5 Best Noise-Canceling Headphones for Commuting

Whether you’re listening to some of the most obscure podcasts, listening to your favorite tracks, or watching esoteric Youtube videos about NFT scams, everyone’s on their phone during the morning commute. That’s why I like to have my favorite pair of noise-canceling headphones to mute out the world and immerse myself in the content.

At home, I prefer to listen to music in a quiet room with open-back planar magnetic headphones in a quiet room. However, that’s not ideal for commuting. Let’s check out a few factors that make a good commuting headphone:  

1. Portability – Portability is key when you’re picking up a headphone for commuting. That means they need to be wireless and easy to carry around. In terms of portability true wireless earbuds easily win out. However, I don’t like to stick things in my ear canal and go for wireless over-ear headphones that are foldable or have some sort of flexible hinge. 

2. Sound Quality – This one’s a no-brainer. Irrespective of the demographic or niche, a headphone needs to sound good to make your listening experience enjoyable. 

3. ANC – A couple of decades ago I would recommend noise-isolating headphones. However Active Noise Canceling technology has progressed enough to penetrate all budget segments. That’s why it’s best to pick an ANC headphone to shut off the ambient world and immerse yourself into the music or podcast. 

4. Comfort – Comfort is a very important factor when it comes to commuting. While your daily commute may last an hour or two, you don’t want to sit through a long-haul flight with an uncomfortable pair of headphones.   

With that out of the way let’s check out some of the best noise-canceling headphones for commuting. Take a look at the following chart to get a sneak peek into the specs of the noise-canceling headphones. 

Headphones	Sony WH-1000XM4	Bose NC 700	Apple AirPods Pro	Apple AirPods Max	Jabra Elite Active 75t
Price	Check Price on Amazon	Check Price on Amazon	Check Price on Amazon	Check Price on Amazon	Check Price on Amazon
Weight	9 ounces	9 ounces	0.38 ounces	13.6 ounces	0.4 ounces
Form Factor	Over-the-ear Headphones	Over-the-ear Headphones	True Wireless Earbuds	Over-the-ear Headphones	True Wireless Earbuds
Waterproof	IPX4	Not waterproof	IPX4	Not waterproof	IP57
Microphones	5	8	4	9	4
Battery Life	30 Hours with ANC	20 Hours with ANC	4.5 Hours with ANC	20 Hours with ANC	5.5 Hours with ANC

1. Sony WH-1000XM4 (Best Overall) 

It has been a couple of years since the Sony WH-1000XM4 came out and it still manages to beat out the competition in its segment and price. It’s always an easy recommendation when someone asks for noise-canceling headphones, commute, or otherwise. Design-wise the XM4 looks identical to its predecessor, the XM3s, except for the rubbery matte finish. In my opinion, this was a great choice since the foldability and flexibility of the XM3s were already the best in class. 

Out of the box, the headphone comes with a nifty carrying case, a headphone cable for wired use, and an airline adapter(Yup! That’s still a thing). However, I don’t like the extremely short charging cable that comes with the device. One of the strengths of this headphone is its features. It’s full of them. 

There’s a proximity sensor in one of the ear cups to detect when you’re wearing the headphones and when you aren’t. This allows the headphone to pause music when you take the headphones off and saves battery life. I also like the speak-to-chat feature that pauses music and turns off ANC so that I can interact with people around me. After I’m done talking the music and ANC is turned on again and the offset time can be changed. 

https://youtu.be/bInJjmH31Hk

ANC is by far the best I’ve experienced in this segment. There are headphones like the AirPods Max that do a better job at ANC. However, they cost a lot more. Sony has everyone beat with the value it offers. Sony understands that people don’t buy noise-canceling headphones just to block out airplane noise. 

I found that these headphones can effectively block out everyday noise including sirens, honks, people talking behind me, and more such noise I encounter during my commute. The ANC is also highly customizable to allow ambient noise. This keeps me aware of my surroundings so that I don’t get run over by cars while crossing roads and can hear my name when Starbucks has made my coffee. 

These headphones also score all the points in the sound category. No, they don’t sound as good as high-fidelity wired headphones connected to an AMP/DAC, none of the wireless ANC headphones do. However, as feature-rich consumer-grade headphones, they sound great. The bass is rock solid, mid-range is wide and open, and sparkly treble that never gets harsh enough to tire you out.   

2. Bose NC 700 (Best Call Quality)

After a decade Bose, the pioneer of ANC technology with the Bose NC 700 has revamped its premium noise-canceling line. The biggest difference between the familiar QuietComfort models and the NC 700 is the design. They have a unique look with invisible hinges that still retain all the flexibility you expect from commuting headphones. The clamping force is just right and the soft headband with well-padded cans takes comfort to a whole new level.

When it comes to features, the NC 700 seems like a direct response to all the ANC headphones that came out before it and took a bite out of Bose’s market share. There’s USB Type-C for charging and the headphones can connect to two different devices and can instantly swap back and forth between them. There’s also a touchpad on the right earcup for volume control and music playback and skipping tracks.   

The power button also acts as a Bluetooth connection and pairing button and there’s a dedicated button for summoning smart assistants. There’s also a dedicated ANC button on the left earcup. This is very helpful since I don’t need to open my phone every time for changing the ANC level in different situations. The ANC level goes from 0 to 10 and can be customized in the app. However, despite a higher count of microphones, the ANC isn’t as good as the XM4s.  

https://youtu.be/bK3GMtGeT_U

These headphones also lose out to Sony when it comes to battery life. While I haven’t extensively tested out the battery life, Bose claims it can deliver around 20 hours of battery life with ANC. While it‘s impressive and more than enough for extensive use, compared to the XM4’s 30-hour battery life it doesn’t seem like a big deal. The Sony headphones can also deliver 5 hours of listening with 10 minutes of charge, while the NC 700 delivers 2 hours with 15 minutes of charging. 

On the other hand, these headphones win where Sony doesn’t. It simply nails call quality and sound quality for the price. Call quality is a very important feature while commuting and this is the best pair if that’s your top priority. While the Xm4s has decent call quality, it can’t handle wind. The Bose can completely cancel out all kinds of background noise including wind during calls. 

I also prefer the NC 700’s sound signature compared to the XM4s. While the bass isn’t its strong suit, the upper mid-range, and the lower treble band is accentuated. I can enjoy more genres of music with these headphones.        

3. Apple AirPods Pro (Best for iPhones)

The Airpods Pro may be the second most popular earbuds on the planet after AirPods. To be frank, the AirPods Pro doesn’t have the best ANC, sound quality, or battery life. However, I always find myself reaching for them for most activities. If the XM4’s ANC wasn’t so good, the AirPods Pro would also accompany me in my commutes all the time. That’s because the AirPods Pro may not be the best at one thing, but very convenient and good at everything, especially for iPhone users. 

Design-wise the AirPods Pro is very modern, stylish and can also double as fashion accessories. They also fit very nicely in my ears with the silicone ear tips and stay pretty secure. They are so comfortable that I forget I even have them on after a couple of hours. While I didn’t like the pressure sensor at first, I slowly got used to it and I think it’s more reliable than the touch sensor or the regular AirPods. 

When it comes to ANC, the AirPods Pro may not be as great as Sony’s WF-1000XM4, but it’s pretty close. They can block out voices, street noise, airplane noise, and other noises you encounter while commuting. They also beat out Sony’s flagship true wireless earbuds with their superior transparency mode.   

https://youtu.be/cG8PXdTlDag

The AirPods also delivers great call quality. They are great at blocking out the surrounding noise so that the person at the other end can hear you clearly. They are my go-to earbuds during Zoom calls. While all that’s great, the AirPods Pro is heavily integrated into the Apple ecosystem. There’s no companion app for the AirPods and you won’t be able to use most of its great features on Android or PC.  

The battery life is also average at best when compared to other true wireless earbuds. With ANC you get around 4.5 hours of playtime and with the charging case you get around 24 hours. Finally, when it comes to sound quality, Sony’s flagship wireless earbuds and a few other earbuds in the price range kick the AirPods Pro to the curb. However, they sound great with Apple Music, especially spatial audio.  

4. Apple AirPods Max (Best Aesthetics)

Apple products are always polarizing. The AirPods Max certainly did divide the crowd with its design, price, and its stupid case. They are the most expensive pair of wireless ANC headphones on this list at the time of writing and should remain that way for a very long time. When it comes to aesthetics, the AirPods Max wins all the points in my book. They look fantastic and distinctive with the rounded aluminum cans, a steel and mesh headband, and comfy replaceable earpads. 

However, the metal also makes them bulky. While the mesh band does a great job at distributing the weight of the headphones, I do feel it every time I make angular motions while wearing them. But I also love its stainless steel telescopic headband and mesh earpads. The telescopic headband doesn’t have any notches and allows precise adjustments for my big head while the mesh ear pads with memory foam never got hot after hours of listening. 

The earpads are also easily replaceable with magnets. You can mix and match colors to customize the look of your headphones. For controlling volume and tracks Apple went with buttons instead of touch controls like its competitors. There’s a pairing button and a digital crown from the Apple Watch for changing tracks and controlling volume. 

https://youtu.be/4vb98s41__Y

I was incredibly impressed with its ANC and transparency mode. With a 9 microphone array, these headphones do a great job at canceling out noise and do so in a very natural way. I didn’t feel that slight pressure on my ears I usually feel after a few hours of listening with ANC. It cut off my loud lawnmower even when my kid was operating it 3 feet away. 

When it comes to sound, they have a neutral sound signature with a slightly warm tone. That’s a recipe that everyone would love and is suited for listening to a vast variety of genres. There’s virtually no distortion at loud volumes, a solid sub-bass response, clear instrument separation, and everything else you expect in a consumer-grade headphone that costs this much.         

5. Jabra Elite Active 75t (Best Budget)

The Jabra Elite Active 75t is the upgrade that leaves the 65t and everything that was wrong with it in the past. While they do look similar to the 65t, they are lighter and more compact. That’s why they make a more secure fit in your ears. The case has also been shrunk down and made more pocketable. They also have a rubberized coating that makes them feel more premium and also makes them more comfortable on my ears. 

The Jabra also beats out all the other headphones on the list with its waterproof rating. With an IP57 rating, they are both sweat and water-resistant and can take more of a beating from the weather than any other headphones on this list. Unlike my Xm4s I don’t have to worry about the rain or even dusty rural environments when I’m wearing the 75t.

https://youtu.be/xnIVsc_Fo3g

While these earbuds didn’t start out with active noise canceling, they had the necessary tech inside. That means an internal and an external microphone and a powerful digital processor. So, after a few updates, Jabra decided to bestow these earbuds with the ANC feature. To be honest the ANC feature is just average on these earbuds. However, it’s hard to come across this feature at such a low price. It also has excellent passive noise isolation with its gel ear tips.      

I wasn’t disappointed with the battery life either. A single charge gives over 5 hours of playtime and with the case, it’s extended to around 28 hours. Bluetooth connectivity and range are also great with little to no noticeable latency. 

However, if you’re looking for an earbud with a neutral and flat sound signature this isn’t the one. The sound signature is colored with warm bass. I think Jabra went with this sound signature on these earbuds since it’s marketed as the perfect gym earbuds. However, with a few EQ tweaks from the companion app, I think these earbuds are the budget kings for commuting.   

Conclusion

I’m surprised how I was able to commute in annoying traffic, crowded transit systems, and loud cars a decade ago. Nowadays I can’t imagine traveling or commuting without my Sony WH-1000XM4s. I hope this article was able to help you pick out the right ANC headphones for you. Happy commuting!