New noise cancellation bluetooth earphones are Sony's answer to Apple's Airpods

Sony WF-1000X
Price: Rs 14,990

These are Sony’s answer to Apple’s Airpods but with one big additional feature: noise cancellation. The individual earphones work in tandem for music and videos, but for voice calls only the left earphone is active.


Setting them up is a breeze and you can access advanced features such as equaliser and adaptive noise cancellation from the Sony Headphone app. Audio quality is great for the size and even though it does not offer deep bass, levels are good enough for most users.

Noise cancellation works phenomenally well too. Battery life is the sore point — like other similar wireless earphones we have used, these only last up to three hours on a single charge.

Thankfully, there is a sleek charger carry case that will add over 7 hours of battery life.

Sony WH-1000XM2
Price: Rs 29,990

The XM2 is for those who prefer an over-the-ear Bluetooth headset. This one also offers great noise cancellation and even has some unique tricks up its sleeve. First, it has an atmospheric pressure optimiser for use in airplanes — the noise cancellation level adjusts as the pressure changes.

There is also a Quick Attention mode. To use this, place your hand on the right ear cup and the volume is muted while noise cancellation is paused — then you can talk without removing the headset.

Audio output is spectacular: deep bass, loud output and excellent treble. The lightweight design and comfortable ear pads make it a delight to use for long hours. The ear cup also has a touch-sensitive panel with which you can increase the volume, change tracks and accept incoming calls.

In addition, the battery life lasted us over 28 hours on a single charge, which is very impressive.

The XM2 also supports fast charge — it gave one hour of battery life with just 10 minutes of charging. The box includes a hard carry case. The XM2 is now one of our top choices for over-the-ear headphones with noise cancellation.