I’ve been reviewing gadgets at TechRadar for years now, and it’s pretty rare that something stops me in my tracks and so violently defies my expectations. But sometimes, a special product comes along and totally stuns me: and that was well and truly the case with the Sennheiser CX 80U.

Now you might be thinking: really? A pair of wired earbuds? But yes, they really were that impressive. See it all comes down to quality vs price, and these earbuds genuinely sound way, way better than I expected given their typical cost of $39.95 / £34.99. If you want rich, detailed sound at a highly-accessible price-point, the CX 80U are all you need.

I’ll drill into the beauty of this product more down below, but the bottom line is: the CX 80U are what I’d recommend to anyone looking to go back to wired earbuds in 2026.

Low risk, high reward

I’ve already touched on the Sennheiser CX 80U’s low price (and they’re occasionally discounted for even less), but let’s discuss what exactly makes them so special.

These buds use a USB-C connector with a built-in DAC, opening up lossless audio — something that’s not truly possible over Bluetooth, which is an inherently lossy technology. By using USB-C as a connectivity method, the CX 80U aren’t only optimized for modern smartphones, tablets, and laptops, but they also won’t need to be charged like their Bluetooth counterparts — and I often keep them with me in case I forget to juice up my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones or LG Tone Free T90S earbuds.

But as practical as the CX 80U are, the real highlight is their performance. They show impeccable attention to detail, and can easily illuminate elements such as subtle percussion or delicate vocal intricacies. However, they also nail the fundamentals, with well-balanced, agile bass, clear mids, and vivid treble.

Speaking of treble, I found this to be a real highlight on the CX 80U — highs have an impressive sense of space, and often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving percussion in particular plenty of space to express itself. But during my time testing the CX 80U, I was impressed with their quality right across the frequency range, and regardless of what genre I threw at them, they delivered an enjoyable and entertaining listen each time.

As well as sounding great, the CX 80U manage to provide surprisingly substantial passive noise cancellation, and they come with various-sized eartips, so you can find the perfect seal. Whenever I use them, I also find that cable noise is pretty muted, and they’re comfortable to wear, even for longer listening sessions.

One more thing I love about the CX 80U is their build quality. They look more premium than their price suggests, and I’m drawn to their rounded buds, slim wires, and enticing silver details. Classy.

So, if you’re on a budget but looking to get into the wired earbuds game, then it really doesn’t get much better than the Sennheiser CX 80U. Go on, give ‘em a go!

• AirPods are getting a universal custom EQ at last
• You'll be able to see the results live as a song plays
• It's set to come in iOS 27, as part of the AirPods' Settings screen

Apple just announced that one of the longest-requested features from AirPods users is finally coming as part of iOS 27: a custom EQ. Announced during the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple hasn't revealed full details of the feature, but we did get a first glimpse.

There will be a screen that looks like the image at the top of this page, and if you tap 'Custom' then a blue line is overlaid on the frequency graph. You appear to be able to move the blue line to increase or decrease the frequency bands.

There's a live waveform that plays, so it appears that you'll be able to see the result on the sound signature live, as well as hearing it, obviously.

In the past, it's been possible to make some changes to AirPods' sound using accessibility tools, but this really isn't designed for making subtle changes to your music profile, it's designed for the hard of hearing to boost frequencies they struggle with.

There's also been an EQ in Apple Music, but that doesn't help if you use another app for music, and doesn't preserve the EQ when you switch devices or other apps in general.

There are interesting differences in the sound of different AirPods models. The original AirPods Max are much more neutral than the AirPods Pro 3, for example, and I can easily see that some people might choose to give the over-ears a little extra poppy punch at times — or might want to just take a slight edge off the earbuds.

However! The obvious thing that's missing in the images we've seen so far is a clear option to save presets, so the scenario I've described above might not be that easy. This might be in the final version, of course, or there might be a way to create this using Shortcuts.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple keeps this pretty basic. The screen doesn't really encourage you to make changes: the description in the setting says, "AirPods are designed and engineered by Apple to faithfully represent music, TV shows and movies, and calls. If you prefer a different sound profile, you can customize how AirPods represent any audio played."

Still, given that the original AirPods model launched in December 2016, I'm just glad we're getting finally getting it as an option at all.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review

In 1976, Bob Marley & The Wailers released Smile Jamaica, an upbeat reggae tune bursting with soul and positivity. And the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C earbuds are aiming to replicate those qualities, boasting a vivid design, and apparently “vibrant sound”.

But just how good are these wired USB-C earbuds? Well, at $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95, I wasn’t expecting anything magical, but there are a lot of major positives to discuss. So, here’s what I made of my time with the Smile Jamaica USB-C.

To begin with, I have to talk about the design of these wired in-ears. As soon as I took the Smile Jamaica out of the box, I was struck by their unique, enticing build. They’re made of a few materials, including recyclable aluminum, renewed PeT, and bamboo. Not only does this blend look fantastic, but it’s a lot more sustainable than a huge proportion of the competition — even some of the best wired earbuds.

I really liked the Brass variant that I tested out, but you can also grab these in Copper, Signature Black, or even Rasta (a celebration of red, gold and green, with green ear tips, yellow branding and a cable that incorporates all three colors). Pretty cool.

The braided wires are pretty well-built, and I never experienced excessive cable noise when using the Smile Jamaica USB-C on the go. They’re also tangle-resistant, so I didn’t get a horrible wiry mess every time I retrieved the buds from my pocket. The inclusion of a USB-C connector also means you can connect these buds to your smart phone or just about any modern device, which is incredibly practical — no pairing, no charging, just plug and play.

If I was to be critical, I’d argue that there could’ve been more ear tip size options in the box — you only get one additional pair. This way there could’ve been more options for people with larger or smaller ears — although as someone with aggressively medium-sized ones, this wasn’t an issue for me. There’s also no carry case, but they should be safe in a pocket or small bag regardless.

The ear tips that do come in the box are fairly comfortable, though, and they passively block noise to decent effect. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to experience the noise-crushing effects that ANC will provide on the best wireless earbuds, but when listening to music in the office, sounds like typing and chatter were dulled relatively well.

One feature that’s missing, however, is volume controls. The in-line remote skips on these, meaning I had to remove my phone to alter loudness on the go, something that could be a tad inconvenient. According to the instructions booklet, some of the commands — bound to a single button on the controller — are also restricted to iPhone only, which was no good for a Samsung-owner like me.

Still, the in-line microphone is actually pretty decent, and when making phone calls, various people reported that my speech was clear and easy to decipher. When making a recording, I experienced a bit of feedback and a bit of sibilance, but I was pleased with the mic at this price-point.

Anyway, I know what you’re really here for. You want to know how these sound, right? Well then, I suppose I’ll indulge you.

It only feels right to start with a tune from Bob Marley & The Wailers, so I gave Jamming a spin, and the Smile Jamaica buds performed pretty well. Subtle percussive elements were well balanced in the mix, and had an impressive sense of space, and I never experienced any harshness or tinniness — even when listening at higher volumes. However, the bass sounded a little bloated at certain moments and Marley’s vocals lacked as much definition in the mix as I’d like, resulting in a fairly middling listening experience.

This proved to be a bit of a theme with these earbuds, as the low-end seemed as if it lacked refinement across a number of tracks. In Black Eye by Allie X, bass was a tad bloated once more, and was missing the agility I’ve heard from other budget in-ears. Given that bass is pretty prominent on these buds, I just wish it had a bit more punch and precision. Still, vocals remained clear enough in the mix, and energetic percussion came through with commendable expression. But if you’re expecting the most refined bass ever, you may find the Smile Jamaica to be a tad heavy-handed.

I was more impressed when tuning into Asama by Yuta Orisaka — a laid-back record that blends Japanese folk with reggae tones. Here, I found vocals to be pleasantly weighted alongside relaxed electric guitars and rhythmic percussion, and more subtle keys glided elegantly in the backdrop. Sure, you’re not going to get meticulous instrument separation or the most intricate detailing from a pair of ultra-cheap buds like this, but for the price, they do deliver a satisfying sound, all things considered.

At the end of it all, would I recommend the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C? Here’s the thing: it depends on your budget. If you want some extremely cheap wired buds that sound totally serviceable but won’t blow you away, then yes. On top of their adequate audio, they are well-built, have a decent mic, and tangle-free cable, ensuring good bang for your buck.

However, if you can spend a little more, then you can get big returns. A model like the Sennheiser CX 80U will deliver considerably better sound, with much-improved detailing and balance across the frequency range.

Want a bit more finesse and grace? Something like the Sennheiser is for you — but for stable and dependable sound on a budget, the Smile Jamaica USB-C aren’t a half-bad option.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: price & release date

• List price of $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95
• Released in September 2025

The House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C released in September 2025, about 13 years after the original 3.5mm version debuted. They have a list price of $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95, landing them firmly in the budget category, and are available in a range of color options, including Copper, Signature Black, Brass, and Rasta. You can get them on sale in some regions fairly regularly — I even spotted them going for less than £10 in the UK when producing this review.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: specs

Should I buy the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: also consider

How I tested the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C

• Tested over the course of multiple days
• Mainly streamed music over Tidal
• Took with me to the office and on walks

I spent many days (rolling into weeks, actually) testing out the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C earbuds, during which time I took them just about everywhere with me, to analyze passive noise isolation and convenience among other things.

When listening to music, I typically streamed tracks over Tidal using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. I started out by sifting through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide variety of genres, but I also made sure to listen to hours worth of songs from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve tested tons of audio gear during my time with TechRadar, including a whole host of wired and USB-C earbuds. I had a few rival models at hand to compare the Smile Jamaica USB-C against, including the Sennheiser and Apple rivals mentioned in the ‘Also consider’ section.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

An increasing number of wireless earbuds are landing in my inbox — and on my front porch — with touchscreens built into their charging cases. There are now enough to make it officially a growing and real trend rather than just a passing gimmick… but I'm not convinced.

Most recently, I tested Anker's feature-packed Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro series, which offer two different kinds of screen, but they're just the most recent. Earlier in the month, the JBL Live range was refreshed with plenty of screens, and I recently tested the open-ear Cleer Arc 5, which you can see at the top of this article complete with a sizeable display.

What's the point of these screens? Well, it varies by bud, but generally the premise is the same. The display lets you glean some instant information about your buds: battery life, noise cancellation status, volume, but also change features like EQ preset, Bluetooth codec, what you're song you're listening to, and so on.

This is all potentially useful, if the buds let you avoid using your smartphone and an app to change these features. That's all in theory, but in practice, it's not so.

Displays in earbuds generally bump up the price of the gadget, increase the case's footprint, and increase the risk of accidental pressing when you put the case in your pocket. So they really need to justify themselves, and I'm not sure they are right now.

Just use your phone

When I find an EQ preset I like, I generally stick to it, rarely changing. That's also true about other earbud settings; if I'm on anything but the highest ANC setting, someone should check me for a concussion.

So I don't need a carry case that lets me change these settings, because I rarely do. And when I do, I don't mind booting up the app; I need to justify downloading it in the first place, and changing EQ is much easier on the larger screen.

In theory, the music and volume controls of an earbud case are more useful, as these are things everyone uses. But on-bud touch controls exist — and if you're digging a gadget out of your pocket to change a track, it may as well be one you'll probably be using for other tasks too: your phone.

It doesn't help that, from my experience, charging case screens aren't hugely reliable. They remind me of cheap smartwatches and fitness trackers from years ago: they often need multiple taps, and seemingly some vocal coercing (well, I think it helps), to do anything. My phone isn't like that.

Finding a niche

I'm not going to make a blank ruling on earbud cases; in some situations they work.

Take Soundcore's Liberty 5 Pro series. In the base model, the display is a tiny window. You can use it to check some easy info, but it's not trying to replace your smartphone. Perfect.

In the top-end Liberty 5 Pro Max, the case is packed full of novel features, including a recorder-transcriber, and translation tool. It's not meant to replace your phone; it's its own thing.

That's where I see earbud charging case displays finding their niche: by offering features and functions to act as the earbuds' unique selling points, as an accessory that's useful to have separately to your phone.

This would generally be in top-end or professional-targeted buds, like how the Pro Max is ostensibly designed for business buyers.

But not every pair of the best earbuds needs a little LCD or OLED screen on the charging case. At the moment, it feels like they're becoming more prominent as a fad, but I think most us would rather just pay less or see that money go into battery innovations or other improvements — I only see them sticking around if makers find a way to justify them.

Anker's Soundcore brand is just going harder and harder on releasing new models. Not content with the Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds and Soundcore Space 2 headphones recently, the brand has unveiled two new pairs of earbuds based on the Liberty.

These are the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max, and they're new premium pairs of feature-packed earbuds that, unlike many other Pro-titled products, actually feel targeted towards professionals.

I’ve been using both the Pro and Pro Max for a week now, to try to understand both buds, how they’re different, and which I’d recommend people buy. That's not enough time to have completed two reviews, which is why you're not reading those right now — but I’ve definitely used the earbuds long enough to answer all of my questions.

So here’s what’s different between the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max and, crucially, which one I think most people should end up buying.

How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max compare on price?

It’s important that we establish the main difference between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max first: it’s the price.

The Pro is, as you’d imagine, the cheaper of the two earbuds. To buy it, you’re paying $169 / £149 (about AU$300). So it’s a lot pricier than the Liberty 5, which sold for $129 / £99 / AU$169.

But that cost is nothing compared to the Pro Max. These sell for $229 / £199 (about AU$400), which is only a hair under the AirPods Pro 3’s $249 / £219 / AU$429 asking price.

I’m not going to treat the Liberty 5 Pro like the budget option, given its price, but you’ll soon read about how it’s probably the best option based on budget.

How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max compare on sound quality?

If you only want to know about the differences between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max, you’ll want to keep scrolling. These two earbuds both have exactly the same audio performance, but it's important to address them.

What are their specs? Well, nowhere in Anker’s promotional material for the buds, press pre-briefing ahead of their release or the buds’ packaging, is that actually mentioned. You’ll have take my word for it then.

I’ve quite liked how the buds have sounded, in my testing time. The audio is detailed and sharp, with a real oomph when it’s needed. However, at least in the default sound profile, I’ve found the bass a little too prominent, yet not quite as precisely defined as I’d like.

It’d be fine in earbuds at the price of the Liberty 5, but when you’re picking up a 'Pro' or 'Pro Max' pair of earbuds — and paying the price for them — I’d like a little more controlled lower-end.

Anker’s been heavily advertising the listening test available in both of its new earbuds, and I’ve yet to try that or the equalizer, so perhaps these will give me the sound profile I'm looking for — I’ll let you know in my full review later.

What are the differences in Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max's design?

Likely due to their identical audio specs, the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. I could put the Pro Max earbuds in the Pro case, and vice versa.

The buds are certainly unique; they have a kidney-shaped body, not dissimilar to Samsung’s old bean buds, but with a tip to allow for the noise cancellation and give you a solid fit.

On that topic, these Liberty 5s both come with wings at the top of the bean, kind of like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen, and these are great for fit. I’ve been on multiple runs with them, and they’ve been a dream, even if they’re a little heavier than rivals at 7g each.

The real design difference between Anker’s new earbuds is the charging case. Actually, that’s the main difference full stop, at least it feels that way in my testing.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max have a pretty big charging case. It’s a squarish rectangle, with a lid that slides up to reveal the buds, and it weighs about 86g. What makes the case so large? That’ll be the screen, which takes up the entirety of the lid; it’s a big square that looks like the kind of panel you’d find on a squircle smartwatch.

You can use this screen to control music playback, change EQ presets, toggle between noise cancellation modes and activate a range of the buds’ features — more on that later.

The Liberty 5 Pro also have a touchscreen, but it’s smaller: a thin strip like the display on a fitness tracker. It’s much simpler, with battery indicators and small icons for a range of features. The case still has a slide-up lid to reveal the buds, like on the Max, and weighs a little less at 70g.

I’ve had some problems with the screen on both sets of earbuds. It’s a little less responsive than I’d like, often needing multiple swipes to change menu and repeated taps to enable a setting. It reminds me of fitness trackers of old, which needed coercing to work.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max features explained

It’s not the main selling point of the Anker earbuds, but I’ve been really appreciating the active noise cancellation on both the Pro and Pro Max. It’s among the best in any earbuds I’ve tested, proving effective at wiping out background sound in all conditions I've tried so far.

Likely to thank for this is a new chip Anker created, and debuted in these buds; it’s designed specifically for the Liberty 5 buds’ ANC and features, and adds support for Dolby Atmos audio.

The battery life is a little more average; both pairs of buds last for 6.5 hours of listening, with the charging case bringing that time up to 28 hours — both figures are with ANC turned on. My benchmark for the average battery life of earbuds is 8 hours with ANC off, which I imagine the Liberty will surpass by a little, but I’ll have to test it properly for my full review.

The new Soundcore app is the key to your kingdom of features here. It has a huge range of features including meditation and ambient noise playlists, a built-in AI chatbot, a fit test, a listening preference test to create custom EQ, a sound level meter and volume limiter, a sound-quality upscaling option, and the ability to customize the case screen.

That’s not counting all the usual earbud app tools you’ve come to expect, such as a standard equalizer, touch control customization, ANC modes and so on.

I’ve got to hand it to Soundcore: this is perhaps the biggest array of features I’ve ever seen in a pair of earbuds. They’re incredibly feature-packed, and browsing though the app, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Everything I’ve mentioned so far is available on both buds, but the pricier pair offers a little more: the Pro Max’s biggest unique feature is that it functions as a note-taker.

Thanks to the case having a built-in microphone, you can use it to record audio, and the app will create a transcript — naturally, the buds can do the same with their own mics. There’s also a live translation tool, which uses the same hardware to achieve its ends.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max: which one would I recommend?

So far, I’ve mostly been using the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max. I thought I’d rather test the expensive earbuds first, and based on the extra features, they're clearly the better buds in the simplest terms.

However for most buyers, I’m not sure these are the earbuds I’d actually recommend. While not cheap, the Pro are a little more affordable than their Max counterparts, and I think you’re getting better value for money.

The extra features the pricier model brings are neat, but I don’t see them being reliably useful for many people. Most of us don’t need a portable dictaphone on our earbuds.

Also worth bearing in mind is the charging case: on the Pro, it’s a little smaller and more streamlined, and that makes it better for toting around. Not good — it’s too bulky to disappear into a trouser pocket, unlike the AirPods Pro 3 case or similar — but it's still a little more convenient than the Pro Max’s.

Sure, its charging case screen is smaller, but in my week with the buds, I’ve barely used either display. I’ve tested a few different earbuds with charging case screens, and I’m still yet to be convinced that these are essential, making the screen's minimization in the Pro no bad thing.

• Anker launches Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds
• The earbuds are the same, but some of the features are different, including a touchscreen on the Max
• Also new app, bespoke chipset for the buds

Anker's Soundcore has just announced two new pairs of earbuds, which are its first products made with its new 'Thus' audio chipset. This little component promises to enable its speakers and headphones to enjoy better active noise cancellation, improved on-device audio AI, more accurate voice controls and, perhaps most usefully, better power efficiency.

Anker also unveiled VibeOS, which confusingly isn't an operating system despite the title, but is rather the name of its new and improved tie-in app, that you'll use to control your audio gadgets.

VibeOS is set to have a huge range of features, and if Anker delivers, its devices could be feature-packed gems. The best new picks include an EQ listening test, audio source restoration, sleep management, audio transcript creation and real-time environmental adaption for your music.

It's not quite clear when VibeOS will roll out, whether it'll come to existing Soundcore gadgets or will arrive alongside new ones. But we have some likely contenders from the brand in the shape of its two new buds.

Free up some time for the Liberty

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and the Liberty 5 Pro Max, are the bigger new releases from Anker, both bearing the Thus chip. They follow the 'normal' Soundcore Liberty 5, released a year prior, but when you read about them you'll understand why they're not the Liberty 6.

At a press briefing, Anker didn't describe the audio specs of the Liberty 5 Pro series, but they'll likely be similar to, or better than, the 9.2mm dynamic driver-toting original.

Anker sold the buds on their features: they're set to have eight microphones for improved call quality and noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, and an AI voice recorder function for note taking.

The main draw to these earbuds — and the distinction between them — is in the charging case. Both buds get a case with a touchscreen, with the Pro getting a little strip and the Pro Max's case bearing a large display.

This touchscreen can be used to monitor battery, change ANC modes, and toggle a variety of features. By the sounds of things, it can be used to toggle those aforementioned features too, perhaps such as setting up the voice recorder to record a meeting.

You can also point to the touchscreen cases for the prices: the Liberty 5 Pro costs £149.99 (about $200, AU$300, exact global pricing TBC) while the Liberty 5 Pro Max goes for £199.99 (around $280, AU$400, again global prices TBC).

So they're noticeably pricier than the original buds at $129 / £99 / AU$169. We've got the Liberty 5 Pro series in for testing now, to see if they justify that cost… watch this space.

• Chinese researchers have developed 'AccLock'
• This uses your heartbeat to verify your identity
• All it needs is earbuds with accelerometers

Researchers from several universities in China have developed a technology they called AccLock, and it's basically Ear ID. It's a way of verifying your identity using your heartbeat, as detected by your earbuds — even if your buds don't have the kind of built-in heart-rate sensors you get in AirPods Pro 3.

The idea is that your earbuds will be able to recognize your unique palpitations, to verify that you're you, and to unlock access to things like your PC or phone, or perhaps even a smart door lock.

According to the paper, earbuds were chosen because they "remain closely coupled with the wearer during everyday use," so if you're the kind of person who's constantly wearing your AirPods when out and about, you inspired this choice.

In testing AccLock, the researchers did in fact use AirPods, as well as their own custom-made earphones, and so it clearly could work within Apple's system. But it doesn't have to, because it only relies on motion-sensing tech rather than a dedicated heart tracker.

Open hearted

Instead of a dedicated heart-rate sensor, the tool simply uses a motion-sensing accelerometer, the kind of which plenty of earbuds already pack.

An accelerometer is used to measure things like acceleration, vibration and orientation. In earbuds, they can be used for different tools: gesture controls, head tracking or spatial audio, depending on the bud.

Some low-end earbuds may miss them, but generally, it's a common component. And so, in theory, AccLock could work on many earbuds, using the accelerometer to recognize your heartbeat.

Again, this is all hypothetical, but sometimes these studies can mirror what companies are actually considering. For example new research we reported on regarding AirPods with cameras is matched by some reports suggesting Apple is actually considering adding this tech to future AirPods.

• Campfire Audio unveils new Chimera in-ear monitors (IEMs)
• Nine-driver tech includes bone conduction woofer and electrotatic tweeters
• Premium design that makes each unit unique

Everyone's talking about ditching Bluetooth in headphones these days. Well if you're looking for the best wired earbuds around, then Campfire Audio has a very interesting proposition for you, but it'll cost you.

It'll cost you a lot.

The new Campfire Audio Chimera cost $7,500 / £6,999 (about AU$14,000). That's 30 times the $249 / £219 / AU$429 price of the AirPods Pro 3, which I use as a reference since they're the most popular model of buds on the planet. Suffice it to say, they're not for the average consumer — it's likely to be professionals and the most hardcore of head-fi enthusiasts who'll pick them up.

But boy, what you get for that money is hard to argue with. These IEMs look fantastic, made of carbon-fibre and brass, adorned in a magnesium shell. According to Campfire Audio, every single unit made will look slightly different, with the production method resulting in subtle differences.

You can see how good they look in images; apparently they're designed to catch the light, so will appear even better in person.

The cable included with the IEMs uses four copper conductors, and two 50/50 copper and silver ones. And you get a lot more in the box: loads of eartips (including silicone and foam options), a cleaning tool and cloth, and a carry bag.

But the real draw to the Chimera is the audio.

Driver? I barely know 'er

The Campfire Audio Chimera has not one, not two, not… okay, it has nine drivers. And there are some real surprises in that list.

You're getting a 10mm dynamic driver for low-end, dual-diaphragm balanced armature driver for midrange, two balanced armatures for clarity, four electrostatic "super-tweeters" for high-frequency sound, and a bone conduction driver too.

This latter sounds like one of the most interesting selling points of the Chimera: it'll let you feel, not just hear, low-end sounds, to add a little extra physicality to sub-bass.

That's a bold choice, but it could pay off big time. We've previously knocked the brand's IEMs for their bass, like the Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon, and maybe Campfire Audio has fixed that problem in style.

For those who don't care about bigger bass, the draw lies in the use of four electrostatic drivers per bud — it's not a tech that gets out much, so we love to see it.

To keep the show on the road, Campfire Audio has given the Chimera a pressure valve to keep the airflow correct, and a tuning damper to make sure sound quality is as good as it could be. Given the specs list, these could sound like some of the best IEMs out there (and you'd hope so, for that price).

• Xiaomi teases its first clip-style open earbuds
• Launch date unknown, presumed imminent
• Past Xiaomi open earbuds have had sound leakage prevention tech

In 2025, it felt like every tech company felt the need to release open earbuds, and recently brands have been tripping over themselves to release clip-style buds, ranging from Anker, Bose and through the alphabet to (now) Xiaomi.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has teased its first open earbuds, sharing on social media platform Weibo a graphic of a half-open case, with the slogan "Brand new form". You can see enough of the enclosed earbuds to suggest these are clip buds (and it's basically the only headphone form factor the brand hasn't tried out yet).

There's not much more to know about the buds just yet, but Xiaomi's expected to launch a new smartphone at some point in May called the Xiaomi 17 Max. It's likely the earbuds will get some screen time at the same launch event.

It's therefore impossible to say what Xiaomi has cooking; from my experience, the brand's audio products remain weaker than the competition, but clip buds are hard to get wrong. And Xiaomi has one piece of tech that could elevate these new buds over the competition…

No noise

Back in 2025, Xiaomi released the OpenWear Stereo Pro, hook-style open earbuds with a whopping five audio drivers. I tested them, and while I didn't love the fit, or audio quality, they had one feature that was unique and really useful.

One of the drivers wasn't for music, but was designed to reduce sound leakage. It basically worked as anti-noise-cancellation; it wouldn't stop you hearing people around you, but it'd stop those people around you hearing you.

Sound leakage is one of the big problems of open earbuds. Since the drivers aren't in your ear, and the sound has to travel across the void between the bud and your ear, audio will invariably be audible to those around you.

Don't expect your guilty pleasure playlist to stay secret, if you listen with open earbuds; my partner is constantly humming along to my music when I'm using them. This didn't happen with the Xiaomi, though, and the driver worked wonders in keeping my private playlists… well, private.

It's hard to say whether Xiaomi will resurrect this tech for its clip-style earbuds, and it's certainly not guaranteed — these kinds of buds have less space for drivers in the bud, compared to hook-style ones, since the driver sits in your ear.

Saying that, the Shokz OpenDots One had two drivers, so it's clear that there's space for a well-engineered clip bud to fit multiple. It's just about whether Xiaomi decides it's a good fit (so to speak).

JBL has launched its new Live 4 series of earbuds, with three new pairs available from 12 May 2026.

The new models include: the JBL Live Buds 4, which are a set of compact in-ears; the JBL Live Beam 4, a pair of stemmed in-ears; and the JBL Live Flex 4, which are stemmed semi-open earbuds. Each of these has arrived about two years after their predecessors from the Live 3 series.

JBL’s Live earbuds are known for one thing above all — their touchscreen-equipped charging cases. On previous models, this has enabled users to swiftly adapt ANC, EQ, volume, and more. And JBL has revamped its Smart Charging Case software, and packed the Live 4 models with more features, controls, and customization options than ever before.

But will this be enough to help JBL rival some of the best earbuds from heavy-hitters like Apple and Sony? Well, I’ve seen the new Live 4 series for myself, and I could see some of the additions being a big hit — here’s what you can expect from JBL’s new buds.

Building on success

When we tested out the JBL Live Beam 3 back in 2024, they left quite the impression on us. Thanks to their impressive sound quality, plentiful battery life, and fun feature-packed case, we awarded that model a high 4.5-star rating.

And it really seems that their successor, the Live Beam 4 — alongside the new Buds and Flex versions — are building on a lot of the things we already loved.

First of all, let’s go back to the touchscreen case. Although I’m yet to test the Live 4 series in depth, I was pleased to see that the Smart Charging Case comes with a brand new user interface (UI) alongside a larger screen on JBL’s newest earbuds.

Sure, some would argue that the screen is a little gimmicky, but it provides instant access to customization tools, whereas usually you’d have to withdraw your phone and root around for the JBL headphones app. As someone with way too many audio apps on my phone, I can certainly see the appeal.

JBL has also updated the sound of its Live series, with the new earbuds equipped with “new fidelity drivers” that the audio specialist claims to be “carefully tuned for deeper bass and clearer sound”. Although JBL has employed new drivers, they’re still 10mm and dynamic on the Buds and Beam, and 12mm dynamic on the Flex.

Another area that’s been improved is call quality. Live 4 series models utilize six microphones with new “Perfect Call 2.0” tech, combining a wind-proof design with an AI algorithm for clear quality. Some of the microphones are also used for noise cancelling, which has also been improved according to JBL.

Something that’s largely remained the same, though, is battery life. With the charging case, JBL claims the Buds 4 will provide up to 32 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with it off; that the Beam 4 can manage 40 hours with noise cancelling active and 48 hours without it; and that the Flex 4 will deliver 35 hours with ANC switched on and 50 hours without. That’s similar to what we saw on the previous generation, but remains impressive across the board, especially when you consider that rivals like Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 only deliver 24 hours with the charging case.

The Live 4 series is available in a range of colors, including Black, Blue, Silver, Champagne, Green, Purple, and Orange. They are priced at £179.99 / €199 (about $245 / AU$340). I’ll be reviewing each of the new models in the coming weeks to see if they’re truly worth the money, so keep your eyes peeled for my full thoughts.

• Sivga unveils M260 wired earbuds with huge 14.2mm driver
• They come in USB-C or 3.5mm versions
• The fit is like the old Apple Earbuds design from before AirPods

It's been 14 years since Apple discontinued its classic iPods earbuds, which had a circular speaker grille — ditching them for the still-sold EarPods — but other brands occasionally still release earbuds in this style, and the latest one takes advantage of the design to whack in a huge driver.

Audio company Sivga has unveiled a new pair of cheap buds which share a lot of design traits with the older earbuds, except their clean white design and the sheer size of the driver involved.

These are the Sivga M260, which are newly on sale in two iterations. There's a version with a 3.5mm plug, which costs $44 / £33 / AU$62, and one that connects via USB-C, which goes for $50 / £38 / AU$70.

We've mostly tested the brand's over-ears, like the classy wooden Sivga Oriole or Sivga Robin SV021 Pro, but it sells plenty of earbuds and in-ear monitors too.

Budget buds with a big driver

The Sivga M260 gets a 14.2mm driver, which is on the big side for in-ear buds like this. It uses a dynamic driver with neodymium magnet and copper composite diaphragm.

According to the brand, the tuning is aimed towards a smooth and natural sound, with controlled bass.

In the box, you get four different pairs of ear pads, so you can make sure the M260 lock in your ears, and to block out a little bit of surrounding sound.

The cable's another element that differentiates this from the cheapie earbuds that came in-box with your iPod. It's a 4N silver-plated, oxygen-free copper cable, and it's detachable from the buds so you can replace the cable or buds if one or the other is damaged (or if you make an upgrade).

There are some small differences between the two on-sale models. The USB-C version has a small control panel, with volume rocker and microphone, and it has a built-in DAC for hi-res audio.

Given how many products are losing the headphone jack nowadays, I imagine most people will opt for USB-C… unless you're one of the people still holding onto your iPod and you want these to bring back that classic feeling.

• LibrePods improves the AirPods experience on Android
• The app is now available on the Google Play Store
• Use features like Conversational Awareness on selected phones

While AirPods have always worked with Android — they're essentially Bluetooth earbuds, at their core — users with Google-powered phones and tablets haven't been able to enjoy the full AirPods experience. That's now changing with a new update to an open-source app called LibrePods.

LibrePods has been around for a while, but previously required a jailbroken Android device to work properly. As Android Authority reports, LibrePods just became available on the Google Play Store, so anyone can make use of it — no jailbreak needed.

This has been made possible by a bug fix pushed out with the Android 16 QPR3 update, also known as the March Pixel Drop if you're using a Google Pixel phone. As LibrePods developer Kavish Devar explains, this opened up more Bluetooth functionality.

It means you get access to features like more precise battery level reporting, immediate ear detection, the ability to change listening modes, and Conversational Awareness (which lowers the AirPods volume when you're chatting to someone.

Going Ultra?

As this updated Bluetooth functionality has only just been added to Android, it's going to take a while to reach all phones and tablets. Right now, it should work with Google Pixel, OnePlus, and Oppo phones updated to the latest software versions.

In the future, the improved Bluetooth features should be kept in Android 17, which will be One UI 9 on Samsung phones. Over the next few months, LibrePods should become compatible with more and more handsets as these updates roll out.

Once you've got LibrePods installed on a compatible phone, you'll find a host of options available in the menus — including the option to set up head gesture controls (provided you've got a pair of AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3).

If you're an Android user, your choice in terms of the best headphones and best wireless earbuds just got bigger, and could expand further soon. There are rumors from Macworld that Apple is planning to introduce some AirPods Ultra headphones in the near future, while also applying the 'Ultra' branding to other high-profile products.

EarFun Clip 2: Two minute review

The Earfun Clip 2 buds are the latest entry in the wave of clip-style options among the best open earbuds. They're Earfun's second go at this form factor after the original Earfun Clip, following the brand's OpenJump ear hook design.

And the big pitch of the Earfun Clip 2 is price, because they cost $79 / £69 / AU$120 at launch. With early discounts already appearing on the Earfun website, they undercut much of the competition.

Now, that budget positioning does come through in places. The plastic build feels a little cheap in the hand. The sound profile, though energetic and punchy for workouts, has some limitations at volume that I'll get to, which means you’ll want to tweak the EQ.

There are some notable features here that I really rated, including an impressive 11 hours of battery life, Hi-Res Audio and LDAC support, multipoint connectivity, and a smart AI translation tool, which could just be a nice-to-have for some or genuinely useful for others. For cheap open-ears, there’s a lot here.

Open-ear designs are a bit of a gamble when it comes to comfort. Do you go with a neckband, ear hooks, or clip-on? Well, I’m firmly in the clip-on camp, and I found the Clip 2 buds mostly secure, light, comfortable and easy to forget about once they're in. I did notice some slight slippage, but only on sweaty runs when I pushed their grip to the limit.

However, after a lot of time testing audio gear, I've learned that ears are subjective little things. Some people love the clip-on feel and others find it irritating. That subjectivity runs through the whole experience here, from fit to sound to whether you mind the build quality at this price.

Overall, the Earfun Clip 2 aren't trying to compete with similarly style buds, like the Bose Ultra Open or the Shokz OpenDots One, on refinement. Instead, they’re asking: hey, do you want a decent pair of open earbuds without spending very much?

If the fit works for you and you're willing to play with the settings, the answer could well be yes — I've tested a load of clip-style buds, and these are the cheapest option I'd happily tell people to buy.

EarFun Clip 2 review: Price and availability

• Price at launch: $79.99 / £69.99 (about AU$120)
• Launched April 2026
• Already discounted at launch

The Earfun Clip 2 buds launched at $79.99 / £69.99 (about AU$120), but there's already an early bird discount on the Earfun website bringing them down to $55.99 / £49.99, which probably tells you what price you can expect to see them fall to in any sales events.

The headline here is they significantly undercut much of the competition. The two clip-on open earbuds we'd most readily recommend right now are the Shokz OpenDots One at $199 / £179 / AU$339 and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at $299 / £299 / AU$449.95.

The Earfun Clip 2 cost less than half of the Shokz and roughly a quarter of the Bose. Even the Edifier LolliClip, which does pack in extras such as noise cancellation, heart rate and blood oxygen tracking, come in at $129.99.

Which means that if you've been curious about the clip-on design but reluctant to spend big on an experiment, the Earfun Clip 2 make a very compelling entry point on price alone.

That said, they're not the only budget option in this increasingly crowded space. For example, the Soundpeats Clip1 are currently our top pick for open buds in a clip-on design for under $100 costing only $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99 and we gave them a solid 4 out of 5 star rating.

What’s more, the JLab Flex Open earbuds come in at $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$129.95. We haven't reviewed those, so can't speak to quality, but it's worth knowing that cheap clip-on open earbuds exist beyond the Earfun. Granted, not all of them will be worth your time and money, and as we'll get to, the Clip 2 do pack in some great features to back up that low price.

EarFun Clip 2 review: Specifications

EarFun Clip 2 review: Features

• 11 hours battery life (40 hours with the case)
• AI translation across 100+ languages
• Solid app to tweak settings

The Earfun Clip 2 buds were easy to set up: just open the case and they connect, with Google Fast Pair support speeding things along if you’ve got an Android phone. Multipoint connectivity worked reliably throughout testing too. I spent a full working day moving between my laptop and phone across cafes and a coworking space, and the switch took under five seconds each time.

Battery life is a strong point. With LDAC off, you get up to 11 hours from the buds and 40 hours total with the charging case, and during testing I got close to 10 hours, which tracks enough for me. Switch LDAC on and that drops to six hours (22 hours in total), which is still reasonable. The case supports wireless charging, and the buds fully recharge inside it in about an hour.

For context, the Bose Ultra Open manage 7.5 hours (27 total), the Shokz OpenDots One offer 10 hours (40 hours in total), and the similarly-priced Soundpeats Clip1, offer eight hours from the buds (32 hours in total). so the Clip 2 hold their own against pricier rivals.

The standout feature here is AI translation, covering more than 100 languages. There are two modes: face to face, which translates in chunks after each person speaks, and real-time, which handles continuous one-way speech with a slight delay. Both worked well in my testing.

AI translation is appearing in other earbuds too, but finding it in a pair this affordable and in an open design feels like genuine added value.

There's Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification and LDAC support too, which is rare at this price, though the drivers and open design don't fully capitalize on that extra bandwidth.

The Earfun app is clean and easy to navigate. The 10-band custom EQ works well, alongside presets like bass boost, treble boost, vocal enhancement and genre options like rock, pop and classical. As we'll get to, I needed to tweak the EQ to get the most from the Clip 2, so this was welcome.

You'll also find a game mode for reduced latency, a theater mode that widens the soundstage, and a privacy mode that drops volume and reduces sound leakage.

Other extras include hearing health settings with volume limits and left/right balance, auto-shutdown timers, and a 'find my earbuds' function that worked reliably every time for me.

Connectivity was solid around the house, though I noticed occasional brief drops in the left earbud when I was walking through the city, where there could be more interference. They reconnected within a second or two, but it’s worth noting, since not all earbuds have this issue in the city when I use them.

There's no active noise cancellation here, and you're not getting heart-rate sensors or a personalized hearing test, or anything like that — and that's absolutely fine, given the price.

• Features score: 4/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Sound quality

• Punchy bass for open earbuds
• Treble turns a little harsh and fatiguing at high volumes
• Mid-range can get buried

As you'd expect from the open design, you can still hear your surroundings with the Clip 2, whether that’s conversations, alarm or traffic. Not as much as buds that sit further from your ear, such as a bone conduction pair, but enough for situational awareness.

That said, don't mistake open-ear for transparent. You're still listening to something, and I found myself distracted enough by the audio that I wasn't hearing everything around me, even with my ear canal relatively free.

As with any open earbuds, you're trading fidelity for that awareness of your surroundings here. The question isn't whether the Earfun Clip 2 sound as good as in-ears (they don't). It's whether they make the most of the form factor at this price.

At lower volumes, the answer is yes. There's separation, a sense of space, and a brightness that keeps things lively without feeling thin. Listening to Tame Impala's Dracula at a comfortable level, the bass came through with some presence, which is not always the case in open earbuds.

Budget open options like the Huawei FreeArc, our current top pick at this end of the market, have never really satisfied fully on the low end. The Clip 2 have noticeably more punch.

However, push the volume and things can start to unravel depending on what you’re listening to. Treble takes over, cymbals and hi-hats become sharp, vocals and guitars turn brittle, and the midrange almost gets buried underneath.

I put on Death From Above 1979's Turn It Out, a track I've listened to hundreds of times, and at first the crashing drums and heavy low end landed brilliantly. But the moment guitars and vocals came in, it became harsh enough that I didn't want to keep listening. That's a problem when it's one of your favorite tracks.

So there’s a bit of tension with the Clip 2. These are earbuds mostly designed for outdoor use, like running, walking and commuting — ie, environments where you might really need to push the volume to hear them. But they sound their best when kept a little lower.

Now, I’m happy to report that the custom EQ helps a little. A treble reduction preset warmed things up, and pulling back the highs further with the 10-band EQ created a smoother, flatter listen. But even with adjustments, that midrange muddiness didn't fully clear up.

Podcasts sounded decent, with enough vocal clarity to follow speech comfortably. That same treble harshness crept in at higher volumes here, though in noisier environments the extra edge actually helped voices cut through in busy environments.

As you’d expect from open buds, there was some detectable sound leakage, but not that much. Unless you're listening at volume in a very quiet office or train carriage, I'd say you'll be fine.

They're not a great-sounding pair of earbuds in the grand scheme of things. But for the form factor and the price, they are more capable than much of the competition, as long as you don’t need to pump up the volume too often.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Design

• Clip-on design that's surprisingly secure
• Comfortable for long sessions, though fit is subjective
• Plastic build feels budget compared to rivals

The Earfun Clip 2 use a clip-on design that hooks over the cartilage at the side of your ear. The chunkier rectangular section housing the controls and battery then rests behind the ear and the spherical driver unit sits in your concha. Each bud weighs just 5.5g, and a Ni-Ti (nickel-titanium) alloy frame helps the clip hold its shape over time.

After reviewing plenty of open earbuds, I've come to accept that fit preferences are deeply personal. Some people swear by hooks behind the ears, others prefer neckband-style fits.

For me, the clip-on is actually my favorite form factor, partly because I have thick hair and sometimes wear glasses, both of which can make hooks and neckbands less comfortable and secure. But your experience may really differ, all of our ears are unique after all!

That said, the first day or two I spent convinced they were about to fall off. They didn't, and once I'd stopped second-guessing them, I found the Clip 2 surprisingly secure and comfortable for long listening sessions.

The only time they shifted around to the point I wanted to take them off was during sprint intervals in a sweaty HIIT session, and I'd expect that from most earbuds.

There's IP55 dust and water resistance, so they'll handle sweat, rain and the odd splash without any trouble, just don't submerge them. Combined with the (mostly) secure fit and light weight, they make a solid workout companion.

Looks-wise, I've always found the clip-on design quite cool, like something out of Star Trek. But the Clip 2 are simple, black and plastic, and some might find them a little cheap-looking compared to shinier rivals with more colour options, like the Bose Ultra Open or the Shokz OpenDots One.

Controls are handled by a physical button on the back of each bud rather than touch surfaces, which I preferred. It's easy to find by feel when you're moving, responsive enough that I never had to fumble, and you can customize single, double-, triple- and long-press actions in the app.

The charging case tells a similar story to the buds themselves. It’s pill-shaped, black, plastic, but with a solid hinge and matte finish that make it look plain and purposeful if I’m being polite, a bit cheap if I’m not.

• Design score: 4/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Value

For the price, the Earfun Clip 2 deliver, and they’re the clip-on open earbuds I'll be recommending if anyone needs a budget pick.

The value here is strongest when you look up the price ladder. The Shokz OpenDots One offer a similar experience for more than double the price. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds do justify their premium with noticeably better sound, but they cost almost five times as much.

This means that if you're curious about the clip-on design and don't want to gamble serious money on finding out whether it suits your ears, the Earfun make that experiment much easier to stomach.

Yes, the price shows at times. The plastic build feels budget, and the sound has limitations at higher volumes that the pricier rivals handle better. But you're not buying these expecting premium. You're buying them because you want open earbuds with a clip-on fit, decent bass and a whole shopping list of useful features without spending much. On all of those terms, they deliver.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Earfun Clip 2?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Earfun Clip 2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Earfun Clip 2

I tested the Earfun Clip 2 for two weeks to write this review. I mostly had them paired with my iPhone 16 Pro, but also used them with my MacBook to test the multipoint connectivity.

I used them mostly to listen to music and podcasts while I was working out of the house or exercising. But I also tried listening to TV shows and movies with them to see how the different modes sounded.

I’ve been testing and writing about tech for nearly 15 years. I’ve reviewed wearables, health tech and smart home products. But I’ve recently been focusing on fitness audio and open earbuds, especially headphones and buds on the more affordable end of the spectrum.

I’m especially interested in how tech actually feels to use day to day, rather than how it performs against a spec sheet.

• First reviewed: April 2026
• Read more about how we test

• Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 get global release
• Clip-style open earbuds with handy feature
• Sound leakage may be thing of the past

Since I started testing the best open earbuds several years ago, the form factor has advanced leaps and bounds. No longer do these anti-noise-cancelling earbuds struggle with poor sound transmission, unreliable fits or huge carry cases. But a few problems linger.

Because each earbud is held outside of your ear canal, this kind of bud has natural sound leakage, so people around you can hear your music if it's quiet, such as in an office. But Honor's new earbuds promise a solution to the problem.

The Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 Pro were announced at the end of 2025 in China, but have finally received a global release as of April 2026. They're priced equivalent to around $125 / £100 / AU$200, but we're waiting on availability and prices around the world.

Beyond that essay of a name, they come with a few specs which make them seem competitive as clip-style open-ears. Their 12mm driver is bigger than many we see in this style of bud, and the 10-hour battery life again is competitive.

The case charges wirelessly, the arch is designed to survive bends, and the buds automatically detect which ear they're in, so you don't have to think about it. All very handy features.

But beyond that list of useful but familiar specs, there's one tool that stands out.

Goodbye, sound leakage

As I mentioned, there's natural sound leakage with open earbuds, so people around you can easily hear what you're listening to. The pair I'm testing currently are easy to make out if you're within several meters of the listener. It's pretty embarrassing that everyone at Parkrun can hear all the Backstreet Boys I'm listening to.

We did see the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro come with a driver designed to mitigate this problem, but those were on hook-style open buds, not clip-style like the Honor. Oh, and as my 3-star review (linked above) attests, they weren't especially good.

The Earbuds Clip 2 Pro, however, have a driver on the back of the bud, which emits sound to cancel out the music you're listening to, working basically the reverse of how noise-cancelling headphones operate.

In theory, these solve open earbuds' remaining major pain point, and I'm really curious to test them out and see how well it works (or, more accurately, let my partner discover how well they work, as I'll no longer be annoying her with my music… in theory).

Clip-style earbuds are quickly proving themselves more popular than hook-style ones, at least judging by how many new pairs are released, and I've previously been impressed by the company's offerings, such as the Honor Earbuds Open.

So I'm holding out hope that, if this clippy problem-solver works as well as I think, the Clip 2 Pro could be the best open earbuds yet — at least, for those who share a workspace.

Activo Scoop review

The Activo Scoop in-ear monitors are designed to be as smooth as a pebble, in just about every way possible. Physically, they’re light, rounded, and sculpted. Sonically, Astell & Kern’s sub-brand Activo has attempted to craft IEMs with “smooth resonance,” and supply a sound that’s as natural and “gentle” as possible.

If we’re talking about design, I’d argue that Activo has just about nailed the audio-equipped pebble. The Scoop IEMs are sleek, have a polished feel and with an attractive white finish. They are a little bit chunky in the ear, and the attached cable is on the thick side, but I found the IEMs to be pretty comfortable for longer listening sessions, and I never had to deal with over-zealous cable noise or any connectivity issues.

But I want to focus more on the Scoop’s sound, and how well it adheres to the pebble theme. As you’d expect from a pair of IEMs, the overall sound profile is fairly balanced, and the Scoop are largely focused on an “organic” presentation that steers clear of harshness, according to Activo. But how good do they really sound? And can they really compete with some of the best wired earbuds on the market?

Well, I’m pleased to report that they’re pretty strong performers, especially given their budget-friendly pricing. Their five-driver setup — which features one 8mm dynamic, two 6mm dynamic, and two balanced armature drivers — supplies clean, articulate sound, with subtle detailing and a genuinely impressive soundstage.

In This Is All I Have for You by Makoto Matsushita, I was struck by the Scoop’s revealing sound. In the introduction, rhythm guitar was beautifully balanced in the mix, almost occupying its own unique pocket. However, it never sounded incoherent with other instruments in the mix — it danced beautifully alongside rapid and responsive percussion and full-sounding, funky bass.

Even after vocals entered the fray, the Scoop maintained a disciplined and balanced approach. And as subtle strings and percussive elements reared their heads, the Scoop ensured that they were clear, but never over-emphasized.

When I compared the Scoop against my trusty Sennheiser IE 200, I found that the former had less of a ‘warm’ sound profile, opting for more of an agile and snappy bass response. Sure, that may be a bit less exciting for some listeners, but for professional users — or those who simply prefer a more neutral sound — that could be a positive.

All in all, I did feel as if the Scoop took a more natural approach than the IE 200, although I did realize that they went a bit more aggressive on the highs.

In Entertainer by Ruze, higher-pitched percussion sounded more forward in the Scoop. That’s not to say that treble sounds were tinny or harsh — but they were noticeably more subdued using Sennheiser’s in-ears. In other tracks, like Tale of Two Cities by Darren Rahn, claps in the build-up again sounded pretty eager on the Scoop, and I do think that some may prefer how the IE 200 stayed their hand up top.

To be clear, I did still enjoy the Scoop’s expressive treble overall, and although I think some may prefer a bit more emphasis in the low-end for casual listening, I commend their rich, detailed sound. You get capable and solid instrument separation, with just about every part of the frequency range celebrated and with room to express itself, as well as controlled audio, even at higher volumes.

Beyond their admirable audio, the Activo Scoop supply quite a few positives. The most obvious is their broad selection of connectivity options: 3.5mm, 4.4mm, and USB-C. If you want to switch from 3.5mm to USB-C, for instance, all you have to do is unscrew the 3.5mm connector, plug the USB-C alternative in, twist that on…and hey presto — you’re away.

Having so much variety makes the Scoop ideal for using while mixing or mastering in a professional setting, or using on your modern smartphone for casual listening sessions. There’s no in-line controller, which is pretty common for IEMs, but otherwise they’re very well-equipped.

For instance, you get a bunch of different-sized eartips, and picking the right size will be crucial. A perfect seal won’t only deliver optimal audio quality, but it will improve passive noise isolation — crucial for blocking out pesky external sounds in your environment.

I went for the medium size as usual, and getting a comfortable feel was fairly straightforward. I found the foam eartips to be a little fiddly, although they did work very nicely — especially when it came to noise isolation. The clear silicone alternative was my go-to, however, both for ease-of-use and for its clear look, which was a better match for the white IEMs, visually speaking.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention the included case, which is very similar to that of the Activo Volcano. It offers plenty of room for your IEMs, different connectors, and eartips, it’s fairly compact, and it only boosts the Scoop’s value-for-money score.

Speaking of value, I have to say, the Activo Scoop are priced very generously indeed. They come in at $99 / £99 (about AU$140), and they feel worth every penny. With well-refined audio, wide compatibility, good passive noise isolation, high build quality, and even a case thrown in, it’s hard to knock these IEMs, value-wise. The buds themselves are even detachable, meaning you can add your own cable if you’d prefer, making them a versatile option.

Downsides? OK, I do find the Scoop quite chunky in-ear, and their bulky cable and connectors can’t compare to the diminutive Sennheiser IE line. And yes, you would be able to get IEMs with a bit more space for vocals and even better detail at a higher price point. On a personal note, I’d probably prefer the slightly bassier and sexier Meze Audio Alba, but they’re about $60 / £40 (about AU$100) more than Activo’s IEMs, making the latter a seriously tempting proposition.

All in all, the Activo Scoop are a great pair of in-ear monitors that — in spite of their low price — don’t skimp on quality. Their versatile connectivity and natural sound signature makes them a swell choice for both personal and professional use, they offer solid customizability, and they’re pretty comfortable to boot.

They’re not the most compact, and those with smaller ears may be better off with a model like the Sennheiser IE 200. Sennheiser’s rival IEMs also produce a bassier sound, with more subdued treble, which fans of certain genres may prefer. In the end, though, the Scoop seem like an improvement on Activo’s previous lower-priced effort, the Volcano, and I can’t help but admire their sonic and physical fidelity to the humble, water-sculpted pebble.

Activo Scoop review: price & release date

• Priced at $99 / £99 (about AU$140)
• Released in March 2026

In March 2026, Astell & Kern revealed that the Activo Scoop were coming to the UK market. They are typically priced at £99, placing them heavily on the budget end of the spectrum. The Scoop will cost $99 when they’re available in the US, which we're told is a certainty, although we’re not aware of a specific release date just yet.

Activo Scoop review: specs

Should I buy the Activo Scoop?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Activo Scoop review: also consider

How I tested the Activo Scoop

• Test over the course of several weeks
• Mainly tested using Tidal
• Tried using various connectivity modes

I tested the Actio Scoop IEMs over the course of multiple weeks, and used their various connectivity methods along the way — predominantly listening via 3.5mm with my Windows laptop and USB-C alongside the Nothing Phone 4(a).

When listening to music, I started — as usual — with the TechRadar testing playlist, which includes tracks from a wide variety of genres. However, I also listened to tunes from my personal library. For the most part, I used Tidal to stream music, however I also dipped into Spotify from time to time.

In the past, I’ve tested the Activo Volcano, so I had clear expectations in mind for Activo’s budget friendly IEMs, but I’ve also tested other budget models from the likes of Meze, and have tested more premium monitors like the Sennheiser IE 600 and Shure Aonic 3.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: April 2026

Shokz OpenFit Pro: Two-minute review

Shokz knows its way around a pair of open earbuds. At the time of writing, the brand has three entries in our best open earbuds with good reason — it is one of the few companies out there dedicated to the fitness headphone/bone conduction market.

With the OpenFit Pro, though, Shokz seems to be courting new customers. Whereas the OpenRun Pro 2, clip-on OpenDots One and our market leader the OpenFit 2+ were targeted at a sports-specific market where audio accompaniment of any kind saves us from the monotony of a freezing early-morning January run or a rain-lashed cycle commute, the OpenFit Pro are different.

Sure, they're still tailor-made for runners, cyclists and general sporty types — including tennis, in my case — but the OpenFit Pro are pushing the barriers of what open earbuds can be for dyed-in-the-wool audiophiles. Want Dolby Atmos with head-tracking tehcnology? They've got it. Want customizable EQ profiles, in addition to the five provided by the Shokz app? They've got them. Want support accessories for an even more secure fit? Yep, them too.

Even want active noise cancellation? OK, they've not quite got that — these are still open earbuds, after all — but they do have what Shokz calls 'noise reduction', courtesy of a synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and triple-mic system with the Shokz ear-adaptive algorithm. This is incredibly rare in open earbuds and the results are mightily impressive. Sure, they can't block out everything in the way a pair of in-ears with active noise cancellation can, but in 'noise reduction mode' they do a damn good job if you need to keep regular life at bay and concentrate.

With Bass Boost selected from one of the five EQ presets, they deliver a punchy, nuanced sound that is impressively clear and detailed. The Dolby Atmos with head tracking is a welcome addition, especially in an office environment when turning your head from side to side to speak to colleagues, and delivers responsive sound to the ear that is closest to the source device.

Design-wise, the carry case is small enough to fit into your pocket, battery life is superb-to-relentless and the comfort akin to wearing air. On more than one occasion, I'd forgotten I was wearing them. While exercising, I never felt like they would slip, let alone fall out, especially after I fitted the rubber o-ring for extra stability.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro, then, are audiophile-friendly open earbuds that fully warrant their place in the best we've tested. They may be a little on the expensive side compared to the competition, but when you consider the aural additions these feature that almost no other open ears possess, they're worth it.

Open earbuds used to be the sole preserve of runners or cyclists who wanted to listen to background music without getting mown down by traffic. Not any more.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Specifications

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Price and availability

• Released January 2026
• Priced at $249.95 / £219 / AU$399

The Shokz OpenFit Pro launched at CES in January 2026 and went on sale immediately. You can pick up the OpenFit Pro for $249.95 / £219 / AU$399 RRP, though there are some discounts available already via some retailers.

That makes them a fairly hefty chunk more expensive than our class-leading Shokz OpenFit 2+ ($179.95 / £169 / AU$350), but still (just about) cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at launch. So the big questions are what bang do you get for your extra buck(s), and are they worth the expense?

In order: lots, and yes.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Features

• 12-hour battery life, 50 hours with case
• Noise reduction, not cancellation, is excellent
• Bluetooth 6.1; IP55 for water- and dust-resistance

The biggest criticism usually laid at any open earbuds' door is their lack of versatility. Sure, they're great if you want to listen to something while working out — that's why a sporty type, like me, is doing this review while TechRadar's brilliant audio editor Becky Scarrott, who did the initial experiential, is indisposed with a frozen shoulder — but you would want something much punchier and full-blooded for everyday listening. They're a second pair, nothing more.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro want to be more, and we'll come on to that, but first let's deal with their fitness side. I hate anything jammed into my earhole, so their open-ear design is perfect for me, and allowing external ambient sounds through is essential for the running and cycling I mostly did while wearing them during a month-long stint working at the recent 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

While cycling, your ears are your mirrors and the balance between listening to Only God Knows by Young Fathers and hearing traffic behind me was about perfect. When running, especially the 3.5km between hotel and office at the Winter Olympics, I could at all times hear the maniacal Milanese drivers who would otherwise have mown me down without a second's thought had I been too zoned in on Fontaines D.C.'s Romance LP.

Connection, that includes multi-point pairing, was never a problem thanks to the Shokz' uber-stable Bluetooth 6.1 technology and nor was getting extra sweaty with their IP55 rating good for water and dust resistance.

In my (windowless) office in Milan, I also used the OpenFit Pro to transcribe athlete flash quotes and take reliably crystal-clear calls from reporters despite the high-pressure, higher-noise newsroom environment surrounding me. The same was true when calling my fiancée — your aforementioned Techradar audio editor, no less — from a packed pizzeria and an evening watching figure skating from opposite ends of the arena (it's a long story).

The battery life is more than above average and borders on the relentless. Shokz promise 12 hours of listening from a single charge, plus another 50 hours from the slimline and lightweight case, which I found to be about bang on. On a couple of occasions I ran into the office with only the earbuds, used them regularly to listen to and transcribe interviews on a 10-hour shift and ran back to the hotel. They lasted all day and even got me back into the office the following morning (this time with the charging case in my back pocket).

In a bit of rush? No problem, 10 minutes of fast charging will give you four hours' listening. Wireless charging is also an option, albeit at a slower pace. Sure these figures come down a bit when you turn on 'noise reduction' mode — six hours from a charge, another 24 from the case — but we're still talking about listening periods firmly in the 'every day' territory.

Time to talk about why you'd want to. That 'noise reduction' mode really is excellent for a pair of open earbuds. It's basically impossible for the Shokz to have ANC but the noise reduction technology, helped by the brand's SuperBoost technology, ear adaptive algorithm and synchronized dual-diaphragm driver, does a great job of blocking out more of the world.

The companion Shokz app is also a boon. It's home to five EQ presets, plus two options to create your own sound profiles, and is also the destination to turn on 'noise reduction' (touch control toggles are also available), Dolby Atmos and head tracking technology. You can also customize those multi-point connections and use the very useful 'Find My Earbuds' function.

The overall impression is very positive. Sure, closed earbuds have a bigger feature set in general — but the fact that all this exists in a set of open earbuds, is pretty impressive indeed.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Sound quality

• Noise reduction excellent for open-ear design
• Dolby Atmos and head-tracking technology
• Treble can overwhelm

The difference in price between the Shokz OpenFit Pro and the vast majority of their competitors can be explained in how they sound, or at least, how they try to sound. Remember, at a price touching $250, Shokz are going after an audiophile market here.

For the most part, they succeed. The detail at the low end — especially with EQ preset Bass Boost turned on in the Shokz app — is impressively dynamic, and weighty enough to almost make you forget that these are open earbuds. Wet Leg's Chaise Longue loses none of its lustrous early bass power thanks to that synchronized dual-diaphragm driver, while Age of Consent by New Order enhances the propulsive force of Peter Hook's four-string.

If treble is your bag, you're also in luck, but you've really got to love it. Treble Boost brings forward guitars and vocals — only accentuated further if you switch on the Vocal setting in the app – which sound at their best for semi-spoken word songs like Go! by Public Service Broadcasting but for my money it's to the detriment of the overall sound profile.

Bass gets lost and the treble overwhelms to the point it sounds a little tinny, rendering a song as good as The Concept by Teenage Fanclub almost unlistenable — so much Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley rhythm guitar and almost no Gerard Love woozy bass.

You can also create your own EQ in the app, which, though a little fiddly, does do a good job in establishing a Goldilocks setting just for you. In the end, though, I listened almost exclusively in Bass Boost mode and felt all the happier for having done so.

The OpenFit Pro's aforementioned noise reduction mode does as good a job as can be expected from a set of open earbuds. Helped by a triple-mic system (up from two in the OpenFit 2), Shokz's ear-adaptive algorithm can predict external noise and delivers a solid reduction in what you hear. In the app, you can also select how much noise reduction you actually want with a toggle, although I didn't notice much difference. You will, though, have to crank up the volume to a Spinal Tap 11 if you want to block out the world around you — in doing so, I had a notification on my phone telling me I had "exceeded the recommended limit for audio exposure" over the previous seven days. This has never happened to me before.

I tended to use noise reduction only when in an office environment and needed to focus — I'm not the biggest fan of ANC in general and found the noise reduction here too manufactured to the point of slight nausea — but it's easy to turn on and off with either the buds themselves or using the Shokz app. On my flight home, it also made an appreciable difference to both aircraft and wailing baby noise, albeit nothing compared with my Cambridge Audio Melomania P100s, which combine an over-ear seal with ANC.

Elsewhere, the combination of Dolby Atmos and head-tracked spatial audio is a winner. It upscales TV on the Radio's Wolf Like Me without sounding too muddy, while listening again to Tidal's Dolby Atmos version of Wet Leg's Chaise Longue was a transformative experience. With both Dolby Atmos and head-tracking switched on, the bass-heavy intro is punchier, with extra clarity, and you feel 'in the mix' much more throughout.

When a breathy 'what?' halfway through the first verse appeared from apparently behind my right ear, I genuinely turned around, certain a prank was being played on me by a sleep-deprived Olympics colleague. Only when the same happened moments later in my left ear, having turned my head, was I finally assuaged that it was vocalist Rhian Teasdale with some Dolby Atmos help. You might think it's a gimmick, but it genuinely felt like she was in the room.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Design

• Super-comfortable and endlessly tactile
• Portable charging case
• Sound leakage at upper volume a problem

The best thing to be said about the OpenFit Pro's design is that on numerous occasions after pausing a track to deal with a work enquiry, I simply forgot I was wearing them. They really are that comfortable, especially over long periods. They sit snugly around your ear, too, with a handy demonstration from the Shokz app of how to fit them if you're a luddite like me.

Weighing 12.3g, each bud may be a little heavier than our current open-ear market leaders the OpenFit 2+ (9.4g) but, typical of the Shokz oeuvre, the OpenFit Pro's general silicone stylings are supremely tactile. The driver housing is made from an 'aerospace-grade aluminium PMI dome cap' which adds security and a well-positioned nub that sits perfectly to direct sound straight into the ear. It's the same with the charging case, which feels premium and is small enough to fit in your pocket — whether jeans or even running shorts, as I found.

Thanks to the OpenFit Pro, for the first time in my 30 years' playing competitive tennis (yes, my name really is Andy Murray), I listened to music during match training. How your opponent hits the ball is your biggest clue to their shot — its pace, its spin and even its trajectory — and despite listening to Queens of the Stone Age banger The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret, while warming up I could still hear and track the ball in the way I always have. I wouldn't wear the Shokz for anything more than a 15-minute warm up — my addled brain can only cope with doing so many things at once — but they brought a new way of interacting with a sport I love.

Unlike running and cycling's repetitive movements, tennis' reactive twisting and turning really gave the OpenFit Pro a stability workout to stay on my ears. And they managed it. In tougher rallies, I found my right earbud feeling slightly unstable, but attaching the supplied ultra-soft silicone o-rings to the inside of earpiece sorted that in a heartbeat. I always wear a baseball cap when playing tennis, as well as a helmet while cycling, and neither interfered with the Shokz sitting snugly around my ears.

I regularly put on and took off jumpers, T-shirts and sportswear without having to take out the buds. As if to prove a point, I just put on a hoodie while writing this sentence. The fit really is excellent. The buds, that is. The hoodie has probably seen better days.

Whether in white or the review sample black I tested, the OpenFit Pro look sleek, smart and unobtrusive — numerous colleagues in Milan were surprised when asking me a question and I'd respond by either taking off the Shokz or using the buds' touch controls to pause.

Those touch controls are great, by the way. Each bud has an easily accessible nub, which does everything. One quick press on either bud for pause, and answer and end call; double click for skip track; triple click for previous track; a quick press followed by a continuous hold does volume up (right) and down (left); and press and hold to toggle noise reduction. These are all customizable in the Shokz app, too. Listening to Fontaines D.C.'s Starburster over and over with that triple click saw me through a couple of 3.5km PBs.

Only in one design area does the OpenFit Pro suffer, and it's one familiar to any regular open earbuds wearer. Despite the clever noise reduction mode, to really block out the world around you'll need to crank the volume, making sound leakage a problem. At 50% volume in a silent room it's barely audible, but start to push things further to drown out external stimuli and it's immediately obvious.

On the morning commute this shouldn't be a problem if you don't want your neighbor to know you're getting your groove on to Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club, but while my fiancée was watching TV, she could hear my dirty secret from across the room when I tried to drown out her weekend Homes Under the Hammer catchup. Nor does the 'Private' EQ setting particularly help – there's only a negligible improvement for your companion and the bass suffers significantly for you. I wouldn't bother.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Value

In the general scheme of things, the Shokz OpenFit Pro aren't that expensive, it's just that for nearly $250 they come in at the north end of the open earbud market, albeit not quite as pricy as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. With noise reduction, Dolby Atmos and head-tracking technology, though, Shokz seem to be targeting these as the only buds you need in your listening arsenal.

So, are they worth it? In audio terms, absolutely. You quite simply won't find a better-sounding set of open earbuds with this feature set, and as sturdy a battery life. I wouldn't necessarily throw out your regular over-ears or ANC in-ears just yet, though. There are times when you need to zone in and hear nothing of the outside world.

That being said, as a pair of sports-specific open earbuds, I don't think you'll find better.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: scorecard

Shokz OpenFit Pro: Should I buy them?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I tested the Shokz OpenFit Pro for well over a month, which is longer than our regular testing period at TechRadar.

The buds were paired to an iPhone for the entirety of the testing, using Tidal's high-res and Dolby Atmos audio outputs. I used them at home at work and also on runs, while cycling and even playing tennis, at which I've competed at a high level for 30 years.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: April 2026

It’s been a long five years of waiting, but Apple has finally unveiled the AirPods Max 2. In a similar surprise drop to the original AirPods Max, there was no event for the second version — just a press release announcing the AirPods Max 2, with shipping beginning in "early April".

Ahead of their launch, I’ve spent a few days putting AirPods Max 2 through their paces — while the images above and below might have you thinking I'm wearing the AirPods Max (or the USB-C refresh), these are, indeed, the new model.

The AirPods Max 2 retain the look that's become a modern icon (just look at how many knock-offs are around for evidence), but under the hood they use Apple's most up-to-date H2 chip to power their features, plus a new high dynamic range amplifier modeled on the one in AirPods Pro 3. That's paired with 40mm drivers in each earcup.

The biggest upgrades come in the form of the new features enabled by the H2 chip, with Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and improved Voice Isolation making the move from Apple's earbuds over to its headphones.

Familiar looks with a new chip under the hood

Maybe most importantly, Apple is sticking with the $549 price in the US, the same as the original. In the UK, the price has actually been reduced to £499 from the original's £599. In Australia, the price has risen, though, to AU$999 instead of AU$899 for the original.

The premium design is the same — aluminum earcups, stainless steel frame, and that satisfying heft — and still feels thoughtfully engineered. The telescoping arms glide smoothly, making it easy to find a comfortable fit.

The headband — or “canopy” as Apple calls it — still uses a breathable mesh that distributes weight well without creating pressure points. The memory foam ear cushions remain plush, and I appreciate that they’re magnetically attached for easy swapping.

Plenty of folks wear their AirPods Max for walks or even workouts, but it’s worth noting there’s still no official sweat resistance here.

The controls are unchanged, and that’s mostly a good thing. You get a supersized Digital Crown for volume and playback control, alongside the 'Listening Mode button' to toggle between Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio.

One slight letdown is that there are no new colors. Apple is sticking with the same five introduced with the USB-C refresh — Blue, Orange, Purple, Midnight, and Starlight. My test sample is Blue, which feels a bit more muted than the equivalent color original AirPods Max came, in but still looks sharp.

The Smart Case is also unchanged. It still doesn’t look especially protective, but in my experience with the first-generation it does protect the premium headphones well. It also triggers the low-power sleep mode when the headphones are inside. A USB-C to USB-C cable comes in the box.

So visually, not much has changed — but the differences become clear once you start listening.

Bold sound with a wider soundstage, and Spatial Audio still impresses

Just like the previous generation, the AirPods Max 2 sound excellent across pretty much any genre, and Spatial Audio only raises the bar here. The soundstage feels wider, and each element comes through with impressive clarity and separation.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Down On the Corner is a great example — maracas sit distinctly to one side, cymbals and drums to the other, with John Fogerty’s vocals locked-in center stage. Even as the track fills out, it never feels crowded — it’s a personal favorite of mine for testing Spatial Audio.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen absolutely springs to life. The AirPods Max 2 deliver that signature wave of sound with real energy, but crucially without losing detail. You can still pick out the drums, piano, and guitar as they build, and even the final crescendo — in which the elements can blur together on lesser headphones — stays defined and driving.

For a pop track, Miley Cyrus’ Younger You is a strong test for higher-frequency vocals. The AirPods Max 2 present a detailed, slightly brighter profile, with vocals sitting cleanly front and center before the instrumentation builds around them.

Pretty much any genre sounds great here — and more importantly, everything sounds consistent.

Noise cancellation is improved as well — Apple claims it's up to 1.5x better — and I could hear a difference over the (still impressive) original model. Loud sounds are reduced even further, whether it’s city noise, a crowded cafe, or the hum of an air conditioning system.

It’s not dramatically different at first, but over time you notice just how much quieter your environment becomes. I even tried simulating airplane noise on my speakers at home, and AirPods Max 2 brought it down to a low, manageable hum.

The AirPods Max 2's Transparency mode remains among the best, and now sounds slightly more natural. You don't get the artificial hiss you sometimes hear on other headphones, and it does a convincing job of letting the outside world in.

Adaptive Audio is the real game-changer here

That sets the stage for Adaptive Audio, which blends active noise cancellation and Transparency modes into one smarter option, and it's really the standout addition here. Instead of manually switching modes, Adaptive Audio dynamically balances noise cancellation and audio pass-through in real time.

I wore the AirPods Max 2 out to grab coffee, and they blocked out most background noise while letting in nearby voices just enough to let me stay aware. It feels less like you're toggling settings, and more like the headphones are actively adjusting to your environment. In my testing, Adaptive Audio performs just as well here as it does on the AirPods Pro.

After a quick setup — I just had to hold the AirPods Max 2 near my iPhone — they quickly paired with my Apple Account. From there, it was seamless hopping between devices: iPhone for music and calls, MacBook Pro for meetings, iPad for streaming, then over to Apple TV 4K for late-night watching.

That fast switching feels faster than the old model — nearly instant at times — likely thanks to the H2 chip. It’s a small but meaningful upgrade that makes the whole experience feel more fluid.

Call quality also gets a noticeable boost. Voice Isolation, powered by the H2 chip and working across your connected devices — like an iPhone or Mac — does a better job of keeping your voice clear while reducing background noise. In testing, it made a clear difference, especially in busier environments.

Battery life is unchanged on paper at up to 20 hour. I was able to get through a full workday of meetings, calls, and music or podcast playback, then keep the AirPods Max 2 on for a few TV episodes at night — or while walking the dog — before needing to recharge. Of course, we’ll need to put the Max 2 through more long-term testing.

The AirPods Max 2 might look nearly identical to their predecessor, but after spending a few days with them it’s clear this is the update they needed. The H2 chip unlocks meaningful improvements across sound, noise control, and everyday usability, while Adaptive Audio helps them feel noticeably smarter.

And given Apple’s track record of adding features to AirPods with newer chips, there’s a good chance the Max 2 will continue to evolve over time — just as we’ve seen with Adaptive Audio and other software-driven upgrades like Hearing Health on the AirPods Pro.

If you’ve held onto your original AirPods Max since the launch in 2020, I think the new model makes a strong case for upgrading — especially if you’ve been waiting for better noise control and smarter features. And if you’re jumping in fresh, these are some of the best over-ear headphones I've heard, now with a feature set that better matches the high price.

Over five years since Apple entered the over-ear headphones market, admittedly with a pair that stood out from the rest for a premium build with a hefty price tag, the Cupertino-based tech giant is now ushering in the second generation.

At first glance, you might have a hard time telling the difference, and that's kind of the point. AirPods Max 2 stick with the original iconic design — aluminum and stainless steel parts give these headphones some heft, and they're connected at the top not with a headband but with a mesh canopy that helps distribute weight.

The over-ear form factor is pretty much identical, and the colors are very familiar — it's the same five that debuted when Apple swapped Lightning for USB-C in 2024.

What's changed is everything you can't see: dual H2 chips replacing the original H1s, a new digital amplifier carried over from AirPods Pro 3, and a processing architecture that Apple's own engineers describe as carrying headroom well beyond what ships on day one.

To understand exactly what that means five years on, TechRadar sat down with Apple VP of Platform Architecture Tim Millet and Director of Audio Product Marketing Eric Treski to unpack how AirPods Max 2 is finally catching up to its own ambitions.

Built for the product, not the market

"When we build chips at Apple, it's always about the product. We don't sell chips out in the open market, and this gives our team really the luxury of knowing exactly what they're building for," says Millet.

That's the philosophy that defines AirPods Max 2 — and it's what makes the H2 upgrade more than a spec bump. Rather than dropping in an off-the-shelf component, Apple created a purpose-built audio streaming processor co-designed from the ground up with its acoustics and firmware teams. The goal, as Millet puts it, is to make sure they're "only limited by the physics."

The processing capability that unlocks is significant. Millet relays that his team's view is that "some of the processing we do here is exceeding the kind of compute that you get in a general sense in the Mac — but because we've made it so specific for audio, it's actually deliverable in these tiny form factors."

"We've got giga-operations of floating point implemented in the most energy-efficient possible way," he adds. And crucially, all of it feeds into a single constraint that Millet returns to repeatedly: "It's all about latency. It's hard to trick the human mind when it comes to audio."

ANC without touching the hardware

One of the boldest claims Apple makes for AirPods Max 2 is a 1.5x improvement in active noise cancellation — achieved without changing a single physical component. "Getting those improvements to ANC and especially that 1.5 times more powerful ANC, which of course is a feat in itself, considering we didn't change the actual design of the headphone at all from a form factor or material standpoint," says Treski.

That improvement isn't limited to a specific frequency band either. "We take that average at 1.5 times across an average of all frequencies. We're not cherry-picking individual frequencies or a certain range," he adds. That means AirPods Max 2 should perform better whether it's blocking louder, booming sounds or higher-pitched ones — and that's a high bar, given that the original AirPods Max were no slouches when it came to blocking out sound.

On AirPods Max 2, that gain comes entirely from processing speed and improved algorithms, all running on the H2. "ANC — getting those improvements to 1.5 times without changing the hardware — is incredibly difficult to do. That's all thanks to the compute power and the improved algorithms with H2," says Treski.

The arrival of Apple's newer silicon also brings a breadth of new features to second-generation AirPods Max. Leading that pack is Adaptive Audio, which blends ANC and Transparency together to intelligently block out unimportant sounds while letting important ones through. Think blocking out the background noise of a coffee shop while still hearing someone speak to you, or cutting the roar of an airplane cabin while catching an announcement. It's been one of the standout features on AirPods Pro, and it's a welcome addition to AirPods Max.

Apple needed the headroom and processing power of H2 to make that happen — and it does raise the question of what future software updates might unlock, even if Apple didn't touch on that in our conversation.

Audio quality and the case for personalization

Alongside the H2 upgrade, Apple is bringing over the digital amplifier from AirPods Pro 3 — a quieter change with significant downstream effects.

Treski frames it around distortion and reference accuracy: "It's really about bringing it back to a target — ensuring that we have it with the best fidelity possible with the lower THD. So we have a lot more headroom to sort of play with and gain a lot more clarity."

That headroom feeds directly into Adaptive EQ, which runs continuously and cannot be switched off. "There's no ability to turn off Adaptive EQ essentially... using that microphone and being able to determine what you're supposed to be listening to on that air-correcting mic — a reference mic — and then being able to use Adaptive EQ at 48,000 times a second with the higher range up in the higher frequency. That's really important, especially with ANC, to be able to do this all in real time," says Treski.

The result is a more consistent listening experience across different head shapes, ear fits, and seal quality — effectively standardizing sound for every user rather than relying on a fixed tuning curve.

Personalized Spatial Audio benefits from that consistency, too. Previously, Apple had to tune conservatively because it couldn't account for individual differences. On previous AirPods Max without Personalized Spatial Audio, Apple "had to make one profile for everyone, so we were way more conservative... now we know that we can take more liberties to expand those instruments out more," says Treski.

A platform, not a product cycle

The H2 upgrade also unlocks a raft of features carried over from AirPods Pro 3 — among them Live Translation, which Treski singles out as a personal favorite. It uses beam-forming microphones to isolate a voice directly in front of the wearer rather than the wearer's own: "so challenging to do," he says, "without changing the physical architecture of the microphones."

That same capability should push call quality forward, too, with AirPods Max 2 better able to isolate your voice from surrounding noise. The broader additions — Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Camera Remote, and 5GHz support with Game Mode — all run through the same underlying architecture. The point isn't any single feature. It's that the system can now carry all of them simultaneously.

For Millet, that's the deeper story. "H2 is this platform that continues to demonstrate that it has continued headroom," he says. What AirPods Max 2 ships with today may not be the ceiling of what it eventually does — and that's been a hallmark of AirPods broadly. AirPods Pro have repeatedly expanded their capabilities over time, from Adaptive Audio to the Hearing Health suite to Live Translation.

AirPods Max 2 doesn't try to look like a new generation of headphones. It reflects Apple's broader hardware philosophy: keep the physical design stable — especially one that's well-regarded — and expand the internal system's capabilities to deliver new features.

It's not a redesign. It's a recalibration of what the same shape can now do. And for most people wearing them, that difference will be the point — even if they never see it.

• Panasonic unveils new version of very affordable ErgoFit in-ear buds
• New model ditches 3.5mm for USB-C
• Otherwise, same buds

Panasonic has just announced a new model of its low-priced ErgoFit In-Ear wired earbuds, affordable and colorful in-ears that have been on the market for a few years now, and are design for everything from working out to commuting. The new offerings seem to retain the same drivers and design, but make one crucial change.

Now, the Panasonic ErgoFit can be bought with a USB-C connector, not just with the 3.5mm flavor that the 'original' version used. You can tell the new model by its suffix "(USB-C Compatible)", but otherwise, online listings look similar.

The new earbuds cost $24.99 (about £20, AU$40), a slight increase over the past models which are listed online between $8 and $20. At the moment, they sell in white, black and blue; no bright orange or red or any of the other vibrant colorways which the 3.5mm options come in.

They have a 3.6-foot cable, three in-box ear tip sizes, and playback buttons on the cable.

Who has a headphone jack any more?

This isn't Panasonic's first pair of wired USB-C in-ears, but the reason it's announcing the spin on its popular buds is likely due to the slight comeback wired earbuds seem to be making (in the public eye, at least — I've yet to see any sales figures make such an argument).

While 3.5mm jacks are the traditional connector of personal audio, there's a problem: how many phones have headphone jacks any more? A brief handful each year, and rarely from the big brands. If you want wired audio, you generally need to buy an an adapter, or go USB-C in the first place.

That's why USB-C headphones make sense: you can actually use them on your smartphone (and tablet, laptop, PC; whatever has a USB-C port). It's a sad sign of the times, but USB-C is replacing 4.4mm as the connector of choice for non-audiophiles (and audiophiles probably aren't buying $25 earbuds anyway).

I like my wired audio, but I'll admit that I barely use 3.5mm. Most of the tech I test is Bluetooth, my keyboard/guitar/amp set-up is 6.3mm, and my PC and bookshelf speakers are both (gasp) USB-C. The only 3.5mm device I use with any regularity is a lapel mic, which requires an adapter to use on anything.

Panasonic is, of course, still selling its 3.5mm ErgoFits, and there are still plenty of people still using this kind of connector. Laptops and the best portable music players still use them, and not all laptops and PCs have USB-C (or, at least, ports to spare). But increasingly, we'll see new releases among the best wired earbuds using USB-C, at least as an option.

Just over three years ago, I decided to switch to one of the best headphones and close the book on my time with earbuds — and it was one of the best things I’ve done.

Since then, I have been married to my Sony WH1000XM5 headphones; they’re a comfy and reliable way to get my audio fix for when I’m sitting at my desk, commuting, at the gym, or just lying in bed making a new Spotify playlist. But despite my love for them, I started to miss the convenience of the best earbuds, so out of my own curiosity, I made the switch.

I opted for the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless earbuds and the Meze Audio Alba wired earbuds, and overall, it was as though I never stopped using them. There are quite a few things I’ve missed about using earbuds, mainly the convenience factor, but my experience also reminded me why I swapped to headphones all those years ago.

3 Things I’ve missed:

Portability and size

While headphones are great for the comfort factor, lugging them around requires effort and takes up a lot of space. Though models like the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have folding ear pads to make them more travel-friendly, they can still take up a lot of room. But regardless, my Sony WH-1000XM5s don’t have this perk, making it even more difficult.

Using both wired and wireless earbuds removed this setback, and it was arguably my favorite part about switching back. I forgot how nice and easy it is to keep your charging case in your pocket — a simple pleasure I didn’t know I missed.

Not constantly charging them

Although both wireless earbuds and headphones require charging, I found that earbuds didn’t need as much juice as headphones, and having a charging case on hand is a lot easier than carrying around a plug and lead to charge your headphones.

Also, leaving the house with my headphones on low battery is one of the worst things, especially if you have a long train journey ahead of you. Earbuds are simpler; if they’re dying on you, all you have to do is pop them in the charging case for a bit, and they’ll be good to use. Even if the case is starting to run low, you can still get one last kick out of it before you need to put the whole thing back on to charge. Plus, wired earbuds don't need any charging at all.

The nostalgia of wired earbuds

It’s more of an aesthetic feature rather than a technical feature, but wired earbuds are just cool to look at and make any outfit look better. That aside, wired earbuds take me back to the days when I first started using analog music devices. My first Apple product was the iPod Nano 5, and using wired earbuds is desperately making me want to resurrect it.

3 Things I haven’t missed:

Sensitivity issues

This mainly applies to wireless earbuds. More often than not, I found myself having to keep pushing the earbuds back in, which in itself was another downside, but it also triggered a lot of unwanted pausing and audio setting alterations. I experienced this quite a bit with my old pair of AirPods, too, which was one of the reasons I wanted to make the switch to headphones.

Discomfort after long periods of time

For the most part, both types of earbuds felt comfortable whether I was commuting, using them at the gym, or even sitting still. But this would wear off after longer periods of time, causing quite the discomfort in my ear canal. This was when I found myself reverting to the soft, pillowy support of headphones, which fit perfectly over my ears.

Taking my phone with me everywhere

This one is for wired earbuds, and while they’re a better option for reaping the benefits of things like Spotify Lossless, it means you must have your phone on you at all times when using them. With wireless earbuds and headphones, I like being able to walk around freely — and I kept having to remind myself that I couldn’t do this with wired earbuds.

I watch quite a bit of YouTube when I cook, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I nearly yanked my phone off the kitchen counter when waltzing between the stove, fridge, and sink.

Wired earbuds are trending again. Almost every time I’m out and about, I see more people rocking wires and keeping it old school. Is this a result of the matcha-drinking, tote bag-carrying, vintage shoe-wearing individuals — often referred to as performative males — bringing wired earbuds back into the mainstream? Is it because people long for the days before lossy Bluetooth audio? Is it because we're finally tiring of wireless device-specific ecosystems? Who knows.

But one thing I do know is that wired earbuds can offer amazing compression-free sound and top-tier reliability — often for a smaller cost than their Bluetooth-equipped counterparts. And recently, I managed to test a pair of wired buds that really blew me away.

I’m talking here about the Sennheiser CX 80U. Released in 2026, they're a pair of USB-C earbuds that you can easily slot into your phone’s charging port for lossless audio on the go. They’re cheap, but seriously talented, and I couldn’t recommend them enough — they’re probably the best value earbuds on the market right now, if we’re talking about the best wired earbuds. So here’s why I’d choose the CX 80U over the competition.

A whole lot of bang, and for not many bucks

I’ve tested a whole lot of wired earbuds and IEMs, but few have felt like a better value buy than the Sennheiser CX 80U. They come in at just $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), meaning they’re firmly in the budget category with rivals like the Skullcandy Set USB-C and SoundMagic E80D. And they offer much more than you’d usually expect at that price point.

When testing these buds, I was primarily surprised by just how good they sounded. They handled just about every genre I threw at them with ease, offering balanced, detailed, and well-rounded sound at all times. For instance, when tuning into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was impressed by the intent-filled, clean bass, which was fantastically weighted against vibrant yet controlled high-pitched percussion. At the same time, mid-range sounds — including piano and vocal chops — were tonally accurate, clear, and never got muddied in the mix.

As talented as they are across the frequency range, the CX 80U’s handling of treble sounds was a real standout, though. Whether its rapid hi-hats or dramatic strings, treble sounds are almost given a defined pocket to operate in — and that added space gives them a highly expressive quality that I couldn’t get enough of.

OK, as these are budget buds, you’re not going to get the vocal separation of more premium models, like the Sennheiser IE 200, and you won’t get the rippling sub-bass of their even pricier sibling, the Sennheiser IE 600, but you’re still getting awesome audio for the price.

Bottom line: if you want punchy bass, rich mids, and vibrant treble, but you don’t want to splash all too much cash, then the Sennheiser CX 80U have you covered.

But wait... there's more?

The Sennheiser CX 80U may have won me over with their sound, but I found a whole lot more to love about them.

For instance, the buds come with a range of different-sized eartips, which you can swap out to find your perfect fit. I went with the medium size, and found that the in-ear seal provided genuinely strong passive noise isolation. When colleagues started chatting in my office, I could barely hear a word they were saying at 70% volume. What’s more, sounds of keyboards clacking and doors closing were subdued to great effect.

Of course, you’re not going to get the noise-crushing abilities of ANC — found on earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen or Apple AirPods Pro 3 — but passive noise isolation remains impressive on Sennheiser’s buds.

On top of this, I’m a big fan of the CX 80U’s design. They have a classy, almost premium look, with small rounded buds, metallic detailing, and slim wires. They also come with a lightweight feel, a built-in mic, and playback controls. Not bad for less than $40 / £35, is it?

• Cleer Arc 5 have been unveiled
• Premium open earbuds with sports loop
• Offer Dolby Atmos and THX Spatial Audio

I was under the impression that the best open earbuds were designed for sports users, but I must have missed a memo. The Cleer Arc 5 have just been unveiled, and they're aimed at a very different market.

These new earbuds, unveiled only four months after the Arc 4, are undoubtedly premium buds; they cost $219.99 (about £170, AU$340), and to my mind only the $299 / £299 / AU$449.95 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds cost more — although the 2026-launch Shokz OpenFit Pro are roughly the same price as these new Cleer buds (and also offer spatial audio support, albeit not the THX-certified kind).

From a glance at the specs list, there's a lot to like from Cleer here. The buds have 16.2mm drivers, up to 12 hours of stamina in the buds (up to 60 with the case), support for a wide range of wireless codecs — LDAC, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless —and a case with a built-in touch screen. But it doesn't seem like that's all.

The name of the Cleer Arc 5 game is, according to the company, that special kind of spatial audio. Not only are the earbuds optimized for Dolby Atmos, but they're certified for THX Spatial Audio too, using head tracking. As far as I can recall, that's brand-new for open earbuds (the aforementioned Shokz set can do head-tracked immersive audio, but they don't come with the THX badge of approval).

Traces of spatial audio

Spatial audio tools like Dolby Atmos and THX aren't just useful for movies or gaming; they help build on the soundstage of your music. It's a feature popular with some (though not all) audiophiles, since it can bridge the gap between affordable and high-end kit.

But you know what's not so popular among audiophiles? Open earbuds. This form factor is useful for safety when you're in busy public areas, but the nature of the beast is typically that the audio quality suffers.

In this kind of earbud, the driver is held a little further away from your ear — there is no seal created betwixt ear canal and ear-tip to maximise the sound wave's journey from driver to ear drum. Surrounding sound gets in, and detail, definition and impact (particularly through the bass) are lost as a result. Even the best open earbuds usually struggle with audio quality, compared to budget in-ears.

So it feels like an odd choice for Cleer to be offering fancy codec support and features within open earbuds, since you may not really get to appreciate them owing to their physical design.

Despite features like Dynamic Bass Enhancement, which could go some way toward fixing this problem, I'd still be surprised if you can really appreciate spatial audio when noisy traffic is zooming and honking all around you.

I bet they'll sound fantastic when you're somewhere quiet, though: the specs list puts them above and beyond most alternatives I've tested recently.

I've been proven wrong about open earbuds in the past, and hopefully I will be again. Otherwise, it's going to be hard to justify the meaty price tag on open earbuds you can't appreciate…

• Skullcandy announces Push 540 Open
• Open earbuds with detachable neckband
• On sale now for $99.99 / £79.99 (about AU$160).

I've long been a fan of Skullcandy's workout headphones — I trained for my first half marathon with a pair of the company's wired sports earbuds and my old iPod Classic, and recently tested the Skullcandy Crusher 540 over-ears. So it's natural that my eyes would be drawn to a new pair from the likeable audio firm.

The brand has announced the new Push 540 Open, which are on sale already for $99.99 / £79.99 (about AU$160). They join its Push line of hook-toting fitness buds, including the Push ANC Active or Push Play Active (getting 'Live, Laugh, Love' vibes with that model name).

They're ostensibly open earbuds, but with a catch: the box includes an optional neckband, which clips to the earbuds and goes around your neck. This is to add some extra stability if you're stomping up or down muddy mountains, or doing some dirt biking.

Honest-to-goodness neckband earbuds! It's been ages since I've seen buds like this; it feels like tech advances all but killed them off, and I haven't used a pair since the Huawei FreeLace in 2019. Presumably, though, there's still an audience for this kind of gadget — especially with the wired revival and the continuing digital detox in audio especially.

Your new workout bud-dy

So what else are we looking at with the Skullcandy Push 540 Open?

The battery life is promising, at 10 hours per bud and 42 hours in the case, with naturally no ANC to sap that juice.

The driver is a 12mm guy, possibly the same as we saw in the recent Skullcandy Method 540, which marked an odd departure for the bass-loving brand. I think a reverse-face would do well in the Push 540: this kind of headphone often struggles with bass, and if anyone can make open earbuds work, it'd be Skullcandy.

Not a 'spec' per se, but the design clearly shows a two-part body of the bud, with a separate driver hanging down. It's hard to say for sure, but I imagine this is pretty good for in-ear stability.

On the cons side? The case looks pretty big. That used to be a given for open earbuds, but we've seen some brands make slim ones recently — and if you need that, the Honor Earbuds Open tote one of the most svelte charging boxes yet.

We haven't tested the Push 540 Open, so it's impossible to say just how good they are. I don't imagine they'll compete with our top-tier Shokz OpenFit 2+, because they're half the price, but they could be a great budget option for sports fans who need something open and bassy to get through their next big outdoor challenge.

Sennheiser CX 80U: review

Recently, one of my esteemed colleagues shared a brand new term with me: “friction-maxxing”. The term – coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton – concerns the practice of rejecting modern digital conveniences, and building tolerance for discomfort while resisting the temptations of technological ease. I assure you, all of this is relevant to my verdict on the retro-feel Sennheiser CX-80U wired earbuds — just stay with me a little longer.

So, all of this friction-maxxing talk got me thinking about tech and its role in our lives. Previously, we’d head to a Blockbuster or a local library to hunt down a movie we want to see, whereas we now bear witness to an unending wall of films on Netflix. Once we would have gone to a record store or entertainment outlet, and purchased a new vinyl pressing or CD, but now we just stream tunes via Spotify. And we used to queue up outside video game stores eagerly awaiting a new release, while now, you can pre-order a title from a digital store instantaneously.

We’ve taken so many inconveniences away, but has it come at the expense of the human experiences that stick with us forever? Maybe. But all is not lost. We can still bring some friction back into our lives. For instance, Sennheiser is here, and it’s plugging the wires back into your earbuds, and transporting you away from the ultra-convenient Bluetooth earbuds that dominate today’s market. Yes, I present to you, the Sennheiser CX 80U – a budget-friendly pair of USB-C in-ear headphones, aiming to compete with the best wired earbuds in their price bracket.

The Sennheiser CX 80U are a USB-C adaption of 2021’s Sennheiser CX 80S – essentially the same buds, but ones that use a 3.5mm connector. Like the CX 80S, Sennheiser’s new earbuds use 9.7mm dynamic drivers, with a frequency range of 17Hz-20kHz. The result? Clear full range sound, with powerful bass, clean mids, and vibrant treble. Given that they’re on sale for less than $40 / £35, I was really impressed with the sonic capabilities of these buds and, after two weeks of testing, I’d argue that they’re among the best I’ve tried in the budget category.

When I tuned into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was treated to full-sounding, impactful bass and exciting yet controlled percussion in the treble range. Piano and vocal chops came through with plenty of clarity in the mids too, and as the track built, the individual layers never got muddied or convoluted.

I was especially pleased with the sense of space that treble sounds have. Highs often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving them plenty of room to express themselves. For me, this created a great sense of immersion in my tunes, something that many budget rivals fail to offer. Even at peak volumes, the CX 80U’s treble never sounded harsh or tinny, and solid dynamics were maintained at all times.

As a regular user of the Sennheiser IE 200, I like the way that Sennheiser approaches the low-end on its more budget-friendly products. It never feels like bass is bloated or over-emphasized for an attention grabbing, but unbalanced sound. Instead, products like the IE 200 favor an agile, clear interpretation of low-end sounds – a punchy sound, rather than an untamed one. And it’s a very similar story on the CX 80U.

These wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges. For instance, when I tuned into Fascinator by Max Dean, although the sub-bass was a little subdued, mid-bass sounds were rapid and full-sounding, never sounding lethargic or ‘boomy’.

It would be rude not to give the mids a bit of airtime too, so let’s discuss them for a bit. Now, I’ll be upfront, I don’t think you’re getting the most nuanced or detail-oriented mids around with these earbuds. However, they certainly sound clear, and well balanced and very robust for buds in this price-range.

For instance, when I listened to Ventura Highway by America, acoustic guitars in the intro came through with beautiful tonal accuracy, and sounded surprisingly expressive too. But as vocals entered the mix, I couldn’t help but realize that they didn’t sound perfectly separated from those guitars, and lacked the definition in the mix supplied by pricier rivals. This really is a nitpick, though. These budget-friendly buds sound absolutely fantastic, and I’d never expect them to compete with $100 / £100 models.

I’ve spoken about sound pretty extensively now, so let’s talk about something else that will affect your enjoyment of these buds – their comfort. Now, I have to say that I found the CX 80U to feel very pleasant in-ear. I happily engaged in multi-hour listening sessions, and never experienced discomfort or irritation. For reference, I used the medium-sized eartips, although small and large alternatives are included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.

And getting that ideal seal will be pretty important if you want to enjoy the CX 80U at their best. With the right fit, I didn’t only unlock high-level comfort, but surprisingly strong passive noise isolation. When people were chattering away in my office, I genuinely couldn’t hear a word they were saying at around 70% listening volume. On top of that, typing sounds and doors closing barely broke through at all.

That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the CX 80U don’t use fancy foam eartips or any particularly advanced technologies to keep noise out. Sure, they won’t stop you from hearing surrounding traffic or the rumble of a jet engine if you’re taking a flight, but they’ll still dampen surrounding clamors nicely, and that in itself is a major plus.

Sennheiser’s in-ears are well designed in just about every other way too. For instance, I love their classy look, which is marked by rounded buds, attractive silver details, and slim wires. There’s an in-line controller here too, which isn’t too close to the face or too far down, and is attached to the right bud, so you know which side is which.

But unfortunately, the controller seems to house just about every issue I have with the Sennheiser CX 80U – even though my critiques are few and far between. First of all, I was puzzled by the lack of volume controls. There’s a single button that can be used to pause or play tracks or take calls, but that’s all. That meant that whenever I wanted to change volume, I had to pull my phone out – not ideal when you’re on the go.

My second point of criticism – which is admittedly pretty minor – concerns the controller’s built-in mic. I tried recording a voice note, and realized that there was noticeable background static in the recording throughout. My voice was decently clear, in fairness, and the mic isn’t bad overall, but it won’t provide the best call quality around.

But that’s about where my complaints end. Sure, it would be nice if the CX 80U had an IPX4 rating for some protection against raindrops, for instance, but it’s pretty common for buds in this price range to leave waterproofing out.

Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about the Sennheiser CX 80U. They sound spectacular for their sub-$40 / £35 price-tag, they’ve got a classy look, and their adoption of USB-C makes them a great fit for modern smartphones and laptops. If you want to bring some friction back into your life with a budget-friendly pair of wired buds, the CX 80U would be my top recommendation.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: price and release date

• $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)
• Launched in January 2026

The Sennheiser CX 80U were announced in January 2026, alongside the Sennheiser HD 400U USB-C wired headphones. They have a list price of $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), planting them firmly in the budget category. They’re available in a single black and silver colorway.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: specs

Should I buy the Sennheiser CX 80U?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Sennheiser CX 80U review: also consider

How I tested the Sennheiser CX 80U

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in the office and while out and about
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent two weeks testing the Sennheiser CX 80U, and took them with me just about everywhere I went. I tested them at home, at the office, and even on walks, to really grasp their noise isolation capabilities.

Although I used them for streaming the odd bit of video, I predominantly used the CX 80U for music listening. When playing tunes, I predominantly used Tidal, and had them connected up to the Nothing Phone (4a). To begin with, I made sure to run through our TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide array of genres. However, I also made sure to tap into some tracks from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent two years reviewing gadgets here at TechRadar, and audio gear is a key focus of mine. I’ve reviewed a lot of wired earbuds like the Master & Dynamic ME05 and the JBL Tune 310C, but I’ve also tested IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 200 and IE 600. On top of that, I’ve gone hands on with some of the best noise cancelling headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q800F, and Bluetooth speakers like the Marshall Kilburn III.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: March 2026

• Asus has launched the ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds
• They cost $229.99 / £174.99 and boast an open design
• The brand advertises them as "perfect" for gaming and fitness

Asus has launched a new pair of gaming earbuds, the ROG Cetra Open Wireless. They're the first open gaming earbuds from a major hardware brand and are billed as "perfect for gaming, music, and active lifestyles."

Open (or open-ear) earbuds are a relatively recent creation that have become increasingly popular in the last few years thanks to popular models from big audio brands like Bose and JBL. They hook around your ears with drivers that sit a few millimetres further away than regular in-ear earbuds, which usually fully seal the ear canal using a silicone tip.

This leaves your ear open, allowing for almost complete situational awareness and massively reducing fatigue. They're very comfortable to wear, and the ability to hear outside sounds like traffic makes them a good pick for outdoor sport and fitness.

They're not without some compromises though. The lack of a seal inevitably means that the ability to produce bass takes a massive hit and (although a few models like the Honor Earbuds Open do offer some form of active noise cancellation) the fact they let in so much sound can be a double edged sword if you want an immersive listening experience in a loud environment.

That's why it's so surprising to see a model geared towards gaming, a market where strong noise cancellation is the norm.

A good fit?

The Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless boast 14.2mm diamond-like carbon coated drivers and support for the brand's 2.4GHz ROG SpeedNova technology via an included wireless dongle.

Bluetooth is offered as well, with dual-mode connectivity for seamless platform switching. Each earbud has a physical button on it, which Asus says will keep them fully responsive in the rain or "intense workouts." An included detachable neck strap even helps keep them in place while you're running.

The idea of a product that's geared towards both gaming and fitness is certainly unusual, and there don't actually seem to be that many gaming-specific features here.

Four microphones are built-in for chatting and there's customizable RGB lighting, of course, with an illuminated ROG logo on each bud. New browser-based Gear Link software that allows you to up the bass via a Phantom Bass setting or enable a more immersive sound mode but that seems to be your lot.

With battery life of roughly 16 hours, with an additional 48 hours in the charging case, you do at least get much more listening time than cheap non-gaming alternatives like the Huawei FreeArc.

The $229.99 / £174.99 asking price, right up there with the cost of some of the best wireless gaming headsets and substantially more than most of the best gaming earbuds, is definitely a tall order and I'm curious to see whether the benefits of an open design are enough to convince gamers to splash out.

Samsung unveiled both its entry-level and flagship earbuds, namely the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro, at its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2026. So what’s new — I mean, aside from the price difference of $179 / £159 / AU$299 for the Buds4 Pro, versus $249 / £199 / AU$399 for the Buds4?

That's what we're here to get to the bottom of.

As luck would have it, we got an early hands-on with the Buds4 Pro, and straight away, the new clamshell case is a winner over the older model (although one of the team found it a little slippery to grasp), as is the updated ‘blade’ stem on the buds. Blade light? No more. Color-coded buds so you can tell at a glance which side of the case to put ‘em back in? Also gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system that prevents you from using third-party tips and makes them extremely hard to remove? Sadly, not gone…

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?

Galaxy Buds 4 Pro versus Galaxy Buds 4: what you need to know

It's important to say right from the get-go that this is a specs, stats, prices, and features versus, not an in-depth appraisal of the sound-per-pound value. That is because at the time of writing, we're only one day post-launch and we've yet to publish full reviews of the Galaxy Buds 4 or the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro — although those are coming.

But without further ado, these are the stats you need…

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 vs Buds 4 Pro, key early takeaways

From the table above, a few key pieces of information stand out to me. While the Buds 4 Pro earpiece is slightly heavier than the Buds 4, that's likely down to the ear-tip you'll need to use (Samsung tells us the weight was taken using medium-sized ear-tips). The Buds 4 are an open-fit style bud, which doesn't require a tip.

And while my colleague Tom Bedford liked the design of the Buds 4 Pro, he was dismayed to see that the issue he experienced with the tips of the Buds 3 Pro — namely that they're very hard to change, and easy to break when you try — hasn't been fixed.

The Buds 4 Pro's case is slightly lighter, but your quoted battery (life in terms of what you can expect from the buds and juice in the case) improves by one hour if you opt for the Pro set. Personally, that's a key stat for me – 5 hours with ANC on isn't long at all in 2026, so I'll pay the surcharge for an extra hour in the Buds 4 Pro. Still, when Apple's AirPods Pro 3 can offer up to 8 hours of listening time (with ANC enabled) on a single charge, a 2-hour improvement over the Pro 2, it's still not a great figure to see on the Buds 4 Pro's spec sheet.

Interestingly, your connectivity, codec support, and sensor are the same across both models, but the dual-driver array in the Buds 4 Pro is a solid step up from the solo driver in the Buds 4.

Also, you get special "Voice" and "Siren" tech in the flagship Buds Pro 4 set. The former means the earbuds can automatically recognize your voice and boost the ambient sound to enhance clarity when your conversation begins, then increase ANC to block out background noise when your quick chat ends. The latter? This perk boosts ambient sound to ensure users can hear crucial alerts such as alarms, emergency vehicles' sirens, and the like.

Again, check back for our full reviews soon, but as we said in our early appraisal, my colleague Hamish Hector thinks you really only need to be considering the Buds 4 Pro.

Just like that, Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026 is over and done – and the first big smartphone launch of the year was a pretty substantial one for the classic candy-bar Galaxy S lineup. In fact, it's arguably now 'advantage, Samsung' in its great battle with Apple and Google.

As rumors and reports had predicted, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26. The star, as many guessed, was the S26 Ultra, featuring a new and unique Privacy Display that can intelligently block sections of — or the entire — display from off-angle viewing. I have a feeling this will make folks with an iPhone, and really any other phone, pretty jealous.

There’s a new Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, specially designed for Galaxy devices across the board, promising fast, snappy performance and plenty of runway for complex AI tasks. Galaxy AI was a big topic, with Samsung taking a broad approach as it continues partnering with Google for many features – for example, Circle to Search and new Gemini integrations – while also working more closely with Perplexity.

So, to catch you up on all the major news from Samsung’s February 25, 2026, Galaxy Unpacked, here are the top headlines from the event.

1. Samsung’s Privacy Display is very neat, but exclusive to the S26 Ultra

Sure, you can add a privacy screen protector from the likes of Zagg, Belkin, or OtterBox to almost any popular smartphone, but Samsung has essentially eliminated the need for the accessory on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Baked into the AMOLED display is a new way to block off-angle viewing down to the individual pixel, effectively acting like an on-demand privacy screen when you need it — whether for the entire display or specific areas.

You can also set it to activate automatically for certain apps, like banking or messaging. What I really like, though, is how useful it is when you’re tightly packed on a train or in an elevator — you can get your privacy back in a really simple way.

2. Bixby is getting a bit smarter thanks to Perplexity AI

Now, Samsung has taken a not-walled-garden approach to Galaxy AI across its smartphones. There are some experiences built in-house, like Now Brief, but the company has also worked with behemoths like Google to integrate and launch features – at times even before Pixel devices got them – on Galaxy first. Circle to Search is a good example, and it has proven helpful for Galaxy owners.

For 2026 and the Galaxy S26 lineup, though, Samsung is working with Perplexity and has actually built its Sonar API into the framework level of the software powering these three smartphones. Bixby has been alright, but it should become far more useful beyond simply changing device settings, as Perplexity will power the topical question-answering portion.

Either way, this speaks to Samsung continuing to work with partners to offer a full suite of AI features for its Galaxy smartphones, while giving you the power of choice over which ones you want to enable.

3. Galaxy S26 Ultra — iterative but great

Roland Moore-Colyer went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and while he felt it was probably the most iterative phone Samsung has made in some time, it’s still building on a winning formula.

There are slightly brighter cameras, a more rounded design, better AI integration, a smarter Bixby, a new, powerful chip, and the aforementioned Privacy Display.

All this adds up to make a phone that’s kinda boring – for example, there's still no silicon carbon battery upgrade – but will also probably be brilliant. We’ll need to put it to the test, but so far, the S26 Ultra looks like a class-leading phone.

4. Galaxy S26 phones — a suite of small upgrades

There’s not a huge amount to write home about with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. You’ll struggle to notice much difference in the look of the S26 from its predecessor, but there are some changes under the hood.

Specifically, both phones get new chips: an Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 for the Galaxy chip if you’re in the US, China, or Japan. This promises to deliver a performance boost that might not be noticeable in everyday use, but should speed up AI features. Both the S26 and S26 Plus also get bigger batteries — 4,300mAh and 4,900mAh, respectively.

Storage now starts at 256GB, with a 512GB option for people who don’t like cloud storage. But this comes with a catch: the Galaxy S26 starts at $899 / £879 / AU$1,549 and the S26 Plus comes in at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849. That’s some punchy pricing for phones that aren’t all that much different than their predecessors.

5. Samsung Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro — great audio and design upgrades, but one huge issue remains

Samsung has updated both its entry-level and flagship earbuds, namely the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro. So what’s new, aside from the price difference of $179 / £159 / AU$299 for the Buds4, versus $249 / £219 / AU$399 for the Buds4 Pro?

Well, we got an early hands-on with the Buds4 Pro, and straight away, the new clamshell case is a winner, as is the updated ‘blade’ stem on the buds. Blade light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you can tell at a glance which side of the case to put ‘em back in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system that prevents you from using third-party tips and makes them extremely hard to remove? Sadly, not gone…

Despite this fiddly system that caused so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro, the earbuds were delayed (many people need to switch the tips when they first fit their earbuds, and users quickly became fearful of doing so, given how easily they could break said tips). So has it been fixed, this time around? Sadly, not, and it’s hard to understand why Samsung has left this big problem unsolved.

6. Doubling down on Armor Aluminum

While a highlight of the Galaxy S25 Ultra was its titanium build – it was even in the color names – Samsung is pushing that material aside and doubling down on Armor Aluminum. That means the S26 Ultra is opting for aluminum instead of titanium, as are the S26 and S26 Plus. It’s a similar move to what Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, though the iPhone Air still uses titanium.

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung notes that it uses a stronger, more rigid aluminum than the standard S26 or S26 Plus. The Ultra is also thinner and lighter year over year, while all three phones now boast a more unified look. We’re keen to see how Samsung’s switch back to aluminum feels in the hand as we test it, as well as how it holds up in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

7. RAM woes?

As mentioned earlier, Samsung has increased the prices of the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus over their predecessors. Senior Staff Writer Hamish Hector did a bit of digging, and while he couldn't get Samsung to confirm that the RAM shortage driven by AI’s hungry appetite for speedy memory is the culprit, there’s a sneaking suspicion that the price hikes could have some link to this ‘crisis’.

Either way, it could mean the end for $799 flagship Android phones. That would be a sad situation given that some Android phones offered a nice balance of tech and specs for that price bracket. Hopefully, the RAM shortage will ease as 2026 pushes onward, but don’t hold your breath.

8. Gemini gets a new exclusive S26 feature

Akin to Google partnering with Samsung to bring Circle to Search to Galaxy devices before Pixels, Android’s Sameer Samat took to the stage to show off a new Gemini feature that’s exclusive to the S26 lineup — at least for now.

Essentially, it’s our first taste of Gemini running in an agentic form for select tasks – like ordering a pizza or calling an Uber – as the AI can open its own virtual window and use its multimodal tools to handle actions in the background for you.

It’s pretty neat, and definitely one we’re keen to put to the test — both to see how it expands to other Android devices (likely in beta form at Google I/O) and how it compares with whatever Apple eventually ships as its AI-infused Siri, expected at some point in 2026.

9. Is the Edge gone?

We learned that the Galaxy S25 Edge (and a potential S26 Edge) isn’t as central to Samsung’s future plans as previously thought. There was no mention of the product that joined the lineup less than a year ago, and while that might mean Samsung is waiting until May for a major update, a tease would certainly have been in order.

For now, the focus – at least from a design standpoint – is likely on the more unified look of the S26 lineup and the S26 Ultra, which is thinner and lighter year over year. This could suggest that Samsung is taking lessons from the Galaxy S25 Edge and once again applying them to its core flagship devices.

Remember, the S25 Edge came first, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 followed with an ultra-thin design.

While the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has the phones world abuzz, it’s the unveiling of the company’s new audio products which is turning earbuds fans’ heads. The flagship new 'Buds' vying to feature in our best earbuds guide are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which have just been released alongside their non-Pro counterparts. They are, depending on your persuasion, the follow-up to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, or the latest rival to the AirPods Pro 3.

As early leaks all-but confirmed, these buds have seen a design change, using a new version of what Samsung calls its ‘blade’ design to create a sleek and understated-looking model. I don’t know how much Marvel’s sword-wielding vampire-fighter had to do with the change, but it’s just the most readily-apparent of the several changes and upgrades coming to this new iteration.

At an early event I got to test the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, as well as their non-Pro sibling, and since then I’ve been listening to them non-stop for the past week. That’s not enough time to write a full review (though rest assured one is coming), but below you’ll find my early impressions on this new pair of premium earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Price and availability

• Announced on February 25, 2026
• Selling for $249 / £219 / AU$399
• Matches AirPods Pro 3 in price — which is likely deliberate

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were unveiled on February 25, 2026, and they’re due to go on sale at the beginning of March.

To buy the new buds, you’ll have to shell out $249 / £219 / AU$399. That’s certainly a high price for earbuds, marking them as premium options, though it’s worth noting that this is the same launch price as the previous model.

Let’s put that in context: the latest AirPods Pro 3 cost $249 / £219 / AU$429 so it’s a similar price in most places, but Samsung undercuts Apple in Australia. The standard Galaxy Buds 4 go for $197 / £159 / AU$299, so they’re naturally cheaper, but you’re getting an open-style bud for that price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Design

• New 'blade' look, old 'blade' traits gone
• Feel solid in the ear
• Annoying eartip problem returns

Changes to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are evident from the outset: they come in a clamshell-style charging case which is transparent in its lid, so you can admire the buds at will – it’s much easier to slot the buds into than the 3 Pro’s case was. It feels a little smaller but thicker, from my recollection of the last buds, though I can’t confirm that – either way, it was easy to slot into my trouser pockets.

The buds themselves have seen a redesign, and now have a brushed-metal edge which is lovely and understated. I’m personally a big fan of earbuds that aren’t bedecked in the company’s logo, and could proudly walk around without feeling like a Samsung billboard.

Some more changes: Blade Light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you know at a glance which side of the case to put them in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system which stops you using third-party tips, and makes them incredibly hard to remove? Sadly not gone, despite this finickity system causing so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro that they were delayed. I needed to switch the tips when I first received the buds, and was fearful of doing so given how easily I could have accidentally broken them. I can't understand why Samsung has left this big problem in place.

I switched out the tip because the buds’ fit didn’t feel solid, and changing to the biggest option didn’t remedy that. However, the only times they've actually fallen out is when I took them on a run; I'd say they're fine for everyday use, then, but aren't runners' buds.

Other than that, they’ve felt pretty reliable, even when I walked around with the buds at weird and irregular angles to test out one of their features (don’t tell my editor, who threatened to write a column calling out all the people who wear earbuds wrong). I was surprised by how much much I liked the on-stem touch controls too: swipe for volume, pinch for play/pause. Nice and convenient, and with a responsive ‘click’ for the latter too, reminding me of the Nothing Ear (a) which have a gold star in this department.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Features

• Solid ANC
• App is chock-full of features
• New live translation and head gestures

I remember being blown away by the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ANC, and from early tests, it’s just as strong here. I’ve mostly been listening on the standard ANC mode, at full power, but there’s an Adaptive mode that I’m getting ready to try next. If there’s a flaw, it’s that Ambient mode seems weaker than on other buds I’ve tested, in that it lets through too much.

Like any good premium earbuds, there are plenty of app features in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. I spent a good long while playing around with tools like an earbud fit test, a 5-band equalizer with various presets, an Ultra High-Quality mode, 360 audio and setting up neck stretch reminders.

The app also offers an adaptive sound mode, which offers a hearing test to create a bespoke sound profile – it’s simpler than the alternative offered by many rivals, and didn’t have an audible impact on my music. I must say, I’m not convinced by this one.

New features to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro include head gestures to answer or reject calls, however I didn’t get to test this, due to no-one calling me in the test week (it’s 2026 – I don’t get many calls full stop). AirPods Pro-style Live Translation is also here, and thanks to an upcoming trip, it’s something I hope to test soon for the full review.

There's also the feature I referred to earlier in the article: adaptive casting, so the buds will recognize how you're wearing them and adapt playback accordingly. In short, if you're wearing the buds wrong, they'll play music slightly differently to atone for it. Perfect for all those people you see on the train who have the stems vertical (or horizontal).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Sound performance

• Driver improvements offer better-defined bass
• Support for high-quality music
• Sounds great, with refined V-shaped audio

There's an audible change afoot in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; they have a slightly bigger driver, and according to Samsung this brings bass boosts. In my testing, this doesn’t mean more bass, but better bass.

Lower-frequency instruments don't dominate the other tracks as much as in rivals, but sit better alongside them, with better definition and timbre. It feels more natural, and less like a filter slapped over music.

Beyond that, these sound similar to the previous-gen model: really, really good, with a gentle V-shaped sound. Sharp treble, wide sound stage, high quality of tracks supported. Expect a more detailed and nuanced analysis when the novelty has worn off, but to praise them simply: I used them for hours on my return trip from covering the Bristol Hi-Fi show, and didn’t find them as much of a sad comedown as I expect any other earbuds would be (to clarify, I'd spent the days listening to speakers and hi-fi systems that cost hundreds of thousands, in any currency you like).

I should note, I did much of my listening on a Samsung phone, which allows for the company’s Ultra High Quality Sound feature – it compresses then decodes music up to 24-bit/96kHz. This made music sound distinctly better than it might on another device, as illustrated by the fact I also tested alongside a different Android phone which also sounded great, but not quite as high-quality.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Value

The big question for expensive earbuds like these, is how well they justify that high price tag. I can't deny that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sound great, but the earbuds world is a competitive one, and you can get a great pick without paying much.

I think it's the feature department that'll sway me either way: it's what set many buds apart, and if the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro tools prove useful over the coming weeks, it'll help make the price make sense.

How I tested

So far, I've been listening to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for the best part of a week, mainly using it for music streaming. I tested it for a time on my Realme phone, listening to Spotify as I would any other pair of headphones. I also spent a few days with it paired to a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, listening to high-res music and testing its various features. I will repeat this split for the remainder of the testing process, to see how well the buds work for Samsung and non-Samsung users.

I've tested plenty of other earbuds in the past, including options from Samsung and its companies including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, original Galaxy Buds and some picks from AKG, Bowers & Wilkin and JBL (yes, all owned by Samsung).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: February 2026

If you’ve read a single thing I’ve written on TechRadar, you won’t be surprised to discover I’m a bit of an audio nerd. Not only have I got hands-on experience testing many of the hottest wireless speakers on the market but I’m low-key obsessed with getting the best audio quality and features out of my headphones and earbuds. That’s why, when I was given the chance to check out Sony’s brand new WF1000-XM6 earbuds, you better believe I jumped at the chance.

I’ve been seriously impressed. First off, they sound fantastic for the price, offering juicy levels of bass and a tight, well-integrated sound that shows a lot of genres off in a very good light. While they don’t quite have the laser-etched precision of the similarly priced Technics EAH-AZ100 I’ve recently been listening to, they sound a touch more playful and dynamic.

But what’s grabbed my attention even more is just how absolutely crammed full of features the XM6 are. Without a doubt, they’re among the best earbuds on the market when it comes to features, going far deeper than the adaptive noise-cancelling and spatial audio box-ticking most buds offer these days.

Don’t get me wrong. Not every feature is executed flawlessly. For example, the noise-cancelling has proven divisive. While we found it a little underwhelming in our Sony WF-1000XM6 review – I too found it was utterly unable to nix traffic noise in central London – others have praised its ability to diminish background dim.

Equally, while the XM6’s IPX4 rating will see off a sprinkling of sweat, I’d personally like to see a lot more premium buds go a bit further. I go bouldering on a regular basis and live in Britain’s notoriously rainy West Country, so an ability to keep out chalk dust and shrug off the October - April showers would be a definite plus in my book.

That aside though, these earbuds have the broadest feature set I’ve ever experienced from a pair of earbuds. So much so that I genuinely think you could miss a whole heap of this innovative functionality when you first get hands on with your buds. I could wax lyrical about every function in their repertoire but, honestly, listing every feature here would be exhausting for the both of us. That’s why I’ve limited myself to just the top three.

So, without further ado, here’s a hat trick of features I don’t think you should sleep on when buying the Sony WF-1000XM6.

1. Scene-based Listening

One way in which the WF-1000XM6 can make your interactions with your earbuds more seamless is scene-based listening.

Essentially, it can use context clues like the route you’re taking, your location or your pace to determine what situation you’re using your buds in: whether you’re commuting to or from work, walking, running or hitting the gym. You can then setup preset behavior for each of these scenes, whether that’s resuming whatever you were last listening to, making a ‘scene-based recommendation’ or playing a pre-existing playlist on your preferred streaming app.

Right off the bat, I’ve found quite a few uses for this. Whether I’m pushing for those gains in the gym or going for a run outside, having the buds immediately play my drum and bass playlist is a huge time saver. And I love the idea of being able to trigger specific media on my commute to and from work – again it’s a neat way your buds can reduce your cognitive load and work with you in key contexts.

However, I do think Sony could go even further with this. For example, I don’t really listen to music on the way to or from work – what I’d like to see is the ability to hook up my podcast app and resume whatever was previously playing.

And there are obvious gaps in the scenes available. While the Adaptive Sound Control can detect when you’re sitting or GPS data shows you’re in certain locations, there are no scenes for when you’re sat in your workplace or chilling at home. Being able to trigger a Focus playlist for specific times while you’re in the office or sleep sounds when you’re lying in bed at home would be neat options and would be trivial for Sony to intuit based on the data its app is already collecting.

Still though, scene-based listening is a fun feature to play with, even if I hope to see Sony expand the functionality further as time goes on.

2. Head Gestures

OK, so this is the most millennial-coded thing I’ve ever said. But I do not like speaking on the phone. At all. Telephone conversations are intrusive, rarely timed when you’re actually free and, 90% of the time, could have been a text. And yet, despite this, large swathes of society don’t seem to have cottoned on to the fact that, unless you’re my mother, I won’t be answering your calls.

While it’s not the only reason, part of my irritation stems from the fact that every time a random company calls, I have to take out my phone to discover it’s from an unknown number and reject it. Even headphones that enable you to answer or reject calls largely require you to press a physical button to make the call go away. Using their greasy hand sausages to hang up on telemarketers is something a Neanderthal would do, not a sophisticated, upwardly mobile Cro-Magnon male like myself.

Fortunately, the Sony WF-1000XM6 offer a novel solution to this problem. Rather than fish around in your pocket, you can reject or accept a call hands-free. And unlike voice assistant-based systems that still require me to talk in public, Sony’s solution can be utilized with a shake or a nod of the head, something that feels far more immediate than using digits or speech ever could. The speed with which I can hang up on calls is now nigh-on Pavlovian: the second I hear that ring, my head’s already shaking like a contrary nodding dog.

If you’re using the scene-based listening I mentioned above, you can also shake your head to cancel playback when triggered. But I also think these gestures could be used more widely. Off the top of my head – if you’ll excuse the pun – being able to respond to functions on my phone would be useful, for example cancelling timers. The gestures themselves are pretty versatile, so I could easily see Apple adopting something similar for its ecosystem if Sony doesn’t get in there first.

3. Quick Attention

But, for me, the standout has to be the Sony WF-1000XM6’s Quick Attention feature. Rather than having to fumble around with tap controls or pull out an earbud to switch off both your music and noise cancelling, you can simply hold your finger to the left bud and quickly engage transparency mode.

As my colleague Harry Padoan remarked in his feature on the similarly hidden feature on the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, Quick Attention is a game-changing feature. Whether I’m tuning in with a member of my team in the office or just approaching the checkout desk in a store, this mode significantly lowers the cognitive effort in those quick everyday conversations you need to engage in.

In fact, the more I’ve used it, the more the gesture has come to be second nature and the more elegant it seems. Isn’t this clean, digital solution the kind of Jetsonian future we were promised, rather than having to fumble physical buds out of my grungy headholes every time I want a conversation? Honestly, it’s the kind of feature that makes other earbud brands feel a little behind the times and I wish they’d hurry up with their equivalent.

I’ll admit the gesture is a little less fluid than with the XM6’s over-ear sibling though. While the larger headphones use a gesture of a full hand placed over the cup to trigger Quick Attention, the WF1000XM6 have far less surface area, meaning Sony has had to assign this function to a held tap.

That’s still easy enough to trigger. But because it has to differentiate between this and shorter taps, there is a good second before Quick Attention is enabled – not a significant delay I’ll admit but still long enough you could easily miss a little of a conversation’s opening salvo.

Still though, it’s an elegant feature that makes using your buds easier and a real reason to pick up a pair of Sony’s buds.

• More Galaxy Buds 4/Galaxy Buds 4 Pro images have leaked ahead of Unpacked
• Images show the new earbuds design and charging case
• …and there's no getting past the striking similarity to Apple's AirPods

Samsung’s 2026 Galaxy Unpacked event is imminent, and while the company hasn't officially confirmed that the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro will arrive on February 25, I think we can all agree it's highly likely.

The tech giant recently shared a teaser to Amazon India’s site with the Galaxy Unpacked event details, as well as an outlined image of the upcoming Galaxy Buds series, hinting that the company will be unveiling them alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and Galaxy Z Trifold. In the build-up to the event we’ve run into a number of leaks teasing design upgrades and new features, but nothing is set in stone when it comes to rumors.

Based on the diagram shared to Amazon India (see below), we can venture a guess that Samsung is most definitely dropping the prismatic stem design from the Galaxy Buds 3, but the company never reveals anything until it’s ready to. However, recently-leaked images of dummy models might have already done that on its behalf — and the comparisons to AirPods are flying in.

The images of the Galaxy Buds 4 dummy models come from the X account TechTalkTV, who shared a post featuring four images of the final version of the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro models. According to the leaker, the dummy models are non-functional units that Samsung sends to retailers for display purposes.

Seeing the Galaxy Buds 4 in all their glory, and not in diagram form, makes it all seem real now, and it’s also reassuring to see that most of our expectations have been met.

Shall I compare thee to a set of AirPods?

One of the more recent leaks we’ve come across pointed to a new more horizontal charging case with a clear lid which, looking at TechTalkTV’s leaks, seems to have been confirmed. That said, the images don’t show whether or not the case will have a speaker grille like the AirPods 4, say, which would emit sound to help you find your lost earbuds. It seems we’ll have to wait until February 25 to find that out.

You might not also be too over the moon to hear that Samsung is abandoning the Galaxy Bud 3’s blade lights — a valuable design factor for visibility. However, we were always expecting the new flat stem design, which actually might be one of Samsung’s most sensible redesign choices given the struggles users face with using audio controls on the angular Galaxy Buds 3. But this is where people are drawing the AirPods comparisons.

Take the non-tipped Buds 4 and silicone-tipped Buds 4 Pro, paired with its new flat stem: it’s difficult to ignore the very obvious visual similarities between Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds series and Apple’s classic AirPods design that we’ve known and loved since its inception 10 years ago.

Samsung knows exactly what it’s doing though — why else would the company add a silver metal strip to the stem? Perhaps it’s as simple as a new design choice on Samsung’s part, but it could be a smart tactic to minimize the comparisons to Apple.

• JLab JBuds Mini ANC earbuds will launch with Apple Find My support
• They're the "world's smallest" ANC buds, and come with a keyring
• They'll launch in August 2026 for $39.99

JLab makes some of the best cheap earbuds and is pretty much the only brand we recommend if you're spending under $30. The brand recently announced that it's launching a new pair of its tiny 'mini' keyring wireless earbuds, this time with active noise cancellation.

But JLab has confirmed they'll be even better than initially advertised when they launch in August 2026 for just $39.99 (around £39 / AU$80), thanks to support for Apple's Find My location tech, making them an even smarter option to attach to your keys.

I already had a chance to try the JLab JBuds Mini ANC out, and they're astoundingly good considering the price (and, based on JLab's history, they'll fall below that regularly), and that they really are small enough to be on your keyring (with a loop for just that purpose, even).

,I said in that piece that "I think everyone should have a set on their keyring" already, just based on how useful it is always to know you'll have good earbuds with you. Adding Find My support means that for Apple users, they'll work a bit like AirTag as well as earbuds, so they can help you find misplaced keys from the Find My app built into iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices.

Like an AirTag, lost for the very last time

Like an AirTag — or like AirPods, which also have Find My built in — the JBuds Mini ANC maintain a very low-energy connection to your phone even when not in use. If you leave them behind somewhere and break that connection, your phone will note its GPS location when it was last connected to them, so you can retrace your steps.

Even more than that, though, Find My items can also connect to any Apple device owned by anyone and report their location back to your phone remotely, so if you lose them and someone walks within wireless range, you'll know roughly where your JBuds Mini ANC (and, by extension, your keys) are.

And if you know you're close to them but can't see them, you can use the Find My app to tell the earbuds to make a noise, so you can hopefully hone right in on them.

The main thing missing here compared to an AirTag or AirPods Pro 3 is that there's no UWB precision tracking support — this is tech that enables your iPhone to literally point an arrow towards these devices if you're close enough.

I haven't had a chance to try this yet – the feature wasn't enabled on the early sample of the JBuds Mini ANC that I got to test, and it's still being certified by Apple – but these will be one of the first sets of non-Apple earbuds to include Find My support, and these cheap keyring-friendly earbuds seem like the perfect early showcase.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Two minute review

For all that companies try to squirrel AI chatbots into every gadget possible, I’ve yet to see many buyers who genuinely want this kind of addition. In fact more often than not, the infiltration of artificial intelligence makes the tech worse — many companies are starting to realize this and take a step back. But there’s now a new victim of the AI war: the Skullcandy Method 540.

For context, let’s look at some earbuds that would have gotten onto our list of the best cheap earbuds if not for how competitive 2025 was. I’m talking about the Skullcandy Method 360, which were some of my favorite buds of the year: they fit great, sounded fun and were fairly affordable. The 540 are the updated model of 360, with Skullcandy apparently not taking a leaf from Microsoft’s naming playbook – don’t get your hopes up for a Method One and then Method Series X, then.

New models should, ostensibly, bring upgrades over the previous iterations. However the Skullcandy Method 540 have the same design, drivers and carry case design as the previous model. They’re incredibly similar buds, yet cost about 25% more.

So what’s actually new? Well, there are a few tiny tweaks here and there, but the flagship ‘feature’ is compatibility with Skull AI. This is Skullcandy’s AI assistant, built on Bragi AI which in turn is built on Open AI. So for all intents and purposes, you’re paying more for a built-in chat-bot…

…except that you’re not, because Skull AI is available as a separate subscription, which you have to pay for either monthly, at $4.99 / £4.99, or annually (at $49.99 / £49.99). Skull AI is one of the better AI chatbot names I've heard, but I'm not including an evaluation of the chatbot itself in this review: it’s very much a separate, optional product to the Method 540.

If you use AI chatbots, perhaps the Method 540 is worth considering, but the vast majority of buyers are going to wonder if there are any other spec improvements to justify that price bump, or if this is another case of AI implementation taking precedence over actual upgrades. Spoiler alert: it’s the latter.

The specs are identical – in fact, I copied and pasted the specs table from my 360 review to save time. In some cases, keeping things similar is great: the buds are comfortable and fit incredibly well, making them great for runners or gym-goers. In some cases, an upgrade was needed: I liked the Method 360’s sound, but budget buds have come on leaps and bounds in just one year, and the Method 540 aren’t as competitive.

Since I gave last year’s Skullcandy earbuds four stars, and these are basically the same thing, some might be wondering where half a star went. That was removed because the Method 360 was good for the price, and the 540 price hike makes them a less appealing prospect.

Given the increased cost, the lack of upgrades and the shoehorned AI mode, it’s just hard to get as enthused about the Method 540. And so it’s harder to recommend them, given how many low-cost rivals there are in 2026.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Specifications

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Price and availability

• Announced in January 2026
• RRP $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250)
• Skull AI costs $4.99 monthly

The Skullcandy Method 540 ANC were unveiled on January 8, 2026, at the annual CES tech conference. That release falls only nine months after the release of the Method 360.

You can pick up the earbuds for $149.99 / £129.99 (roughly AU$250, though there’s no word on an Australian release just yet). That’s a notable price hike over the Method 360, which sold for $119 / £99 / AU$189, and are even cheaper now thanks to some discounts.

That retail price doesn’t even take into account the monthly cost of Skull AI. Access to this AI assistant costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year – regional pricing wasn’t available at the time of this review – but it’s worth noting that Skull AI is optional and starts with a 3-month free trial.

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Design

• Chunky carry case
• Incredibly reliable in-ear fit
• Only black or white options

You know how wireless earbuds makers constantly one-up each other to make svelte little carry cases? Skullcandy didn’t miss the memo – it received it, laughed at it, screwed it up into a ball and threw it away. The Method 540 buds come in a tube, and you slide out the central column to reveal them.

The 360 used the same mechanism, although it’s a little thinner this time around: it measures 3.6 x 2.9 x 10.2 cm, and weighs 72g. At the time of writing, the buds only come in black or white, but Skullcandy often releases funky colors for its products, and hopefully it’ll follow for the 540.

This is not a convenient way to carry earbuds – the monolith doesn’t fit well in trouser pockets. But honestly, I don’t mind – I ended up just putting it in my jacket or bag instead. Perhaps I’ve grown used to these chunky cases from testing other such buds, or maybe petite carry cases are overrated. Plus, a magnetic mechanism makes sure it stays shut tight when not in use, a carry hook means you can attach them to your keys or bag, and unlike in the 360 the charging port is out in the open.

My biggest annoyance with the old model remains, though: putting the buds in the case isn’t convenient, as you have to put them in, in a very particular fashion. It takes quite a bit of maneuvering and flipping to make sure they’re in right, and quite often I’d only realise I’d bungled the job when the case wouldn’t shut properly.

Skullcandy has trimmed the fat of its carry case, but it hasn’t touched the earbuds from the last-gen models – and it didn’t need to. Like the 360, the buds fit snugly and reliably, thanks in part to the grippy eartip material, but mostly due to the fins which wedge the buds into your ear. I went for runs with the buds and took them to the gym, and they never threatened to fall out.

They’re not that light, at 11g, or protected, with IPX4 (no protection against dust, only protected against splashes). But they’re not going to fall out into a puddle thanks to the lovely fit, so it doesn’t really matter.

Each bud has touch controls if you tap on their body, which generally felt okay to use, once I got used to tapping the right spot.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Features

• ANC is solid, not best-in-class
• Battery life is above average: 11 hours from the buds/29 including the case
• App misses some basic features

Technically, these buds are sold as the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC, and so naturally these buds have Active Noise Cancellation. It’s no more advanced than on the 360: pretty solid, but not best-in-class. Loud noises will cut above the silence, though the background hum of city life will get stripped away.

Stay-Aware falls into the trap that many transparency or surround-hearing modes do, in that it seemingly amplifies more than it strips. Thankfully, Skullcandy has included an Intensity slider in the app, so you can turn down its effects.

According to Skullcandy, the Method 540 lasts for 9 hours with ANC on, or 11 hours with it off, and I’d concur with those estimates. That goes up to 23 or 29 hours when factoring in the extra power offered by the case. And that's good, honestly – any earbuds capable of lasting over 7 hours with ANC on represent above-average stamina.

You’re required to download and use the Skull-iQ app in order to use the 540’s extra features – not the standard Skullcandy one, something I only discovered after downloading the wrong one. I made the exact same error with the 360, but if I say it now, hopefully I save a few of you from making the same mistake.

The app lets you toggle ANC modes, play with a 5-band equalizer, turn on low-latency mode, use the earbuds as a remote phone camera trigger, enable Spotify Tap or set up multipoint pairing. Oh, and the main menu has two separate options for Skull AI. Notably missing perks include the ability to customize touch controls, any kind of fit or listening tests or a find-my-earbuds feature. Any one of these would be a more useful addition than an AI chatbot, as would a more advanced equalizer, or extra presets beyond the three available.

During testing, I had a few temporary Bluetooth drop-outs, but they all resolved themselves quickly.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Sound performance

• 12mm drivers and Bose tuning
• Less bassy than Skullcandy norm
• EQ tweaking is mandatory

On paper, the Skullcandy Method 540 match their predecessors in terms of audio specs: 12mm drivers, tuning by Bose, and a total lack of support for any Bluetooth or high-res streaming codecs.

It’s fair to say I was complimentary of the 360’s sound, but I can’t quite say the same about the 540. Partly, it could be because my ears have been spoiled by some fantastic budget rivals in the last year. But there also seem to be tuning differences too.

Skullcandy has a reputation for offering bass-heavy products, something that’s levelled either as a criticism or high praise, depending on the listener. People who sit in the former camp probably haven’t read this far into the review. The Method 540, however, seem to buck this trend. Simply put, they're not all about that bass.

These buds are relatively and surprisingly neutral for Skullcandy products. Treble is more powerful, the low end is sensibly is pared-back, mids are… well, we can’t hope for miracles. This new face would be an interesting twist, except that it reveals that there’s not much else going on under the surface.

Songs sound a little flat, with nothing to replace the lost bass injection, to add a little energy into proceedings. And it sounds like the top was lopped off to the detriment of some treble frequencies and musical passages; hi-hats, guitar stings and vocal flourishes do sound compressed.

There’s a lack of a meaningful soundstage, so instruments are tripping over each other to be head. When you listen to songs like Wake Up by Arcade Fire, or All My Friends by The Revivalists, what should be an encompassing cacophony of noise sounds more like a music track being played from a phone. I checked out Atmosphere by Joy Division after it was featured in The History of Sound, and even in the remastered version, it sounded like Ian Curtis was playing every single instrument. What about some noughties rock, right in Skullcandy’s core demographic? The guitar riffs of Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue sounded heavy and dull – even if the wall of sound of the chorus picked up the energy a little.

Saving the Method 540 is the app. I always listened on Bass Boost, which went some way in restoring the Skullcandy sound – these things have the capability for decent bass if you can coax it out. I also dabbled with the equalizer. Though it only has five bands, it lets you add a bit of needed chutzpah to music. And the max volume is still high, so you can rock out at max power.

• Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: Value

If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll have noticed that the Skullcandy Method 540 earbuds don’t offer that many upgrades over the 360… well, other than the higher price, and optional chatbot.

Given that it’s basically the same product, but for about 25% more, the Method 540 don't feel like they offer great value for money. That’s doubly true given that the older buds have seen price cuts of around 30% off, depending on where you live.

• Value score: 3/5

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC review: scorecard

Skullcandy Method 540 ANC: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I used the Skullcandy Method 540 ANC for three weeks before writing this review.

The headphones were paired to a OnePlus phone for the entirety of the testing process. I listened to music from Spotify and Qobuz, played various games, conducted several video and voice calls, watched Netflix and listened to voice notes using them. Testing took place at home, while on runs, during cycling (Stay Aware mode, of course), at the gym, on various public transports, and on walks around different areas of my city.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar since 2019, including countless low-cost and mid-range headphones. That includes, of course, the Method 360 earbuds, as well as the Crusher 540 Active over-ears from Skullcandy.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: February 2026

We’re a month and a half into 2026 and I’m sure I’m not the only one to have already moved on from at least one of my New Year’s resolutions already. But when it comes to my fitness I’ve actually kept on top of my workout regime, and I think my Shokz earphones have played a massive part in keeping me motivated through my fitness journey — and the pressure of my looming July wedding.

Shokz are best known for their bone-conduction headphones which sit just in front of your ears and send audio vibrations through your skull instead of through the air in your ears. This keeps your ears completely clear — so you can stay fully aware of what’s going on around you — which is why some marathon organizers now allow Shokz headphones while still banning all other headphones.

Bone-conduction designs can also be fully waterproof, meaning those of you who prefer swimming to running can take your music into the pool. The latest OpenSwim designs have storage space for on-headphone music acting as a mini MP3 player all-in-one, but can also stream tunes over Bluetooth.

Right now, thanks to Presidents’ Day sales, Best Buy has up to $50 off my favorite pairs including the OpenDots One which are down to just $149.99 (was $199.99), with the affordable OpenFit Air design dropping to just $79.99 (was $119.99).

I love these designs, but audio quality can take a hit with bone conduction. Things sound better again when your ears are plugged (either with water or an earplug) but that cuts out the advantage of being able to stay more aware of your surroundings.

That’s why I instead prefer Shokz’ OpenFit and OpenDots designs.

These earbuds sit over (but don’t fully cover or go inside) your ear canal. The resulting audio performance is louder and fuller than bone conduction headphones of a similar price, but you still have no noise cancellation of the outside world — helping you stay aware of what’s going on.

I love using my OpenDots One, and my fiancée loves using her OpenFit Air, while at the gym or on a run. We can enjoy great sounding music and podcasts while still staying aware of others on the road or at the gym — or simply just keep chatting while our tunes play as our private background noise.

It’s also handy while we’re around the home. With noise cancelling headphones you can very easily tune out all noise including your partner, but with open earbuds we don’t have the frustration of wishing the other one could hear us when we need a hand with something.

• A new Galaxy Buds 4 leak suggests an expected feature isn't coming
• Images suggest Galaxy Buds 4's case won't sport a built-in speaker grille
• …the one that would emit sound to help you find your lost earbuds
• It's unclear whether they'll land at Unpacked next week, but fans aren't happy

We’re just over a week away from the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 and, thanks to recent leaks, we have a rough idea of what to expect from the anticipated Galaxy Buds 4 — but new images reveal something quite unfortunate.

If you’ve been keeping up, you’ll know that the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are set to make their grand debut at the next Samsung event, and based on a recent slew of leaks, it appears they won’t look too different from Galaxy Buds 3 except that the angular stem design will be phased out. However, there’s one device-finding upgrade we thought we were getting that Samsung has appeared to drop.

The eagle-eyed audiophiles over at SamMobile spotted an X post (see below) with new images of the next generation of Galaxy Buds. According to the leak, Samsung has chosen to get rid of the charging case’s built-in speaker which would allow you to listen out for your earbuds when you’ve lost them — a feature that would've been a valuable upgrade.

This contradicts previous leaks spotted by Android Authority back in November 2025, which was the first shared findings of what was assumed to be a new speaker grille next to what looks like the charging port and device-pairing button (see below). That no longer seems to be the case, which is rather disappointing especially since rival models have already mastered this.

In the case of the AirPods 4 for example, the Find My feature lets you track your missing AirPods by triggering a ringing sound which the case will emit. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg — the AirPods Pro 2 literally points you in the direction of your earbuds.

As far as Galaxy Unpacked goes, earbuds aren’t the only thing Samsung users are excited to see. Additionally, it’s expected that the company will be unveiling new models joining the lineup of best Samsung phones, including the Galaxy Trifold — but it’s the Galaxy Buds 4 speculation that’s had audio fans itching for new hardware upgrades.

'They never get the case right'

Aside from the design changes to the case, which users online haven’t held back from slandering, the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are expected to lift a number of flaws from the last lineup — at least we hope they do.

Comment from r/samsunggalaxy

As per previous generations, it’s likely that the next edition of the standard Galaxy Buds will have the flat, AirPods-style tip, while the next Galaxy Buds Pro will be fitted with silicone eartips, but whether or not Samsung will fix its tedious eartip hooking system is another question.

On the other hand, now that Samsung is getting rid of the triangular earbud stems this should make it easier for users to conduct swiping and pinching gestures for altering the volume and pausing audio — something we found quite fiddly in the Galaxy Buds 3.

The situation with the speaker grille on the Galaxy Buds 4 is still very much a mystery, and if we are to look at the leaks alone, they suggest this feature won’t be part of the next line of Galaxy Buds. That said, we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Samsung throwing a surprise our way but right now, we’ll just have to wait and see what comes our way on February 25.

This week in the world of tech, Samsung dropped the date for Unpacked 2026, Apple found its new AirTag, and Claude showed ChatGPT how it's done in the world of AI.

To catch up on all this and more, scroll down for our ICYMI round-up of the week's seven biggest tech news stories.

When you've wrapped up with this round-up, be sure to check out our picks for the new movies and TV shows to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more this weekend.

7. Samsung set a date for Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung has finally announced its first Galaxy Unpacked of 2026, taking place on February 25 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST (5 AM AEDT on the 26th). The event itself will be live-streamed from San Francisco, California, and while the invite doesn't give much away, it does hint that Galaxy AI will be a huge part of the event.

We're fully expecting Samsung to reveal the Galaxy S26 lineup, led by the Galaxy S26 Ultra, at the first Unpacked of the year, which is generally used to unveil the classic candy-bar Galaxy S lineup. We only have a bit longer to wait, but it should be a solid lineup with some nice new features, especially for the flagship model, judging by the recent rumors and leaks.

• Read the full story: Samsung just set the date for its first Galaxy Unpacked of 2026

6. Claude made its most powerful tools free

Just as ChatGPT adds advertisements in what could be a make-or-break moment for OpenAI, Anthropic has made several premium Claude tools free for all users, including file creation, Connectors, and customizable Skills.

The company has also enhanced the free tier version of Claude to hold longer conversations and offer better interactive displays, voice features, and image search, which should feel like a major upgrade for folks who could previously only experiment with these options.

Best of all, as you’d expect from the company that used its Super Bowl ad spot to poke fun at ChatGPT’s ads, Claude is staying ad-free.

• Read the full story: Claude’s Document creation, app integrations and custom Skills now come free to everyone

5. Discord ignited a new age verification controversy

It hasn’t been a great week for Discord or its fans. On Monday, it announced that age checks would roll out globally to all users from March. That announcement lit the fuse, and the controversy is still burning strong several days on.

The issue for many is that Discord’s age checks – which involve taking a video selfie, or submitting an ID to Discord’s partners – feel at best intrusive and, at worst, a privacy risk. Discord later tried to calm fears, stating that face scans never leave your device.

Unfortunately, it faces an uphill task to retain unhappy users – particularly those who remember the October 2025 incident in which one of Discord’s third-party services leaked 70,000 ID photos.

• Read the full story: 'What a great way to kill your community': Discord users are furious about its new age verification checks — and are now hunting for alternatives

4. Apple found its second-generation AirTags

Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent to raise the bar. That’s the lesson of the new AirTag or AirTag (Second Generation). Apple’s update to its Bluetooth tracking tag kept the look, shape, and feel while significantly increasing range and sound quality.

These two updates mean the new AirTag is that much better at its core task: helping you find your lost stuff. Oh, and did we mention it now works with your Apple Watch 9? The cherry on top is that the AirTag is still the same price.

• Read the full story: The AirTag 2 is way more findable – and louder – than the original

3. The world’s first sodium-ion EV landed

One of the biggest tech stories of 2026 is new battery tech – we’ve seen solid-state batteries edge their way into production, and this week, sodium-ion batteries hit the headlines thanks to a new EV in China.

It may not be a household name, but the Changan Nevo A06 will become the first EV to be sold with a sodium-ion battery later this year. What are the benefits? These Na-ion packs are supposedly safer, cheaper to produce, and able to deliver more power in extremely cold weather compared to their lithium-ion rivals.

Still, with lithium-ion packs improving rapidly as well, we will hopefully all benefit from this emerging battery tech tussle.

• Read the full story: The world’s first EV with a sodium-ion battery has landed – and it beats traditional lithium batteries in one key way

2. Sony’s WF-1000XM6 earbuds dropped

Sony has finally unveiled its latest flagship earbuds, and they’ve been upgraded inside and out. There’s a new design that’s 11% slimmer, a little deeper, and much easier to grab out of their case now, which is a nice touch. There’s an upgraded processor and more mics than ever to power what Sony says is a 25% improvement to the active noise cancellation.

There’s a new speaker driver design and different tuning to provide a more audiophile sound profile. And there’s a bunch of new smart features, as you expect from any Sony launch. So these must be the best elite earbuds around now, right? Ah, well, not so fast… we’ve tested them for two weeks, and we have some opinions.

• Read the full story: I reviewed Sony's flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds

1. Samsung’s Galaxy Book6 swung at Apple’s MacBooks

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is almost a MacBook killer. If you’ve been using Windows laptops and Android smartphones, you might have been jealous of how Apple’s ecosystem of products, including MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, can all interact with each other. Samsung has been diligently working on replicating this, and the new Galaxy Book6 Ultra comes incredibly close, as you can pair it with your Samsung phone or tablet to quickly share files, swap control,s and much more.

Even if you don’t own other Samsung devices, we found the Book6 Ultra is a brilliant (if pricey) laptop that’s packed with some of the very latest and most powerful mobile tech, including Intel’s latest Panther Lake processors.

• Read the full story: The Galaxy Book6 Ultra proves Samsung can make a MacBook killer

• Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds launch today (Feb 12th) for $329 / £249
• They promise improved noise cancellation and audio quality
• The new design is 11% thinner, with a bigger antenna for a better connection

Sony has revealed its new WF-1000XM6 earbuds – its latest high-end noise-cancelling true wireless offering. The Sony WF-1000MX6 cost $329 / £249 (about AU$475), and are available immediately from major retailers.

TechRadar has already spent several weeks testing the new earbuds, and you can read our in-depth Sony WF-1000XM6 review if you want to get straight to our verdict, or you can watch our video review just below.

Or, if you want the headlines on the key areas Sony has changed in the new model, to help them compete with the best earbuds on the planet, read on below!

1. Improved noise cancellation

Sony says that the new earbuds will deliver a 25% improvement in noise reduction compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, with particular improvements in mid and high sounds. There are now eight mics on the earbuds to detect sounds, combined with a new processor called the HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3e – a variant of the chip in the impressive Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones.

There's improved real-time optimization of the active noise cancellation, and Sony says that its new ear tips should also create a better seal to boost noise blocking, too.

2. Better audio quality

Sony has developed an interesting new speaker driver for these earbuds, with a dual-material design. The outer edge is softer, intended to help deliver deep and controlled bass, while the center is rigid for crisp mids and highs. Like the WH-1000XM6, Sony also has a new approach to tuning in conjunction with studio sound engineers for a more neutral audio profile.

Sony also notes that its audio processing has been upgraded from 24-bit to 32-bit, though any Hi-Res Audio support is still limited to LDAC.

3. Upgraded call quality

Sony says that the new earbuds use two mics on each bud for AI-boosted beamforming to pick up your voice more clearly, plus a bone conduction sensor to add extra clarity, with the goal of making speech clearer on calls.

There's also an AI-powered background noise reduction system, again similar to what you get on the Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ears.

4. A new design

Sony has made the point that the new earbuds are 11% "slimmer" than the previous model, though the new shape also makes them larger in other ways – but Sony says the overall effect is that they should be more ergonomic.

One advantage of the new design is that the antenna is now significantly larger, which Sony says will improve connection stability and reliability.

That's certainly true when taking them out of the case – Sony has added a little ridge so they're easy to grip when removing them from the case. The case is larger than the XM5 earbuds' case, but it is tall and slim – still very portable.

5. More features and a different app

What Sony launch would be complete without new smart features? The XM6 earbuds have a few tricks up their sleeve – some practical, some more interesting.

You'll need to use the Sony Sound Connect app instead of the old Sony Headphones app, and in here you'll find a new 10-band EQ to customize the sound if you want, as well as a good 'Find My EQ' feature that lets you change the sound to your preference without having to know what you're doing.

There's also a Background Music Effect feature, which makes music sound more ambient (like it's coming from the speakers in a café, say), which can be great for when you're working.

Sony is also supporting Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec here, and offers the ability to set the earbuds to prioritize audio quality over Bluetooth connection stability, or vice versa.

A lot stays the same

The battery life from the buds is still a quoted 8 hours (24 hours from the case), they have Sony's DSEE Extreme audio upscaling to improve low-quality streams, they have Sony features, including a customizable Ambient Mode, Quick Access, and so on.

Sony WF-1000XM6: Two-minute review

The all-new Sony WF-1000XM6 an impressive set of earbuds with a formidable set of features – especially formidable for tech journos such as me, who are obliged to stick within some sort of length limit for these reviews – but as Sony seeks to recapture class-leading greatness with its 1000X series lineup, I can't help but wonder whether at some point we'll reach a case of diminishing returns.

Here, for example, Sony once again provides us a smaller earpiece. It's 11% thinner but somehow contains a 1.5x larger antenna for better connection stability, an extra mic per bud to equal eight in total, and two processors. One of these is called the QN3E (to take care of the eight mics and facilitate a new auto ambient sound mode) and the other is the V2, to enable 32-bit audio support (with Sony's LDAC codec) using the new 8.4mm unique driver and introduce a new 10-band EQ tab with a 'Find your EQ' tech plus new 'gaming' EQ preset.

But how many mics per bud is enough to facilitate fantastic ANC? And how much do we need our earbuds to shrink before the listener decides enough is enough – because they're actually not sure it's made the product that much better?

But before I answer those questions, know that for sound quality alone, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are a very good set of earbuds.

Some of the best earbuds on the market then? Well, Sony has certainly sought to stuff these buds with every upgrade it can (and every feature you can possibly imagine) using its own proprietary technology.

But there's the rub; the company that brought us 360 Reality Audio with head-tracking would absolutely love for you to use it, but the format is no longer supported on nearly as many of the big music streaming sites as it used to be – Deezer dropped it in 2022; Tidal gave up its support for the 3D format in 2024.

And in terms of hi-res Bluetooth chops, LDAC is of little use to iPhone owners, although Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler is here again and it does make Spotify streams sound a lot better.

So what's excellent about the WH-1000XM6, what's less so, and are they worth their refreshingly approachable asking fee? The design of the buds is now pill-shaped, and while the earpieces are thinner, the units are also taller with a little notch halfway up to help them fit.

Because they're slightly more raised from their charging nest and covered entirely in a matte plastic for better traction, they boast what Sony calls "easier pick up" from their case – and I can confirm that while I wasn't convinced about the overall fit in the ear, I didn't drop them while first grabbing them half as much as I did the older XM5.

Sadly, the active noise cancellation didn't live up to my expectations in real-world testing. That said, the battery life, at eight hours from the buds and up to 24 with the case – and yes, that is with noise cancellation deployed – isn't bad at all.

Do I love them? Having spent over two weeks with them, I like them a lot, and that new antenna does provide rock-solid connection that never falters. I also liked the new Background Music Effect perk much more than I thought I would – it's a great focus aid, allowing you to push the music back just slightly, so you can hear yourself think.

Also, Sony's Quick Attention feature, wherein you simply cover the left earbud to lower music and quickly filter in ambient sound around you, is a winner, although this isn't new for Sony – we've loved it on the Sony WH-1000XM6 and previous headphones too.

Ultimately for me though, the noise cancellation isn't the class-leading triumph it is billed as, and competing options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen (and Apple AirPods Pro 3, if you've got an Apple source device) are offering better access to spatial audio formats and that cocoon of silence noise-nixing you may prioritize.

Add in the Technics EAH-AZ100 as an alternative – offering triple device multipoint, clearer calls and a more comfortable fit – and ultimately, while the WF-1000XM6 are talented and capable earbuds in many respects, there are other buds I would still nudge you to reach for, at this level.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Price and release date

• Released on February 12, 2026
• Priced $329 / £250 / AU$499.95
• Available in Black or Platinum Silver

Thankfully, Sony's kept a lid on price increases here here. The older flagship Sony WF-1000XM5 launched in July 2023 for $299.99 / £259 / AU$499, so the WF-1000XM6 are only slightly more expensive in the US, and are actually cheaper in the UK.

That said, Sony's hand has been somewhat forced, because Apple's AirPods Pro 3 came with a $249 / £219 / AU$429 price tag when they hit shelves back on September 19, 2025 – ie. cheaper or the same as the AirPods Pro 2's $249 / £249 / AU$399 price tag in the UK and US (although in Australia, they did come with a more expensive launch price).

Other direct competition at this level? The closest rivals are most pressingly the aforementioned AirPods Pro 3, followed by premium offerings such as the Technics EAH-AZ100, which are $299 / £259 / AU$478 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) for $299 / £299 / AU$450. I might even mention the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 although those are a fair bit pricier, at $399 / £349 / AU$599.

So as you can probably deduce, Sony has actually gone in quite aggressive with the asking fee here.

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Specs

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Features

• 10-band EQ tab with 'Find My EQ' and new Gaming preset
• DSEE Extreme upscaler, LDAC, LE Audio and 360 Reality Audio
• Background Music Effect is surprisingly useful
• …but the noise cancellation isn't the smash-hit it's billed as

Sony has once again stuffed these earbuds with all the perks and extras it knows, but a lot of them will be a case of "Yes, we know about that – what's new?" to fans of Sony's WF-1000XM lineup.

So what is new? The 10-band EQ tab (it used to be limited to five) is one upgrade, plus a specific Gaming EQ preset. Sony's more recent Sound Connect app is also newly used with the flagship lineup (this used to be the Sony Headphones app, until October 2024) but Sound Connect was already around for the budget-friendly Sony WF-C710N, which landed April 2025 – so anyone who owns those will be familiar with the 'Find My EQ' tab.

If you're not one of them, I can tell you that it's still good here: you tap on various sound profile bubbles and the software continues to supply more, based on your preferred listening choices, until it presents a personalized profile you can save as a preset.

But again, it's something that is also available in much cheaper Sony earbuds. It's also not a hearing test, as such (there are no diminishing tones to engage with; no analysis of your hearing and curation of a truly unique profile with augmented tones for you) and while you may not want a full hearing test, it's worth stating that competing options I've mentioned do offer it, for similar money. And if you're hoping for a huge app overhaul from the older Headphones app, you won't get it sadly.

For me, this companion app isn't the most intuitive. For example, the home screen is essentially a list of tabs – you can assign elements to be placed at the top of this, from the depths of the device settings, although for me this sometimes just further complicates things – but along the bottom are four smaller tabs labelled 'My Device' (the one you're brought to upon launching it); 'Scene', which attempts to work out what you're doing physically and also suggests profiles that can be deployed at specific times, such as 'Gym' or 'Commute Home', if you feel you need them; 'Discover' for your listening history (Sony likes to offer logs and 'badges' for listening) plus the option to deploy a gentler Safe Listening experience; and lastly, 'Menu'.

Now, you'd think 'Menu' is where all the good stuff lives, but this is basically just a home for the support bot, a 'Help' function, backups and 'About this app' info.

This means that what you need to do in order to get to any tweakable features is to scroll down to a small tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' toggle labelled 'Device Settings' and from there into the minutiae of customization tabs.

It just feels like a lot of taps. It also presents many chances for newbies to venture down the wrong route, to a dead end, and then wonder how to get back to what I like to call 'that long list I had before'. A reshuffle of the app might be sensible, to bring the user more quickly to the perks they actually want to find quickly.

At the top of these Device Settings is 'Noise Canceling/Ambient Sound', but although Ambient Sound has a manual incremental 20-step slider, a 'sensitivity setting' which can be either Standard, High or Low, an auto toggle, and an option to toggle on Voice passthrough (to filter in voices while still suppressing noise), your actual noise cancellation options are still just 'on' or 'off', which feels a little disappointing, especially given the extra mic per-bud onboard here.

Sony hasn't listed a figure for the noise-nixing power in decibels, but the company is keen to tell us that the WF-1000XM6 are the "best noise-cancelling" earbuds it's ever released.

Sadly, I need to manage your expectations here, because although certain sounds are indeed dulled when I deploy ANC, when I switch to the AirPods Pro 3 and it's a different level. Want that bubble of silence feeling where the noise drops and extraneous sounds simply melt away? The kind of ANC that makes you genuinely surprised at how noisy your immediate surroundings have become, when you remove them? Sadly, the Sonys are fairly good, but they're not that good – Bose and Apple both have them beat.

Call handling? This is also a bit of a let down – and not just because it's been so hyped by Sony in these new buds. Although Sony couldn't wait to extol the talents of the new mic on each bud, the new wind-nixing structure around them, plus a new AI algorithm with beamforming and bone conduction sensors to aid with both ANC and call-handling on those four mics per earpiece… in practice, callers said I sounded "muffled" when using them for voice calls, especially when compared to my regular Technics EAH-AZ100.

While I'm on the comparison, Sony's answer to Technics' excellent Sidetone tech, to amplify your own voice in calls, is an on/off toggle called 'Capture Voice' in the app, but I couldn't detect much difference either way when trying to use it. And because I had to really screw the earpieces quite far into my ears to get a secure fit (more on this later), I think I would have benefitted from more of a boost here.

All of this aside, a lot of things are really enjoyable about the WF-1000XM6 – and Background Music Effect is top of the list. To find it, you have to scroll down that thin tab at the bottom of the 'My Device' tab, labelled Device settings > Sound Quality/Volume > Listening Mode > Background Music – see what I mean about decent features being somewhat hidden away?

Only then will you be able to select from 'My room', 'Living room' or 'Cafe', which spreads and pushes your music just a little further away from your ears each time. I thought it'd be gimmicky; I was wrong. If you're someone who sometimes turns the TV on just for a bit of background noise to focus, or simply can't concentrate if lyrics are too prominent in your ears, say, this feature is for you.

I also like that the on-ear controls are now fully customizable, once you've delved into Device settings > Controls > Change the touch sensor function > Custom. The one caveat is that if you set a long-press of the left earbud to be volume decrease (which is always my preference) you lose Quick Attention, which is one of my favorite Sony-specific earbuds features because it's so useful – if someone starts talking to you or there's been an announcement about the late arrival of your train, say, simply press and hold the left bud and music is pushed low while ambient passthrough is boosted.

Other pleasing notable mentions go to the app's ability to corral my Apple Music subscription to the fold so I can see some playback information in the My Device tab, the 'Optimal Earbud Tips' wearer test (it's quite strict, you know) and the option to prioritize either a stable connection or audio quality. And I should probably mention that thanks to that bigger antenna, I never once experienced any dropouts in connection with this iteration (which was an issue with the older Sony WF-1000XM5 when I reviewed them, initially).

I've also long been a fan of Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaler, which takes your lossier music streams and does remarkable things to add detail and nuance. Here, it is very well implemented; I had to check more than once that I hadn't switched over from Spotify to one of the more audiophile-friendly streaming platforms, and that is something I don't say lightly.

There's also multipoint to two devices and Auto Switch, for handing off the audio from your buds to your Sony Linkbuds Speaker when you come home – but that's the only Sony speaker currently supported, so is pretty niche as an option.

Spatial audio? Ah. Yes, it's technically here, because you can have 360 Reality Audio – if you can find any content presented in the Sony-made format, given that Tidal and Deezer both dropped support a little while ago…

• Features score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Sound quality

• Crisp bass that neither bloats nor overstates itself
• Plenty of texture through upper mids
• Beaten for dynamic nuance and detail across the frequencies

Switching all sound profiles to 'standard', with a neutral EQ and making sure I've selected the connection profile that prioritizes audio quality (rather than a stable Bluetooth connection) in the Sony WF-1000XM6, I cue up Sevdaliza's Mad Woman. The clock chimes in the opening of the song simmer beautifully initially, with razor-sharp leading edges of notes from the buds. And that note goes all the way down to the abyss without issue too, which is more than can be said for entry-level (and even most mid-range) earbuds.

I'm just missing an extra ounce of build and intentional distortion through the belly of the note that I know to be there – and it's confirmed when I switch to the Technics EAH-AZ100, which have no trouble revealing it.

If you've heard Harry Styles' new track Aperture, it's a similar idea; the timing ticks along beautifully and the Sony buds never shy away from a bass drop, but I can't help but notice when they gloss over a marginal inflection or pop within a gloriously imperfect synth note – because that wants to be remembered as such, and the buds aren't quite recreating it perfectly.

I'm being hypercritical, of course. The sound here is very good indeed – in fact, in instrumental works such as Nicholas Gunn's Campfire there's an expansive and emotive soundstage wherein each musical strand is held together in a cohesive and rewarding mix.

Human breath feels three-dimensional and, for want of a better word, real. It's just that when the flute comes in, I'm missing an iota of excitement as the soundstage builds in intensity and the shaker comes in.

That said, I'll caveat all of this with one potential reason: I did struggle to get the Sony WF-1000XM6 to fit perfectly, even after a week with them… but that's for the next section. If you can achieve a secure fit and seal, I do think there'd be very little in it between them and the best-sounding earbuds in their class.

• Sound quality: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Design

• On-ear controls are reliable and the headshell is grippy
• Divisive fit and ear-tip material – although plenty of tips are provided
• Case magnets feel a little weak

Sony has once again reworked the shape of its earbuds and I have to say that the company's commitment to tweaking and amending the fit in the pursuit of excellence is commendable. These earbuds are 11% thinner than the older model and are very much pill-shaped from above, but they are taller.

That means – and there's no pretty way to say this – they stick out of your ears a little more (as well as from their taller case), and there's a little notch or nub halfway up the housing, to nestle into your outer ear.

Far from being disappointing to me, this initially quite bulbous-looking fit can work very well (see the 'concha fit' style pioneered by the aforementioned Technics EAH-AZ100), however, in this thinner shape, I found that getting a secure fit did involve a fairly rigorous push and twist into the ear, to get them to 'lock in', as it were.

I worry that in the pursuit of a positive 'they're smaller!' goal, Sony hasn't quite achieved the aim of a better fit – although fit is a very personal thing.

I eventually achieved the best fit using the 'S'-sized small tips (not the XS, which is unusual for me), backed up by Sony's in-app ear-tip fit test tech, but after several hours of listening, the lower part of my antihelix and on to my antitragus did ache a little.

I also think there's a small chance that the shape of these buds affects the efficacy of the noise cancellation – their thinness perhaps means they didn't fill my outer ear fully, quite where they should? It's hard to know for sure, but as someone who's testing more buds than I can count, it felt a little off.

One good aspect of the taller buds, along with the fact that there's no shiny plastic involved in the design, is that I never once dropped an earbud while getting them out of the case, and that is a comment often levelled at the older XM5 buds.

The ear-tips are again memory foam in style, and while I like them a lot and found them very easy to switch out (particularly thanks to the little colored bands on the bottom, so you don't mix them up), unlike silicone options you do need to give them a moment to re-form if you inadvertently squish them while fitting.

The case is much more angular and a little taller, but maintains a USB-C charger and reset button on the back (it'll also charge wirelessly) plus a solo green LED light on the front. It can charge wirelessly too.

My only point on the case is the magnets that snap the case lid shut; given the extra height and bulk on the top, it feels as if they could be stronger. I did an initial drop-test and it did stay shut, but I didn't feel as confident of this happening consistently as I have with other class-leading buds.

In terms of battery life, their claim of eight hours from the buds with ANC and 24 from the case equals that of the AirPods Pro 3, which means it's good – but this is a standard rather than outstanding figure. In testing, I got a little less from them, at seven hours before they needed charging – but my testing does often involve boosting the volume above 50% and scrolling through features and profiles.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: value

• Stuffed full of features and far from the most expensive buds around
• …but the ANC isn't class leading, and spatial audio might be hard to access

Do you want the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market for noise-blocking power? If so, the WF-1000XM6 are not my first choice – but that's not at the top of everyone's list, and doesn't mean you should discount them.

For sound, there's plenty to celebrate. These earbuds offer an expansive and pleasing soundstage with neutrality and plenty of options to further tweak the sound to your liking. If pushed, I could've used a little more energy and oomph to allow for an extra ounce of dynamic nuance, but it's my job to nitpick and I maintain that for sound, they're still bang on the money. Buy them, and you won't be disappointed in the WF-1000XM6 sonically.

But do you want device- and streaming-service agnostic spatial audio profiles with dynamic head-tracking? That's more of an issue sadly, since 360 Reality Audio isn't what it once was (Deezer and Tidal no longer support the format) and as such, you might feel you're missing out – where options such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do offer that, in various guises and in conjunction with tweakable ANC.

• Value: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sony WF-1000XM6 review?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Also consider

How I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested at home, on a plane, on long train journeys, and while running (occasionally in the rain)

I used the Sony WF-1000XM6 for two weeks to complete this review. My testing process involved listening to new music on Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music as well as podcasts and plus streamed TV shows from my Apple iPhone 15 Pro (I'm catching up on Married at First Sight UK, please don't judge me) on long train journeys to and from London. I also paired simultaneously to my MacBook Pro and both connections were easy and solid.

I listened at home, on a quiet train, on admittedly half-hearted runs in the constant UK rain, and I even taught myself to make natural soy wax candles from YouTube videos with the WF-1000XM6.

I've been testing audio products full-time since 2019, firstly at TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as a staff writer, then as senior writer and now audio editor here at TechRadar.

My background as a professional dancer means I never tire of listening to music, and my still-insatiable need to move to what I'm hearing is what drives me to search for faithful timing, neutrality, precision, clarity, energy, and good old fashioned fun in recorded audio.

• First reviewed February 2026

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• Learn more specifically about how we test earbuds at TechRadar

The big news earbuds release on the horizon is the Sony WF-1000XM6, which are expected to drop any day now – it's looking like February 12th is the day, based on Sony's teaser. Like its predecessor, the Sony WF-1000XM5, this will be Sony's top-end earbuds offering, matching its over-ear counterpart, the Sony WH-1000XM6. It’s been almost three years since the last-gen pair came out, so they’ve been long-awaited.

Rumors about these imminent buds are everywhere, so we're cleaning a little space on our best earbuds shelf in case they live up to expectations. We’ve seen a full spec list leak, and some price details which point to a higher cost than before – and Sony is very unsubtly indicating a February 12th, 8am PST (11am EST / 4pm GMT) launch time, plus seeming a sneaky look at the design.

As someone who's tested plenty of Sony headphones (and still uses the Sony WH-1000XM3 as their daily pair when no cans are in for testing), I have some thoughts on features, upgrades and changes I hope to see in the new buds. Some changes are needed, given many regard the XM5 a slight misstep in the competitive earbud world.

1. A listening test

Since the XM5 earbuds came out over two years ago, listening tests have become commonplace in earbuds, in everything from premium models like the AirPods Pro 3 to the cheaper Earfun Air Pro 4+. In short, these modes analyze your hearing and create custom EQ mixes that compensate for any shortcomings in your ears. I've found them wonderful.

These weren't commonplace in 2023, but in 2026, it's about time Sony offered a similar mode for its buds. Honestly, it'll probably be the number one feature I look for in the buds, and in its absence, I'd expect a different real killer feature to make the XM6 a solid upgrade from the XM5. No, I'm not talking about some middling AI chatbot or translation feature – something genuinely useful.

2. Improved touch controls

Wireless earbuds aren't a new tech, but I'm still constantly surprised by the wildly varying results I've seen regarding bud touch controls. Some, like the Nothing Ear (3) work fantastically: they're easy to use and pick up your gesture or touch. Others don't, and unfortunately the WF-1000XM5 fell into this latter camp.

The buds use capacitative sensors only – not a personal favorite of mine, honestly, but the issue we found in testing pertained to volume control. Every time you pushed the volume up, you'd get a chime to let you know it'd worked. This means, if you need to raise or lower volume significantly, you'll be missing your music for the symphony of beeps from the buds. Capacitative sensors also generally require more of a 'lift and raise' gesture than alternative versions I've tested.

I'm not expecting Sony to change its tech for the new buds, but I'm hoping it can find an implementation that's a little smoother.

3. Colorful options

Premium tech apparently isn't meant to be colorful, but I really enjoyed wearing the Sony WF-C510 in their gaudy-but-fun yellow options. Sony's also released some interesting options in the see-through WF-C710N, though transparent tech is generally kept to budget devices (and, uh, Nothing).

I like color, I like fun. I'd like to see the WF-1000XM6 come in an array of vibrant options. I'm not expecting this – these buds will likely just come in black and/or white, at least at first. But a fool believes…

It wouldn’t even be slightly groundbreaking for me to decry that we’re looking down at our phones too much these days. Our pocket-sized computers consume us as we doomscroll through our various feeds; saving recipes we’ll never use, listening to the same sound 15 times in a row, and shamelessly gorging on brainrot content. We really are paying too much attention to phones, and in the process, we miss out on much of the beauty that life has to offer.

Recently though, I was able to break away. I was able to avert my eyes from my phone. I was able to resist the temptation of endless TikTok scrolling. I was even able to pull myself away from Instagram and Reddit. For a while, at least, I was able to feel truly free. And it was all thanks to this: an earbuds case with Flappy Bird on it.

That’s right, my attention was focused on a different screen entirely, as I dared to flap my way through some green tubes and… ah, no actually that’s all.

Anyway, allow me to introduce you to the device that freed me: the Groov-e Neo Buds True Wireless Earbuds. These are a cheap pair of wireless earbuds that come with a little display on their charging case. We’ve seen a few other models do this, such as the JBL Live Beam 3, but those buds don’t have any games at all. Not even Flappy Bird.

So, I’m here to discuss my time playing the game, and what I made of the Neo Buds more generally. Should more of the best earbuds be decked out with gaming capabilities baked into the case? Do wireless earbuds even need a display? I’ll give you my thoughts down below.

Ba-ding!

OK, so this wasn’t the actual Flappy Bird. You know, the mobile gaming phenomenon that took the world by storm back in 2013. It’s simply a knock-off, but I was still pretty excited to give the game a go.

It may not surprise you, however, to find out that the game didn’t give me all too much to be excited about after all. See, in this version, the gaps between pipes are so wide, and the bird’s motion is so slow, that racking up a high score was just far too easy. Plus, that iconic ‘ba-ding!’ sound doesn’t play when you make it through some pipes… a real tragedy.

And although you’re supposedly meant to get a star rating based on your score, I wasn’t ever able to get a single star – even when I scored well over 100! On top of all of that, the game doesn’t even save your high score. So, this is ultimately a bad version of what was a pretty addictive game back in the day… so much missed potential.

All of this got me thinking: is there really much value in an earbuds case providing gaming capabilities? Do they even need a display at all? Honestly, I think the answer to both of those questions is no. Don’t get me wrong, it made me smile to see the Flappy Bird knock-off pop up as an option, but would I realistically use this regularly? I doubt it. And although the case’s display packs in other features, such as a flashlight, timer, and access to EQ settings… I could get all of this from my phone anyway.

In the end, then, the game – as well as the display itself – felt more like a gimmick than an innovation. And as I mentioned in my review, the Neo Buds aren’t exactly the best-sounding or looking wireless earbuds on the market.

So, instead of scooping Groov-e’s buds up, I’d highly recommend an alternative from our guide to the best budget earbuds, like the JLab Go Pods ANC or the Earfun Air Pro 3. Do they have Flappy Bird? No, neither of them have a display at all. But would you really be missing out? Also no – at least, I don’t think so.

• We have more leaked specs for the Sony WF-1000XM6
• These earbuds are due to launch on February 12
• It looks as though some notable upgrades are on the way

Sony has officially confirmed that its "next generation of earbuds" are launching this Thursday, February 12 – which are almost certainly the Sony WF-1000XM6 – and ahead of the official unveiling, a full specs list has leaked online.

The specs list is courtesy of Dealabs (via Notebookcheck), and it looks as though the upgrade will be quite substantial. Leading the way, apparently, will be the QN3e processor, three times faster than the one in the Sony WF-1000XM5.

There are going to be eight adaptive microphones across both buds rather than six, which should mean improved noise cancellation and more clarity for any voice and video calls you make using these wireless earbuds.

There are more upgrades too: the speaker, DAC, and amplifier have all been refreshed, which when combined should mean quite a substantial jump in terms of the sound experience you can expect with these in your ears.

Battery life and design

According to the specs listing, you'll be able to expect eight hours of battery life between charges, with the case adding another 16 hours. Combined, that's a full 24 hours of listening before you'll need to go searching for a power source again.

Of course, this is far from the first leak we've seen around the Sony WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds. Pricing is rumored to be $329.99 in the US, a bump up from the $299.99 / £259 / AU$499 pricing for the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds when they appeared in 2023.

A variety of other leaks have suggested that a launch is imminent, and it looks as though the aesthetics will be updated too: we're expecting a redesigned shape for improved airflow and comfort, with the addition of insulated ear tips.

Check out our Sony WF-1000XM5 review and you'll see we were largely impressed with what the current flagship earbuds have to offer – and in just a few days we'll be able to see just how much better the 2026 earbuds are.

• Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro renders emerge
• They show design changes; expect more on February 25
• No word on if Samsung's contentious eartip-locking mechanism is back

It's looking increasingly likely that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro will launch alongside the Galaxy S26 phones at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, most likely on February 25, and we've just seen early renders of these new AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 rivals.

Android Headlines has shared renders of the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro. An exact source for these renders or the info they're built on isn't clear, but they line up with what we've already seen.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 images show something akin to the Galaxy Buds 3, sans eartips. Changes from the past model are flat stems, and a clam-shell charging case. Those changes are also present in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but they enjoy eartips. The models are black and white respectively, but apparently those only represent two of many color options.

These renders match a previous glimpse we saw of the buds, which originated from the Samsung Tips app, especially in the charging case department. It seems that a reworked charging case, and flat-backed stems, are the two main design changes the new buds will enjoy.

No word on the tip sitch

I tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro early, and so got to experience the issues that saw them delayed. Samsung used a proprietary eartip locking system, which ostensibly made removing and replacing the buds' tips much easier…

…however in practice, it made it much harder. As you can see in the image above, I managed to gouge a chunk of the eartip with my nail when trying to remove it, weakening it for the future. I have hope that Samsung has reworked this system for the Buds 4 Pro.

Since writing that review, though, it's dawned on me that this system presents a different problem, and there's no indication that my second issue will be fixed. You see, the buds and tip used a screw-esque hooking system to attach, which held them in place so much that it led to the previous problem – but it's also incompatible with any other eartips beyond Samsung's own ones.

Own a large collection of eartips, from past earbuds you've owned, or simply want to pick up news ones in a different material or design to suit your taste? Sorry, they won't fit. I've seen reports on Reddit of people jerry-rigging third-party buds to work on the Samsungs, but they're obviously a more dab DIY hand than I.

I see that as being quite anti-consumer; any eartips you own are now basically e-waste. While you can buy replacements from other companies online, it means any eartips you already own aren't compatible, and have to rely on cheap Amazon alternatives if you lose your current picks. Samsung's website doesn't even have replacements — its Galaxy Buds accessories page instead offers you Minions-themed case covers and carabiner clips.

Samsung isn't the only company to use a system like this, with Apple, also using a similar custom design for its AirPods Pro. But if your only other counterpart is the inventor of the Lightning port and OS-locked earbuds, it's not a good sign for being open and consumer-friendly. I hope the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro use standard eartips, like basically every other company out there.

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro: Two minute review

Usually, when I review a product with a brand-new feature, I use that function for about a week before the novelty wears off. The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro may not be the best earbuds I’ve ever tested, but I’ve been using its key selling point constantly over the testing period, and that at least says something.

Are they a pair of open earbuds? Or are they a pair of standard workout headphones? Yes and yes – these new hearables from Anker’s audio-visual sub-brand Soundcore do both. The bud’s body is adjustable in relation to its loop: you can have them as standard sports buds, or raise the bud somewhat so it’s further out of your ear. Ta-da, you have open earbuds.

In theory, you get the best of both worlds. Put them in open-ear mode and you enjoy your listening while still hearing what’s going on around you. Flick them into standard mode and you can hear your music with no distractions from outside, thanks in part to ANC turning on.

When I first reported on the buds, I guessed that they could be the best fitness earbuds of the year – it’s safe to say I was cautiously optimistic about them. The function is useful: I’d run along a busy road in open mode and close it when I reached a quieter park, or keep it open when cycling to the gym and close it when I got there.

A home-run, then? Not quite – these are the first earbuds I’ve ever seen trying out a form factor like this, and myriad teething problems plague the buds. I don’t think they are the best fitness headphones of the year any more, but it’s still a valiant effort.

Take, for example, the design. The buds aren’t that far from your ear when in open mode, so don’t let in nearly as much sound as rivals. But due to having AirPods-style tip-less ends, the Aerofits aren’t fully in your ear when in ANC mode, and so don’t actually cancel that much sound.

The loop material is also quite flimsy, so the buds wobble a lot, and the buttons are hard to press when in ANC mode (but, admittedly, very easy in open mode).

You need to play around in the settings to get the best of the Aerofit 2 Pro too. The default EQ preset, Soundcore Signature, goes for a misshapen V-shaped sound profile which sounds pretty wonky; go into the equalization menu straight away. The Intelligent Noise Cancellation feature also gets in the way, by messing with your sound constantly; turn this off too.

You probably wouldn’t be buying adjustable buds like this if you weren’t okay with some tweaking, though; just know that you’ll have to be doing it quite a bit.

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Specifications

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Price and availability

• Released on January 6, 2026
• Priced at $179.99 / £179.99 (roughly AU$350)
• Paying a premium for the novelty

Anker unveiled the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro at CES 2026 in the first week of the year, and put them on sale immediately after. Perfect for your new year’s fitness resolution.

The earbuds cost $179.99 / £179.99 (roughly AU$350, but they don’t seem to have joined Soundcore’s line-up in Australia). That’s the official price, but mere weeks after release, I’ve seen them discounted by $30 in the US and £10 in the UK.

As open earbuds go, that price is on the higher side of things, but you’re paying to be the first to test this novel kind of tech.

It’s a little higher than the launch price of the first Aerofit Pro, but that device plummeted in price over two years, and we could see the new model drop to similar lows over time.

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Design

• Easy to switch between open- and closed-ear fit
• Weak loop and heavy earpiece affect wear
• IP55 protection, comes in black, white or purple

I’ve already described the Aerofit 2 Pro’s transforming gimmick; but how does it work? Basically, the sports loop connects to the driver housing via a connector that can be moved around five different settings; each one results in a different angle for the earpiece to sit at, relative to your ear. At the furthest extent, said headshell sits right in your ear, and at the opposite extent it’s hovering high above it. The first two are ANC (in-ear) mode, the latter two open mode, and the middle one is something in between.

I was skeptical about this, but functionally it works really well. Quickly I became adept at opening or closing the buds while they were in my ear, and in no time I was doing so without breaking my stride while on a run. Unfortunately, basically everything about this design (other than the ease of switching) poses problems.

The key one problem is the loop, made out of a thin silicone which just isn’t rigid enough to hold the earbuds in place. When I was running or working out with the buds, I often found that the battery-bearing counterweights would wobble. It was especially noticeable when in ANC mode. They never fell out, but it was an annoying sensation.

This is exacerbated by the buds’ weight. At 11g each, they’re the heaviest than any other open earbuds I remember testing.

The tip-less design brings with it another problem: the sound leakage on these things, especially in open mode, is significant. Your gym peers will definitely hear what you’re listening to.

Each bud has a button. No, not a sensor or an area you tap and pray something happened: an honest-to-God area that you press in and hear a satisfying ‘click’. Lovely. It’s really easy and simple to use when the bud is in open mode, however when in ANC mode, I found that the pressure needed to press the button instead just pushed it into my ear.

Now that I’m complaining about things: the material used for the end of the bud is a dirt magnet. When it’s in the case or ear it’s fine, but when I put the buds in my pocket or dropped them on the floor, they quickly picked up fluff and particles that were quite hard to clean off. That’s all to say: excuse the review images, I tried my best.

This section is already far too long, but let’s briefly touch on the case. It’s certainly on the big side, even for sports-hook earbuds, and it weighs 109g (including the buds). It has some neat touches: an LED bar gives you an indication of how much charge you have left, and the case also facilitates wireless charging.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Features

• Little noise is cancelled due to design and the ANC algorithm
• Battery life is 7 / 34 hours with ANC on
• Several app features including handy EQ presets

Why have I been calling one form of the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro ‘ANC mode’? That’ll be because when you’re at these extensions, noise cancellation will turn on, ostensibly stopping as much surrounding sound as possible from entering your ears. An anti-open-ear mode, so to speak.

However, the Aerofit run into the same problem as the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC: there’s no rubbery ear tip to create a natural sound-blocking seal, and so the noise cancellation is fighting an impossibly steep uphill battle from the outset. It doesn’t win the battle, and it’s very easy to hear surrounding sounds in this mode – I can hear myself typing this sentence over fairly loud music. It’s not a totally lost cause, and sounds are made quieter, but there’s little meaningful difference between open mode and ANC mode.

ANC mode may do more harm than it’s worth, though, because of Soundcore’s adjustable ANC. This is designed to automatically adjust noise cancellation and many earbuds have similar modes, but on the Soundcore, it had too dramatic an effect on the sound. Frequently, I’d hear dramatic shifts in listening volume or sound profile, and sometimes the volume wouldn’t be able to go very high to compensate for the ANC. On my first run with the buds, I was frustrated with how quiet the max volume was – until I realized it was the noise cancellation running amok. Thankfully this mode can be turned off.

Soundcore puts the battery life of the buds at 7 hours in open-ear mode and 5 hours with ANC turned on. My testing suggests these figures could be a little conservative, so I’m not going to knock the buds like I normally would with 5-hour listening time buds.

The Soundcore app brings a few extra features to the earbuds. These include the ability to customize what the touch controls do, a low-latency and a Spatial Audio mode, an equalizer and the ability to make ANC toggling manual instead of automatic.

The equalizer has a healthy selection of presets, most of which make meaningful adjustments to the sound, and there’s also an eight-band custom option too. I particularly like the Volume Booster preset, which doesn’t exactly sound fantastic, but it gives the buds that extra ‘oomph’ that you need with open buds when venturing somewhere noisy.

Pairing the buds to my phone was quick and easy, however I did have the occasional stuttering and connection dropping problems during testing.

• Features score: 3/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Sound performance

• Single 10.8mm driver
• Music sounds lifeless
• Lovely, high max volume

There’s a custom-built 11.8mm driver in each of the Aerofits. Their most impressive feature, though, may be the support for Bluetooth 6.1, which is more advanced than most smartphones you’d be pairing the buds with. That pairs with Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification and a support for LDAC.

When I first started listening to the Aerofit 2 Pro, I was in a quiet home and listening on ANC mode, and I was impressed by a few aspects. There’s decent spacing between instruments, and enough detail to hear the timbre of instruments. Lovely, and unexpected for fitness earbuds like these. However I made the critical mistake of listening to the Soundcore Signature EQ preset for much of my testing period.

This doesn’t sound great: it elevates treble, mutes bass and drops mids almost entirely, like V-shaped sound profile with a lop-sided ‘V’. Uncle Kracker’s In A Little While had distorted guitar that sounded like a fan with a scrap of paper stuck in it, while the chorus of Five More Minutes by The War and Treaty sounded like a duet between vocals and a lawnmower. And treble was far too prominent: Don McCloskey’s First In Flight was constantly jump-scaring me with brass stings.

However, jumping into the EQ preset menu let me salvage my listening experience; I’d recommend buyers to switch straight to ‘Balanced’, or one of the genre-based EQs if you only listen to one kind of music. Balanced levels out that ‘V’ into much more of a flat line, so you can enjoy the high-quality audio without any line or instrument being overwritten.

Max volume for the buds is pretty loud, especially on Volume Booster, but the auto-ANC mode can put a pretty significant upper limit; turn this off.

• Sound performance score: 4/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: Value

Novelty form factor aside, the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro go for quite a high price, compared to other open earbuds you’d be considering. These aren’t a budget option by any stretch of the imagination – I’d go so far as to call them premium, given that relatively few options exist above the $/£200 threshold.

All considered, it feels a little hard to recommend them for the price – you’re paying for the privilege of testing a new form factor of headphone, not for an especially competitive feature set or sound quality. You're not being ripped off exactly, but it's not a competitive price.

If you can find the Aerofit 2 Pro discounted, though, they’d be well worth considering. They don’t even need an especially meaty price cut; the minor discount already available is a good start.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro review: scorecard

Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I tested the Anker Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro for just over two weeks in order to write this review. During this time, they were paired with my Android smartphone.

In that time, I used the Soundcore on runs, at the gym and on cylces. But because of their dual-purpose design, also treated them as my everyday headphones in that time, so I listened at home, on public transport, and on walks around my neighborhood. Most of the testing was done on Spotify, YouTube and Prime Video's apps.

I've tested plenty of open earbuds for TechRadar over the last few years, as the audio segment has emerged, as well as countless other earbuds and headphones.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: February 2026

• Pricing appears to be the same as the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro
• Leak refers to EU pricing; other countries may differ, but is a good guide
• Expected to launch in late February 2026

I've just returned from the store, and can confirm with journalistic rigor that everything is more expensive than before, so it's nice to see a big firm bucking the price-hike trend. A new report says that Samsung's forthcoming Buds 4 and Buds Pro 4 won't be upping the price despite upgrading their specifications.

We really rate the Galaxy Buds Pro 3 and the more affordable Galaxy Buds 3, and leaks about their successors have suggested a launch date as soon as February 2026. The leaked prices are for customers in the EU, and if they're reflected in other parts of the world then the Buds 4 and Buds Pro 4 should cost the same as the current versions.

What we know about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and Buds 4

The EU prices appear to be €179 for the Galaxy Buds 4 and €249 for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, the same as for the current models. That would suggest $179 / £159 / AU$299 for the Buds 4 and $249 / £219 / AU$399 for the Buds 4, though obviously there could be variations in those. In Europe there may also be a bundled 25W wireless charger.

The leak comes from Billbil-kun via Notebookcheck.net. Billbil-kun has been accurate about product prices and launch windows before, so this is a credible report – although of course it's unofficial and unconfirmed.

The expected launch date is 25 February 2026, and both sets of earbuds are expected to launch with black and white versions; a rumor suggests there may also be an apricot color for the Pro model, but that color wasn't included in the information obtained by Billbil-kun.

We don't know the specs yet but both earbud models have been slightly redesigned to make them more compact, and the charging case has been given a rethink too. The blade lights of the Buds 3 Pro have apparently been binned, but reports suggest there is significantly improved sound quality and that's more important.

We've covered three upgrades to expect from the Buds 4 based on the leaks here, if you want to dig more into them.

We're expecting to see the Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro at Samsung Unpacked in late February, and for many more details to leak before then. We'll keep you posted.

It's been another busy week for tech news – but then again, when is it ever not? The good news is that you don't have to spend hours catching up, because we've covered everything in one place.

The big stories took in everything from Spotify to ChatGPT to Netflix, but it was developments in the OLED TV world that really caught our eye, as Sony, TCL, and LG all made major announcements.

Best of all, the trio might not just revolutionize the already best-of-the-best displays, but also their cheaper models.

How? Well, you'll have to scroll down to find out, so may we suggest you do that now and get up to speed. Enjoy.

7. Whoop clones have thrown us for a loop

It's been a while coming, but we've finally published our reviews of two screenless, fabric-covered fitness trackers – subscription-less rivals to the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG bands, which we rated as technically excellent but far too expensive.

The Polar Loop was solid in heart-rate tracking, but a letdown with its confusing software choices. The Amazfit Helio Strap was a different matter, though: cheaper than Whoop and Polar, and very good, both in terms of the hardware's capabilities and the app's quality. We duly added it to our best fitness trackers list.

The reviews come at an interesting time, as CES 2026 showcased the next wave of Whoop clones from Luna and Speediance. It looks set to be a crowded category.

• Read more: Amazfit Helio Strap review
• Read more: Polar Loop review

6. Spotify dropped a flawed playlist tool

Following a successful trial run in New Zealand, Spotify is bringing Prompted Playlists – a new playlist-creating tool that puts you in control of the algorithm – to the US and Canada.

Building on Spotify's AI playlist tool, which launched in April 2024, Prompted Playlists takes a similar approach but gives you full control over where you steer the algorithm. In its news blog, Spotify puts it quite simply: “You’re not just asking for music, you’re shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you.”

The biggest difference with Prompted Playlists is that you can amend them to update daily or weekly, just like Discover Weekly, but you can tailor them to a far greater degree. After spending some time with it, we can see it becoming one of Spotify’s most intelligent features, and it will be even more powerful once its infancy issues are resolved.

• Read more: I’ve been trying out Spotify’s new Prompted Playlist tool

5. OLED TVs fought back

OLEDs have long been revered as the go-to premium TV tech, but the ‘new’ brighter and cheaper kid on the block – mini-LED – is threatening to eat its lunch.

At least, that was until LG clapped back with its OLED SE, which promises a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 1,000 nits of brightness, which is far more than the 668 nits we measured on the affordable LG B5 – so the LG B6 could be a real affordability winner if it boasts this tech.

LG Display told FlatPanelsHD that it will make OLED SE panels in five sizes to begin with: 48 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, 77 inches, and 83 inches, and we’re excited to see how it’ll use these panels in the coming year.

• Read more: The OLED TV vs mini-LED battle is about to really heat up

4. Netflix got a universal boost

Despite Netflix initially teasing that it would get Universal’s live-action flicks exclusively on its platform starting in 2027, it seems the deal has started a lot earlier than we expected.

According to Netflix, “We can confirm that the live-action film pay-1b licensing deal is starting earlier than announced, with the first film being Megan 2.0.”

It’s not clear when exactly other films will follow, but this is certainly another trophy for Netflix to add to its cabinet.

• Read more: Netflix is adding live-action Universal movies to its back catalog

3. We tried Sony’s clip-style buds

The audio titan that is Sony debuted new clip-style open earbuds with its new LinkBuds Clip; we’ve tried them, and unfortunately, this might be a rare miss for the headphones experts.

The fit felt at times looser than we’d want; the lack of deep bass meant music lacked its full resonance or a thumping, punchy beat, and even the treble struggled.

Based on our initial tests, we’d expect these earbuds to cost about half their $229 / £180 / AU$329.95 price, which is definitely disappointing given Sony's track record.

• Read more: I tried Sony’s first clip-on open earbuds

2. Sony and TCL teamed up

Sticking with Sony, the brand just announced that its TVs will now be made in a “joint venture” with TCL, suggesting a major shift for how its displays are developed, designed, and manufactured.

Interestingly, TCL will own 51% of this new joint project, giving it a majority share. It’s worth noting that this might simply be due to Chinese rules that limit foreign ownership in joint ventures to 49% – TCL is a Chinese electronics company, while Sony is headquartered in Japan.

Exactly what this means for us is yet to be seen, but it might mean Sony pivots away from OLED as TCL avoids the tech completely, and perhaps instead focuses on improved mid-range and budget options using TCL’s impressively cost-effective manufacturing.

• Read more: Sony’s future TVs could be made by a new ‘joint venture’

1. ChatGPT got ads

Despite its CEO once calling ads a “last resort” for its business, OpenAI has announced that advertisements are coming to ChatGPT for free and ChatGPT Go-tier users.

The news dropped very late last week, so we couldn’t include it in ICYMI then, so we’ve rolled it into this week's, as the announcement represents a massive pivot for OpenAI.

As part of the reveal, OpenAI shared some examples of how ads might work, such as a sponsored grocery list appearing below the answer to a dinner-related question.

This obviously raises big questions about how trustworthy responses are – for example, with the dinner plan, did the AI recommend those meals because it knew it would fit better with a sponsorship? There’s a lot we frankly don’t know, and we expect this won’t be the last advertisements we see in AI chatbots – even if Google promises Gemini ads aren’t in the works.

• Read more: ChatGPT now has ads

There’s a massive cold front moving across much of the United States, and temperatures in New York City are in the low 20s – but it feels more like the teens with the wind chill. I’m still rocking AirPods Pro 3 on my walks, of course, listening to Bruce Springsteen, but I’m keen to keep my hands in my coat pockets and rely on hands-free controls.

Alongside keeping my fingers crossed that the AirPods’ microphones are good enough to pick up my voice and transcribe things properly, I’ve also been relying on a lesser-known feature: gesture controls. Yes, they might make me look a little weird to folks passing me on the sidewalk, but shaking my head up and down or left and right is a surprisingly simple way to have a notification read aloud – or not – as well as to respond to a message or ignore it entirely.

Maybe best of all, you don’t need the very latest AirPods from Apple. The Cupertino-based tech giant rolled these out in 2024, and gesture controls are supported on AirPods 4 (with or without noise cancellation), AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3. They’re also easy to enable in Settings on your iPhone.

Let’s break that down and explain why these head-based controls are so handy and how they complement the hands-free experience.

Make sure Gesture Controls are on – and customize them

The first step is to open Settings on your iPhone while it’s connected to your AirPods. From there, you’ll see your AirPods listed at the top of Settings – in my case, they appear as “Jacob’s AirPods Pro.”

Tap that to open the AirPods settings panel, then scroll down to the section labeled “Head Gestures” and tap it. On that screen, you’ll find a brief explanation of how the feature works, along with the option to turn it on or off.

You can also decide which gesture – up and down or side to side – is used for accepting and declining. You’ll need to assign one to each, and you can test them out right there. I’d recommend doing so, as it can take a few deliberate head movements in the right direction to trigger the desired action.

This is also where you can adjust other controls to your liking, such as what a single press or a long press on the stem does. Of course, your options will vary depending on which AirPods model you’re using.

Gesture controls are great for getting a point across quickly

What I like most about these controls is that they’re generally faster than interrupting Siri while the assistant is in the middle of announcing a notification. They’re also far less awkward than blurting out a command when you’re walking near other people or standing in a crowded transit hub.

They also help you get back into your groove – whether that’s a favorite walking track or a podcast – with fewer interruptions. If a long Slack message starts being announced, for example, you can quickly shake your head side to side to dismiss it and let the crossfade bring your audio back up.

It’s especially useful if you find yourself in a “Quiet Car” on your commute. In my case, NJ Transit’s first and last cars are designated quiet zones, where all conversations must be kept to a whisper– making this a perfect control option since it doesn’t require you to say a word.

So yes, AirPods head controls have been around for a bit, but as temperatures continue to drop, I’d much rather be shaking my head and keeping my hands in my pockets than triggering a command with my fingers or my voice. And it still lets me keep listening to the Boss.

• Sony LinkBuds Clip launch for $229 / £180 / AU$329.95 in January 2026
• 10mm drivers, DSEE upscaling, and AI noise reduction for calls
• After an early test, they fit well, but I'm concerned about the sound

Sony has unveiled the LinkBuds Clip, which are its first clip-style open earbuds. Sony has enjoyed a run of fashioning some of the best open earbuds we've tested to date (and will happily lay claim to having invented the category with the original Sony LinkBuds, though that depends on whether you count AirPods-style earbuds as being open ear, but I digress) although the company has never tried this 'ear-cuff' style fit so far.

The Sony LinkBuds Clip include a 10mm driver, and like all clip-style open earbuds, this sits just outside your ear canal and fires sound into it without sealing you off from the outside world.

They come with a little flexible attachment that Sony calls an "air fitting cushion", designed to sit in the curve, and to hold them more firmly only the ear (or to hold them at all if your have smaller ears).

Because of the way external sound is allowed in, they include a specific new audio mode called Voice Boost, to make (as you probably guessed) stuff like podcasts and audiobooks come across clearer.

They also include an Adaptive Volume feature, as seen on the Sony LinkBuds Fit, so they can automatically ramp up the volume to avoid the sound being totally drowned out in loud areas.

There's also a 'Sound leakage reduction' mode for places like the office, where you want to make sure the open fit isn't firing your playlist out to your neighbors.

The earbuds include Sony's DSEE audio upscaling tech to make low-quality streaming music sound better, but there's no LDAC higher-res Bluetooth support – just the basic AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. There's multi-point pairing to switch between two devices instantly, naturally.

They feature a bone-conduction sensor as well as microphones to help pick up your voice for calls, with AI-powered reduction of background noise.

To control them, you can tap the earbuds themselves – they have an accelerometer in, so you don't need to tap anywhere in particular. In fact, while testing them I found that you didn't necessarily need to tap the earbuds themselves – tapping my ear right at the point where they sat also worked.

They promise nine hours of battery life from the buds, and 37 hours including the case. A fast-charging feature promises to provide an hour of play from three minutes of charging. They're IPX4 rated for waterproofing, so should be good to use for light exercise – don't wear them out in heavy rain, maybe, though.

They're available in black, white, lilac and pale green colors, and come in a funky box that both curved and square – and you can buy sleeves for the case to mix up the colors. These are available in five colors: coral, green, blue, lavender, and black.

The Sony LinkBuds Clip cost $229 / £180 / AU$329.95, and will be available to buy in January, though Sony didn't provide an exact date. The LinkBuds Clip Case covers cost $24.99 and are available from the Sony website only.

Based on the specs alone, you might be thinking the price sounds pretty high for the specs – the Shokz OpenFit Pro, for example, cost a similar amount and include an effective active noise cancellation feature and Dolby Atmos. JBL just announced a direct competitor in the form of its Soundgear Clips, and they'll cost $149. The Earfun Clip 2 include Sony's own LDAC higher-res wireless tech, and they're launching at $79…

But that's probably fine – it'll be all about the experience, right? I got to try a demo session with the LinkBuds Clip, and I'm afraid that just reinforced for me that Sony might have the price wrong here.

Clip to be square

First up: the fit. They go onto the ear pretty easily, and at first I tried them without the air fitting cushion. This was comfortable, felt overall natural, and there didn't seem to be much risk of them falling out, though I wasn't in a position to take them for a quick jog. There was a little rotational give to them, and I think this is part of them feeling pretty natural to wear.

I tried them with the air fitting cushion in, and the difference was interesting – on my ears (which aren't small), this meant that any rotational give disappeared, and they held rock steady where I'd put them. In exchange for this, I could 'feel' them on my ear more – not that they applied pressure or became uncomfortable in any way, but I just felt more aware of them.

I think on balance I preferred them with the air cushion. As I said, I didn't think they'd fall out without it – but with it, I was certain they would hold, and I love a little extra peace of mind where I can get it these days.

Firing up some of my music, my concern about the price tag become immediate – while I only spent about 10 minutes listening to the earbuds, the sound quality just didn't seem to be where I'd want it for over $200.

It's been normal for open earbuds to have softer and less deep audio quality than the best earbuds with an in-ear seal, but recent releases have really closed that gap – again, with the Shokz OpenFit Pro, our audio editor Becky Scarrott said she could forget she wasn't using more traditional earbuds. The sound is detailed and rich enough to compete.

With the Sony LinkBuds Clip, the sound balance was really good, as I always expect from Sony – no matter the budget level, it always finds a way to make sure your music feels like it's the correct shape.

But it was immediately obvious that there's a lack of deep bass, and I don't mean because I was listening to some trance bangers. The low end is slight overall, meaning that acoustic instruments don't have their full resonance, let alone a drum machine lacking its intended punch.

Similarly, the treble felt like it struggled to stand clearly out of the mid-range, feeling a bit too attached and unable to really shine. And that's part of a general lack of dynamic capability, which meant that the sound didn't feel particularly energetic, and didn't have the natural detail I expect from Sony.

(I also noticed quite a bit of sound leakage from someone else testing their buds about six feet from me, but I don't know how loud they had them – it may not be as bad in more common scenarios, and there's always the sound mode to reduce leakage if you need it.)

Obviously, sound quality is always relative to price – based on my demo, I expected the buds to cost more like $120 / £100, like the impressive Sony WF-C710N at launch. At nearly twice that, I'm worried these will struggle.

However, we can only make a real judgment after a proper testing period and comparison of the audio, and I didn't test features such as the mic quality, which could end up recommending it over the competition if you take a lot of calls (the mic quality on the Sony WH-1000XM6 with AI noise reduction is best in class, after all).

Huawei FreeClip 2: Two minute review

In 2025, open earbuds became the trendy new kind of headphone to buy, and the market was dominated by sports loop-style buds. By the end of the year, though, cuff- or hook-style open-ears had dethroned them, and the Huawei FreeClip 2 are some of the big new buds to use this form factor.

My favorite open-ears of last year were the Huawei FreeArc, so I was hopeful that this new option would deliver something special – perhaps even enough to dethrone the big names on this particular block, like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds or Shokz OpenDots One. However you might as well call these the FreeClicarus, because the company has flown too close to the sun.

The selling point of the FreeClip 2 is this: they’re some of the lightest, thinnest and therefore most comfortable clippy ear-cuff type earbuds to date. This is clear from the size of the charging case, which is the smallest I’ve ever seen in such buds, but also from the design and build of the buds themselves.

However even with the ‘heaviest’ cuff-style buds, I’ve never had a problem with weight, and in the FreeClip 2, the reverse was true. Buds like this rely on gravity to lock them firmly around your ear, and if they’re light, they just won’t sit right. I found the buds didn’t naturally sit properly, so needed some adjustment every time I used them, and were far too easy to knock off if they received a bump or swipe. They never fell out during exercise, but they did when I was pulling up my hood, putting on a bike helmet or bringing my noggin too close to my neck.

There are other aspects of the bud that are poorly designed. The touch controls are too finickety, requiring a precision and soft touch that I defy anyone to have at any point, let alone when they’re running or walking. And like all Huawei hearables, the companion smartphone app requires so many hoops to jump through, you’ll feel like an elephant at a circus (on Android, at least – on iOS or HarmonyOS, the process is simple). And, perhaps most damning of all, the audio quality just isn't very good.

You might now be wondering why I gave a modestly positive score to the FreeClip 2, and that's for two reasons. Firstly, it's because these issues aren't terrible. Secondly, it's for two really handy perks that the buds offer which alternatives don't.

Firstly, as I've already said, they're lovely and lightweight, and they were more comfortable to wear for runs or walks than alternatives. Secondly, the maximum volume is really high, fixing a common open earbuds issue – hearing your music properly. Despite their issues, the dearer-than-they-should-be pricing and being a let-own compared to the FreeArc, I can see these being a reliable buy for certain users.

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Specifications

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Price and availability

• Released on January 21, 2026
• Priced at £179.99 (roughly $240, AU$350)
• Premium price for clip-style buds

The Huawei FreeClip 2 were announced in December 2025, and put on sale on January 21, 2026 (today, at the time of writing). Just in time for your New Year Resolution to run more – unless you live in the US or Australia, where the things don’t sell.

At £179 (roughly $240, AU$350), the FreeClip are fairly premium cuff-style buds. They match the highly-rated Shokz OpenDots One, though undercut the $299 / £299 / AU$449 Bose Ultra Open Ears. Most earbuds with this form factor I’ve tested have been cheaper, though, with some great options at half the price that we’ll explore near the bottom of this review.

For some Huawei-shaped context, the original FreeClip were released two years prior for about the same price. If you want any open earbuds regardless of the form, the Huawei FreeArc came out in early 2025 for about half the price, and they’re the best sports-loop-style open earbuds I’ve tested to date.

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Design

• Incredibly light case, comfortable buds
• Too flexible and light to fit properly
• IP57 protection

When I first took the Huawei FreeClip 2 out of the box, I thought Huawei had left them in the wash too long and they’d shrunk. The case is absolutely tiny. I’m talking about 5 x 5 x 2.5cm, smaller than any other charging case I’ve ever seen, and at 37.8g I don’t recall testing any lighter either. Lovely for popping the case in my pocket.

Like most clip-style open earbuds, the left and right buds are interchangeable, so you can pop them in your ears or the case either way around. But the process of putting them in the case is quite confusing, with an arrangement that seems… illogical. You can see what I mean in the pictures; it’s different to any other cuff buds I’ve tested, and I constantly put them in wrong and only noticed when the lid wouldn’t close properly. I found this quite annoying, but it’s the price to pay for a small case.

Onto the buds themselves: a spherical bud (or Acoustic Ball, according to Huawei), counterweight (Comfort Bean, apparently), and the connector loop (Airy C-bridge Design), all in a 5.1g package. The loop is quite elasticky, so there’s a lot of flex between the components, but I never noticed any ill effects when the buds were in my ears.

I noticed something with the bud – sorry, the Acoustic Ball – that I’ve not heard on other clipping buds. Sometimes when I put them in my ear, the audio wouldn’t be at full power, and I’d have to readjust them before they sounded right. Usually this kind of bud just falls into place, and I wasn’t used to this kind of micromanagement. It was also easier than I’m used to, to knock them out of place – they had a solid fit when exercising, but I kept hitting them out of my ear with bike helmet straps, hoods and hats. I think the frail design and light weight have resulted in some fit reliability problems.

There are touch controls on the buds: stroke the counterweight – I mean, Comfort Bean – for changing the volume, double-tap any part of the buds to play or pause, tripe to skip. The tapping was generally okay, even though my touch wasn’t always picked up, but I really struggled with the swiping – it’s really hard to intuitively reach the right spot behind your ear to find the trigger, and in my experience it was rarely picked up correctly anyway.

You can pick up the Huawei FreeClip 2 in three colors: blue, black or white. They’re rated to IP57, so they have limited protection against dust and can be immersed in shallow water for a limited time.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Features

• Fantastic listening test
• Battery life is 8 hours, 32 hours with case
• Fewer other features than some rivals

A recurring problem with Huawei earbuds is that their app situation is, I'm sorry to have to say it, a bit of a nightmare for Android users (an app-solute nightmare?) and that’s no different for the FreeClip 2. Own an iPhone? You’re in the clear – the companion app can be pinched straight from the App Store.

On my Android phone I had to go into a web browser, download and then install an APK for the Huawei AppGallery and use that to install the Huawei Audio Connect app (I then, for good measure, deleted AppGallery). That’s quite a lot of admin just to turn off touch controls.

It might not be worth it. The app lets you pick between four presets (and lets you create your own with a 10-band equalizer), and lets you toggle a few features like touch control, wear detection and head control (you can shake your head to reject an incoming call). Okay, there’s a ‘Find-My’ feature for lost buds or case and drop detection, two useful features. The app also has an Experimental Features menu which, for now, just has a toggle for adaptive volume – since this is labelled as under development, it didn’t feel fair to evaluate it for this review.

I will say, wearer detection is rarely present on open earbuds, and even more rarely is it fully functional. One thing I noticed over my testing process is that on the FreeClip 2, it works very well. Sometimes, it’s the small things!

The battery life is a little longer than the rivals, with the earbuds lasting 9 hours before you need to pop them back in the case. The case, despite its short stature, offers a decent amount of mileage too: 39 hours in total. It’s not class-leading, but it’s still very good.

The FreeClips support Bluetooth 6.0, a figure I don’t always see in buds like these, and I never had any connection issues; they were fast to pair every time I used them. They can also pair with multiple devices simultaneously so you can use them with both your phone and, say, a running watch.

• Features score: 4/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Sound performance

• Single 10.8mm driver
• Music sounds lifeless
• Lovely, high max volume

Each Huawei FreeClip 2 earpiece has a 10.8mm driver, just like its predecessor – it seems that the improvements in this sequel are in the design department, not the audio sector. That’s a shame because while we didn’t receive the original model, I saw some negative responses to its audio quality, and I’m going to level (I think) those same complaints at the new model.

Music, frankly, sounds flat and lifeless, condensing different instruments into one musical line instead of a sonic spread and then, oddly elevating mid tones higher above treble and bass. It sounds like the guitarist forgot to plug their axe in, the singer is struggling to remember the lyrics, the bassist is pushing through carpal tunnel syndrome.

In The Roosevelts & James Mason’s This Is Life, the rhythmic acoustic guitar seems to take dominance of the mix over the bass and vocals (drums? Not here, officer). The same happened in ABBA’s Waterloo: the acoustic stings in the verse stood above everything else, but strangely when the instrument returned in the chorus it was barely audible. I listened to a recording of the fourth movement of Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and the brass overshadowed the entire instrumentation – even in the segments they’re barely present.

In short, I wasn’t wowed by the Huawei FreeClip 2’s sonic prowess – it’s not the worst I’ve ever tested, but it is for the price. However, the buds do one spec better than any other model I’ve reviewed, and it’s a department that’s crucial for open earbuds: volume.

Too many times, these open-fit headphones don’t go loud enough, and they’re hard to hear due to the background noise you’re not meant to be isolated from. The FreeClip 2, however, go really loud, and for this reason alone I’d still recommend them to some fitness users who’ve struggled with other options.

If the buds support any features like Dolby Audio or aptX, or codecs like LDAC or AAC, it isn't mentioned on Huawei's website or app.

• Sound performance score: 3/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: Value

Given the glut of cuff-style open earbuds at sub-$100 (or £, AU$ equivalent) prices, you can expect a premium product if you’re going to pay a premium price like this. I’m sorry to say that I don’t think the FreeClip 2 quite deserve to be called that, though; the feature set, fit and sound quality aren’t significantly better than the budget options on the market.

I think Huawei missed a trick by pricing these buds as they did. You can pay less and get just as much, or pay the same amount and get more from rivals.

• Value score: 3/5

Huawei FreeClip 2 review: scorecard

Huawei FreeClip 2: Should I buy?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I listened to the Huawei FreeClip 2 for just over two weeks before writing this review. In that time I used it paired to my Android smartphone.

I used the FreeClip daily during that time. I worked out at the gym, went on runs and cycled, and also used it when not exercising at home and on walks around my neighborhood. I listened on Spotify and Tidal, watched on streaming services and played several games with them.

These are the latest in a busy line of earbuds I've tested at TechRadar, including plenty of open-ear options and various gadgets from Huawei.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: January 2026

• A Sony launch event is happening on January 21
• Rumors suggest we'll see the LinkBuds Clip earbuds
• The wait goes on for the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds

Sony has posted a mysterious teaser online, announcing a new product unveiling for next Wednesday, January 21. The tagline is promising "a new form of listening", and we think that means new wireless earbuds are on the way.

The teaser was originally spotted by The Walkman Blog, but some extra context added by the tipsters at Dealabs suggests that we're going to get the Sony LinkBuds Clip earbuds at this particular launch event – so not the Sony WF-1000XM6.

We've seen plenty of rumors around the Sony WF-1000XM6 in recent weeks, and considering how much we loved the Sony WF-1000XM5 we're very much looking forward to these wireless earbuds too. However, they're more likely to launch in February.

Instead of the Sony WF-1000XM6, we're getting the Sony LinkBuds Clip, according to those in the know. We've seen several pairs of earbuds in the LinkBuds series in the past, including the Sony LinkBuds Open.

Rumored specs

More info from Dealabs suggests that the LinkBuds Clip earbuds are going to have the model number WF-LC900, and will look similar to the Huawei FreeClip or the JBL Soundgear Clips that were just unveiled at CES 2026.

That means some kind of hook that goes behind your ear to keep the earbuds in place for extended periods of time, while still feeling lightweight. At the same time, the open-ear design will allow ambient sounds through, apparently.

The earbuds are said to be coming with three different listening modes, plus support for 360-degree reality audio and spatial sound personalization. Battery life is reportedly nine hours for the earbuds on their own, with an extra 28 hours provided by the case.

They'll be IPX4 rated for protection against splashes and sweat, according to Dealabs, and four colors are predicted: black, green, purple, and cream. The launch price mentioned in the article is $229.99 (about £170 / AU$345).

Whatever Sony unveils next Wednesday, you'll be able to read about it right here, so stay tuned.

• Sony has released a limited edition pair of LinkBuds Fit earbuds in the US
• They cost $249.99 and come with exclusive goodies
• These include a cute acrylic stand with an illustration of the virtual idol

Sony has announced a new pair of limited edition earbuds in collaboration with the popular virtual idol Hatsune Miku.

The LinkBuds Fit Hatsune Miku Limited Edition come with an exclusive bundle of Miku goodies, including a special acrylic earbuds stand complete with cute artwork by illustrator 荻pote. If you look at the design closely, you'll spot Miku wearing her very own pair of LinkBuds Fit buds – which is absolutely adorable.

This is complemented by codes for a digital Hatsune Miku model and a virtual performance of the song Believe Day that you can watch in glorious augmented reality (AR) via the HoloModels smartphone app.

The song, which has music and lyrics by Vocaloid giant HarryP, was created for this Sony collaboration when it launched in Japan last summer.

Mean green buds

Of course this is huge news if, like me, you'll buy literally anything that has 'Hatsune Miku' written on the box, but this limited edition doesn't seem to differ from the standard buds aside from the inclusion of those extra goodies.

You get the standard green colorway here, which does at least line up the idol's iconic verdant hair. Still, with a retail price of $249.99 (compared to the usual $179 / £179 / AU$348 rate) I would've expected at least some kind of special decal on the buds or case themselves to set them apart.

If you do choose to invest in this limited edition release, you are at least getting a capable music listening tool for your money. We consider them to be some of the best workout headphones around, with our Sony LinkBuds Fit review praising both its bold sound and cute, lightweight design.

You could certainly choose worse headphones to blast your ears with World is Mine while you're lifting weights at the gym.

The limited edition earbuds are available now exclusively via the Sony website.

• The AI-driven memory shortage doesn't just affect PCs
• More capacity is coming, but not before 2027
• Low-margin budget products are likely to be hit hardest

What do the best DACs, the best Hi-Res Audio players, the best TVs, and the best soundbars all have in common? They're all facing component shortages and price hikes – not because of tariffs, but because of the AI-driven shortage of memory and storage chips. And the pain's going to be particularly pronounced at the more affordable end of the market, where profit margins are already razor-thin.

As you're no doubt aware, the AI industry is buying a lot of memory for its data centers: as Reuters reported back in October, just one AI firm, OpenAI, intends to order 900,000 semiconductor wafers in 2029. That's around 40% of the world's entire production. And there's plenty more demand in the industry.

As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, "The rapid build-out of infrastructure for artificial intelligence is consuming a large portion of available supply of NAND flash memory, DRAM memory and hard drives. That has resulted in a shortage of memory for other markets such as PCs and smartphones."

Audiovisual devices aren't the same as PCs, and don't typically need as much memory as smartphones. But they still need some memory in order to do what they do. Everything from smart speakers to smart TVs to in-car entertainment systems use RAM alongside their processors, and some of them use NAND storage too, because they're all just small computers at heart; both of these components' prices are rocketing.

We've already seen Samsung warn that its TVs' prices may rise due to comopnents shortages, while there are warnings about smartphone makers scaling back their specs for this year's mobile phones, cutting their memory to cut the cost of manufacturing.

And according to NPR, memory prices are expected to rise even more this year. As Avril Wu of the consultancy Trendforce told NPR, "I keep telling everybody that if you want a device, you buy it now."

How AI could affect AV

AI data centers don't use the same memory chips as a DAC or a Hi-Res Audio player: they use High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), not the DDR RAM you'd find in a PC or PlayStation. But those differing chips are made from the same kind of semiconductor wafers, and those wafers are in ever-increasing demand because HBM uses roughly three times more of those wafers than DDR5 RAM does.

They're also much more profitable to sell, and as a result many firms are shifting focus from consumer memory chips to data center ones – so for example Micron, one of the big three memory makers alongside SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, has shut down its long-standing consumer memory business, Crucial, "to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments". In other words, AI.

As some manufacturers shift focus, new capacity for other kinds of memory isn't coming on board fast enough to cover the demand. So for example in October SK Hynix announced that it "has already secured full customer demand for its entire DRAM and NAND production for next year", and that it'll need to expand its production to cope with the market demands – but even the equipment to make the chips are set to rise in price.

In the shorter term, that means higher memory prices. Much higher prices. CNBC reports that RAM prices are expected to rise "more than 50% this quarter compared to the last quarter of 2025." And the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute says that "DRAM prices have also surged 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold, while DDR5 spot prices have quadrupled since September 2025. DRAM and NAND prices doubled in a single month".

While capacity is being added to existing production plants and new plants are being built, that capacity isn't expected to come online until 2027.

That's likely to have two key impacts on the AV hardware market. The first is that we'll see price increases down the line, especially at the budget end of the market where manufacturers can't simply swallow the increased cost: there's a lot less margin on a $300 smart TV than a $3,000 one.

The second is that manufacturers may go back to the drawing board as some smartphone firms have done, limiting their next products' specifications to compensate for shortages and price hikes. It may also persuade some firms to postpone their product plans altogether until market conditions are more favorable.

We've been here before, of course: I remember the completely fruitless search for in-stock AV receivers after chip production had shut down during COVID lockdowns. At least this time we know the component crunch is coming, and can make purchasing plans accordingly.

Our picks of the best AV gear across different categories