Best noise cancelling earbuds to buy in India 2022: Apple AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4, and more

Wireless audio has become the norm for most consumers, but what if you want to elevate your listening experience to the next level? Enter noise cancelling earbuds. While there were only a handful of wireless earbuds that offered active noise cancellation (ANC) a couple of years ago, there are quite a few options on the market today. But how does noise cancellation actually work? Let’s have a quick look at that, before we go through some of the best noise cancelling earbuds that you should consider.

What is active noise cancellation?

Noise cancellation blocks ambient sound so that all you can hear is nothing but music. There are two types of noise cancellation — passive and active. Passive noise cancellation is achieved through physical aspects of the earbuds including the design and by using thicker earbuds or silicone ear tips. In simpler terms, it is more about blocking sound rather than cancelling it out completely and this works best for sounds with high-frequencies. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is great to block outdoor noise like traffic, sirens, people talking, etc. This is achieved by using a combination of built-in microphones and inverted sound waves to cancel the ambient noise. ANC-based earbuds are also a good option to reduce strain on your ears unlike other earbuds where you need to crank up the volume to block outside noise.

Are noise cancelling earbuds more expensive?

Unlike earbuds that only include passive noise cancellation, you will need to pay a slight premium for ANC earbuds. Not only are they better at isolating outside noise, they also offer superior audio quality along with a premium design. Having said that, there are a variety of options on the market and you don’t necessarily have to burn a hole in your pocket to get good noise cancelling earbuds.

List of best noise cancelling earbuds

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Sennheiser is a reliable name when it comes to quality audio and their Momentum True Wireless 2 are one of the best noise cancelling earbuds. They are pricey, but also one of the most premium looking wireless earphones that you can get. Offering excellent sound quality and along with great ANC performance makes them a formidable pair. The charging case comes with a fabric finish while the earbuds come with an IPX4 rating making them sweat proof. The Momentum True Wireless 2 come with Bluetooth 5.1 and the supported codecs include SBC, AAC, and aptX. Battery is surprisingly better than most premium noise cancelling wireless earbuds with seven hours of charge from the buds themselves, and an additional 21 hours from the case. Probably the only qualm we have about these are the default touch controls which can take some time getting used to.

You can purchase the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 for Rs 24,990.

Purchase: Reliance Digital

Pros:
-Excellent sound signature
-Premium design
-Comfortable fit
-Great ANC performance

Cons:
-Unintuitive default touch controls
-Expensive

Apple AirPods Pro

Probably the most popular product in the category, the AirPods Pro are a solid pair of wireless earbuds with noise cancellation support. While they can be used with Windows, Android and other devices, you can only fully appreciate the AirPods Pro if you own an Apple device like an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Using dual microphones, they deliver great ANC performance and with Spatial Audio you get an immersive listening experience as if the audio was playing on a multi-speaker system along with a 3D effect. You also get features like fast pairing and the ability to seamlessly switch between devices when using the AirPods Pro within the Apple ecosystem. The battery life is just about decent at 4.5 hours with ANC and a total of 24-hours with the charging case. It is expected that Apple will soon launch a successor to the AirPods Pro sometime later this year which could bring improvements over the original.

However, if you cannot wait, the AirPods Pro are available at Rs 20,490 across major online retailers.

Purchase: Amazon | Flipkart

Pros:
-Great ANC performance
-Spatial audio is impressive
-Wireless charging

Cons:
-Average battery life
-Certain features only available for Apple users

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony is considered to be one of top names when it comes to noise cancellation headphones and it also has its ANC based true wireless earbuds under the WF-1000XM series. The previous-gen WF-1000XM3 was one of the best ANC earbuds and with the new and upgraded WF-1000XM4 it gets even better. It features the new Sony V1 chip, which is said to deliver industry’s highest level of noise cancelling yet using less power. It also comes with Bluetooth 5.2 which is the latest version and support for SBC, AAC, LDAC audio formats. The battery is said to be improved with about 7-8 hours with ANC on and up to 11-12 hours with ANC off. These earbuds also support fast pairing, voice assistants. IPX4 rating and wireless charging for the case. If you are looking for exceptional sound quality, these might be the ones you are looking for.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 is priced at Rs 24,990 but is currently selling for Rs 19,990 on Amazon.

Purchase: Amazon

Pros:
-Good battery life
-World class ANC
-Clear and balanced sound

Cons:
-Premium price
-Fit can vary for users

Jabra Elite 85t

Another premium pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, the Jabra Elite 85t offer a unique ergonomic design compared to other products on this list. An update to the Elite 75t, these come with 12mm drivers which are twice the size compared to its predecessor. Expect a wide and well-balanced sound profile, impressive audio quality and effective noise cancellation. One also gets fully adjustable ANC thanks to a slider that lets you decide how much you want to stay isolated from the world. In terms of battery you should get up to five hours with ANC on and close to seven hours with ANC off. That isn’t particularly the best, but considering the small size of the buds, it seems pretty good. With the case you can get up to 24 hours of battery life which can stretch to 30 hours with ANC off. Apart from the USB-C charging port, the case comes with wireless charging as well. Overall, these are an excellent choice if you want a fairly compact and discrete pair for true wireless earphones with exceptional sound quality and of course, full control over the noise cancellation.

The Jabra Elite 85t are currently selling for Rs 17,999. You can purchase them online via Amazon on Flipkart.

Purchase: Amazon | Flipkart

Pros:
-Strong ANC with adjustable features
-Compact earbud design
-Intuitive touch controls

Cons:
-Doesn’t offer a snug fit

OnePlus Buds Pro

OnePlus launched its own pair of noise cancelling earbuds last year dubbed as the OnePlus Buds Pro. These are one of the nicest looking earbuds in our opinion. For the price, they offer a variety of features including pressure-sensitive controls, Qi wireless charging, dedicated app, and more. Apart from offering great ANC performance, these offer a warm sound signature and should appeal to users looking for thumping, voluminous bass. At the same time they are well-balanced and low-ends don’t feel muddy. As for battery life, you should get five hours with ANC enabled and about seven hours with ANC disabled and up to 38-hours with the charging case. Best of all, with support for Warp Charge, you can get up to 10-hours of battery with just 10-mins of charging.

The OnePlus Buds Pro are available for Rs 9,990 and can be purchased from OnePlus India’s official website or Amazon.

Purchase: Amazon | OnePlus

Pros:
-Detailed sound output
-Powerful ANC
-Comfortable, all-day wear design
-Solid battery backup

Cons:
-Buggy LHDC playback
-No support for Google Fast Pair
-Flimsy hinge on the case

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

After launching the Galaxy Buds Live with their unique bean shaped design, Samsung launched the Buds Pro, which are its top of the line true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation. These are a great alternative to the AirPods Pro for Android users especially for its low price. Featuring ‘Voice Detect’ the Galaxy Buds Pro can automatically switch between ANC to Ambient sound when it hears your voice. In terms of sound quality, they offer a fairly neutral sound signature with a slight emphasis on the highs, but overall deliver clear and full sound. These also come with some exclusive features if you have a Samsung smartphone and an IPX7 water resistance rating. As per Samsung, they can deliver up to eight hours of battery life with ANC off, and 20 hours from the case. With ANC enabled, the buds offer five hours of battery life and 13 additional hours via the case.

Samsung is selling the Galaxy Buds Pro for Rs 10,990 but you can grab these for Rs 9,990 on Amazon.

Purchase: Amazon | Samsung

Pros
-Well-balanced sound
-Comfortable fit
-Useful features
-Decent ANC

Cons
-Certain features limited to Samsung devices
-No support for Google Assistant
-Limited iPhone compatibility

Nothing ear (1)

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei started off his own venture and released the first product under the ‘Nothing’ brand last year. The Nothing ear (1) is one of the most unique looking wireless earbuds offering active noise cancellation at a very good price point. They feature a transparent design for the earbuds and the charging case, which is unlike any product on the market. Apart from the design, you get a comfortable fit, the latest Bluetooth 5.2 version, and IPX4 rating. The dedicated app is neat as it lets you control features like touch controls, equaliser, and so on. In terms of sound quality, these offer a wide soundstage giving all frequencies good room to breathe and overall a very balanced audio output. The only issue we have heard from users is that the transparent case can get scratched easy. 

The Nothing ear (1) are selling for Rs 5,999 and are currently only available for purchase from Flipkart.

Purchase: Flipkart

Pros:
-Unique transparent design
-Balanced sound signature
-Good battery life

Cons:
-Slightly loose trebles
-Transparent case gets scuffed easily

OnePlus Buds Z2

The OnePlus Buds Z2 don’t deliver the best sound when compared to the other products, but overall these are excellent if you are looking for a cheap pair of wireless earphones with noise cancellation. An update to the original Buds Z, the new version comes with a similar design, but with well needed improvements. It has IP55 rating making it dust and waterproof, and are quite comfortable to wear over extended periods. They also come with some creature comfort features like the ability to switch between ANC and ‘Hearthrough’ modes, support for automatic hear detection, and support for pairing and switching between two devices simultaneously. Sound quality is fairly good with U-shaped signature which means there is more emphasis on the low-end, as well as the highs. 

The OnePlus Buds Z2 are priced at Rs 4,999 and are available via Amazon and Reliance Digital.

Purchase: Amazon | Reliance Digital

Pros:
-Comfortable, all-day wear design
-IP55 rating
-Good ANC performance
-Multi-device connectivity 

Cons:
-No EQ options
-Bass output is average