Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds in 2020

Best
Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds
Android Central
2020

Best Overall: Sony WF-1000XM3

Should you be in a position where money isn’t an obstacle and you just want the very best true wireless earbuds you can find, might we turn your attention towards the Sony WF-1000XM3. These are some of the most expensive earbuds of this form factor that you’ll find, but the flagship experience they provide is well worth it.

There’s a lot going on with the WF-1000XM3, so here’s the elevator pitch. These things sound outstanding. All of the earbuds on this list sound good, but the WF-1000XM3 kick things up a notch with rich, powerful sound and some of the best active noise cancelation you can find. Battery life is also strong with a 24-hour total endurance, and when you need to top-up the charging case, it’s done via USB-C.

Another win for the WF-1000XM3 is the gesture control. Take one earbud out of your ear, and the music automatically pauses. Put it back in, and the music resumes. It’s a small thing, but in day-to-day use, it is one of those conveniences that’s hard to live without once you’ve experienced it for yourself.

If you can’t justify the cost of the WF-1000XM3, check out the Mpow X3. Mpow may not be a household name, but the value and features you’re getting with the X3 are hard to ignore.

Right off the bat, the Mpow X3 sound really good. They offer a big and balanced sound stage, big bass, and block out around 28dB of ambient noise so you can focus on your music. They’re also backed by long battery life, getting up to 28 hours of total use between the earbuds and included charging case.

There are capacitive touch areas on both earbuds, making it super easy to control your playback without touching your phone. You can also use these controls for controlling the ANC and prompting the voice assistant on your phone.

For shoppers that want to go all-out with some of the most premium true wireless earbuds money can buy, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 are bound to get your attention. We don’t consider them to be the best overall pick given the enormously high price, but if sticker shock doesn’t affect you, there’s plenty to like.

Being audio gear from Sennheiser, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Momentum True Wireless 2 sound outstanding. With bass, mids, and treble that are all perfectly tuned, you end up with a listening experience unlike anything else. That’s also accompanied by highly effective ANC, ensuring you can focus on your music and not distracting background noise. Similarly, Sennheiser includes a transparent hearing mode so you can stay in touch with the world around you when needed.

You can expect around 28 hours of total battery life between the earbuds and included charging case, which features a gorgeous fabric finish that stands out from the competition. Sennheiser’s touch controls are also pretty great, allowing you to control music playback, prompt your phone’s voice assistant, or enable/disable ANC and the passthrough mode through a variety of customizable touches.

It’s a shame that Qi wireless charging isn’t offered given how much money Sennheiser is asking for the Momentum True Wireless 2, but that omission aside, this is a truly elite package in every other way.

If you’ve ever worn a pair of uncomfortable earbuds, you know just how irritating they can be on your ears. With the TaoTronics TT-BH079, that’s not something you’ll ever have to worry about. These are among the comfiest true wireless buds I’ve ever worn, offering customizable ear tips and a little wing on the top that helps get a snug and secure fit.

The TT-BH079 use “AI-Powered Noise Reduction Technology,” which blocks 90% of ambient noise while preserving 95% of your voice during phone calls. Other wins for the earbuds include a 40-hour total battery life with eight hours of continuous playback, a strong Bluetooth 5.0 connection, IPX7 water-resistance, and a compact charging case that uses USB-C.

Sound quality is just OK on the TT-BH079, but it falls a little behind some of its competition. Otherwise, this is a fantastic pick-up.

Continuing with our recommendations, this next set of true wireless earbuds comes from Dyplay. Right off the bat, Dyplay’s buds caught our attention with the stark red loop against the black charging case. I’m not sure how useful this will be for you in day-to-day use, but it’s a unique design choice that helps the package stand out.

Bluetooth 5.0 is available to give you a strong and reliable wireless connection, along with support for AAC and SBC audio codecs for great-sounding music. Dyplay’s earbuds also offer some of the best battery life you’ll find, featuring up to seven hours of continuous use with a total life of 45 hours when you factor in the charging case.

As long as you don’t mind the lack of a proper water-resistance rating, these buds are worth a look.

When working out with true wireless earbuds, you need a pair that are able to withstand the intensity of a long run, bike ride, or weight-lifting session. Sony’s WF-1000XM3 mentioned above aren’t the best in those regards, but their cousin, the WF-SP800N, certainly are.

These are earbuds that were designed with physical activity in mind, and that’s readily apparent by the ultra snug and comfy design. Some may complain about the earbuds being too bulky, but as earbuds that’ll stay in your ears with ease, they’re excellent. You also get an IP55 rating, ensuring they aren’t damaged by water or sweat.

Sony designed the WF-SP800N to sound great with an emphasis on bass, which is what you want to see in sports-centric headphones and earbuds. You also get noise canceling (obviously), up to 26 hours of battery life, Alexa built right in, and a companion app that houses a ton of customizable features and settings.

Soundcore, Anker’s audio sub-brand, has a mighty impressive pair of true wireless earbuds on its hands with the Soundcore Liberty Air 2. There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s dive right in.

On the audio side of things, the Liberty Air 2 come with a feature called “HearID” that creates a custom EQ for the earbuds that’s made specifically for your ears. It does this by mapping your hearing sensitivity at multiple frequencies, ensuring your music sounds just right. Adding to the impressive sound are diamond-coated drivers that deliver 15% more bandwidth and twice the bass, not to mention support for Qualcomm’s aptX audio codec.

Looking at other areas of the Air 2, the good news continues. There’s an IPX5 rating for sweat and water-resistance, and the case can be topped up wirelessly on a Qi charger. If we had to complain about something, it’d be battery life. Don’t get us wrong, 28 hours of total use is really good, but you can also spend less money for the Dyplay earbuds for substantially longer endurance.

After popularizing Alexa with its Echo speakers, Amazon has now brought the iconic digital helper to true wireless earbuds. The end result? Echo Buds.

The Echo Buds utilize Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology, which while not quite as powerful as full-blown ANC, still does a great job at blocking out unwanted ambient noise. Sound quality is also really good, and there are built-in settings for changing the Echo Buds’ EQ.

Being an Echo product, it only makes sense that Alexa is baked in. Just say “Alexa” at any time while wearing the Echo Buds to set a timer, ask about the weather, get turn-by-turn directions, and more. We also love the 20-hour total battery life and the addition of sweat-resistance.

The downsides? The charging case plugs in using Micro-USB, and at this price, we would have loved to see support for wireless charging.

If your top priority with true wireless earbuds is a great sound, look no further than the Bicboz Sabbat E12. With support for Qualcomm aptX and bass-heavy speakers, the E12 buds are a joy to listen to. Music is rich, loud, and full of life in a way other options at this price can’t always compete with.

Outside of the impressive sound, the Sabbat E12 deliver in plenty of other ways, too. You get between 6-8 hours of continuous battery life, there’s an IPX5 rating for water-resistance, and the charging case has both USB-C and Qi wireless charging. Adding icing to the cake are the varied colors that Bicboz has for you to choose from.

Bicboz’s charging case is a little on the bulky side for our liking, but that’s about the biggest drawback to the Sabbat E12. If you can afford them, you’re getting a lot for your money.

Moving right along with our list, we need to talk about the AirPods Pro. Easily some of the most popular true wireless earbuds in existence, the AirPods Pro deliver an excellent user experience in return for the high price.

Similar to the Sony WF-1000XM3, the AirPods Pro offer some of the best noise cancelation you’ll find in the true wireless segment. The amount of background sound these little buds can block out is darn impressive, and easily one of the main reasons to consider picking them up. Similarly, the Transparency mode does the exact opposite and allows you to clearly hear everything around you when wearing the earbuds.

You can technically use the AirPods Pro with an Android phone, but you miss out on some of the features that make AirPods so great in the first place. As such, we’re more inclined to recommend these if you have an iPhone.

Bottom line

True wireless earbuds that have noise cancelation are quickly exploding in popularity, and as of right now, the best ones you can buy are the Sony WF-1000XM3.

In just about every regard, the WF-1000XM3 come out on top. Sound quality is excellent, the noise-canceling effect is in a league of its own, and we have no complaints about battery life.

We also like the Sony goes the extra mile with its smart features, such as the ability to place your hand over the left earbud to hear the world around you and pause music by just taking a bud out of your ear.

Unfortunately, while true wireless earbuds have better noise-canceling than ever before, it’s still not the best way to experience true noise cancelation. For that you’ll likely need a pair of over-ear or on-ear headphones. Luckily, there are still plenty of options for this. If you’ve decided that you just want more true wireless earbuds to choose from, regardless of noise cancelation, we’ve got a list for that, too.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Joe Maring is Android Central’s Senior Editor and has had a love for anything with a screen and CPU since he can remember. He’s been talking/writing about Android in one form or another since 2012 and often does so while camping out at the nearest coffee shop. Have a tip? Reach out on Twitter @JoeMaring1 or send an email to joe.maring@futurenet.com!