Top 5 compared
The best noise-canceling headphones
The drone of trains, planes and busy offices turned down, so music and podcasts come through at a sensible volume.
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The top 5 at a glance
Noise-canceling headphones use small microphones to pick up the sound around you and cancel much of it out. It works best on steady drones: engines, train rumble, the office air conditioning. Adaptive models adjust the canceling to the surroundings on their own; others let you pick a level or simply switch it on.
Every pair here has a mode that lets voices back in, so you can hear what’s going on without taking them off, and all of them can stay paired with a phone and a laptop at once, though the Beats do that only with an Android phone. Most also come with a cable for a plane’s seat screen; the JLab pair plays over USB-C instead.
What matters
- Battery life with noise canceling on, not the bigger figure with it off.
- Quick charging, for hours of listening from a few minutes plugged in.
- Weight, if they’ll be on your head for a whole flight.
- A carry case, or cups that fold flat for the bag.
#1soundcore by Anker Q20i Noise Canceling Headphones
$30–$50
Forty hours of noise canceling on a charge, and a five-minute charge adds four more for the morning you forgot to plug them in. Paired with two devices at once, say a laptop and a phone, they switch to whichever needs them, so a call cuts in without re-pairing.
What owners say: Strong noise canceling and long battery life are the highlights, and they pair easily with two devices. Fit and volume are mixed: many find them snug over the ears, others too loose on the head, and a few say the sound is muffled.
A closer look: Noise canceling only works over Bluetooth, not through the AUX cable, so for a long flight it’s worth downloading movies to a phone rather than plugging into the seat screen. The soundcore app adds an EQ and white-noise sounds for dozing off.
- Noise canceling uses 4 mics
- Transparency mode
- White-noise sounds in the app
- No noise canceling over cable
Best for: Calls and music on the train
- Battery (ANC on)
- 40 hrs (60 with ANC off)
- Quick charge
- 5 min = 4 hrs
- Weight
- 9.1 oz
- Multipoint
- Yes
- Wired listening
- 3.5mm AUX cable
#2Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Sandstone)
$150–$200
Quiet mode shuts out as much as it can, Aware mode lets the gate announcements in, and plush cushions keep them comfortable on a long-haul flight. A carry case and cable are in the box.
What owners say: Comfort for hours on end leads the praise, with the sound, the noise canceling and a long-lasting, quick-charging battery close behind. A few find the price too high, and some report dropped connections or a pair that stopped working.
Heads up: Bose also makes the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), with lossless audio over USB-C and spatial sound, for more money; this first version gets the same 24 hours a charge.
A closer look: The cable has an in-line mic and keeps them working even with a dead battery, which suits a plane’s seat screen. The ear cushions are removable, so they can be replaced when they wear rather than buying a new pair.
- Quiet and Aware modes
- Plays with a dead battery
- Replaceable ear cushions
- Carry case included
- EQ in the Bose app
Best for: Frequent flyers
- Battery (ANC on)
- 24 hrs
- Quick charge
- 15 min = 2.5 hrs
- Weight
- 8.3 oz
- Multipoint
- Yes
- Wired listening
- 3.5mm cable with mic
#3JLab JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones (Cloud White)
$75–$100
A light, folding pair (8.3 oz) whose battery runs 40 hours with noise canceling on, or 70 with it off. The hybrid noise canceling takes out up to 35 dB, and they switch between a phone and a laptop by themselves.
What owners say: Sound, comfort over the ears and the noise canceling all win praise, and one owner got 70 hours from a charge. They hop between two devices without fuss. Durability is the question mark: built to last for some, broken for others.
A closer look: There’s no headphone jack, so they won’t plug straight into a plane’s seat screen; the USB-C cable in the box plays music from a laptop or phone instead. The JLab app sets the EQ, the noise canceling level and a volume limit, handy if a teenager borrows them.
- Cancels up to 35 dB
- Volume limit in the app
- Mode to hear your surroundings
- Folding design
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Long weekends away between charges
- Battery (ANC on)
- 40 hrs (70 with ANC off)
- Quick charge
- 10 min = 7.5 hrs
- Weight
- 8.3 oz
- Multipoint
- Yes
- Wired listening
- USB-C audio
#4Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (black)
$100–$150
Noise canceling lasts up to 24 hours, Transparency mode lets announcements through, and USB-C carries lossless audio from a phone or laptop. A woven carry case and a 3.5mm cable come with them, and the headphones fold to fit the case.
What owners say: Battery life impresses, and so does the sound. Plenty else divides people: the noise canceling (a few hear static in the left ear), a fit that’s comfortable to some and too tight to others, and reports of one side failing or the Bluetooth dropping.
A closer look: One touch pairs them with an iPhone or an Android phone, but only Android gets two-device multipoint. Plug the 3.5mm cable into a plane’s seat screen, and switch on spatial audio with head tracking for movies.
- Spatial audio with head tracking
- Lossless audio over USB-C
- One-touch pairing
- Transparency mode
- Woven carry case
Best for: iPhone or Android
- Battery (ANC on)
- 24 hrs (40 with ANC off)
- Quick charge
- 10 min = 4 hrs
- Weight
- 9.2 oz
- Multipoint
- Android only
- Wired listening
- 3.5mm and USB-C
#5JBL Tune 770NC Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (White)
$100–$150
Adaptive noise canceling that adjusts to what’s around you, and up to 44 hours of listening with it on, or 70 with it off. They fold flat, weigh 8.2 oz and stay paired with two devices at once, so a call on the phone can cut in while a movie plays on a tablet.
What owners say: Sound and noise canceling win them over, some calling these the best pair they own, and the battery goes a long way, with a quick charge when it runs low. Comfort divides them, snug to some and tight on the ears to others, and a few had a pair stop working.
A closer look: Ambient Aware and TalkThru, switched on in the JBL Headphones app, let the world back in for a gate announcement or a quick word at a counter. A detachable audio cable in the box suits a plane’s seat screen, and the app’s EQ presets can rein in the bass if JBL’s tuning is too much.
- Adaptive noise canceling
- Lets announcements and voices in
- Folds flat
- EQ presets in the app
Best for: All-day listening, light to carry
- Battery (ANC on)
- 44 hrs (70 with ANC off)
- Quick charge
- 5 min = 3 hrs
- Weight
- 8.2 oz
- Multipoint
- Yes
- Wired listening
- Audio cable
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1soundcore Q20i | #2Bose QuietComfort | #3JLab JBuds Lux ANC | #4Beats Studio Pro | #5JBL Tune 770NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | ||||
| Picked Rating | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $150–$200 | $75–$100 | $100–$150 | $100–$150 |
| Battery (ANC on) | 40 hrs (60 with ANC off) | 24 hrs | 40 hrs (70 with ANC off) | 24 hrs (40 with ANC off) | 44 hrs (70 with ANC off) |
| Quick charge | 5 min = 4 hrs | 15 min = 2.5 hrs | 10 min = 7.5 hrs | 10 min = 4 hrs | 5 min = 3 hrs |
| Weight | 9.1 oz | 8.3 oz | 8.3 oz | 9.2 oz | 8.2 oz |
| Multipoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Android only | Yes |
| Wired listening | 3.5mm AUX cable | 3.5mm cable with mic | USB-C audio | 3.5mm and USB-C | Audio cable |
| Best for | Calls and music on the train | Frequent flyers | Long weekends away between charges | iPhone or Android | All-day listening, light to carry |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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