Wired Noise-Cancelling Earbuds: The Few That Exist

Yes, wired noise-cancelling earbuds exist, though Bose’s own product page calls noise cancelling “rare for wired earbuds.” The best pair this guide found is the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds, at $99 on Bose.com on November 6, 2026. SoundGuys measured their noise cancelling at an 82.3% average cut in outside noise. Bose was taking orders that day, but they weren’t expected to ship until November 30 for Black and White Smoke, or December 7 for Dewdrop Mint. For less money, the Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) were $29.99 and in stock at Belkin’s store the same day, though Gizmodo’s reviewer found their noise cancelling weak.

Both earbuds plug into USB-C. Bose says its pair draws power from the phone or computer it is plugged into, noise cancelling included, so there is no battery inside, and Belkin says its pair has “no battery to charge.” If you want noise cancelling from a 3.5 mm headphone jack instead, Sony says its WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones work as noise-cancelling headphones on an airplane over their supplied cable, as long as the headphones are turned on, and SoundGuys notes that cable is 3.5 mm. Sony’s store had the Black model at $379.99 on sale (list $459.99), with Add to Cart available, on November 6, 2026.

Quick picks

The Bose details come from Bose’s launch announcement, product page and owner’s guide. The Belkin details come from Belkin’s product page and Gizmodo’s review, which describes the in-line control module and lists “Only works with devices that support audio over USB-C” as a drawback. The Sony details come from Sony’s Help Guide and store page, and from SoundGuys, which notes the included cable is 3.5 mm and that the headphones have no wired USB-C audio. Gizmodo adds that wireless over-ear headphones used on a cable “still need power for their sound filtering.” An IP rating (ingress protection) tells you how well a device resists water; Bose says its IPX4 earbuds handle sweat and weather but “aren’t meant to be submerged under water.”

Best overall: Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds

Bose announced these on September 28, 2026, as its return to wired earbuds, at $99 with shipping from October 15. They plug straight into a USB-C phone, tablet or computer with no pairing and no app, and Bose says that “because the earbuds draw power directly from the connected device, there is no internal battery to recharge or depend on, even for active noise cancellation.” One line in the spec table on Bose’s product page reads “Rechargeable Yes,” which conflicts with that; Bose’s announcement and the product page’s own FAQ both describe power drawn from the connected device. Active noise cancellation (ANC) uses microphones to monitor outside sound and reduce it; Bose uses four microphones, two on each earbud.

You get three modes: Quiet (full noise cancelling), Aware (lets outside sound in) and Off. To change modes, press and hold the Multi-function button on the remote; a voice prompt announces each mode in a loop, and you release the button when you hear the one you want. The same three-button remote handles volume, play and pause, track skips and calls, and the microphone sits on the back of the remote. In the box are three sizes of ear tips, two sizes of stability wings and a zippered carry case, and the cable is 4.2 feet long. Bose says the earbuds accept audio at any sample rate and play it back at 24-bit/48 kHz, with low delay for videos and games.

SoundGuys measured an average 82.3% cut in how loud outside noise sounds with noise cancelling on, and 57% from the silicone tips alone. For comparison, SoundGuys measured 85% for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and 90% for the Apple AirPods Pro 3, both wireless, and called the wired pair “surprisingly close to Bose’s own flagship earbuds on paper.” In daily use the noise cancelling did most of its work on low rumble like engines, transit and air conditioning, while voices and other high-pitched sounds still came through, and the reviewer called it “just okay in everyday use.”

The trade-offs, per the same review: the microphone does little to block background noise on calls, the cable carries rubbing noise into your ears when you move around, and the cable can’t be replaced if it breaks. There is no app or adjustable equalizer (EQ), so any sound tuning has to happen on your phone or music app. SoundGuys’ verdict was that they are “worth a look” as a backup pair for work or travel rather than a replacement for wireless earbuds.

Order at Bose.com

Are the Bose wired earbuds sold out?

Not on Bose.com on November 6, 2026, but you will wait. Bose listed all three colors at $99 with Add to Cart available and “Expected to ship” dates of November 30 for Black and White Smoke and December 7 for Dewdrop Mint, which Bose sells as a limited edition. Bose’s launch announcement named Bose.com and Best Buy as the places to order.

Cheapest: Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C)

Belkin’s pair costs about a third of the Bose price: $29.99 at Belkin’s US store, in stock on November 6, 2026. Belkin lists ANC, a built-in mic, a flat tangle-free cable, 12 mm drivers, an IPX5 rating, three sizes of silicone ear tips, a 2-year warranty and “no battery to charge.” They have been on sale longer than the Bose: Gizmodo reviewed them in October 2025 and reported Belkin’s site would start selling them on October 17 that year.

Gizmodo’s reviewer liked the sound and calls, writing that they put out “much better sound than I would expect from similarly priced wireless earbuds.” A friend on a call near a busy street said the reviewer’s voice “came through loud and clear.” The noise cancelling is the weak spot: Gizmodo found they “only mildly cancel noise,” handling steady drones like a desk fan, and called them a “last resort” on a plane or city bus. The reviewer also heard a lot of cable noise, found the bass turned fuzzy at around 80% volume, and noted that you switch between noise cancelling and transparency mode by long-pressing a button on the remote. Gizmodo’s verdict is a hands-on impression, not a lab measurement.

Don’t lean on Belkin’s own compatibility list: it opens with “For devices enabled with Bluetooth” and lists models as old as the 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro. Belkin’s page also showed “Not eligible for return” next to a “30-Day money back guarantee” on November 6, 2026, so check the return terms before you buy.

Buy these if you want cheap, battery-free earbuds for a laptop, a desk or calls, and treat the noise cancelling as a bonus.

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For 3.5 mm headphone jacks: Sony WH-1000XM6

The two earbuds above need a USB-C port that sends audio. Bose says that because its earbuds need power from the port, “non-USB adaptors will not work,” and Gizmodo lists “only works with devices that support audio over USB-C” as a drawback of the Belkin pair. One workaround for a 3.5 mm jack is a pair of wireless over-ear headphones that keeps noise cancelling on over a cable, but they have to be charged and switched on. Gizmodo makes the same point: such headphones “still need power for their sound filtering, and some won’t even work as normal headphones once their battery is kaput.”

Sony’s Help Guide for the WH-1000XM6 says that on an airplane, “you can use the headset as noise canceling headphones while the headset is connected to a device via the supplied headphone cable and the headset is turned on.” If the headset is turned off, music still plays over the cable but “the noise canceling function cannot be used.” SoundGuys notes the XM6 has no wired USB-C audio, so the included 3.5 mm cable is the only wired option. Sony says to use the supplied cable only, and to adjust volume and play or pause on the playback device.

On a call over the cable, you hear the caller in the headphones and talk into your phone’s own microphone. Turn off Speak-to-Chat first: Sony says that if it is on, “the caller’s voice will not be heard from the headset.”

Sony rates the battery at up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on, and its store had the Black model at $379.99 on sale (list $459.99) on November 6, 2026. Sony also warns that “the headset is not waterproof,” so these are not for workouts in the rain. For how the XM6 compares with Bose and Apple headphones, see the noise-cancelling headphones guide.

Other noise-cancelling headphones handle cables differently, so check the owner’s guide for the exact pair you are considering before you count on noise cancelling over a cable.

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Will they work with your device?

• USB-C phones, tablets and laptops: Bose says its pair works with “most modern smartphones, tablets, and computers that have a USB-C port,” including “many Android devices” and “newer iPhones with USB-C.” Gizmodo’s reviewer confirmed the Belkin pair worked on an iPhone 15 Pro, a Google Pixel 6, two Apple silicon Macs and a Nintendo Switch 2. USB-C audio isn’t universal, though: SoundGuys couldn’t get Apple’s USB-C EarPods to work on an Asus phone, so buy from a store with an easy return policy.
• Game consoles: Bose markets its pair for gaming because a wired connection has “extremely low latency.” Gizmodo found the Belkin pair worked on the Switch 2 itself but not through the Switch 2 Pro Controller, which only outputs audio through its 3.5 mm jack, and says the first-generation Switch, OLED model included, doesn’t support USB-C headphones.
• iPhone with a Lightning port: both wired noise-cancelling earbuds are USB-C only, and Bose’s support answer lists USB-C devices. For that port, Apple sells EarPods (Lightning Connector), the Lightning version of the plain EarPods covered in the section below. Apple’s store listed them at $19 on November 6, 2026.
• A 3.5 mm headphone jack: neither earbud fits. Bose says “non-USB adaptors will not work” with its pair, and Gizmodo says the Belkin pair only works with devices that support audio over USB-C. Use the Sony WH-1000XM6 over its 3.5 mm cable, or plain 3.5 mm earbuds.
• Battery life on your phone: the Bose earbuds run on your phone’s battery instead of their own, as SoundGuys points out. Bose’s guide says switching noise cancelling Off saves battery on the device the earbuds are plugged into.

Don’t need noise cancelling? Plain wired earbuds

If you just want cheap earbuds that plug in, these two pairs come with a choice of plugs.

Cheapest: Apple EarPods (USB-C). On November 6, 2026, Apple’s store listed EarPods at $19 each with a USB-C plug, a Lightning connector or a 3.5 mm plug, and the USB-C version has a built-in remote for volume, playback and calls. Apple lists the USB-C version as compatible with USB-C iPhones running iOS 17 or later, USB-C iPads and USB-C Macs. They do not have noise cancelling, and SoundGuys found the hard plastic shape doesn’t seal your ear, so a lot of outside noise leaks in and bass is thin. SoundGuys also could not get them to work with an Asus phone, though Samsung phones worked.

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Better sound: Sennheiser CX 80U. Sennheiser’s US store sells its CX 80 earbuds with either a USB-C or a 3.5 mm plug, and listed the USB-C version at $39.95 on November 6, 2026; Tom’s Guide reviewed that USB-C version as the CX 80U. Sennheiser lists an in-line remote and mic, three sizes of ear tips for a seal that blocks some outside noise, a 9.7 mm driver and a 1.2 m (3.9 ft) cable. Tom’s Guide’s February 2026 review calls the CX 80U “the best budget earbuds to get this year” and credits its built-in DAC (digital-to-analog converter) with 24-bit/96 kHz playback, with sub-bass as its only real complaint.

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Why so few wired earbuds cancel noise

Noise cancelling needs power, and an old-style headphone jack doesn’t supply it. Gizmodo’s reviewer put it plainly: “ANC needs to be powered, and you can’t get that from a 3.5mm headphone jack.” Gizmodo adds that workarounds such as a battery pack built into the earbuds’ cable, or a separate USB-C-powered dongle, give up the battery-free advantage of wired audio.

USB-C gets around that. SoundGuys explains the Bose design simply: “The USB-C connection carries digital audio and powers the earbuds, including ANC.” That also means these are not old-fashioned analog earbuds: SoundGuys points out they take a digital signal over USB-C and run their own sound processing for audio and noise cancelling.

Wired noise-cancelling earbuds questions

Do wired noise-cancelling earbuds exist?

Yes, though Bose’s product page calls noise cancelling “rare for wired earbuds.” Two battery-free USB-C options are the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds, $99 on Bose.com, and the Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C), $29.99 at Belkin, both checked on November 6, 2026.

Do the Bose wired earbuds work with an iPhone?

Yes, with an iPhone that has a USB-C port: Bose lists “newer iPhones with USB-C” among compatible devices. They connect only over USB-C, and Bose says “non-USB adaptors will not work.”

Do wired noise-cancelling earbuds need charging?

Not the Bose or Belkin pairs. Bose says its earbuds have no internal battery and draw power from the connected device, and Belkin says its pair has “no battery to charge.” Gizmodo notes that other designs, with a battery pack in the cable or a separate dongle, give up that battery-free advantage.

How good is the noise cancelling on the Bose wired earbuds?

SoundGuys measured an 82.3% average cut in outside noise, which it calls “surprisingly close to Bose’s own flagship earbuds on paper” (85% for the wireless QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)). In daily use the reviewer found it “just okay in everyday use”: low rumble drops the most, and voices still get through.

Do Apple’s wired EarPods have noise cancelling?

No. SoundGuys lists noise cancelling as “No” for the EarPods (USB-C), and their unsealed shape lets in a lot of outside noise.

Can I use wired noise cancelling on a plane?

Only if you have a USB-C port to plug the earbuds into: Bose’s pair needs USB power and Gizmodo says the Belkin pair only works with devices that support audio over USB-C. Sony says the WH-1000XM6 works as noise-cancelling headphones on an airplane over its supplied cable as long as the headphones are turned on, and SoundGuys notes that cable is 3.5 mm.

If you would rather skip the cable, the budget wireless earbuds guide covers lab-tested Bluetooth pairs, and the AirPods guide sorts Apple’s lineup.

Sources (17)

• bose.com Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds press release
• bose.com Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds product page
• bose.com Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds product page, White Smoke
• bose.com Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds product page, Dewdrop Mint
• assets.bosecreative.com Bose: Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds owner guide
• soundguys.com Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds review
• belkin.com SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds (USB-C) product page
• gizmodo.com Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds review
• helpguide.sony.net Sony: WH-1000XM6 Help Guide, using the supplied headphone cable
• helpguide.sony.net Sony: WH-1000XM6 Help Guide, preventing water damage
• electronics.sony.com Sony: WH-1000XM6 product page
• soundguys.com Sony WH-1000XM6 review
• apple.com EarPods (USB-C) store page
• soundguys.com Apple EarPods (USB-C) review
• us.sennheiser-hearing.com Sennheiser: CX 80 product page
• us.sennheiser-hearing.com Sennheiser: CX 80 product page, USB-C variant
• tomsguide.com Sennheiser CX 80U review