The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones of 2026

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, Adaptive Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 6 hours with ANC, up to 24 hours with the case

Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II offer some of the absolute best pure noise canceling performance we’ve ever heard. It’s exceptional against low drones, but it’s also incredibly effective in areas where ANC headphones typically suffer. Even midrange chatter is cut to a level where even quiet music can cover it up.

The QuietComfort II’s sound performance is enhanced as well, with the addition of a 3-band EQ in the Bose Music app. There are certainly more fine-tuned EQs out there, but it suffices to wrangle harsh sounds in certain registers. You can customize the touch controls as well, using them for volume, tracks, voice assistant activation, and ANC tweaks.

Their biggest downside is their call sound quality, especially for the person on the other end of the line. for whoever you’re speaking to, doesn’t measure up. Even a mild breeze can become an overpowering whoosh that ruins phone calls. We’d also like to see more customization, and the active transparency mode isn’t as well-honed as those of the AirPods Pro 2.

But despite those drawbacks, Bose’s improved take on their earbuds features solid sound and the best noise canceling performance you can buy.

Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review.

• Ambient sound modes: Active noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: No IP rating
• Battery life: up to 24 hours with ANC

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are the latest from a legendary line of audio products. They aren’t perfect, but they have powerful noise canceling performance that more than earns their spot on the list. They demolished our typical noise canceling tests, landing very close to our Best Overall pick, Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

On top of Bose’s excellent ability to block sound waves, they’re also sleek enough to travel easily. There are only two sound modes—”Quiet” for noise canceling and “Aware” for transparency mode. Meanwhile, the Bose Music app is easy to navigate. All in all, it’s a similar seamlessness to the Apple AirPods, but not tied to one platform.

Of course, that simplicity can also be a drawback, especially at this price. Compared to rivals like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM4, you’re getting a pretty limited experience. With no way to change the EQ settings, there’s nothing to do about the occasionally sharp treble of the QC45’s sound signature.

If sound quality and advanced features are as important as squashing the noise, there are better options out there. But if your top priority is just world-class noise canceling in a simple, stout package, Bose’s QuietComfort 45 headphones are tough to beat.

• Ambient sound modes: Adaptive noise canceling via QN1 chip, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: No IP rating
• Battery life: up to 30 hours

Sony's WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones are popular for their top-notch sound and impressive features. But they’re also solid at noise cancellation. Newer models may have surpassed them in the years since their release, but even today they hold their own.

The highly adaptive noise canceling here adjusts to your environment and activity. It responds to changes in barometric pressure, and whether you’re sitting, walking, or running to recalibrate its noise canceling for maximum effect.

Sony confidently sent a huge, noise-making box alongside our review pair as a kind of "stress test" for them. Their confidence is well-placed. The XM4 eliminates a ton of ambient noise, alongside being luxuriously comfortable and marvelously lightweight.

Other benefits include adjustable EQ in Sony’s headphone app and up to 30 hours of battery life. Handy features like Speak-to-Chat pauses the music when you speak, and multipoint pairing lets you bounce from your phone to your PC with ease.

No set of headphones are perfect, and the asking price here is steep. But these headphones have earned their strong reputation. They may have been supplanted by Sony’s latest, but they’re still a strong contender on their own.

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 8 hours with ANC (12 without), up to 36 hours with the case

Sony’s WF-1000XM4 earbuds are another powerful entry in their 1000XM line. With a brilliant mix of incredible sound quality, innovative design, IPX4 waterproofing, and great noise canceling, these are an expensive, but excellent choice.

They may have been supplanted for best noise-canceling, but they’re still a strong contender. Their small profile, solid battery life, and luscious sound help keep them in the ring.

The sound is one of the high points here; it’s among the best in its class. It’s sweet and smooth, with a world of subtle detail rendered easy to hear. Throw in the extra clarity provided by the powerful noise canceling and you’ve got a fantastic listening experience that beats out plenty of over-ear headphones.

Sony’s Headphones Connect app enables a host of features. There’s a robust EQ with manual adjustments and presets. Audio options include cycling from ambient mode to noise canceling based on your location and routine. The comfy foam tips provide a stable seal and the touch controls are intuitive.

Unfortunately, the touch controls raise our main complaint. They’re limited enough that you have to choose between volume controls or other crucial functionality. Likewise, other features we’d like to see for this price point like multipoint pairing or Find My Earbuds are missing.

Still, this is a powerful pair of noise-canceling earbuds that offers a great combination of robust features and smooth usability.

Read our full Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds review.

• Ambient sound modes: Active noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: up to 6 hours with ANC, up to 18 hours with the case

Bose upped the game with the QCEII earbuds, but the original QuietComfort Earbuds are still top-notch noise cancelers. They were designed from the ground up for active noise cancellation, and they succeed wildly. Despite their age, they offer sharp noise canceling, a premium design, clear sound, and a secure, comfortable fit.

Unfortunately, not every aspect has aged well. The price tag is fairly high, and on top of that, the chunky charging case only offers only two recharges, for a relatively low 18 hours of total battery. Bose’s trademark sound quality is present, but with no EQ in the app, you’re locked into the default.

These frustrations are offset by some neat convenience features, including several noise cancellation adjustments and the ability to adjust parameters like the volume of your own voice in phone calls.

Successors have come along to offer a little more at a similar price point, but this is still an objectively great set of earbuds. For the right sale price, they could be a solid way to get excellent noise cancellation.

Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds review.

• Ambient sound modes: Active noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: up to 20 hours

Bose has a long history at our near the top of the noise canceling competition. They’ve advanced a long way since the QuietComfort 35 Series II. But this headset was so far ahead of its own time that it still holds up, cutting out deep train rumbling, high-pitched air conditioner humming, and plenty in between.

The headphones are light and comfortable enough for hours of wear. The only drawback is you may get some heat or sweat where the cushy leather pads meet the sides of your head. The 20-hour battery life is less than the newest Bose or Sony pairs, but it'll get you through a flight to just about anywhere in the world.

One tricky point is that the ANC and the Bluetooth connection share an on/off switch. If you decide you don’t want ANC on for any reason, you’ll have to plug these in and use them as wired headphones.

With Bose having launched QC45 as a successor, The QC 35 II is a solid option at a more affordable price—especially if you can find them on sale.

• Ambient sound modes: Adaptive noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: ~5.5 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 28 hours with the case

Sennheiser’s latest true wireless earbuds offer everything we love about the previous iteration and drastically improves the active noise canceling. The TW 3 boast responsive, powerful ANC that holds its own with the best in the business.

Of course, they also feature Sennheiser’s standout sound quality, our favorite feature of their predecessors. The more stylized soundstage is a bit brighter than before, but also clearer, with more attention to detail. If you don’t love the default sound, the three-band EQ makes it easier than ever to adjust. (Admittedly, we wouldn’t have minded more control there).

Other notable features include adjustable controls, a wireless charging case, and standards like auto-pause and the ability to use one earbud at a time. The battery life is competitive, if not groundbreaking. They also offer advanced audio codecs like aptX Adaptive and AAC for improved sound on Android or iPhone respectively. As of a November 2022 firmware update, they also feature multipoint pairing

They still feature IPX4 water resistance, but their new design makes them sportier and comfier. Multiple ear tips and fins help ensure a good fit. They may not be your go-to running buds, but they’ll work in a pinch for most any activity. Perhaps the best news is that all these improvements come with a lower MSRP than Sennheiser’s previous pair.

As for downsides, these buds aren’t quite as comfortable as semi-open pairs like the Jabra Elite 85t and Apple AirPods Pro. Their charging case is also heftier and bulkier than most competitors. Finally, there’s no “find my earbuds” feature available.

That said, Sennheiser’s delivered a winning combination of lots of features, a slimmer and sportier design, and powerful noise cancellation to go along with their trademark excellent sound.

Read our full Sennheiser TW 3 review.

• Ambient sound modes: Active noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX7
• Battery life: Up to 5 hours with ANC (8 without), up to 30 hours with charging case

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the go-to choice for Android users, especially alongside a Samsung Galaxy phone. Their six audio presets sound great—Normal, in particular, has excellent midrange response and vocal clarity. The ANC performance delivers great low-end cancellation of airplane drone and modest midrange handling of clicky keyboards and coffee shop conversation.

The design is 15% smaller than the original Galaxy Buds Pro. The slimmer profile offers a solid fit, and the IPX7 water resistance makes them a good workout companion. Samsung has also changed from a gloss finish to matte, and we prefer the new look.

Of course, there’s no iOS app, so the advanced features are limited to Android phones. However, Android users will find features like Bixby Voice control, spatial audio, Easy Pair and Auto Switch, and 24-bit high-res audio. The 5-hour battery life isn’t amazing, and our testing actually saw them come in a little under that number. Still, they can provide another hour after just a five-minute charge in the case.

For anyone entrenched in the Android ecosystem, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro deliver a package that’s hard to beat.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 25 hours with the case

Jabra’s Elite 85t have been around for a little while. Still, they offer plenty to love: smooth and balanced sound, comprehensive controls, a compact form factor, decent battery life, and a barrel full of other top-flight features. They’ve held up well in the face of technological advances.

The Elite 85t have solid noise canceling, especially considering their open-style design. It may not squash background noise as completely as our top picks, but it’s darn good for almost any situation.

The more bulbous design means the fit isn’t as stable as workout headphones like Jabra’s own Elite 4 and Elite 7, or Beats’ Fit Pro. Still, the oval ear tips provide a proper seal without plugging up your ears, similar to the comfortable AirPods Pro.

These device-agnostic buds work with any of the major voice assistants (or none). Jabra’s app provides useful features, including customizable sound and controls, an earbuds finder, and much more. While the noise canceling isn’t top of the class, if you’re looking for great all-around earbuds that are comfortable for hours, Jabra’s Elite 85t are a brilliant choice.

Read our full Jabra Elite 85t review.