Headphones | The Verge

Bose’s next open earbuds have more bass, more volume, and more battery life

2026-09-17T05:40:20-04:00

Bose announced a new version of its Ultra Open Earbuds that helped kick off the industry trend of clip-on wireless earbuds nearly two-and-a-half years ago. The new Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) feature a subtle redesign with improved performance in both sound quality and battery life. They're also joined by a new cheaper alternative called the Bose Sport Open Earbuds designed to provide a more secure and stable fit during physical activities.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) will be available for preorder on September 19th for $299 with availability starting on October 1st. Color options include black, white smoke, cherry chocolate, oli …

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Where to preorder the Apple AirPods 5

2026-09-11T11:32:03-04:00

The new AirPods 5 in their charging case. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

The Apple AirPods 5 are bringing active noise cancellation to the masses, and they're now available for preorder at a variety of retailers. They'll officially launch on September 18th, the same day as the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

There are two versions this time around, just like with the last-gen model. The standard $129 model adds active noise cancelation, which was previously only found on the more expensive $179 AirPods 4 with ANC models. They're available from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Apple. The upgraded $149 model features a wireless charging case, longer battery life, and touc …

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There aren’t AirPods with cameras yet and I hope it stays that way

2026-09-09T19:00:04-04:00

New AirPods Pro with cameras were thankfully not announced at the September Apple event. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

September Apple events are always a swirl of information and new, exciting products, and today's was no different. Apple announced its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max; active noise cancellation (ANC) is now on the cheapest AirPods model, the AirPods 5; and a Siri Recap feature comes to the Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4. But missing were the AirPods Pro with cameras that have been rumored throughout the year and, according to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, are delayed until 2027. I'm happy about that and I hope we never get them.

I have too many concerns about a company - any company - putting cameras a …

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Apple announces AirPods 5 with ‘best-in-class open‑ear active noise cancellation’

2026-09-09T15:02:52-04:00

The two new Apple AirPods 5 models both include active noise cancellation. | Image: Apple

Today, Apple announced the AirPods 5, updates to the AirPods 4 series that was first released in 2024. Apple says the new buds feature "best-in-class open‑ear active noise cancellation."

The AirPods 5 are redesigned with a new acoustic architecture, upgrades to adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) with 50 percent better noise reduction than the AirPods 4, and improved sound.

A second model includes on-stem control - the first time Apple's open-ear design includes it - allowing for volume adjustment by swiping up and down. It also has a longer battery life that provides up to five hours of playback - one hour more than the AirPods 4 wit …

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iPhone 18 live blog: On the ground at Apple’s biggest event

2026-09-09T14:20:19-04:00

John Ternus, now Apple’s CEO, at WWDC in 2019 as the company’s VP of hardware engineering. | Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small / AFP via Getty Images

It's not just time for any old Apple event, but one that's expected to usher in a new era for the company. This is the first iPhone keynote to be led by Apple's newly anointed CEO John Ternus, and all signs and rumors have been pointing to it being the one that also debuts a foldable iPhone. Ternus has already billed this as "a huge launch . . . that's going to be phenomenal." What bigger and flashier way to step into the limelight than with a new halo product of an iPhone?

We're also likely to hear about OS updates, Apple Watches, and possibly some AirPods. But this might be an unconventional event in more ways than one. It's also possible …

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Six years later, Sony revisits its legendary XM4 headphones

2026-09-08T16:05:05-04:00

The XM4C (in white) have the exact same visual design as the XM4 (in black) from 2020. | Photo: John Higgins / The Verge

Six years ago, Sony and Bose were in the middle of a noise-canceling battle, with each new model of headphones better than the last. In the fall of 2020, Sony released the WH-1000XM4 headphones to wide acclaim. They sat atop best headphones lists for years, thanks to their great sound, competitive ANC, and compact size, until they went out of stock. Now Sony has brought them back, with minor improvements, as the WH-1000XM4C.

The XM4C look identical to the original XM4 (although they now have a lavender option), with the same hinge design and ability to fold up. It's a compact design that Sony moved away from when it released the XM5 in 2022 …

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The weird and wonderful headphones of CanJam 2026

2026-09-04T19:58:11-04:00

A collection of headphone manufacturers and fans come together for their love of great sound. | Image: CanJam Global

I've been reviewing headphones for a long time, and I've listened to everything from the barely serviceable to multi-thousand-dollar open-back headphones. But recently I've been uninspired by the state of mainstream options. Most are perfectly good - great, even - but they lack a distinct character. Something to remind me why I fell in love with headphones to begin with, landing me in this crazy career. I needed some revitalization. I needed to see something cool. I needed to be around other people with an emotional connection to headphones. I needed to go to CanJam.

CanJam is a small audio show produced by Head-Fi.org, the largest audio-fo …

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Anker’s Soundcore is bringing its incredible call quality to more headphones

2026-09-18T10:02:36-04:00

The Soundcore Space 2 Pro will be the first headphones to run on Anker’s Thus chip. | Image: Soundcore

After introducing the Thus processing chip in April and releasing it with the Liberty 5 Pro series earbuds, Soundcore is bringing it to more audio products. The Thus chip is behind the best call quality I've ever heard from a pair of earbuds or headphones, virtually eliminating ambient sounds from the speaker's environment. At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Soundcore announced the Space 2 Pro headphones, AeroClip 2 and AeroClip 2 Pro open clip earbuds, and Liberty Buds 2.

The Space 2 Pro will be the first headphones to use the Thus chip and use a 6-microphone array for voice isolation. There are also eight microphones for the headphones' adaptive acti …

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Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 earbuds feature easily replaceable batteries

2026-08-19T16:03:17-04:00

Sennheiser announced the next version of its flagship wireless earbuds with a major redesign focusing on sustainability. The company claims the new design improves the Momentum True Wireless 5's "comfort, stability, and portability," but a more compelling reason to upgrade is that you won't have to replace them in a few years when they stop holding a charge. Both the Momentum 5 earbuds and their charging case feature user-replaceable batteries that are accessible using a compact screwdriver instead of having to hack through layers of glue.

The Momentum True Wireless 5 will be available starting on September 3rd for $299.95, which is the sam …

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Samsung has new Galaxy headphones in the works

2026-08-14T15:18:45-04:00

Strings of code in Samsung's Galaxy Wearable app hint at an upcoming pair of over-ear headphones that could compete with the AirPods Max, SamMobile reports. Samsung's reportedly referring to the headphones as the "Galaxy H1," and SamMobile says they could launch sometime in 2027. That would make these the company's first pair of over-ear headphones since the Level On in 2015, which was released well before Samsung acquired Harman and a number of other audio brands.

Connection status icons in the app standard show the design of over-ear, wireless Bluetooth headphones, but not necessarily exactly what these will look like in the end. Samsung …

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