprietary ear-tip locking system which saw the Buds 3 Pro delayed. It’s still here! Removing and replacing them is much more fiddly than it needs to be, and yanking them off runs the risk of tearing your tip in two – you also can’t use the vast majority of ‘standard’ ear-tips here, so if you’ve got a selection you’ve bought or leftovers from past earbuds you’ve owned, they’re basically landfill now. Please cough up more cash for Samsung-approved ones.Compounding the problem is the fit: the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro didn’t stay in my ear especially well, and I know this is a problem that plagued 3 Pro users too. The tip material doesn’t offer enough friction to keep the buds in there when you’re on the go, and there’s a lack of any other stabilizing design features like a fin or balanced weighting, which could go some way in rectifying the problem.Many of my Galaxy Buds 4 Pro gripes are smaller pain points that you’ll easily get used to, but the fit problem is a real shame: it was a complained-about point a year and a half ago on the older model, and it’s something that doesn’t get better over time. Know this: I struggled with whether to list the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro with a 4-star or 4.5-star review rating, but I keep coming back to the excellent sound quality and ANC efficacy. If you've got a Samsung phone, you know they'll fit OK, you're good at charging your buds regularly and you're not fussed about switching the ear-tips, they're a 4.5-star product all day long. For the rest of the music-loving market? They're a solid 4…

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Price and release date

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in their case. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in February 2026, released March
Sells for $249 / £219 / AU$399
No price hike from past models

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were unveiled on February 25, 2026, and put on sale on March 11. That’s the same as the phones they were announced alongside: the Galaxy S26 series.To buy the new buds, you’ll have to shell out $249 / £219 / AU$399. That’s certainly a high price for earbuds in today's market, signalling them as premium options, though it’s worth noting that the previous model also launched at this price. Let’s put that in context: the latest AirPods Pro cost $249 / £219 / AU$429 so it’s a similar price in most places, but Samsung undercuts Apple in Australia. The standard Galaxy Buds 4 go for $179 / £159 / AU$299 so they’re naturally cheaper, but you’re getting an open-style bud for that price (think Apple's AirPods 4).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Specs

Drivers	11mm woofer + 5.5mm planar tweeter
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	7 hours buds, 30 hours case
Weight	5.1g buds, 44.3g case
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.1
Frequency response	Not specified
Waterproofing	IP57

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Features

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro being placed in a case. — (Image credit: Future)

7/30-hour battery life, less with ANC or features
Fantastic ANC, and intelligent ambient mode
Plenty of useful features in app

Samsung doesn’t make as much of a song and dance about its ANC capabilities as, say, Bose (literally calling its headphones ‘QuietComfort’), but the good news is, these are still incredible at reducing background noise. I spent hours of testing near busy roads, while work was being done on my neighbors’ home, and on flights, and found them some of the most adept noise-removers I’ve used.Even better, they have an ambient mode that’s actually good. It does what these modes should do: dampens your surroundings, but retains speech and other important nearby noises. It could be stronger in the noise cancellation department, letting in a little more than I’d always like, but it’s still much better than the vast majority of alternatives.Battery life here is unchanged from the past models: 7 hours of ANC-off listening, with the case granting extra up to 30 hours. That’s not a particularly competitive battery life today, especially when you consider that the listening time is even less with ANC turned on: expect about 4-5 hours in the buds if you try to remove background noise, and even less if you use all the features on offer.Using your smartphone, you can get a few more features from the Buds 4 Pro. You can change noise cancellation modes, toggle what the touch controls do, enable head gestures (nod or shake your head for incoming calls or to Bixby), and setup an on-bud assistant.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in their case, beside a Galaxy S26 Ultra. — (Image credit: Future)

There’s also a nine-band equalizer with a custom mode or several presets, and several ways to customize your sound including 360 audio, loudness normalisation, adaptive listening and a hearing test. This latter is simpler than the alternatives offered by many rivals, and didn’t have an audible impact on music. I’m not convinced by this one.Two other neat features are the ability to set up bespoke per-app settings that automatically apply, and the ability to tap into audio streams around you or broadcast them yourself (including to hearing aids). I can see business or accessibility benefits to both of these, and neither are perks I’m used to seeing in earbuds apps generally.There’s a small handful of extra modes I would’ve liked to see, most glaringly any kind of low-latency mode to make gaming on a phone better. I also couldn’t find a way to enable multipoint pairing.The earbuds use Bluetooth 6.1 for connectivity, which I don’t recall seeing in any earbuds before now. This is apparently meant to offer unparalleled connectivity, although I had a small handful of Bluetooth drop-outs in my testing time.

Features score: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Design

Both Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Redesigned buds are sleek and light
Case sees new look; improvement in a few ways
Eartips are hard to remove and don't stick in ear well

There’s no denying that Galaxy Buds Pro are AirPods Pro-alikes, but with each successive generation Samsung blazes its own trail a little more, and that’s evident in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro with their reimagined ‘blade’ look.The buds now have a brushed-metal edge, which looks lovely and understated in the white model I tested, and pretty good in the black or pink versions too. Gone are the colorful light strips of the past-gen models, as well as the color coding so you know which bud goes in which side of the case.What hasn’t gone, sadly, is Samsung’s proprietary ear-tip tech – this was a problem in the Buds 3 Pro, and it rears its ugly head here. The issues with this are twofold.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro on a table, with the tip removed. — (Image credit: Future)

Firstly, it makes switching ear-tips a real pain, due to the company using its own locking mechanism. It’s hard to remove them without tearing them, something I avoided only by past mistakes (ripping the Buds 3 Pro’s tips), and reattaching them is incredibly fiddly. I imagine the third-party tip market is also greatly reduced thanks to the company eschewing the standard.The second issue is the one that plagued my time with the Buds 4 Pro: they just didn’t stay in my ears very well. They’d slip now and then during testing, requiring readjusting, but the problem was worst when I went running: the things just wouldn’t stay in. This was despite testing the different in-box tip sizes, and at a guess I’d say the papery tip material just isn’t providing enough friction or purchase in the ear. I’d suggest buying replacements, but good luck finding them with the locking mechanisms – manufacturers actually sold clip-on ear fins for the Buds 3 Pro, and if equivalents are released for the new model, that’d be your best bet to stop these things getting jettisoned at every bump.Other than those issues, the buds were comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time. They weigh about 5g each, which is about average for earbuds like these. One of the buds’ features also compensates the sound if you wear them wrong (ie, at bonkers angles like vertically or horizontally).

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro's case, without buds in it. — (Image credit: Future)

The buds have on-stem controls: slide up or down to control volume, pinch once or hold for various other options. You need to grip a little harder than on some alternative options I’ve used, so it took some getting used to, but eventually I found controlling the buds on-ear pretty effective.One other element of the buds package that’s seen a change is the charging case, which now uses a clamshell-style look with a see-through case so you can peer at your buds (and check they’re in there, if you frequently forget to return them to the case. It was much easier to return the buds to this case than the last one, with less fiddling about to insert them into a small gap. Wireless charging is back too.The case was a little blocky though, and not as ergonomic as the Buds 3 Pro’s, so felt a little more prominent in my pocket. The transparent section also shows scratches and fingerprints

Design score: 4/5

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Sound quality

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Tweeter and woofer, each with own amplifier
Well-defined bass, bustling with energy
Samsung phone needed for highest-res audio

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro offer two drivers: a tweeter and woofer, and each has its own amplifier. This all means that high- and low- pitch sounds get their own TLC, and Samsung’s big selling point on these new buds is that the woofer is bigger than anything it’s used before, allowing for better control over bass.There’s no denying that the Samsungs provide absolutely fantastic audio quality. The sound is energetic, with crackling mids and powerful treble. Pop songs like the conveniently-released Automatic Glow by The Hoosiers or Dharma Baby by Brett Dennen benefit from the unrivalled clarity and timbre the buds provide, especially songs with plenty of instruments that’d otherwise blur into one giant mush.I personally spent most of my listening time in with the Dynamic EQ preset on, because I found it to exacerbate the Buds 4 Pro’s strengths and reduce their weakness, at least compared to the default preset.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro buds on a table, next to their case. — (Image credit: Future)

The bass doesn’t overwhelm, as I initially feared when hearing about the upgrade, and instead it’s just better formed: it’s scooping, well-defined and better balanced with the rest of the sound. Even in bassy songs, like Proleter’s April Showers, bass walks arm-in-arm with the other instruments instead of overriding them, and in DENM’s Life’s 2 Short it succeeds in creating a real harmonising bass, as opposed to some deep rumble that sits alongside the rest of the song.There’s a lovely sense of expanse through the soundstage here too, even if you don’t turn on the Spatial Audio setting, which I personally kept off for most of the testing. And the maximum volume is way higher than you’d ever need to go, which is another plus.There’s one giant catch here: the incredible quality is only available on Samsung phones, thanks to their support for the company’s SSC codec (which has to be enabled in the buds’ settings). This allows for a sample rate of up to 24-bit/96kHz, which means it'll handle lossless playback with ease, but means that non-Samsung users might not be able to enjoy the highest quality music they otherwise would. I spent a week of the testing period using a non-Samsung Android, and while the buds still sound great, they’re certainly better on a Galaxy.

Sound quality: 4.5/5

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Value

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in their case, atop a Galaxy S26 Ultra. — (Image credit: Future)

They ain't cheap!
You can save a lot of money if you want
Good for certain Samsung-owning audiophiles

The Achilles’ Heel of any top-tier pair of earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, is that there’s no way they offer you superb value for money. You can get decent earbuds for literally a fraction of the price; I have options I love which cost a quarter of what these earbuds will set you back. Sure, they don’t sound or look as good, and miss out loads of the Samsung features, but you’re saving money – and getting options which will stay in your ears!For music lovers who can’t quite afford ‘true’ audiophile options, and have a Samsung phone, perhaps there’s a world in which these are good-value options (compared to the four-figure alternatives). But at the very best, you’re getting what you pay for: this ain’t no bargain.

Value: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro?

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The battery life lets down an otherwise-impeccable suite of tools.	4/5
Design	The upgraded look gives them a distinct appearance, but the devil's in the detail (and ear-tip).	4/5
Sound quality	These sound wonderful, especially if used alongside a Samsung phone.	4.5/5
Value	These are top-end options, you can't expect total value for money.	3.5/5

Buy them if…

You own a Samsung phone
One of my biggest 'cons' doesn't affect you: pick these things up straight away and turn on the high-def audio transmission in the buds' app.

You need top-tier ANC
These things are great at wiping out background sounds, and they show some rival buds I've tested recently just how it's done.View Deal

You like responsive touch controls
I grew fond of how responsive the Buds 4 Pro's on-stem pinch controls work, as you get a lovely click to tell you your input was successful.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need workout buds
The unreliable fit make these a poor choice for runners, and they weren't the best at the gym either.

You listen for long stints
With all the top-tier features enabled, the Buds 4 Pro will only go about half a working day on a single charge. Like a lot of music? Other buds last longer.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Also consider

	Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	Apple AirPods Pro 3	Status Audio Pro X
Drivers	11mm woofer + 5.5mm planar tweeter	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver	12mm driver + 2x Knowles balanced armature drivers
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	7 hours (buds) 30 hours (case)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)	8 hours (buds) 24 hours (case)
Weight	5.1g (buds) 44.3g (case)	5.6g (buds) 44g (case)	5g (buds) 48g (case)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.1	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX4	IP57	IP55

AirPods Pro 3
Apple's AirPods Pro are still some of the best wireless earbuds for iPhone owners, with fantastic ANC and a few unique features.
Read our full AirPods Pro 3 review

Status Audio Pro X
If you want great-sounding earbuds and have money to burn, these Status options are another worthy pick, that'll work equally well on any phone.
Read our full Status Audio Pro X review

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro

Tested for a month
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport, on travels, while running and at the gym

I used the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for just under three weeks to write this review. For the most part, they were paired with a Galaxy S26 Ultra, but I also used them briefly with a Galaxy S25 Plus, and for a while before that a OnePlus 15R. For a little while I also connected them to a cheap MP3 player.I used a range of apps to test the buds. They played music from Spotify, Qobuz and internal storage, videos from YouTube, Now and Prime Video, and games from a pretty huge range of mobile titles. I also used them quite a bit just for their noise cancellation, with nothing playing.The Buds 4 Pro are just the latest in a long line of earbuds I’ve used, including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and options from Samsung’s sub-brands like AKG, JBL, Bowers & Wilkins and Denon. I’ve also handled loads of phones and tablets from the company, as part of my 7+ years of testing gadgets.

First reviewed in March 2026

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

I’ve been using these cheap headphones for a month, and I’d recommend them to anyone who needs an affordable pair

1:30 am | March 8, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: EQ, LDAC | Comments: Off

Soundpeats Cove Pro: Two-minute review

If you’re here because you’re interested in buying the best cheap headphones, let’s skip to the chase: these are now going to be the go-to pair I recommend for the foreseeable future. They’re not perfect, which is why there’s still over 1,000 words to this Soundpeats Cove Pro review, but for the money they're outstanding.

Soundpeats is constantly impressing me with its great-value audio offerings, like the indelible in-ear Soundpeats H3, or the reliable open Soundpeats Clip1, and so I’m not overly surprised that I’m giving out another glowing review to something from the company. It’s less versed in over-ears than other kinds of headphone, though, so there was always the chance of something going wrong.

The Cove Pro are fantastic headphones for people who just need any old pair of cans that’ll do the job, so you’ve got a way of listening to music when at home or on the go – they nail all of quality-of-life features you’ll want.

For example, the battery life is fantastic: 95 hours, or nearly four days straight. These aren’t going to give up the ghost during a long-haul flight, that’s for sure.

They’re also some of the most comfortable on-ears I’ve used recently, as the padding in the cups and headband is soft, and they’re not too heavy or pinchy over the crown of your noggin. What I'm saying is, you can leave them on your head for long periods of time without getting aches.

Audiophiles (or people who aren't sure of the title but are picky about their sound) might not be as impressed. The ANC is quite light-touch; the Cove Pro reduce sound more than ‘cancel’ it, and the audio isn’t as good as some other budget options I’ve tested. It’s a bit too warm and veers towards muddy, with a lower-end that isn’t as well-defined as on some alternatives. I wasn’t blown away, but bass-heads might still be happy.

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Price and release date

The Soundpeats Cove Pro hanging up, and with the inside of each cup facing outwards. — (Image credit: Future)

Released in January 2025
Sells for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140)
Cheap, but not cheap cheap in today's market

Soundpeats announced the Cove Pro in January 2026, following the rush of headphones that followed CES at the beginning of the year.

You can buy the Cove Pro for $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140), so they're fairly affordable cans – best suited for people who want decent headphones that'll last a long time, but don't need the highest quality or audio or premium features.

They’re not the very cheapest headphones that are worth considering – I recently tested the OneOdio Focus A1 Pro which sell for $34.99 / £43.99 (about AU$85), and there are a few other super-budget options worth buying like the Sony WH-CH520. But they’re still certainly a budget option compared to the big names on the block.

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	95 hours
Weight	251g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.0
Frequency response	20 Hz - 40,000 Hz
Waterproofing	IPX4

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Features

The Soundpeats Cove Pro's array of buttons. — (Image credit: Future)

95-hour battery life
The ANC is very light-touch
Nice perks like Bluetooth 6.0, listening test and LDAC

Possibly the most eye-catching spec of the Soundpeats Cove Pro is the battery life: up to 95 hours of ANC-off listening. Very few headphones crack the 100-hour barrier, and anything close like this deserves props.

The endurance drops quite a bit if you turn ANC on: down to 58 hours. That's quite a sacrifice to remove some sound, though in the grand scheme of things ~60 hours is still decent.

The ANC isn't very powerful here; it'll strip out the worst of background noises rather than remove them in any meaningful way. There's also an ambient mode, but I couldn't hear a difference between this and Normal (ANC off).

The Soundpeats Cove Pro's headband. — (Image credit: Future)

The Soundpeats app is the Cove Pro’s all-but-mandatory smartphone app. It's worth downloading, even though it forces you to create an account, because it offers a few features unusual in lower-cost headphones.

The app offers an equalizer (presets or 10-band custom mode), find my headphones function, spatial audio, bass booster and even a custom listening test which builds you a bespoke EQ mix. It’s clearly in a very early state – the pictures and text refers to earbuds, and one menu was in Mandarin, but it did a decent job of tweaking my audio and wasn’t too hard to use.

Unlike many budget music-blowers, the SoundPeats supports a few higher-res Bluetooth codecs, including LDAC, SBC and AAC. It connects via Bluetooth 6.0, and in my testing it didn't stop out at all – there was one brief stutter, and that was it.

Features score: 4/5

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Design

The Soundpeats Cove Pro's outer shell. — (Image credit: Future)

Light and comfortable to wear
Useful on-cup controls, but no 3.5mm
Bog-standard looks

When I pulled the Soundpeats Cove Pro from the box, I thought they were dead ringers for my old Sony WH-1000XM3s. Sure, there isn't a huge scope for variety in the world of headphone aesthetics, especially the budget market, but the design language is there.

These cans weigh 250g, with an IPX4 rating indicating that they’re splash-roof. The right cup has an ANC button, power button and volume rocker on it, and they're flush enough that I sometimes thought I'd missed pressing them until I got used to the feel of it. The exception is the power button, which has a little indent so you can easily differentiate it by feel.

The one thing I’d like to see is a 3.5mm port. As it stands, you can’t use an AUX cord to connect these to your music player.

I found the Cove Pro surprisingly comfortable; you can't always rely on the budget headphones for a good fit, but these felt great. The soft cups settle gently on the ears, and a large pad on the band keeps them nestled on your cranium. I could listen for long periods without any kind of strain or ache.

The headphones also feel surprisingly premium in terms of build quality. The plastic material feels a little more durable than the squeaky cheap stuff some rivals are made out of, and other traits of budget cans like rattly joins and a hollow-feeling body were all absent.

You can fold the Cove Pro in on itself to make it more portable, and they swivel and extend a fair amount to suit different sized heads.

Design score: 4.5/5

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Sound quality

The Soundpeats Cove Pro on a man's head. — (Image credit: Future)

40mm driver
Messy low-end handling
EQ can fix some issues

Like most budget headphones – actually, most cans at any budget – the Cove Pro have 40mm drivers. Soundpeats' website goes into detail on titanium-coated diaphragms, patterned dome drivers and magnets, all giving the impression of a thoughtful approach to audio – it’s all for naught, though, as they don’t sound any better than your average budget cans

Music is warm, sometimes too much – as I write this I’m listening to Old Ties and Companions by Watchhouse, and the timbre that should be created by the various acoustic instruments feels lacking because of the sound profile. Bass can sometimes blow out other parts of a song, especially with rock music, which can often see the bass guitar override guitars.

It’ll appeal to bass-heads for sure, and people who go to gigs so often that they don’t realize you’re not always supposed to hear and feel the bass above everything else. But I found it a bit too much – and using the Bass Reduction EQ preset sometimes wasn’t even enough.

Get through the bass, and you’ll find fairly detailed audio, though the lack of support for wired listening means these aren’t budget audiophile cans by any means. There’s a pronounced soundstage though, something you can’t always say about options at this price point, giving a little bit of extra sparkle to songs like T-Shirt Weather by Circa Waves and Such Great Heights by the Postal Service, which have bassless introductions so you can enjoy the atmosphere.

Sound quality: 3.5/5

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Value

The Soundpeats Cove Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

At best, exceeds expectations for price
At worst, matches expectations for price

The Soundpeats Cove Pro aren't quite the cheapest headphones on the market – or that have wowed TechRadar’s team recently – but they're not far off. And they offer top value for money.

The build quality here is better than I've come to see expect from budget cans, even if the looks won't win any awards for originality. And the feature set is better than many same-price rivals, with tools that you'd normally find in cans twice as pricey.

In its weaker departments, the Cove Pro still deliver at the level you'd expect for this price; they sound no worse than the average budget headset, and deliver enough ANC to trump rivals which don't offer the feature.

Value: 4/5

Should I buy the Soundpeats Cove Pro?

Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	The battery life is great, and there are some solid features, but the ANC isn't anything to write home about.	4/5
Design	They're basic to look at, but lightweight and comfy.	4.5/5
Sound quality	They sound muddy, but there's detail and a reasonably wide soundstage.	3.5/5
Value	Set your expectations for the budget and you won't be disappointed.	4/5

Buy them if…

You need a really solid battery
If you don't get around to charging your headphones often, the 95 hours offered here will be great for you.

You don't want uncomfortable headphones
If you often find over-ear headphones a little uncomfortable, you might find these a bit more tolerable.View Deal

You don't want to spend much money
Don't use your headphones enough to justify an expensive purchase? These will be great alternatives that'll serve you find.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

Audio quality is your most important factor
The best parts of the Cove Pro are their features and build, and budget audiophiles will find better picks below.

You need top-tier noise cancellation
If you live somewhere noisy and need to find peace, these are fine picks, but there are better buys (see below for these).

Soundpeats Cove Pro review: Also consider

	Soundpeats Cove Pro	OneOdio Focus A6	Earfun Wave Life
Drivers	40mm	40mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	95 hours	75 hours	60 hours
Weight	251g	240g	264g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.0	Bluetooth 6.0	Bluetooth 5.4
Waterproofing	IPX4	None	None

OneOdio Focus A6
These top-rated headphones sound great, and undercut the Cove Pro. If audio quality is your main interest, these are the alternatives to consider.
Read our full OneOdio Focus A6 review

Earfun Wave Life
These picks are also more affordable than the Soundpeats, and are also very comfortable to wear (plus we liked the ANC) though the battery life isn't comparable.
Read our full Earfun Wave Life review

How I tested the Soundpeats Cove Pro

Tested for a month
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport and the gym

I used the Soundpeats Cove Pro for just over a month to write this review, immediately following a few of their big rivals.

I used the cans paired alongside my Android phone, listening on a variety of services. This included in a range of indoor and outdoor settings including, most challengingly, on a train ride home after a high-end audio show.

For TechRadar, I've already tested a wide range of budget headphones, including over-ear alternatives and other picks from Soundpeats.

First reviewed in March 2026

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Nothing Headphone (a) review: excellent cans that fix all the problems of the original while being way cheaper

2:15 pm | March 5, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Comments: Off

Nothing Headphone (a) review

The Nothing Headphone (a) are just about the dream tech version 2.0 launch. As the follow-up to the Nothing Headphone (1), launched in 2025, they fix the sound problems I had with those headphones, they keep the excellent stuff I liked, and they somehow cut the price in half in the process (in one country, at least).

What more could you ask from something that's looking to go from audio also-ran to ranking among the best headphones available today? At their official price of $199 / £149 / AU$329, I think the Nothing Headphone (a) are arguably the best cans in their category — just with a few reasons why you might want to choose something else over them.

Let's start with the most important area: the sound. As soon as I fired these up, I felt a sense of relief. Nothing's first headphones baffled me in my Nothing Headphone (1) review with their oddly narrow soundstage that felt like the breadth of a song's traffic was being crammed down a single-lane road.

The Nothing Headphone (a) immediately feel like a big expansive highway in comparison – it's an open, wide and free-flowing soundstage that allows songs to spread out and to feel more energetic, emotive and satisfying. And when I say "in comparison", I mean I broke out the original $299 / £299 / AU$549 model for a listen, and while they have their strengths (a nicely refined frequency balance), the new model is so much more enjoyable to listen to.

The Nothing Headphone (a) ear cushions and mesh inside them — There are 40mm drivers under the mesh (Image credit: Future)

And this improvement has come without any major downsides, though there's one quirk worth discussing. My unit came with the 'More Bass' setting activated out of the box, and this was certainly much more generous with the bass than the Headphone (1) was, to the point of wandering into the 'bass-heavy' category.

This was no problem at all with electronic or pop music — the strength of the lower frequencies gives a glorious foundation to deep drum machines or sinking synths. It's also well integrated into the overall balance, despite being so muscular, with the Headphone (a) having no problems delivering lower mids that can stand up to, or transition from, the bassier parts.

But it was too much for some tracks with real instruments. In Regulars by Allie X, the double bass that opens the song sounded like the instrument was collapsing under its own vibrations. I pulled up the EQ in the Nothing app, saw it was set to 'More Bass', switched to 'Balanced' instead, and immediately the double bass went back to sounding like a double bass, instead of a quadruple bass.

This took a bit of a punch out of electronic songs when I switched back to those, but the bass still had good depth, its integration with the rest of the sound was still excellent. But Nothing's superb app gives a nice option here that I decided to take it up on: I set one of the controls to be an instant EQ switch, so I could get the extra bass if I wanted it.

The Nothing Headphone (a) earcups in close-up — The oval section is more rounded on these headphones than the original (Image credit: Future)

The Headphone (a) provide loads of space for the mid-range to express itself, with a nice chunkiness to guitars, the ability to handle a lot of complex instruments going on at once, and a nice clarity to vocals through it all.

Moving to the treble, it's again just very well worked into the sound, able to stand up for itself without ever feeling harsh or like it's overblowing in order to be heard even when songs get really energetic.

But there is a slight softness of detail to the Headphone (a)'s sound. They're not poor in this area by any means, but switching to the similarly-priced Sennheiser Accentum Plus reveals a slightly more convincing edge to the guitar strings and tambourine in Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way, and more texture to the beat of sticks on drumskins in Sonny Rollins' St. Thomas. There's also better instrument separation in the mix.

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus also have a more neutral sound overall, but this comes alongside a shortfall in bass depth and less dynamic attack in playback. I probably prefer the Nothing Headphone (a) overall for sound given my personal predilection for electronic music, but if you're more of an acoustic fan, you may be better off leaning towards the Sennheiser.

This doesn't change when switching to Hi-Res Audio and listening over USB-C, or with LDAC higher-quality wireless, both of which are supported here (along with a 3.5mm headphone jack). The USB-C mode maybe had a little extra lightness of touch with instrument separation and detail, but any difference was minor.

The Nothing Headphone (a) held in a man's hand — The overall design vibe is a little more 'regular' than the original Nothing headphones (Image credit: Future)

The Sennheiser cans are also much lighter than the Headphone (a) at 227g, versus 310g for the Nothings. That's an improvement on the 329g that the Headphone (1) weigh, but is still higher than most of the competition, and means they still need a stronger clamping force to stay on your head than lighter competition.

Again, this isn't inherently a bad or good thing, but you will 'feel' them more than other headphones, and the synthetic pads aren't designed to be particularly breathable, so left the sides of my head feeling warm over time.

It's probably worth talking about the overall design for a moment here, which is very similar to the original, but has been 'softened' in a way that makes them feel less like they make you look like a cyborg (a good thing), but the ear cups look less like cassette tapes (a shame). Aluminum is now plastic, and gentler curves to the raised section in the middle of ear cups makes all the difference.

Nothing Headphone (a) next to Nothing Headphone (1) — Original flavor on the left, new flavor on the right (Image credit: Future)

Sadly, I don't love the new yellow and pink colorful options. I think there's not enough color for it to really work – the yellow in particular looks like a fried egg, because the rounded yellow mound is surrounded by white. I think there needed to be more color throughout. I love the changes in the white and black models, though – undeniably Nothing, but more mainstream than the divisive Nothing Headphone (1).

Nothing has kept a quirk of headphone design that I don't like here, in that the size is adjusted at the top of the head, rather than by the ears, which I find makes it harder to make micro-adjustments, but isn't a big deal overall.

The Nothing Headphone (a) headband — The headband adjustment is way higher up than on most cans (Image credit: Future)

What is a big deal is that Nothing has kept the fantastic set of controls from the Headphone (1). In particular, the roller for volume control is my favorite control system on any pair of headphones, period. It feels so high quality, it moves reliably under the thumb, and audible clicks tell you that it's moving up through volume tiers. Anything else feels crude in comparison.

That is paired with a 'rocker' control underneath, which is also super-intuitive. Nudge it one way to skip forward, and the other way to skip back. At the top of the right ear cup is a round multi-function custom button that was set to trigger your Voice Assistant by default; I changed it to EQ control, as I mentioned, but it can also work as a camera remote trigger (a new feature for this model) or a mic mute button, or a few other options.

The Nothing Headphone (a) roller and rocker controls on the side — The roller control at the top, with the rocker underneathFuture

The Nothing Headphone (a) customizable button — The roller control at the top, with the rocker underneathFuture

And you'll absolutely want to play around with this, because Nothing's app is so good. Not only are the headphones customizable in so many ways — different noise cancellation options, different spatial audio types, multiple EQ controls — it's also just really simple to find the key features you want to turn on and off, such as the low-lag mode for gaming, or dual-device connectivity (which really should be on by default, but most devices have it off, so I won't knock Nothing hard for that).

We recently knocked the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds for making it hard to find its essential features, so it's nice to see Nothing show how it should be done.

I mentioned spatial audio options before, and while you don't get head tracking or Dolby Atmos here, there are two options with processing handled by Nothing: Concert and Cinema. Concert does a good job of moving sound out from the ear cups, and making it feel like more of a speaker setup across and in front of you.

Cinema adds more left and right sound to that, while also pushing the EQ a little more towards the treble — going for more of a 'surround sound' experience and boosting voices, I suspect — and I found it useful for picking dialogue out of movie soundtracks, so I'd happily use it when watching while traveling.

Speaking of traveling, the noise cancellation here is strong, though not mind-blowing, and that's just fine for this level. Walking along a busy road while listening to music, I wasn't bothered by outside sounds at all. I could hear podcasts clearly while on public transport. The Transparency profile also works as advertised, and never makes things robotic or tinny.

But I want to briefly call out here that Nothing provides the best sounds to indicate what noise mode you're in. Switching to Transparency is announced by an exhaled breath as if sound is escaping; noise canceling is announced by the sound of something being sucked down and then slammed shut. There's no ambiguity here, and no annoying voice.

Nothing promises a phenomenal 75 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on, and 135 hours with it turned off. I couldn't possibly test both claims fully in my time with them so far, even if I used them every waking hour. But I can say that they seem to live up to it, with the battery indicator dropping by 20% after around 13 hours of use.

This makes them essentially best in class, and phenomenal value. In general, I'd say these are about as good as headphones value gets in this space between the budget and premium options. There are only really two knocks against their value worth mentioning.

The first is that it's a shame they don't have an auto-pause feature (also called wearer detection) for when you take them off. It's pretty standard even in affordable stuff these days and while I'm not mad about it since they offer so much elsewhere, it's still surprising.

The second is that in lieu of a hard case (presumably dropped for cost reasons; again, it's understandable) they come with what I can only describe as a swimbag. Yes, it's like a smooth plastic fabric. Yes, it closes with a drawstring. Yes, it made me kind of nostalgic. No, it doesn't feel like a premium addition.

The Nothing Headphone (a) plastic bag — (Image credit: Future)

The thing with the Nothing Headphone (a) is that all the knocks I have against it are either minor like the above, or are more subjective, like the weight and clamping force.

There are enough little downsides or quirks that I can't quite give them full marks, but make no mistake that I think these are excellent headphones, that they'll be ideal for a lot of people, and that they're superb value.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Price & release date

Released on March 13th, 2026
$199 / £149 / AU$329

The Nothing Headphone (a) arrive with an impressive price of $199 / £149 / AU$329, meaning that they come in at half the price of the earlier Nothing Headphone (1) and their £299 launch price in the UK, while they're a third cheaper than the $299 Headphone (1) price in the US. In Australia, the drop from AU$549 for the Headphone (1) is between those two percentages.

I should note that they Headphone (1) have been available for as little as $254 / £199 / AU$350 in sales events, though — but I have no doubt the Headphone (a) will see juicy discounts too.

Instead of putting them in direct competition with high-end releases from the likes of Bose and Sony, the Headphone (a)'s mid-to-low price tag puts them up against the likes of Sennheiser's Accentum Plus or Soundcore Space One Pro.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	135 hours
Weight	310g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4, LDAC, USB-C audio, 3.5mm jack
Frequency response	20Hz - 40kHz
Waterproofing	IP52

The Nothing Headphone (a) close-up of the ear cup — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy Nothing Headphone (a)?

Attribute	Notes	Score
Features	They're generally best-in-class for features, but miss just a few minor options.	4.5 / 5
Sound quality	Expansive and exciting with excellent balance, but a little soft on detail.	4.5 / 5
Design	The best controls of any headphones, and a premium build – but a little heavy.	4 / 5
Value	An excellent mix of features and performance for a very fair price.	4.5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want excellent all-rounders for Android or iPhone
No matter which platform you're on, the Headphone (a) deliver an excellent range of features, great sound, and their mighty battery life.View Deal

You like a big and energetic sound
The Nothing Headphone (a) deliver fun and dynamic audio that's finely balanced, and is much more expansive than the Nothing Headphone (1).View Deal

You don't like to think about charging
75 hours with ANC on, and 135 hours without it, are as good as it gets in headphones right now.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You want a neutral, hi-fi sound
They're well-balanced, but still like to juice up songs a little — the Sennheiser Accentum Plus can deliver a more neutral sound with a little more instrument separation.View Deal

You don't like to 'feel' your headphones
Nothing has made these lighter than its first pair, but they're still heavier than most other options, and clamp the head more firmly as a result.View Deal

You need a protective case
If you don't treat your headphones very well in your work or gym bag, the flimsy plastic drawstring sack the Nothing Headphone (a) come with won't do much to help them.View Deal

Nothing Headphones (a) review: Also consider

Sennheiser Accentum Plus
If you'd like a more 'hi-fi' sound than the Nothing provide, in a lighter body, then these are ideal. They're a bit more detailed and neutral, and battery life is great at 50 hours. You'll miss out on a lot of features in comparison, though – but we do like them, as our Sennheiser Accentum Plus review explains.View Deal

Sony WH-1000MX4
Still available to buy over five years since they launched, and now available for a price in the same range as the Nothing Headphone (a). Good sound, great noise cancellation, a super-comfortable fit, and a hard case, for those who want one. They have a solid range of features, but not as many as the Nothing – and the battery life is 30 hours with ANC on. Still, they're great cans – you can read our original Sony WH-1000XM4 review there.View Deal

How I tested the Nothing Headphone (a)?

The Nothing Headphone (a) worn on a man's head — These look a little more natural on the head than the Headphone (1), thanks to some tactical curvier design (Image credit: Future)

Used for a week in my day-to-day life
Tested largely over standard Bluetooth and USB-C hi-res wired audio
Tested with a pre-release update to the Nothing X app

To test the Nothing Headphone (a), I started carrying them everywhere with me and made them part of my normal life. I used them on both walking and public transport commutes, around the house, and at the office.

I compared them directly to the Nothing Headphone (1), Sennheiser Accentum Plus and Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, switching back and forth, as the headphones I think are the biggest alternative options. I had access to an early version of the Nothing X app with support for their features, so some details may change there before launch.

I lead TechRadar's AV team, and I've been reviewing audio gear for well over a decade, from the budget end of things all the way to up to high-end audiophile tech. I reviewed the earlier Nothing Headphone (1), as well as this newer model.

Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
First reviewed: March 2026

I’ve been using these super-cheap headphones for a month — I’m surprised to report they sound great

5:30 pm | February 27, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Audio Computers Gadgets Headphones Wireless Headphones | Tags: ANC, Australia, UK, US | Comments: Off

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro: Two-minute review

It’s a competitive world out there for the best cheap headphones — OneOdio should know, it’s contributed a fair few options. And with its most recent pair of budget blowers, it’s offered yet another fantastic-value headset with just a few rough edges.

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro are the cheapest pair of headphones we’ve tested yet from the budget brand, and that’s really saying something. They cost just $35 or equivalent, undercutting the 4.5-star-rated OneOdio Focus A6. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that’ll last you well, and really don’t want to spend much money, they’re a hit.

Last you they will, because they offer a battery life that reaches up to 70 hours, which is fantastic for the money. They’re also lightweight and easy to tote about, and these perks will likely be big draws to buyers on a budget.

My favorite element of the Focus A1 Pro is the audio quality: these headphones sound better than anything else I’ve tested under $50. That’s obviously a low bar, but the OneOdio easily clears it, with music sounding natural and bright with a decent sound stage.

When buying budget headphones, there’s always a big risk that you’re buying tat that’ll end up in landfill (or a box to take to your local recycling center) by the end of the month. I’m happy to report that the OneOdio certainly aren’t that… but they have a few issues too.

Lots of the weakest elements of the A1 Pro are things I’ve seen in other OneOdio headphones, such as the Focus A5 (which I only awarded three stars, in my review).

These new cans don’t have a tie-in smartphone app, and nor do they offer many of the features that an app would help open the door to. Most vitally, there’s no equalizer, which many consider an imperative feature for products such as this. The ANC performance is also weak, with the passive padding of the cups doing the lion’s share of the work in stopping surrounding sounds from distracting you. Now, we can easily argue that it would be churlish to expect these things for such a lowly fee, but it's my job to tell you what you'll be getting here if you click 'buy'.

I also found these cans a little uncomfortable to wear over longer periods of time, partly due to their rather tight clamping force, and partly because they sit somewhere between on-ears and over-ears. Your poor flappers are going to get a little crushed.

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Price and release date

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro a lamp, with a bookshelf in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

Released on January 20, 2026
Sells for $34.99 / £43.99 (roughly AU$85
On sale in UK and US, not Australia

You can pick up the Focus A1 Pro for $34.99 / £43.99 (roughly AU$85, but unlike many other cans from the company, they don’t yet seem to be on sale in Australia).

You think that makes them some of the cheapest headphones worth considering? Wait until you hear the actual price; within two weeks of the release date of January 23, I’d already found them discounted. Only by a couple of dollars or pounds, but it's still something, and OneOdio promises continued price cuts through the year.

The headphones were announced on January 20, 2026, and released shortly afterwards.

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Specs

Drivers	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life (ANC off)	70 hours
Weight	200g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.0
Frequency response	20Hz - 20kHz
Waterproofing	N/A

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Features

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro on a wooden table. — (Image credit: Future)

70-hour battery life
ANC is resoundingly light-touch
No app

In what might come as a shock to headphone buyers in the year 2026, the Focus A1 Pro don’t have a smartphone app. Of all the features this rules out, an equalizer is the biggest: if you don’t like OneOdio’s mix, you'll have to lump it.

You do still get multipoint pairing, as well as a low-latency mode for gaming which is enabled by double-pressing the ANC button. But this department more than any other shows why the headphones are so cheap.

Talking of ANC, it’s not very good, but coupled with the natural passive noise cancellation of the ear cups, it’ll remove the top layer of annoying noise. When I was on public transport, I could still hear every screech of noisy rails or honk of nearby vehicles, but it was a little less onerous than normal.

I personally took to keeping the ANC off, though, and it was for battery reasons. With ANC off, you get 70 hours of listening time, which is solid stamina. For context, if you listened for about three hours and 20 minutes every day, you’d only have to charge every three weeks.

That figure drops substantially with ANC on; OneOdio’s figures alternate between quotes of 40 or 50 hours, and the truth is likely somewhere in between. I’d rather have the longer listening time than the scant improvements this particular ANC solution brings.

I was surprised to read that the OneOdio has Bluetooth 6.0; it’s rare among headphones I’ve tested recently in having this enhanced standard. Not once in testing did I have any connection issues.

Features score: 3.5/5

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Design

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro on a man's head. — (Image credit: Future)

Sustainable build
Comfortable to wear
Incredibly handy joystick controls

The Focus A1 Pro are, by and large, your standard headphones: big, black band with an ear cup at each end, that give you music. No-one was expecting OneOdio to reinvent the wheel for $35.

They weigh 200g, and while they have a few little design flourishes that differentiate them from your average budget cans (some curves and patterns in the appearance, for example), they do feel cheap. The build is plastic-heavy and some of the moving parts can wobble or creak a little bit.

You don’t get a carry case with the Focus, and I was a little scared to transport them in my bag, as they feel a tad fragile. They also have no IP rating. That said, during my testing month, they sustained no damage whatsoever.

I’ve so far refrained from classing these as over-ears or on-ears, as they sit haphazardly in the middle of both. Forget Goldilocks’ messaging, though, because it’s not ‘just right’ either. They sit a little weirdly on the head, for me.

The pads, while soft, crush your ears a little over time; this was noticeable when listening for longer sessions, as my ears would get a bit achey. The rather tight grip of the cans doesn’t help here either. I also never quite figured out exactly how to wear them, due to this over/on dilemma.

On the right cup, there are some touch controls (volume up and down, power, ANC; the basics) as well as the USB-C port. These don’t stick out too much, so finding them by touch can be tricky. It took a little while for pressing these to become easy and natural. There’s no 3.5mm jack for wired audio; these are wireless or nada.

Design score: 3.5/5

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Sound quality

40mm driver
Crisp, natural audio
Max volume could be higher

I’ve been positive about the Focus A1 Pro and that’s not going to stop now, but let’s get one thing straight: these are budget cans, and when I say they’re ‘good’, I mean ‘for the price'.

OneOdio has kitted out the headphones with 40mm dynamic drivers using PET diaphragms; so far, so budget.

Unlike many other budget headphones, the brand hasn’t fallen into the ‘more bass is more gooder’ trap — there’s a fairly natural-sounding V shape with distinct trebles in vocals, and bass that’s as rounded as you can hope for at this price point. I was surprised when songs like Starlight by Slash and Miles Kennedy offered layered instrumentation and palpable timbre, as it’s not something I’d expect for the cost.

Naturally, the mids can fall through the cracks, so you can’t expect the whole band to show up. And when you get songs with lots going on, instruments blur together; Clarity by Vance Joy doesn’t quite live up to its title.

I’ve been constantly mentioning the price in this scene, and it’s to cover my back. Audiophiles won’t like these cans, as the mixing is messier than it would be on pricier options. But if you compare these to other offerings at the price, they’re nothing short of wonderful.

I would’ve liked to see the Focus A1 Pro manage a higher max volume, though. At full blast, the audio could mostly compete with a busy-ish road I was walking down, but Nigel Tufnel would malign the lack of any 11 to turn your music up to for that harder hit. Even when at home, anything below 50% volume was hard to hear.

Sound quality: 4/5

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Value

Great sound for price
Some rivals may beat in certain departments

The OneOdio Focus A1 Pro are fantastic for the price. They sound far better than you’d expect from budget cans, and I’ve tested rivals for twice the price which don’t hold a candle.

That’s not even touching on the solid battery life, the hardy connection or the useful-for-gamers latency mode.

If you look hard enough, you can probably find rival cans with better ANC, a comfier fit or an equalizer, and I’d like the OneOdio even more if it offered these. But for the price, it’s hard to knock the Focus for its absences.

Value: 4.5/5

Should I buy the OneOdio Focus A1 Pro?

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	There’s no app and ANC isn’t great, though the battery life and connection are solid.	3.5/5
Design	For cheap earbuds, they look better than most, but have a few rough edges (literally).	3.5/5
Sound quality	These cans sound great for the price, with clearer audio and neater sound spacing than you’d expect.	4/5
Value	If you’re on a budget, these can’t be beaten	4/5

Buy them if…

You're on a tight budget
These headphones have been designed for people who don't want to pay for premium, or even mid-range, options.

Battery life is an important factor
The 70-hour battery life is going to be handy for all kinds of use cases.View Deal

You need lightweight headphones
Don't like a big helmet on your head? These are lighter than some alternatives I've tested.View Deal

Don’t buy them if…

You need something durable
The OneOdio feels a little fragile, and I don't imagine they'll stand up to some rough-and-tumble use.

You need heavy-duty noise cancellation
The ANC on these guys isn't fantastic, though it's better than nothing.

OneOdio Focus A1 Pro review: Also consider

	OneOdio Focus A1 Pro	Soundpeats Cove Pro	OneOdio Focus A6
Drivers	40mm	40mm	40mm
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life (ANC on)	70 hours	95 hours	75 hours
Weight	200g	251g	240g
Connectivity	Bluetooth 6.0	Bluetooth 6.0	Bluetooth 6.0
Waterproofing	NA	IPX4	NA

OneOdio Focus A6
These high-rated budget cans cost a touch more than the A1 Pro, but app access is the headline improvement.
Read our full OneOdio Focus A6 review

Soundpeats Cove Pro
These slightly pricier alternatives have a solid build and impressive feature set, though they don't sound as good. (Our review on the Cove Pro is currently in the pipeline; when we publish it, you'll be the first to know!)

How I tested the OneOdio Focus A1 Pro

Tested for 1 month
Tested at home, on walks, on public transport and the gym

I used the OneOdio Focus A1 Pro for the best part of a month before writing this review, so they got a lot of use.

For most of the test period, the headphones were paired with my Android smartphone, though I also used them alongside an Android tablets at several points.

Testing was done streaming music, watching TV shows and playing games. I tested the headphones in various interior settings, while out and about, and during gym sessions.

I've been tested audio gadgets for TechRadar for years, including several previous OneOdio headphones and earbuds.

First reviewed in February 2026

Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

‘I’m loving the audio and design upgrades, but one huge problem remains’ — after using Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for one week, there’s still an issue

9:00 pm | February 25, 2026

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

While the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has the phones world abuzz, it’s the unveiling of the company’s new audio products which is turning earbuds fans’ heads. The flagship new 'Buds' vying to feature in our best earbuds guide are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which have just been released alongside their non-Pro counterparts. They are, depending on your persuasion, the follow-up to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, or the latest rival to the AirPods Pro 3.

As early leaks all-but confirmed, these buds have seen a design change, using a new version of what Samsung calls its ‘blade’ design to create a sleek and understated-looking model. I don’t know how much Marvel’s sword-wielding vampire-fighter had to do with the change, but it’s just the most readily-apparent of the several changes and upgrades coming to this new iteration.

At an early event I got to test the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, as well as their non-Pro sibling, and since then I’ve been listening to them non-stop for the past week. That’s not enough time to write a full review (though rest assured one is coming), but below you’ll find my early impressions on this new pair of premium earbuds.

@techradar
♬ original sound - TechRadar

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro cases, stacked on top of one another. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced on February 25, 2026
Selling for $249 / £219 / AU$399
Matches AirPods Pro 3 in price — which is likely deliberate

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were unveiled on February 25, 2026, and they’re due to go on sale at the beginning of March.

To buy the new buds, you’ll have to shell out $249 / £219 / AU$399. That’s certainly a high price for earbuds, marking them as premium options, though it’s worth noting that this is the same launch price as the previous model.

Let’s put that in context: the latest AirPods Pro 3 cost $249 / £219 / AU$429 so it’s a similar price in most places, but Samsung undercuts Apple in Australia. The standard Galaxy Buds 4 go for $197 / £159 / AU$299, so they’re naturally cheaper, but you’re getting an open-style bud for that price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Design

Two The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

New 'blade' look, old 'blade' traits gone
Feel solid in the ear
Annoying eartip problem returns

Changes to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are evident from the outset: they come in a clamshell-style charging case which is transparent in its lid, so you can admire the buds at will – it’s much easier to slot the buds into than the 3 Pro’s case was. It feels a little smaller but thicker, from my recollection of the last buds, though I can’t confirm that – either way, it was easy to slot into my trouser pockets.

The buds themselves have seen a redesign, and now have a brushed-metal edge which is lovely and understated. I’m personally a big fan of earbuds that aren’t bedecked in the company’s logo, and could proudly walk around without feeling like a Samsung billboard.

The brushed-metal edge of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. — (Image credit: Future)

Some more changes: Blade Light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you know at a glance which side of the case to put them in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system which stops you using third-party tips, and makes them incredibly hard to remove? Sadly not gone, despite this finickity system causing so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro that they were delayed. I needed to switch the tips when I first received the buds, and was fearful of doing so given how easily I could have accidentally broken them. I can't understand why Samsung has left this big problem in place.

I switched out the tip because the buds’ fit didn’t feel solid, and changing to the biggest option didn’t remedy that. However, the only times they've actually fallen out is when I took them on a run; I'd say they're fine for everyday use, then, but aren't runners' buds.

Other than that, they’ve felt pretty reliable, even when I walked around with the buds at weird and irregular angles to test out one of their features (don’t tell my editor, who threatened to write a column calling out all the people who wear earbuds wrong). I was surprised by how much much I liked the on-stem touch controls too: swipe for volume, pinch for play/pause. Nice and convenient, and with a responsive ‘click’ for the latter too, reminding me of the Nothing Ear (a) which have a gold star in this department.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Features

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, next to their charging case. — (Image credit: Future)

Solid ANC
App is chock-full of features
New live translation and head gestures

I remember being blown away by the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ANC, and from early tests, it’s just as strong here. I’ve mostly been listening on the standard ANC mode, at full power, but there’s an Adaptive mode that I’m getting ready to try next. If there’s a flaw, it’s that Ambient mode seems weaker than on other buds I’ve tested, in that it lets through too much.

Like any good premium earbuds, there are plenty of app features in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. I spent a good long while playing around with tools like an earbud fit test, a 5-band equalizer with various presets, an Ultra High-Quality mode, 360 audio and setting up neck stretch reminders.

Two Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro earbuds, in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

The app also offers an adaptive sound mode, which offers a hearing test to create a bespoke sound profile – it’s simpler than the alternative offered by many rivals, and didn’t have an audible impact on my music. I must say, I’m not convinced by this one.

New features to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro include head gestures to answer or reject calls, however I didn’t get to test this, due to no-one calling me in the test week (it’s 2026 – I don’t get many calls full stop). AirPods Pro-style Live Translation is also here, and thanks to an upcoming trip, it’s something I hope to test soon for the full review.

There's also the feature I referred to earlier in the article: adaptive casting, so the buds will recognize how you're wearing them and adapt playback accordingly. In short, if you're wearing the buds wrong, they'll play music slightly differently to atone for it. Perfect for all those people you see on the train who have the stems vertical (or horizontal).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Sound performance

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, on a plant pot. — (Image credit: Future)

Driver improvements offer better-defined bass
Support for high-quality music
Sounds great, with refined V-shaped audio

There's an audible change afoot in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; they have a slightly bigger driver, and according to Samsung this brings bass boosts. In my testing, this doesn’t mean more bass, but better bass.

Lower-frequency instruments don't dominate the other tracks as much as in rivals, but sit better alongside them, with better definition and timbre. It feels more natural, and less like a filter slapped over music.

Beyond that, these sound similar to the previous-gen model: really, really good, with a gentle V-shaped sound. Sharp treble, wide sound stage, high quality of tracks supported. Expect a more detailed and nuanced analysis when the novelty has worn off, but to praise them simply: I used them for hours on my return trip from covering the Bristol Hi-Fi show, and didn’t find them as much of a sad comedown as I expect any other earbuds would be (to clarify, I'd spent the days listening to speakers and hi-fi systems that cost hundreds of thousands, in any currency you like).

I should note, I did much of my listening on a Samsung phone, which allows for the company’s Ultra High Quality Sound feature – it compresses then decodes music up to 24-bit/96kHz. This made music sound distinctly better than it might on another device, as illustrated by the fact I also tested alongside a different Android phone which also sounded great, but not quite as high-quality.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Value

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 in their case, on a potted plant. — (Image credit: Future)

The big question for expensive earbuds like these, is how well they justify that high price tag. I can't deny that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sound great, but the earbuds world is a competitive one, and you can get a great pick without paying much.

I think it's the feature department that'll sway me either way: it's what set many buds apart, and if the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro tools prove useful over the coming weeks, it'll help make the price make sense.

How I tested

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in their carry case, with the lid closed. — (Image credit: Future)

So far, I've been listening to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for the best part of a week, mainly using it for music streaming. I tested it for a time on my Realme phone, listening to Spotify as I would any other pair of headphones. I also spent a few days with it paired to a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, listening to high-res music and testing its various features. I will repeat this split for the remainder of the testing process, to see how well the buds work for Samsung and non-Samsung users.

I've tested plenty of other earbuds in the past, including options from Samsung and its companies including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, original Galaxy Buds and some picks from AKG, Bowers & Wilkin and JBL (yes, all owned by Samsung).

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Two minute review

For all that companies try to squirrel AI chatbots into every gadget possible, I’ve yet to see many buyers who genuinely want this kind of addition. In fact more often than not, the infiltration of artificial intelligence makes the tech worse — many companies are starting to realize this and take a step back. But there’s now a new victim of the AI war: the Skullcandy Method 540.

For context, let’s look at some earbuds that would have gotten onto our list of the best cheap earbuds if not for how competitive 2025 was. I’m talking about the Skullcandy Method 360, which were some of my favorite buds of the year: they fit great, sounded fun and were fairly affordable. The 540 are the updated model of 360, with Skullcandy apparently not taking a leaf from Microsoft’s naming playbook – don’t get your hopes up for a Method One and then Method Series X, then.

New models should, ostensibly, bring upgrades over the previous iterations. However the Skullcandy Method 540 have the same design, drivers and carry case design as the previous model. They’re incredibly similar buds, yet cost about 25% more.

So what’s actually new? Well, there are a few tiny tweaks here and there, but the flagship ‘feature’ is compatibility with Skull AI. This is Skullcandy’s AI assistant, built on Bragi AI which in turn is built on Open AI. So for all intents and purposes, you’re paying more for a built-in chat-bot…

…except that you’re not, because Skull AI is available as a separate subscription, which you have to pay for either monthly, at $4.99 / £4.99, or annually (at $49.99 / £49.99). Skull AI is one of the better AI chatbot names I've heard, but I'm not including an evaluation of the chatbot itself in this review: it’s very much a separate, optional product to the Method 540.

If you use AI chatbots, perhaps the Method 540 is worth considering, but the vast majority of buyers are going to wonder if there are any other spec improvements to justify that price bump, or if this is another case of AI implementation taking precedence over actual upgrades. Spoiler alert: it’s the latter.

The specs are identical – in fact, I copied and pasted the specs table from my 360 review to save time. In some cases, keeping things similar is great: the buds are comfortable and fit incredibly well, making them great for runners or gym-goers. In some cases, an upgrade was needed: I liked the Method 360’s sound, but budget buds have come on leaps and bounds in just one year, and the Method 540 aren’t as competitive.

Since I gave last year’s Skullcandy earbuds four stars, and these are basically the same thing, some might be wondering where half a star went. That was removed because the Method 360 was good for the price, and the 540 price hike makes them a less appealing prospect.

Given the increased cost, the lack of upgrades and the shoehorned AI mode, it’s just hard to get as enthused about the Method 540. And so it’s harder to recommend them, given how many low-cost rivals there are in 2026.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IPX4
Battery life (quoted)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3
Weight	11g / Charging case: 72g
Driver	12mm

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Price and availability

The Skullcandy Method 540 buds on a table. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in January 2026
RRP $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250)
Skull AI costs $4.99 monthly

The Skullcandy Method 540 ANC were unveiled on January 8, 2026, at the annual CES tech conference. That release falls only nine months after the release of the Method 360.

You can pick up the earbuds for $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250, though there’s no word on an Australian release just yet). That’s a notable price hike over the Method 360, which sold for $119 / £99 / AU$189, and are even cheaper now thanks to some discounts.

That retail price doesn’t even take into account the monthly cost of Skull AI. Access to this AI assistant costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year – regional pricing wasn’t available at the time of this review – but it’s worth noting that Skull AI is optional and starts with a 3-month free trial.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Design

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case, closed. — Future

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case, open and with the buds inside. — Future

Chunky carry case
Incredibly reliable in-ear fit
Only black or white options

You know how wireless earbuds makers constantly one-up each other to make svelte little carry cases? Skullcandy didn’t miss the memo – it received it, laughed at it, screwed it up into a ball and threw it away. The Method 540 buds come in a tube, and you slide out the central column to reveal them.

The 360 used the same mechanism, although it’s a little thinner this time around: it measures 3.6 x 2.9 x 10.2 cm, and weighs 72g. At the time of writing, the buds only come in black or white, but Skullcandy often releases funky colors for its products, and hopefully it’ll follow for the 540.

This is not a convenient way to carry earbuds – the monolith doesn’t fit well in trouser pockets. But honestly, I don’t mind – I ended up just putting it in my jacket or bag instead. Perhaps I’ve grown used to these chunky cases from testing other such buds, or maybe petite carry cases are overrated. Plus, a magnetic mechanism makes sure it stays shut tight when not in use, a carry hook means you can attach them to your keys or bag, and unlike in the 360 the charging port is out in the open.

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, incorrectly placed in the carry case. — Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)

My biggest annoyance with the old model remains, though: putting the buds in the case isn’t convenient, as you have to put them in, in a very particular fashion. It takes quite a bit of maneuvering and flipping to make sure they’re in right, and quite often I’d only realise I’d bungled the job when the case wouldn’t shut properly.

Skullcandy has trimmed the fat of its carry case, but it hasn’t touched the earbuds from the last-gen models – and it didn’t need to. Like the 360, the buds fit snugly and reliably, thanks in part to the grippy eartip material, but mostly due to the fins which wedge the buds into your ear. I went for runs with the buds and took them to the gym, and they never threatened to fall out.

They’re not that light, at 11g, or protected, with IPX4 (no protection against dust, only protected against splashes). But they’re not going to fall out into a puddle thanks to the lovely fit, so it doesn’t really matter.

Each bud has touch controls if you tap on their body, which generally felt okay to use, once I got used to tapping the right spot.

Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Features

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, showing the back. — (Image credit: Future)

ANC is solid, not best-in-class
Battery life is above average: 11 hours from the buds/29 including the case
App misses some basic features

Technically, these buds are sold as the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC, and so naturally these buds have Active Noise Cancellation. It’s no more advanced than on the 360: pretty solid, but not best-in-class. Loud noises will cut above the silence, though the background hum of city life will get stripped away.

Stay-Aware falls into the trap that many transparency or surround-hearing modes do, in that it seemingly amplifies more than it strips. Thankfully, Skullcandy has included an Intensity slider in the app, so you can turn down its effects.

According to Skullcandy, the Method 540 lasts for 9 hours with ANC on, or 11 hours with it off, and I’d concur with those estimates. That goes up to 23 or 29 hours when factoring in the extra power offered by the case. And that's good, honestly – any earbuds capable of lasting over 7 hours with ANC on represent above-average stamina.

The Skullcandy Method 540's buds, in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

You’re required to download and use the Skull-iQ app in order to use the 540’s extra features – not the standard Skullcandy one, something I only discovered after downloading the wrong one. I made the exact same error with the 360, but if I say it now, hopefully I save a few of you from making the same mistake.

The app lets you toggle ANC modes, play with a 5-band equalizer, turn on low-latency mode, use the earbuds as a remote phone camera trigger, enable Spotify Tap or set up multipoint pairing. Oh, and the main menu has two separate options for Skull AI. Notably missing perks include the ability to customize touch controls, any kind of fit or listening tests or a find-my-earbuds feature. Any one of these would be a more useful addition than an AI chatbot, as would a more advanced equalizer, or extra presets beyond the three available.

During testing, I had a few temporary Bluetooth drop-outs, but they all resolved themselves quickly.

Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Sound performance

The Skullcandy Method 540 buds, in a man's ear. — (Image credit: Future)

12mm drivers and Bose tuning
Less bassy than Skullcandy norm
EQ tweaking is mandatory

On paper, the Skullcandy Method 540 match their predecessors in terms of audio specs: 12mm drivers, tuning by Bose, and a total lack of support for any Bluetooth or high-res streaming codecs.

It’s fair to say I was complimentary of the 360’s sound, but I can’t quite say the same about the 540. Partly, it could be because my ears have been spoiled by some fantastic budget rivals in the last year. But there also seem to be tuning differences too.

Skullcandy has a reputation for offering bass-heavy products, something that’s levelled either as a criticism or high praise, depending on the listener. People who sit in the former camp probably haven’t read this far into the review. The Method 540, however, seem to buck this trend. Simply put, they're not all about that bass.

These buds are relatively and surprisingly neutral for Skullcandy products. Treble is more powerful, the low end is sensibly is pared-back, mids are… well, we can’t hope for miracles. This new face would be an interesting twist, except that it reveals that there’s not much else going on under the surface.

The Skullcandy Method 540 carry case with an earbud inside. — (Image credit: Future)

Songs sound a little flat, with nothing to replace the lost bass injection, to add a little energy into proceedings. And it sounds like the top was lopped off to the detriment of some treble frequencies and musical passages; hi-hats, guitar stings and vocal flourishes do sound compressed.

There’s a lack of a meaningful soundstage, so instruments are tripping over each other to be head. When you listen to songs like Wake Up by Arcade Fire, or All My Friends by The Revivalists, what should be an encompassing cacophony of noise sounds more like a music track being played from a phone. I checked out Atmosphere by Joy Division after it was featured in The History of Sound, and even in the remastered version, it sounded like Ian Curtis was playing every single instrument. What about some noughties rock, right in Skullcandy’s core demographic? The guitar riffs of Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue sounded heavy and dull – even if the wall of sound of the chorus picked up the energy a little.

Saving the Method 540 is the app. I always listened on Bass Boost, which went some way in restoring the Skullcandy sound – these things have the capability for decent bass if you can coax it out. I also dabbled with the equalizer. Though it only has five bands, it lets you add a bit of needed chutzpah to music. And the max volume is still high, so you can rock out at max power.

Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Value

If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll have noticed that the Skullcandy Method 540 earbuds don’t offer that many upgrades over the 360… well, other than the higher price, and optional chatbot.

Given that it’s basically the same product, but for about 25% more, the Method 540 don't feel like they offer great value for money. That’s doubly true given that the older buds have seen price cuts of around 30% off, depending on where you live.

Value score: 3/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	Their feature set and sound quality aren't quite justified by the price tag, especially with the 360 on the market.	3/5
Design	The tip and fin make the Skullcandy incredibly sturdy in the ear, though the case is pretty chunky.	3.5/5
Features	Above-average battery life and okay ANC are good, but there are a few missing features.	3.5/5
Sound	The sound lacks a little luster that was present in previous Method buds.	3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Should I buy?

The Skullcandy Method 540 earbud, with another bud and the case in the background. — (Image credit: Future)

Buy them if...

You need a reliable in-ear fit
These things won't fall out. Which makes them perfect for doing sit-ups in a gym, or running up hills.

You need solid battery life
Battery life is always an important feature, and the Method 540 last longer than most others at this price, especially with ANC off.

You want an AI chatbot in your ear
I didn't test Skull AI, but it's likely as reliable as other chatbots. Prepare for mounting costs, though.

Don't buy them if...

You can still find the Method 360 available
Even if not on sale, the Method 360 are preferable. They're basically the same, but cost less.

You want a tiny carry case
These aren't your easily-pocketable buds. They're not designed for trouser pockets.

Also consider

Component	Skullcandy Method 540 ANC	Skullcandy Method 360	Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
Water resistant	IPX4	IPX4	IPX5
Battery life (ANC off)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)	11 hours (earbuds), 29 hours (total)	11 hours (buds); 39 hours (case)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4
Weight	11g (buds) 72g (case)	11g (buds) 77g (case)	4.7g (buds) 38.7g (case)
Driver	12mm	12mm	10mm

Skullcandy Method 360
I've talked about them in this review almost as much as the 540. They're incredibly similar in terms of specs and design; a slightly different-shaped case, lack of AI, range of color options and lower price make this an even more tempting prospect.
Read our full Skullcandy Method 360 review

Cambridge Audio Melomania A100
For the same price as the Method 540, you can get these five-star earbuds. They sound fantastic, have great ANC and last ages on a single charge. You don't mind that they look a little boring, do you?
Read our full Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 review

How I tested

I used the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC for three weeks before writing this review.

The headphones were paired to a OnePlus phone for the entirety of the testing process. I listened to music from Spotify and Qobuz, played various games, conducted several video and voice calls, watched Netflix and listened to voice notes using them. Testing took place at home, while on runs, during cycling (Stay Aware mode, of course), at the gym, on various public transports, and on walks around different areas of my city.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar since 2019, including countless low-cost and mid-range headphones. That includes, of course, the Method 360 earbuds, as well as the Crusher 540 Active over-ears from Skullcandy.

Sony WF-1000XM6: Two-minute review

The all-new Sony WF-1000XM6 an impressive set of earbuds with a formidable set of features – especially formidable for tech journos such as me, who are obliged to stick within some sort of length limit for these reviews – but as Sony seeks to recapture class-leading greatness with its 1000X series lineup, I can't help but wonder whether at some point we'll reach a case of diminishing returns.

Here, for example, Sony once again provides us a smaller earpiece. It's 11% thinner but somehow contains a 1.5x larger antenna for better connection stability, an extra mic per bud to equal eight in total, and two processors. One of these is called the QN3E (to take care of the eight mics and facilitate a new auto ambient sound mode) and the other is the V2, to enable 32-bit audio support (with Sony's LDAC codec) using the new 8.4mm unique driver and introduce a new 10-band EQ tab with a 'Find your EQ' tech plus new 'gaming' EQ preset.

But how many mics per bud is enough to facilitate fantastic ANC? And how much do we need our earbuds to shrink before the listener decides enough is enough – because they're actually not sure it's made the product that much better?

But before I answer those questions, know that for sound quality alone, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are a very good set of earbuds.

Some of the best earbuds on the market then? Well, Sony has certainly sought to stuff these buds with every upgrade it can (and every feature you can possibly imagine) using its own proprietary technology.

But there's the rub; the company that brought us 360 Reality Audio with head-tracking would absolutely love for you to use it, but the format is no longer supported on nearly as many of the big music streaming sites as it used to be – Deezer dropped it in 2022; Tidal gave up its support for the 3D format in 2024.

And in terms of hi-res Bluetooth chops, LDAC is of little use to iPhone owners, although Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler is here again and it does make Spotify streams sound a lot better.

So what's excellent about the WH-1000XM6, what's less so, and are they worth their refreshingly approachable asking fee? The design of the buds is now pill-shaped, and while the earpieces are thinner, the units are also taller with a little notch halfway up to help them fit.

Because they're slightly more raised from their charging nest and covered entirely in a matte plastic for better traction, they boast what Sony calls "easier pick up" from their case – and I can confirm that while I wasn't convinced about the overall fit in the ear, I didn't drop them while first grabbing them half as much as I did the older XM5.

Sadly, the active noise cancellation didn't live up to my expectations in real-world testing. That said, the battery life, at eight hours from the buds and up to 24 with the case – and yes, that is with noise cancellation deployed – isn't bad at all.

Do I love them? Having spent over two weeks with them, I like them a lot, and that new antenna does provide rock-solid connection that never falters. I also liked the new Background Music Effect perk much more than I thought I would – it's a great focus aid, allowing you to push the music back just slightly, so you can hear yourself think.

Also, Sony's Quick Attention feature, wherein you simply cover the left earbud to lower music and quickly filter in ambient sound around you, is a winner, although this isn't new for Sony – we've loved it on the Sony WH-1000XM6 and previous headphones too.

Ultimately for me though, the noise cancellation isn't the class-leading triumph it is billed as, and competing options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen (and Apple AirPods Pro 3, if you've got an Apple source device) are offering better access to spatial audio formats and that cocoon of silence noise-nixing you may prioritize.

Add in the Technics EAH-AZ100 as an alternative – offering triple device multipoint, clearer calls and a more comfortable fit – and ultimately, while the WF-1000XM6 are talented and capable earbuds in many respects, there are other buds I would still nudge you to reach for, at this level.

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds in case — (Image credit: Future)

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Price and release date

Released on February 12, 2026
Priced $329 / £250 / AU$499.95
Available in Black or Platinum Silver

Thankfully, Sony's kept a lid on price increases here here. The older flagship Sony WF-1000XM5 launched in July 2023 for $299.99 / £259 / AU$499, so the WF-1000XM6 are only slightly more expensive in the US, and are actually cheaper in the UK.

That said, Sony's hand has been somewhat forced, because Apple's AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 / £219 / AU$429 price tag when they hit shelves back on September 19, 2025 – ie. cheaper or the same as the AirPods Pro 2's $249 / £249 / AU$399 price tag in the UK and US (although in Australia, they did come with a more expensive launch price).

Other direct competition at this level? The closest rivals are most pressingly the aforementioned AirPods Pro 3, followed by premium offerings such as the Technics EAH-AZ100, which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450. I might even mention the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 although those are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599.

So as you can probably deduce, Sony has actually gone in quite aggressive with the asking fee here.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Specs

Drivers	8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 hours (case)
Weight	6.5g per bud
Connectivity	Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC; USB-C and wireless charging
Waterproofing	IPX4

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds next to the older-gen. WF-1000XM5 and WF-C710N, on colorful table — Sony WF-1000XM5 in the center, with WF-C710N on the left; WF-1000XM5 on the right (Image credit: Future)

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Features

10-band EQ tab with 'Find My EQ' and new Gaming preset
DSEE Extreme upscaler, LDAC, LE Audio and 360 Reality Audio
Background Music Effect is surprisingly useful
…but the noise cancellation isn't the smash-hit it's billed as

Sony has once again stuffed these earbuds with all the perks and extras it knows, but a lot of them will be a case of "Yes, we know about that – what's new?" to fans of Sony's WF-1000XM lineup.

So what is new? The 10-band EQ tab (it used to be limited to five) is one upgrade, plus a specific Gaming EQ preset. Sony's more recent Sound Connect app is also newly used with the flagship lineup (this used to be the Sony Headphones app, until October 2024) but Sound Connect was already around for the budget-friendly Sony WF-C710N, which landed April 2025 – so anyone who owns those will be familiar with the 'Find My EQ' tab.

If you're not one of them, I can tell you that it's still good here: you tap on various sound profile bubbles and the software continues to supply more, based on your preferred listening choices, until it presents a personalized profile you can save as a preset.

But again, it's something that is also available in much cheaper Sony earbuds. It's also not a hearing test, as such (there are no diminishing tones to engage with; no analysis of your hearing and curation of a truly unique profile with augmented tones for you) and while you may not want a full hearing test, it's worth stating that competing options I've mentioned do offer it, for similar money. And if you're hoping for a huge app overhaul from the older Headphones app, you won't get it sadly.

For me, this companion app isn't the most intuitive. For example, the home screen is essentially a list of tabs – you can assign elements to be placed at the top of this, from the depths of the device settings, although for me this sometimes just further complicates things – but along the bottom are four smaller tabs labelled 'My Device' (the one you're brought to upon launching it); 'Scene', which attempts to work out what you're doing physically and also suggests profiles that can be deployed at specific times, such as 'Gym' or 'Commute Home', if you feel you need them; 'Discover' for your listening history (Sony likes to offer logs and 'badges' for listening) plus the option to deploy a gentler Safe Listening experience; and lastly, 'Menu'.

Now, you'd think 'Menu' is where all the good stuff lives, but this is basically just a home for the support bot, a 'Help' function, backups and 'About this app' info.

This means that what you need to do in order to get to any tweakable features is to scroll down to a small tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' toggle labelled 'Device Settings' and from there into the minutiae of customization tabs.

It just feels like a lot of taps. It also presents many chances for newbies to venture down the wrong route, to a dead end, and then wonder how to get back to what I like to call 'that long list I had before'. A reshuffle of the app might be sensible, to bring the user more quickly to the perks they actually want to find quickly.

three screen-grabs on iPhone of the Sony Connect app using the Sony WF-1000XM6 — (Image credit: Sony)

At the top of these Device Settings is 'Noise Canceling/Ambient Sound', but although Ambient Sound has a manual incremental 20-step slider, a 'sensitivity setting' which can be either Standard, High or Low, an auto toggle, and an option to toggle on Voice passthrough (to filter in voices while still suppressing noise), your actual noise cancellation options are still just 'on' or 'off', which feels a little disappointing, especially given the extra mic per-bud onboard here.

Sony hasn't listed a figure for the noise-nixing power in decibels, but the company is keen to tell us that the WF-1000XM6 are the "best noise-cancelling" earbuds it's ever released.

Sadly, I need to manage your expectations here, because although certain sounds are indeed dulled when I deploy ANC, when I switch to the AirPods Pro 3 and it's a different level. Want that bubble of silence feeling where the noise drops and extraneous sounds simply melt away? The kind of ANC that makes you genuinely surprised at how noisy your immediate surroundings have become, when you remove them? Sadly, the Sonys are fairly good, but they're not that good – Bose and Apple both have them beat.

Call handling? This is also a bit of a let down – and not just because it's been so hyped by Sony in these new buds. Although Sony couldn't wait to extol the talents of the new mic on each bud, the new wind-nixing structure around them, plus a new AI algorithm with beamforming and bone conduction sensors to aid with both ANC and call-handling on those four mics per earpiece… in practice, callers said I sounded "muffled" when using them for voice calls, especially when compared to my regular Technics EAH-AZ100.

While I'm on the comparison, Sony's answer to Technics' excellent Sidetone tech, to amplify your own voice in calls, is an on/off toggle called 'Capture Voice' in the app, but I couldn't detect much difference either way when trying to use it. And because I had to really screw the earpieces quite far into my ears to get a secure fit (more on this later), I think I would have benefitted from more of a boost here.

Sony WF-1000XM6 three screen-grabs using grey background of the Sony Connect app, showing the ANC and 'scene' options — (Image credit: Sony)

All of this aside, a lot of things are really enjoyable about the WF-1000XM6 – and Background Music Effect is top of the list. To find it, you have to scroll down that thin tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' tab, labelled Device settings > Sound Quality/Volume > Listening Mode > Background Music – see what I mean about decent features being somewhat hidden away?

Only then will you be able to select from 'My room', 'Living room' or 'Cafe', which spreads and pushes your music just a little further away from your ears each time. I thought it'd be gimmicky; I was wrong. If you're someone who sometimes turns the TV on just for a bit of background noise to focus, or simply can't concentrate if lyrics are too prominent in your ears, say, this feature is for you.

I also like that the on-ear controls are now fully customizable, once you've delved into Device settings > Controls > Change the touch sensor function > Custom. The one caveat is that if you set a long-press of the left earbud to be volume decrease (which is always my preference) you lose Quick Attention, which is one of my favorite Sony-specific earbuds features because it's so useful – if someone starts talking to you or there's been an announcement about the late arrival of your train, say, simply press and hold the left bud and music is pushed low while ambient passthrough is boosted.

Other pleasing notable mentions go to the app's ability to corral my Apple Music subscription to the fold so I can see some playback information in the My Device tab, the 'Optimal Earbud Tips' wearer test (it's quite strict, you know) and the option to prioritize either a stable connection or audio quality. And I should probably mention that thanks to that bigger antenna, I never once experienced any dropouts in connection with this iteration (which was an issue with the older Sony WF-1000XM5 when I reviewed them, initially).

I've also long been a fan of Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler, which takes your lossier music streams and does remarkable things to add detail and nuance. Here, it is very well implemented; I had to check more than once that I hadn't switched over from Spotify to one of the more audiophile-friendly streaming platforms, and that is something I don't say lightly.

There's also multipoint to two devices and Auto Switch, for handing off the audio from your buds to your Sony Linkbuds Speaker when you come home – but that's the only Sony speaker currently supported, so is pretty niche as an option.

Spatial audio? Ah. Yes, it's technically here, because you can have 360 Reality Audio – if you can find any content presented in the Sony-made format, given that Tidal and Deezer both dropped support a little while ago…

Features score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Sound quality

Crisp bass that neither bloats nor overstates itself
Plenty of texture through upper mids
Beaten for dynamic nuance and detail across the frequencies

Switching all sound profiles to 'standard', with a neutral EQ and making sure I've selected the connection profile that prioritizes audio quality (rather than a stable Bluetooth connection) in the Sony WF-1000XM6, I cue up Sevdaliza's Mad Woman. The clock chimes in the opening of the song simmer beautifully initially, with razor-sharp leading edges of notes from the buds. And that note goes all the way down to the abyss without issue too, which is more than can be said for entry-level (and even most mid-range) earbuds.

I'm just missing an extra ounce of build and intentional distortion through the belly of the note that I know to be there – and it's confirmed when I switch to the Technics EAH-AZ100, which have no trouble revealing it.

If you've heard Harry Styles' new track Aperture, it's a similar idea; the timing ticks along beautifully and the Sony buds never shy away from a bass drop, but I can't help but notice when they gloss over a marginal inflection or pop within a gloriously imperfect synth note – because that wants to be remembered as such, and the buds aren't quite recreating it perfectly.

I'm being hypercritical, of course. The sound here is very good indeed – in fact, in instrumental works such as Nicholas Gunn's Campfire there's an expansive and emotive soundstage wherein each musical strand is held together in a cohesive and rewarding mix.

Human breath feels three-dimensional and, for want of a better word, real. It's just that when the flute comes in, I'm missing an iota of excitement as the soundstage builds in intensity and the shaker comes in.

That said, I'll caveat all of this with one potential reason: I did struggle to get the Sony WF-1000XM6 to fit perfectly, even after a week with them… but that's for the next section. If you can achieve a secure fit and seal, I do think there'd be very little in it between them and the best-sounding earbuds in their class.

Sound quality: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Design

On-ear controls are reliable and the headshell is grippy
Divisive fit and ear-tip material – although plenty of tips are provided
Case magnets feel a little weak

Sony has once again reworked the shape of its earbuds and I have to say that the company's commitment to tweaking and amending the fit in the pursuit of excellence is commendable. These earbuds are 11% thinner than the older model and are very much pill-shaped from above, but they are taller.

That means – and there's no pretty way to say this – they stick out of your ears a little more (as well as from their taller case), and there's a little notch or nub halfway up the housing, to nestle into your outer ear.

Far from being disappointing to me, this initially quite bulbous-looking fit can work very well (see the 'concha fit' style pioneered by the aforementioned Technics EAH-AZ100), however, in this thinner shape, I found that getting a secure fit did involve a fairly rigorous push and twist into the ear, to get them to 'lock in', as it were.

I worry that in the pursuit of a positive 'they're smaller!' goal, Sony hasn't quite achieved the aim of a better fit – although fit is a very personal thing.

Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds tips, held in a hand — Future

The Sony WF-10000XM6 next to the Sony WF-1000XM5, held in a hand, to show the size difference — Future

I eventually achieved the best fit using the 'S'-sized small tips (not the XS, which is unusual for me), backed up by Sony's in-app ear-tip fit test tech, but after several hours of listening, the lower part of my antihelix and on to my antitragus did ache a little.

I also think there's a small chance that the shape of these buds affects the efficacy of the noise cancellation – their thinness perhaps means they didn't fill my outer ear fully, quite where they should? It's hard to know for sure, but as someone who's testing more buds than I can count, it felt a little off.

One good aspect of the taller buds, along with the fact that there's no shiny plastic involved in the design, is that I never once dropped an earbud while getting them out of the case, and that is a comment often levelled at the older XM5 buds.

The ear-tips are again memory foam in style, and while I like them a lot and found them very easy to switch out (particularly thanks to the little colored bands on the bottom, so you don't mix them up), unlike silicone options you do need to give them a moment to re-form if you inadvertently squish them while fitting.

The case is much more angular and a little taller, but maintains a USB-C charger and reset button on the back (it'll also charge wirelessly) plus a solo green LED light on the front. It can charge wirelessly too.

My only point on the case is the magnets that snap the case lid shut; given the extra height and bulk on the top, it feels as if they could be stronger. I did an initial drop-test and it did stay shut, but I didn't feel as confident of this happening consistently as I have with other class-leading buds.

In terms of battery life, their claim of eight hours from the buds with ANC and 24 from the case equals that of the AirPods Pro 3, which means it's good – but this is a standard rather than outstanding figure. In testing, I got a little less from them, at seven hours before they needed charging – but my testing does often involve boosting the volume above 50% and scrolling through features and profiles.

Design score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: value

Stuffed full of features and far from the most expensive buds around
…but the ANC isn't class leading, and spatial audio might be hard to access

Do you want the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market for noise-blocking power? If so, the WF-1000XM6 are not my first choice – but that's not at the top of everyone's list, and doesn't mean you should discount them.

For sound, there's plenty to celebrate. These earbuds offer an expansive and pleasing soundstage with neutrality and plenty of options to further tweak the sound to your liking. If pushed, I could've used a little more energy and oomph to allow for an extra ounce of dynamic nuance, but it's my job to nitpick and I maintain that for sound, they're still bang on the money. Buy them, and you won't be disappointed in the WF-1000XM6 sonically.

But do you want device- and streaming-service agnostic spatial audio profiles with dynamic head-tracking? That's more of an issue sadly, since 360 Reality Audio isn't what it once was (Deezer and Tidal no longer support the format) and as such, you might feel you're missing out – where options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do offer that, in various guises and in conjunction with tweakable ANC.

Value: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sony WF-1000XM6 review?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Stuffed to the gills with perks, but the ANC isn't class-leading – and spatial audio is hard to come by	4/5
Sound quality	Neutrality and faithfulness in spades, but they could use just a little oomph injection at times	4/5
Design	The tweaked taller shape may work for you, or it may not, but they do well in most areas	4/5
Value	Plenty to celebrate and competitively priced, but there are a few compromises you need to make	4/5

Buy them if…

You really need a good quick attention feature
I've tried literally scores of wireless earbuds that claim to offer an effective way to quickly hear external sounds without the faff of removing your buds or fully going into a transparency mode. I maintain that Sony's Speak to Chat (simply speak, and the music pauses and ambient sound filters in) and Quick Attention (cover the left bud for the same thing) features are the best in the business.

You want a rock-solid connection
Thanks to that larger antenna, I never once had Bluetooth connectivity dropouts using these earbuds in any situation, and you can prioritize the connection stability over audio quality – well done, Sony.

You're fed up of dropping your buds on the floor
Often grab your buds a hurry? Sony's worked hard to make sure there's enough traction on the earpieces and within the design of the case so that you won't lose a bud underfoot as you try to pluck them out of their battery nests, and it really works.

Don’t buy them if…

You want the absolute best noise cancellation around
It pains me to say this, because I really did want Sony to challenge the likes of Bose and Apple here. Sadly, in my tests it didn't quite match up to what was promised.

You need them for super long-haul flights
The battery life is far from bad here, but it hasn't been upgraded from the older set. And compared to direct rivals it can be bettered – the Technics EAH-AZ100 lasted over an hour longer, in my tests.

You want easy-to-find head-tracked spatial audio
At the time of writing, you can still get 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music Unlimited, but it's safe to say that support for this Sony tech is on the wane.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Also consider

	Sony WF-1000XM6	Apple AirPods Pro 3	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	Technics EAH-AZ100
Price	$329 / £250 / AU$TBC	$249 / £219 / AU$429	$299 / £299 / AU$450	$299 / £259 / AU$478 (approx.)
Drivers	'Unique' 8.4mm dynamic with 'soft edge, hard center'	'Custom high-excursion' Apple driver with new multiport acoustic architecture	10mm	10mm free-edge dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery life	8 hours (buds, ANC on); 24 from case	8 hours (buds, ANC on; 10 hours with ANC off); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)	6 hours (earbuds, ANC off; 4 hours with it on) case not specified	12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case)
Weight	6.5g per bud	5.6g per bud	7.7g per bud	5.9g per bud
Connectivity	Bluetooth with LE Audio and LDAC	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless / Adaptive	Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LC3 compatibility
Waterproofing	IPX4	IP57 case and earbuds	IPX4 earbuds only	IPX4 earbuds only

Apple AirPods Pro 3
No LDAC, but these will take your heart-rate, offer a pretty comprehensive hearing test and (provided you've got an iPhone) translate various languages for you. Also, the ANC is some of the most effective I've ever heard, and Dolby Atmos head-tracked spatial audio is excellent. iPhone owner? You'll be hard pushed to beat these…
Read my in-depth AirPods Pro 3 review for the full scoop.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
This is the better pick over the XM6 for device- and streamer-agnostic immersive audio profiles, wonderful noise cancellation, and a colorful look (if you like). Some wearers may find the buds a touch big (though they're secure and fit excellently), but if profiles that combine bubble-of-silence ANC as a backdrop for wonderful spatial audio experiences sounds like your bag, you've found the best buy in the business.
See our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for more. View Deal

Technics EAH-AZ100
An option with slightly better stamina that also offers slightly better sound quality – and just costs slightly more. You'll still get LDAC higher-resolution Bluetooth support if you've got a device that supports it, but here, you also get multi-point to three brand-agnostic devices (rather than the standard two) and for me, the fit is also just that bit better. And Technics' sidetone tech (to better hear your own voice in calls) makes them the better bet for call handling.
Get the full picture in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review.

How I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6

Tested for two weeks
Tested at home, on a plane, on long train journeys, and while running (occasionally in the rain)

I used the Sony WF-1000XM6 for two weeks to complete this review. My testing process involved listening to new music on Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music as well as podcasts and plus streamed TV shows from my Apple iPhone 15 Pro (I'm catching up on Married at First Sight UK, please don't judge me) on long train journeys to and from London. I also paired simultaneously to my MacBook Pro and both connections were easy and solid.

I listened at home, on a quiet train, on admittedly half-hearted runs in the constant UK rain, and I even taught myself to make natural soy wax candles from YouTube videos with the WF-1000XM6.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly at TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer, then as senior writer and now audio editor here at TechRadar.

My background as a professional dancer means I never tire of listening to music, and my still-insatiable need to move to what I'm hearing is what drives me to search for faithful timing, neutrality, precision, clarity, energy, and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.

First reviewed February 2026

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I tested the earbuds that morph from workout headphones to open ‘buds and it works — but that’s only half the story

2:30 pm | February 1, 2026

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

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro: Two minute review

Usually, when I review a product with a brand-new feature, I use that function for about a week before the novelty wears off. The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro may not be the best earbuds I’ve ever tested, but I’ve been using its key selling point constantly over the testing period, and that at least says something.

Are they a pair of open earbuds? Or are they a pair of standard workout headphones? Yes and yes – these new hearables from Anker’s audio-visual sub-brand Soundcore do both. The bud’s body is adjustable in relation to its loop: you can have them as standard sports buds, or raise the bud somewhat so it’s further out of your ear. Ta-da, you have open earbuds.

In theory, you get the best of both worlds. Put them in open-ear mode and you enjoy your listening while still hearing what’s going on around you. Flick them into standard mode and you can hear your music with no distractions from outside, thanks in part to ANC turning on.

When I first reported on the buds, I guessed that they could be the best fitness earbuds of the year – it’s safe to say I was cautiously optimistic about them. The function is useful: I’d run along a busy road in open mode and close it when I reached a quieter park, or keep it open when cycling to the gym and close it when I got there.

A home-run, then? Not quite – these are the first earbuds I’ve ever seen trying out a form factor like this, and myriad teething problems plague the buds. I don’t think they are the best fitness headphones of the year any more, but it’s still a valiant effort.

Take, for example, the design. The buds aren’t that far from your ear when in open mode, so don’t let in nearly as much sound as rivals. But due to having AirPods-style tip-less ends, the Aerofits aren’t fully in your ear when in ANC mode, and so don’t actually cancel that much sound.

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The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro in a man's hand, in open mode. — (Image credit: Future)

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The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro in a man's hand, in ANC mode. — (Image credit: Future)

The loop material is also quite flimsy, so the buds wobble a lot, and the buttons are hard to press when in ANC mode (but, admittedly, very easy in open mode).

You need to play around in the settings to get the best of the Aerofit 2 Pro too. The default EQ preset, Soundcore Signature, goes for a misshapen V-shaped sound profile which sounds pretty wonky; go into the equalization menu straight away. The Intelligent Noise Cancellation feature also gets in the way, by messing with your sound constantly; turn this off too.

You probably wouldn’t be buying adjustable buds like this if you weren’t okay with some tweaking, though; just know that you’ll have to be doing it quite a bit.

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Specifications

Component	Value
Water resistant	IP55
Battery life	7 hours (earbuds), 34 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 6.1
Weight	11g / Charging case: 109g
Driver	11.8mm

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Price and availability

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro case. — (Image credit: Future)

Released on January 6, 2026
Priced at $179.99 / £179.99 (roughly AU$350)
Paying a premium for the novelty

Anker unveiled the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro at CES 2026 in the first week of the year, and put them on sale immediately after. Perfect for your new year’s fitness resolution.

The earbuds cost $179.99 / £179.99 (roughly AU$350, but they don’t seem to have joined Soundcore’s line-up in Australia). That’s the official price, but mere weeks after release, I’ve seen them discounted by $30 in the US and £10 in the UK.

As open earbuds go, that price is on the higher side of things, but you’re paying to be the first to test this novel kind of tech.

It’s a little higher than the launch price of the first Aerofit Pro, but that device plummeted in price over two years, and we could see the new model drop to similar lows over time.

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Design

Image 1 of 2

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro in a man's ear, in open mode. — (Image credit: Future)

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The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro in a man's ear, in ANC mode. — (Image credit: Future)

Easy to switch between open- and closed-ear fit
Weak loop and heavy earpiece affect wear
IP55 protection, comes in black, white or purple

I’ve already described the Aerofit 2 Pro’s transforming gimmick; but how does it work? Basically, the sports loop connects to the driver housing via a connector that can be moved around five different settings; each one results in a different angle for the earpiece to sit at, relative to your ear. At the furthest extent, said headshell sits right in your ear, and at the opposite extent it’s hovering high above it. The first two are ANC (in-ear) mode, the latter two open mode, and the middle one is something in between.

I was skeptical about this, but functionally it works really well. Quickly I became adept at opening or closing the buds while they were in my ear, and in no time I was doing so without breaking my stride while on a run. Unfortunately, basically everything about this design (other than the ease of switching) poses problems.

The key one problem is the loop, made out of a thin silicone which just isn’t rigid enough to hold the earbuds in place. When I was running or working out with the buds, I often found that the battery-bearing counterweights would wobble. It was especially noticeable when in ANC mode. They never fell out, but it was an annoying sensation.

This is exacerbated by the buds’ weight. At 11g each, they’re the heaviest than any other open earbuds I remember testing.

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro on a ledge. — (Image credit: Future)

The tip-less design brings with it another problem: the sound leakage on these things, especially in open mode, is significant. Your gym peers will definitely hear what you’re listening to.

Each bud has a button. No, not a sensor or an area you tap and pray something happened: an honest-to-God area that you press in and hear a satisfying ‘click’. Lovely. It’s really easy and simple to use when the bud is in open mode, however when in ANC mode, I found that the pressure needed to press the button instead just pushed it into my ear.

Now that I’m complaining about things: the material used for the end of the bud is a dirt magnet. When it’s in the case or ear it’s fine, but when I put the buds in my pocket or dropped them on the floor, they quickly picked up fluff and particles that were quite hard to clean off. That’s all to say: excuse the review images, I tried my best.

This section is already far too long, but let’s briefly touch on the case. It’s certainly on the big side, even for sports-hook earbuds, and it weighs 109g (including the buds). It has some neat touches: an LED bar gives you an indication of how much charge you have left, and the case also facilitates wireless charging.

Design score: 3.5/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Features

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro in a man's hand. — (Image credit: Future)

Little noise is cancelled due to design and the ANC algorithm
Battery life is 7 / 34 hours with ANC on
Several app features including handy EQ presets

Why have I been calling one form of the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro ‘ANC mode’? That’ll be because when you’re at these extensions, noise cancellation will turn on, ostensibly stopping as much surrounding sound as possible from entering your ears. An anti-open-ear mode, so to speak.

However, the Aerofit run into the same problem as the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC: there’s no rubbery ear tip to create a natural sound-blocking seal, and so the noise cancellation is fighting an impossibly steep uphill battle from the outset. It doesn’t win the battle, and it’s very easy to hear surrounding sounds in this mode – I can hear myself typing this sentence over fairly loud music. It’s not a totally lost cause, and sounds are made quieter, but there’s little meaningful difference between open mode and ANC mode.

ANC mode may do more harm than it’s worth, though, because of Soundcore’s adjustable ANC. This is designed to automatically adjust noise cancellation and many earbuds have similar modes, but on the Soundcore, it had too dramatic an effect on the sound. Frequently, I’d hear dramatic shifts in listening volume or sound profile, and sometimes the volume wouldn’t be able to go very high to compensate for the ANC. On my first run with the buds, I was frustrated with how quiet the max volume was – until I realized it was the noise cancellation running amok. Thankfully this mode can be turned off.

Soundcore puts the battery life of the buds at 7 hours in open-ear mode and 5 hours with ANC turned on. My testing suggests these figures could be a little conservative, so I’m not going to knock the buds like I normally would with 5-hour listening time buds.

The Soundcore app brings a few extra features to the earbuds. These include the ability to customize what the touch controls do, a low-latency and a Spatial Audio mode, an equalizer and the ability to make ANC toggling manual instead of automatic.

The equalizer has a healthy selection of presets, most of which make meaningful adjustments to the sound, and there’s also an eight-band custom option too. I particularly like the Volume Booster preset, which doesn’t exactly sound fantastic, but it gives the buds that extra ‘oomph’ that you need with open buds when venturing somewhere noisy.

Pairing the buds to my phone was quick and easy, however I did have the occasional stuttering and connection dropping problems during testing.

Features score: 3/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Sound performance

Single 10.8mm driver
Music sounds lifeless
Lovely, high max volume

There’s a custom-built 11.8mm driver in each of the Aerofits. Their most impressive feature, though, may be the support for Bluetooth 6.1, which is more advanced than most smartphones you’d be pairing the buds with. That pairs with Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification and a support for LDAC.

When I first started listening to the Aerofit 2 Pro, I was in a quiet home and listening on ANC mode, and I was impressed by a few aspects. There’s decent spacing between instruments, and enough detail to hear the timbre of instruments. Lovely, and unexpected for fitness earbuds like these. However I made the critical mistake of listening to the Soundcore Signature EQ preset for much of my testing period.

This doesn’t sound great: it elevates treble, mutes bass and drops mids almost entirely, like V-shaped sound profile with a lop-sided ‘V’. Uncle Kracker’s In A Little While had distorted guitar that sounded like a fan with a scrap of paper stuck in it, while the chorus of Five More Minutes by The War and Treaty sounded like a duet between vocals and a lawnmower. And treble was far too prominent: Don McCloskey’s First In Flight was constantly jump-scaring me with brass stings.

However, jumping into the EQ preset menu let me salvage my listening experience; I’d recommend buyers to switch straight to ‘Balanced’, or one of the genre-based EQs if you only listen to one kind of music. Balanced levels out that ‘V’ into much more of a flat line, so you can enjoy the high-quality audio without any line or instrument being overwritten.

Max volume for the buds is pretty loud, especially on Volume Booster, but the auto-ANC mode can put a pretty significant upper limit; turn this off.

Sound performance score: 4/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Value

The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro next to their case. — (Image credit: Future)

Novelty form factor aside, the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro go for quite a high price, compared to other open earbuds you’d be considering. These aren’t a budget option by any stretch of the imagination – I’d go so far as to call them premium, given that relatively few options exist above the $/£200 threshold.

All considered, it feels a little hard to recommend them for the price – you’re paying for the privilege of testing a new form factor of headphone, not for an especially competitive feature set or sound quality. You're not being ripped off exactly, but it's not a competitive price.

If you can find the Aerofit 2 Pro discounted, though, they’d be well worth considering. They don’t even need an especially meaty price cut; the minor discount already available is a good start.

Value score: 3.5/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: scorecard

Category	Comment	Score
Value	The Aerofit's price matches some premium alternatives.	3.5/5
Design	The two-in-one design and switching works well; some other elements don't.	3.5/5
Features	The ANC doesn't work too well and the battery life isn't fantastic, although the app brings some nice additions.	3/5
Sound	Play around with the settings enough, and you can get detailed, expansive audio that'll surprise you compared to other fitness buds.	4/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro: Should I buy?

The Huawei FreeClip 2 buds in a case, leaning on a zippo lighter. — (Image credit: Future)

Buy them if...

The 2-in-1 gimmick appeals
Think you want buds that switch between open and standard sports earbuds? You won't be disappointed by how Anker does it.

You want treble-first sound
The Aerofit aren't bassy buds, and they'll appeal to people who prefer hearing lyrics, spoken words or guitar solos.

You appreciate wireless charging
We don't see wireless charging available on many earbuds cases, especially sports-specific ones. If you like the feature, the Aerofit have you covered.

Don't buy them if...

You have noise that needs cancelling
Even in ANC mode, the noise cancellation of the Aerofit isn't competitive.

You won't use the 2-in-1 design
You're paying a premium for the novel form factor of the Aerofit. If you don't think you'll use it enough, other options will give you more value for money.

Also consider

Component	Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro	Shokz OpenFit 2+	Huawei FreeArc
Water resistant	IP55	IP55	IP57
Battery life	7 hours (earbuds), 34 hours (total)	11 hours (earbuds), 48 hours (total)	7 hours (earbuds), 23 hours (total)
Bluetooth type	Bluetooth 6.1	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.2
Weight	11g / Charging case: 109g	9.4g / Charging case: 56g	8.9g / Charging case: 67g
Driver	11.8mm	17.3mm	17mm x 12mm

Shokz OpenFit 2+

Our favorite open earbuds right now come from Shokz, and they offer the full package: a stable fit, great sound quality and a solid feature set. Best of all, they either match or undercut the Soundcore depending on where you live.

Read our full Shokz OpenFit 2+ review

Huawei FreeArc

Want an affordable alternative? The Huawei FreeArc cost half the price of the Soundcore, and have fantastic sound. The case is small and the buds fit well.

Read our full Huawei FreeArc review

How I tested

I tested the Anker Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro for just over two weeks in order to write this review. During this time, they were paired with my Android smartphone.

In that time, I used the Soundcore on runs, at the gym and on cylces. But because of their dual-purpose design, also treated them as my everyday headphones in that time, so I listened at home, on public transport, and on walks around my neighborhood. Most of the testing was done on Spotify, YouTube and Prime Video's apps.

I've tested plenty of open earbuds for TechRadar over the last few years, as the audio segment has emerged, as well as countless other earbuds and headphones.