Best Affordable True Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation
When you think totally wire-free stereo (TWS) earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC), you immediately thing premium earbuds that cost hundreds of dollars. Who can blame you? Companies like Apple, Bose and Sennheiser offers their version(s) from upward of 200 dollars and sometimes nearly three hundred dollars or more. But we are here to tell you, it does not have to cost that much.
The personal audio market is flooded with affordable wireless earbuds, and they are becoming more and more advanced and sophisticated. Incorporating active noise cancelling or hybrid noise cancelling technology, these totally wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds perform just as well as its premium counterparts.
What is Active Noise Cancellation
Typical headphones with active noise cancelling technology comes with an outward facing and an inward facing microphone on each side. This blocks out background or ambient noise, by cancelling out the noise outside from ever reaching your ear drums. It works well in noisy environment such as airplane, train or bus.
The noise cancelling function can be switched off altogether to conserve battery power or for when you are out and about and on the move to enable you to hear the traffic and stay safe. So what to look for in an active noise canceling earbuds. A good Active Noise Cancelling earbuds has the following qualities:
- In-ear with silicone ear tips design for better fit and seal vs half in-ear design
- Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation or Active Noise Cancelling technology with inward and outward facing microphones
- Good range up to 20m or 66 feet with Bluetooth 5
- Good battery life up up to 8 hours with from a full charge and up to 50 hours with charging case
- USB-C charging port on charging case and USB-C charging cable
- Touch sensitive controls for music playback and call management
- Water resistant IP rated body
- App support while not essential offers more control over the earbuds
Top 8 Best Affordable True Wireless Earbuds with Active Cancellation
Here is our line-up of some of the best noise cancelling earbuds for under 100 with mostly going for under 50.
- TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 ANC Bluetooth Earbuds
- Mpow X3 ANC Bluetooth Earbuds
- TOZO NC9 Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds
- Boltune BT-BH023 Bluetooth Sports with ANC
- Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Wireless Earbuds
- AUKEY EP-N5 Wireless Earphones
- Mpow X5 Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds
- EarFun Air Pro Wireless Earbuds Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling
1. TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 ANC Bluetooth Earbuds
- ANC: Yes, cut out noise up to 35dB with Ambient Mode to hear voices, announcements and traffic
- Wireless: Advanced Bluetooth 5.1 (15m/50ft)
- Drivers: 9.2mm high fidelity dynamic driver
- Play Time: 5 hours (up to 20hrs charging case) with ANC on, 8 hours ( up to 32hrs charging case) with ANC off.
- Water Resistant: YES IPX5 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES
- Charging: USB-C
The Taotronics SoundLiberty 94 in-ear earbuds comes with Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Each side has one in-ward facing microphone and one outward facing microphone for a total of 4 microphones between the pair. Together they cut out as much as 35dB of ambient noise. You can turn on the Ambient Mode to listen in on live sounds such as voices, announcements and street traffic while enjoying your music or turn ANC off completely.
The 9.2mm HiFi dynamic driver on each side pushes out clear sound and punchy bass. Battery life is pretty good with and without ANC at 5hrs and 8hrs, respectively. Use the charging case to top up for up to 20hrs or 32hrs in total. To top up the charging case, connect using the supplied USB-C charging cable to connect to a USB adapter or computer. Lastly, the earbuds are also touch sensitive to turn on or off ANC and to turn on or off Ambient Mode but this only works on the left earbud.
Sports & Exercise Wireless In-Ear Headphones With Mic and Volume Control, Black
2. Mpow X3 ANC Bluetooth Earbuds
- ANC: Yes, cancel low frequency noises up to 28dB
- Wireless: Bluetooth
- Drivers: 10mm fiber optic dynamic drivers
- Play Time: 6hrs (26hrs charging case) with ANC on, 7hrs (30hrs charging case) with ANC OFF
- Water Resistant: YES IPX8 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES to control music, volume, calls, ANC and voice assistant
- Charging: USB-C
The Mpow X3 active noise cancelling (ANC) wireless earbuds also come with 4 microphones, 2 on each side, one listening in and one listening out. They work together to cancel out low frequency noises from the outside up to 28dB letting you enjoy more of your music from the 10mm drivers and less of the environmental noises. Use the provided silicone ear tips to find the best fit for your ears.
The Mpow X3 also supports smart touch controls on the right earbud to quickly take calls, control playback, volume, ANC mode and access voice assistant. On a full charge, the earbuds will last for up to 6 hours with ANC on and 7 hours with ANC off. Extend that up to 26 hours or 30 hours with the charging case respectively. When you run low on power, use the supplied USB-C cable to charge. Lastly, the earbuds is designed to be sweat proof so you can use it in the gym.
Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancelling w/ 4 mics, Earphones Noise Cancelling 30h Playtime, ANC Bluetooth Earbuds w/ Deep Bass, IPX8
3. TOZO NC9 Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds
- ANC: Yes, Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling cancels up to 90% noise
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 9.2mm dynamic drivers
- Play Time: 8 hours on a single charge, extra 24 hours from charging case (32 hours total)
- Water Resistant: YES IPX6 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES to control music, volume, calls, ANC and voice assistant
- Charging: USB-C
The TOZO NC9 with Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation has a similar design to the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 above. It also has 4 microphones in total for noise cancellation and boasts a 3 layer noise reduction. There is the outward facing microphone that detects external noises and counter with equal anti-noise signal to cancel it out. Then there is the inward facing microphone that listens inside the ear canal to pick up internal sounds and again produce anti noise to further cancel any noise. Beyond the microphone and noise cancelling algorithms, the ear caps prevent 90% noise going into the ear canal when applied properly.
And, if you are afraid of missing any announcements while you are at the airport or subways, switch over to transparent mode to let things the sound in. Even the hands free function comes with enhanced noise cancelling microphones to remove environmental noise. Again, this is achieved with one internal and two external microphones. With a single charge, the earbuds will last over 8 hours of playtime plus 24 extra hours with the charging case.
Headphones Bluetooth 5.0 TWS Stereo in Ear Earphones, Immersive Sound Premium Deep Bass Built in 3 Mic
4. Boltune BT-BH023 Bluetooth Sports with ANC
- ANC: Yes, Active Noise Cancelling detects and cancels ambient noise up to 28dB, removes up to 96% background noise
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 10mm large aperture fibre optic drivers, ultra-thin elastic diaphragm
- Play Time: 7 hours on a single charge, extra 23 hours from charging case (30 hours total)
- Water Resistant: YES IPX8 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES to activate the ANC, play/pause music, receive/end calls
- Charging: USB-C
The next pair of Wireless In-Ear Headphones to grace our list is the Boltune BT-BH023. The Bluetooth Active Noise Cancelling earbuds come with microphone and incoming call control. It is capable of cutting out 96% of the noise or up to 28dB with 2 microphone system on each side. The 10mm large aperture driver is designed to deliver deep bass and the stem profile supports touch control so you can activate ANC, play or pause the music and even receive and end incoming calls. Lastly, the earbuds comes with nano coating to make it was resistant with IPX8 rating.
5. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Wireless Earbuds – App Connectivity
- ANC: No. In call noise cancelling with 4 microphones with cVs 8.0 noise reduction technology to detects and cancels environmental noise by 60%
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: diamond inspired sound, drive domes maintain rigidity even when vibrating at high frequencies. 15% larger capacity and twice the bass
- Play Time: 7 hours on a single charge, extra 21 hours from charging case (28 hours total)
- Water Resistant: YES IPX5 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES to activate the voice assistant, play/pause music, receive/end calls, power
- Charging: USB-C
Available in black (above) or white, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is not the cheapest pair but it is still considerably cheaper compared to the likes of Apple AirPod Pro. This here is a premium wireless earbud with App support and HearID sound personalisation. Use the Soundcore App to enhance your listening experience. There you can pick from one of 22 different preset equalizer settings. Alternatively, create a custom EQ optimised for your listening pleasure with HearID.
You can also use the app to adjust the on-ear touch control functions and to update the ear buds firmware. With four strategically placed microphones, two on each site, it lets you take calls clearly with cVc noise reduction technology. Unfortunately, while it manages in call noise cancellation, the earbuds itself does not offer active noise cancellation (ANC), just noise reduction.
6. AUKEY EP-N5 Wireless Earphones
- ANC: Yes. Advanced active noise cancellation. Detect and cancel a maximum of 28dB if ambient noise with dual microphone on each side.
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 10mm dynamic drivers with enhanced bass
- Play Time: 7 hours on a single charge 4.5 hours with ANC enabled, extra 28 hours from charging case (35 hours total). Fully charged in 2 hours.
- Water Resistant: YES IPX5 water and sweat resistance
- Touch Control: YES to control music and manage calls
- Charging: USB-C
Another totally wire free earbuds with touch control and stem profile, the Aukey EP-N5 comes with Active Noise Cancelling function supported by 4 microphones, two on each side. It is capable of cancelling up to a maximum of 28dB of abient noise. The Bluetooth Headphones offer immersive sound and deep bass in an IPX5 Waterproof body and 35 hours of playtime with the rechargeable case. The earbuds offer up to 7 hours of playtime and 4.5 hours with ANC turned on.
7. Mpow X5 Hybrid ANC Wireless Earbuds
- ANC: Yes. Hybrid active noise cancellation with outward and inward facing microphones.
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 10mm dynamic drivers with enhanced bass
- Play Time: 8 hours on a single charge, extra 28 hours from charging case (32 hours total).
- Water Resistant: NO
- Touch Control: YES to control music and manage calls
- Charging: USB-C
This MPOW ear buds with Hybrid ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) technology tick all the right boxes except for water resistant body. It supports touch control, charging case with battery level indicator, battery status display on connected device and transparency mode to turn off noise cancellation so you can hear the surrounding sound. For the noise cancelling technology, it uses a pair of microphones on each side, one outward facing and another inward facing to counter the external noise with equal anti-noise. With 8 hours of playtime extendable up to 32 hours, there is plenty of juice to keep you going plus, USB-C charging port, lets you charge the case up quickly.
8. EarFun Air Pro Wireless Earbuds Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling
- ANC: Yes. Hybrid active noise cancellation with dual noise sensor technology reduce up to 35dB of ambient noise.
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 10mm low distortion dynamic drivers with high resolution decoder and AAC.SBC audio coding for clear sound and strong bass
- Play Time: 9 hours on a single charge, 7 hours with ANC mode on extra 22 hours from charging case (32 hours total).
- Water Resistant: YES IPX5 sweat and water resistant
- Touch Control: YES to control music (play, pause, skip) and manage calls (answer, end or reject. You can also activate Siri or Google Assistant with a simple tap.
- Charging: USB-C
The EarFun Air Pro Wireless Bluetooth earbuds with Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation has one of a kind design. It comes with touch control, long play time, USB-C quick charging and IPX5 water resistant body. The 10mm composite dynamic driver boost vocal clarity and enriches the bass. You can turn off the ANC function in transparency mode to allow ambient sound in. But a feature unique to EarFun is the in-ear infrared sensor. This stops the music playback as soon as you remove one of the earbuds. It will resume again when you put it back on.
Final Thoughts
Don’t confuse this with CVC8.0 Noise Cancellation technology from Qualcomm. This is designed to get rid of environmental noise for clearer and more stable calls using two microphones on each wireles earbud. The idea is to get the best quality call possible. However, this has nothing to do with ambient noise cancelling when you are listening to your music. For that you will need the Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation or Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology.
As affordable true wireless earbuds go, our list offers best value ear buds with Active Noise Cancellation. While some are cheaper than others, you miss out on things like touch control, water resistant casing and playtime. Consider your priorities and pick a pair of earbuds that fit your requirements. Whichever one you pick, you are assured of good quality sound and decent noise cancellation.
