Skullcandy's new earbuds put AI in your ears – but there's a catch

• New Method 540 ANC earbuds boast improved case and integrated AI
• Skull AI has a two-week free trial – after that, it'll cost $4.99 per month
• Skullcandy Method 540 ANC cost $149.99 (so around £110 or AU$224)

Skullcandy's bringing its Skull AI assistant out of beta and into your skull. And it's coming exclusively to the newly launched Method 540 ANC earbuds – which are an update on the impressive Skullcandy Method 360 ANC.

But there's a catch: the AI assistant is only free for a fortnight. After that, you'll need to pay $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year.

Skull AI uses the Bragi AI system, which in turn is powered by OpenAI. When you activate the assistant it processes the request, formats it for ChatGPT, and sends it off to OpenAI. It then processes the response and reads it aloud in your ears. And of course you can control your earbuds too. It's just a matter of saying "OK Skully" and telling the AI what you want it to help you with.

I suspect the main rival here will be the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, which have Google Gemini – and while Gemini is also a subscription service, it actually offers a free tier that includes Gemini Live.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: key features and pricing

As mentioned above, the Method 540 ANC are essentially the Method 360 earbuds, which we really liked owing to their sound tuning by Bose for less than a Bose product. They've been given an AI boost and they come with a redesigned version of the clip-anywhere case that's significantly smaller and more streamlined – good call, Skullcandy. And for the time being, the Method 540 earbuds are the only Skullcandy product featuring Skull AI.

The Method 540 feature adjustable 4-mic noise cancelling, 40 hours of battery life (32 with ANC on), three sizes of eartips, and customization via the Skull-iQ app. Bluetooth is 5.3 with Google Fast Pair and multipoint pairing, and the earbuds' frequency response is 20Hz to 20kHz. The buds weigh 11g each.

The Skullcandy Method 540 ANC are available now in the US for $149.99 – but the Method 360 are currently $89.99. That means there's a really big price difference if you want to go down the AI route: at $199.98 for the Method 540 ANC with a year of AI, that's more than double what you'd pay for the no-AI Method 360 earbuds.

Skull AI will exit beta this week (week commencing 5 January 2026) and you can find out more on the Skullcandy Skull AI page.

The best wireless earbuds for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best earbuds
1. Best overall:
Technics EAH-AZ100
2. Best mid-range:
Cambridge Audio A100
3. Best budget:
Nothing Ear (a)
4. Best for noise-cancelling:
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen

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