Best wireless earbuds for noise cancellation 2025

The world is a noisy place. Sometimes you need to try and tune it all out so you can do things like think, work, or even sleep. Earbuds with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) can help. They range from budget-friendly models to pairs costing hundreds of dollars, but no matter your budget, there's sure to be a pair that will work for you. We've hand-picked six of the best.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds start things at the top spot, but they're not the only model to choose from. Players like Samsung, Google, and Apple are even in the mix along with other audio brands you may already know.

We've tried to make things as easy as possible and break everything down into easy-to-digest sections. Want something specific like great battery life or the best sound you can find? We've got you covered.

At a glance

Best overall

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds have the best ANC of any earbud model I've ever tried. Honestly, it isn't even close. Chalk this up to the software that drives ANC plus the quality of the hardware, but I've used hundreds or pairs of ANC earbuds and headphones and Bose does it the best.

It's assumed you want the best ANC you can find, but other things are important, too. Bose has you covered. They are chunky lil' fellows but the fit is surprisingly better than you would expect when looking at them. That's important because everyone hates earbuds that don't fit well.

The sound is pretty good, too. Yes, they are still earbuds with tiny drivers and you're playing back via Bluetooth so it's not the best ever, but as far as ANC earbuds go you'll have no complaints. The buds handle most ranges of sound from bass to treble well, and the mids sound exceptionally good.

Even the app is really good. It's modern and lets you adjust the sound to your liking while still trying to make things easy; not everyone wants to fiddle with a 10-band virtual equalizer.

If you only care about getting the best ANC earbuds you can buy, these are for you.

Best budget

Apple loves to use plenty of superfluous language to describe its products, but the fact remains that they are quality gear. The Apple AirPods 4 are no exception.

When it comes to the best bang for your buck, nothing out there matches these. No, they're not the newest, but you're not paying the price that the newest check in with, either.

The thing is, you'll either love or hate the way they fit. Apple redesigned the way AirPods fit with the 4th generation, and a lot of folks say they nailed it. Others say it was still terrible. Since they don't use interchangeable parts for fitting, they either fit you or they don't, and nothing can change that.

Next, I have to talk about battery life. If you need ANC earbuds with a long-lasting battery, these are not for you. You can stretch it out with the case, but with ANC running, don't expect these to last more than four hours on the best of days.

If you're Ok with the battery and the AirPods 4 fit you well, you'll love the value you're getting. I've seen these on sale for as low as $100, and they are definitely better than most $100 noise-cancelling earbuds. The sound is good (not the best, but far from the worst) and features like transparency and conversational awareness are not expected at this price.

If good, cheap earbuds with ANC are what you're after, you have to check out the AirPods 4 before you make any buying decisions.

Best battery life

Sony is a big player when it comes to consumer audio and its products come in at every price point. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are one of the company's best products for most of us.

Everything about them is good. Not the best, far from the worst, but good. You'll have no complaints about the audio quality, the connectivity, the fit inside your ear, or the noise cancellation itself. Then we get to the battery life.

It's simply phenomenal. The company rates their use at about 6 hours when using ANC, and that's right in line with what you're going to get. Six hours doesn't sound like a lot (and really, it's never enough), but when you're talking about earbuds with tiny batteries and a power-hungry process like ANC, you won't find long battery life on a spec sheet. These are the best of the best when it comes to time between charges.

The only real issue I've found is with low-latency audio using Sony's LC3 codec, which can drop audio from time to time. This is a niche use case, and for your everyday needs, they connect easily and stay connected.

Best Sound

I have a love/hate relationship with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3. I love the audio quality they deliver with or without ANC turned on, but I hate that high-quality codec support is limited to newer Galaxy Devices.

That's the rub—if you use a phone like a Galaxy S24 or S25, you can use Samsung's proprietary SSC Ultra-High-Quality audio codec, and the sound the Buds Pro 3 deliver is, well, better than any wireless earbuds should be able to deliver. It's really that good and better than anything Qualcomm or Sony brings with AptX and LDAC, respectively.

Part of the reason is the big (for earbuds) 10.3mm drivers used for low and middle-frequency sounds, paired with a 6.1mm planar audio driver for higher-frequency sounds, but Samsung's audio codec does the heavy lifting. There's also no support for LDAC hq audio on other Android phones.

Still, there is no denying how good these sound with the right source. I tested with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus once it was updated to support the SSC codec and could not believe the difference.

They sound good without using a supported device, and all around, the audio quality, ANC, fit, and app (which you really need for best results) are great. With the right Samsung phone, they go from great to unbelievable.

Best features

Google doesn't make the best wireless earbuds for everyone, but if you're really into the company's ecosystem of products and AI, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are what you're looking for.

They sound good, not great. The ANC is good, but not the very best. The battery life is OK for some, terrible for others, and somehow listed by Google at up to 8 hours with ANC turned on. They do have an excellent fit, and the touch sensitivity is wonderful.

The real star of the show is Google and its plans for the future. We already see transparency mode, conversation awareness, a sensor to relieve in-ear pressure, and tight integration with Google Gemini. But with a Google product, a new feature or update to an existing one might be just a software update away.

Buying based on today, which is what we all should do, is a good choice if you're enjoying Google's Pixel-specific features on your phone or watch. Having said that, you don't need a Google Pixel to make the most from the Pixel Buds Pro 2, and everything works as designed with an Android phone running Android 6.0 or higher.

What's special (and sometimes terrible, too, as is the nature of AI) is the tight Google Gemini integration, which is expected to be updated as time goes by. It makes this the fun choice for any Android fan.

Best value

Think of these as the little brother to the WF-1000XM5, and you'll have them figured out.

They have great ANC, a surprisingly flat and even default sound that is customizable through Sony's app, plenty of volume, and good microphones for taking calls. They don't have wireless charging, support for any HQ audio codecs, and the silicon tips work for most people, but not everyone. But they are about $100 cheaper and come in a cool transparent blue color if you're into something different.

I really enjoy these earbuds and the way they respond to any sort of software-based equalizer. Out of the box, you probably won't love the way they sound, so you really need to use Sony's app to "tune" them in to your liking. As a plus, if you use Amazon Music, you have full Sony 360 Reality Audio support for excellent spatial audio.

If you aren't looking to spend too much, you should give these a look.

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How to choose

ANC has come a long way, and the latest headphones and earbuds that support it are much better than what was available just a few years ago. For most people, the audible hiss and droning buzz ANC causes have disappeared, and you probably will never know that it's turned on and running.

The reasons are obvious: isolate sound to your ears and you hear more of what you want to hear. Simply having ANC doesn't necessarily mean headphones will block all sounds, so the differences come down to variances. Some headphones will drown out more ambient noise than others will. Thankfully, you don't have to buy the most expensive pair of earbuds with ANC to get great noise cancellation - any pair on this list will do the job well, even the more budget-friendly picks.

Because they are earbuds, fit and comfort play a big role, too. Wireless earbuds nestled into your ears to provide passive isolation to help block ambient noise, so the way your earbuds fit is important. You'll probably have the best luck with a pair that uses silicon tips of various sizes.

Apps and software offer additional benefits for ANC. Some may even have "adaptive ANC", which adjusts the potency in real time based on how much noise the onboard microphones detect. You'll find this, if available, in the companion app for your earbuds so be sure to check it out.

How we test

We review plenty of headphones and earbuds because almost everyone with a phone has a set or two. Knowing what's good is important.

I'm also a bit of a headphone addict. I've been known to spend too much time obsessing over the smallest details and have access to most every new product once it's commercially available. So I try them all if I can.

I've personally used each of these, and while ANC isn't for me, I know what to look for and what works. I like and would recommend every pair on this list, and I think it's the right place to start when it's time to buy a little something for yourself.