The best wireless noise cancelling earbuds

Portability reigns supreme these days. As a result, wireless noise cancelling earbuds have become an indispensable accessory for most travellers, delivering music, podcasts and phone calls without the tangle of wires from days gone by.

However, deciding which are the best wireless earbuds for you is no simple task. Because, beyond aesthetics and personal taste, factors from sound quality and battery life to comfort, and compatibility should all be taken into account.

Whether it’s the streamlined appeal of Apple or the premium build of Bowers & Wilkins you seek, this comparison will help you down the right path. (And if you like to switch between in-ear and over-ear to suit your mood, we have you covered too.)

Apple Airpods Pro earbuds

Following in the design footsteps of the Apple Airpods earbuds, Airpods Pro is the only one in the family to feature noise cancellation. This results in the best overall sound, as internal sensors and microphones continually adjust output.

While not the newest, they still deliver a top-notch experience.

Superficially, the most notable difference to other Airpods is the addition of silicone tips, which form a seal around your ear cavity to block out external sound, with vents to equalise pressure.

Enjoy up to 30 hours with multiple charges via the Magsafe charging case.

Pairing is a breeze – a pop-up on your phone or Apple Watch asks if you’d like to connect once you open the charger lid. They also auto-switch between your laptop and iPhone when a call comes in, if the same Apple ID is signed in on both devices.

• Battery Life: Up to 6 hours on a charge, or up to 30 hours with multiple recharges in the MagSafe charging case. A five minute top-up can give you an extra hour
• Weight: 5.3 grams per earbud, 50.8 grams for the battery case
• RRP: $399

Beats Studio Buds +

Available in black, silver, ivory, pink or transparent, Beats Studio Buds + is among the newer additions to the Beats by Dre family. And it’s an impressive addition at that, with deep bass, crisp highs and excellent noise reduction for the price.

Beats Studios Buds + is compatible with both Apple and Android.

Push button controls sit comfortably alongside Siri commands (an essential feature given Beats is part of the Apple family): a single press answers calls or plays music, double to skip, or triple press to go back a track.

One-touch pairing connects to every device on your Apple iCloud account.

On the downside, there’s no adjustable EQ – meaning the handful of presets are your only options for customisation, and only if you use the iOS app. The Android version curiously lacks this feature.

• Battery Life: up to 36 hours listening time with the case
• Weight: 5 grams per earbud
• RRP: $269.95

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

Well-known for its premium home audio systems and speakers, Bose brings that same quality to its wireless headphones, notably the excellent QuietComfort Ultra earbuds.

The umbrella-shaped tips are soft yet still form a quality seal.

Though a successor to the Quiet Comfort II, the Ultra lean very closely to the popular model before them, with a few welcome enhancements such as Immersive Audio, which tracks your head movement to keep audio in front of you.

It should be noted, Immersive Audio does eat into the battery life.

Fit is comfortable for extended periods, making the Ultra a good option on long-range flights. On the downside, there’s no wireless charging (that’s an optional accessory), nor the ability to connect it to multiple devices. 

• Battery Life: 6 hours, up to 24 hours with case
• Weight: 7.7 grams per earbud
• RRP: $369.95

Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2

The Pi7 S2 earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins sit in the middle of the pricing playing field. For your coin, you get a premium design and exceptional audio for music, with improved battery life and Bluetooth range on the previous model.

The fit takes some getting used to, but you soon barely notice they're in.

Its big-ticket feature is wireless audio retransmission, allowing you to plug the case into external sources – think inflight entertainment or a Nintendo Switch – and listen via your earbuds. Two cables are provided for this: a type C cable, and USB-C to 3.5mm.

The Pi7 S2 comes in satin black, canvas white and midnight blue.

Much like the Px8, sound is exceptional when listening to your tunes, with the quality really shining when turned up a little. That said, the noise cancellation aspect does have room for improvement, as background noise often filters in. 

• Battery Life: 5 hours in normal mode, and up to 21 using the charging case
• Weight: 7 grams per earbud
• RRP: $399

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds

The fourth generation of Sennheiser’s flagship Momentum True Wireless earbud range has arrived, and while it looks virtually identical to its predecessor, there are key refinements worth talking about.

Momentum True Wireless 4 has an improved antenna for clearer calls.

Available in black copper, metallic silver and graphite, the True Wireless 4 now benefits from a Bluetooth boost, meaning greater range and stability, in addition to longer battery life and improved calls.

Enjoy quick charging over USB-C or the Qi charging case.

As you’d expect from Sennheiser, sound is crisp and precise out of the box. If you prefer to customise your tunes, the app allows extensive EQ adjustments, plus the ability to define zones where preset audio profiles kick in, such as at the office or gym.

• Battery Life: 7 hours with ANC on, up to 30 with charging case.
• Weight: 72.4 grams per earbud
• RRP: $499.95

Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds

Sony knows a thing or two about music on the go. In 1979, its original Walkman portable cassette player reinvented how we consume music. The WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds expand on that legacy, even if the name isn’t quite as catchy.

Overall, noise cancellation is excellent, which should come as no surprise from Sony.

The WF-1000XM5s deliver up to 8 hours on a single charge, or a total of 24 via the charging case. Don’t have time to wait for a full recharge? A quick three-minues in the case can give you an additional hour of listening. 

Earbuds support Bluetooth multipoint, allowing you to connect to two devices.

Available in black or silver, the XM5s are comfortable to wear for an extended period, with the earbuds themselves some 25% smaller and 20% lighter than their predecessor, the XM4.

• Battery Life: 7 hours 45 mins with noise-cancelling on one charge, 24 hours with the case.
• Weight: 7.3 grams per earbud
• RRP: $349

Looking for over-ear noise-cancelling headphones? Read our in-depth guide here.