Tag Archives: soundcore

Soundcore at CES 2026 Turns Everyday Spaces into Portable Sound and Cinema

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Personal entertainment has drifted out of fixed rooms and into commutes, bedrooms, trails, and backyards. People bounce between earbuds, smart speakers, and projectors, often juggling separate ecosystems that do not feel designed with each other in mind. The friction is no longer just sound quality, but how easily gear fits into those shifting contexts, from the desk where you need awareness, to the pillow where you need silence, to the field where you want a movie under the stars.

Soundcore’s CES 2026 lineup follows that drift. The AeroFit 2 Pro, Sleep A30 Special, Boom Go 3i, Nebula P1i, and Nebula X1 Pro aim to move with you rather than live in one place. The common thread is collapsing trade‑offs, open‑ear comfort and ANC in one pair of buds, tiny speakers with long battery life, and projectors that pack a theater into a handle‑equipped box, each tuned to a different moment when sound or vision matters.

Designer: Soundcore (Anker)

Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro

AeroFit 2 Pro is built for people whose days swing between needing to hear the world and wanting to block it out. The five‑level ear‑hook can reposition the nozzle so the buds behave as open‑ear hooks during runs or desk work, then slide into a semi‑in‑ear ANC form when focus or isolation is needed, without swapping hardware or carrying two pairs.

The liquid‑silicone hooks and 56 degrees of articulation keep pressure off the canal for all‑day wear in open‑ear mode, while Adaptive ANC 3.0 checks noise up to 380,000 times per second and makes 180 adjustments per minute in ANC mode. The buds include 11.8 mm drivers, spatial audio with head tracking, LDAC support, IP55 rating, and differing battery lives, up to 7 hours and 34 with case in open‑ear, up to 5 hours and 24 with case in ANC.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special

Sleep A30 Special takes over when the day ends and the noise does not. The triple noise reduction system combines active noise cancellation, passive blocking from the low‑profile fit, and adaptive snore masking that targets disruptive frequencies without making the room feel unnaturally silent. The ultra‑compact shape is tuned for side sleepers who usually cannot tolerate bulky earbuds pressing against a pillow overnight.

The earbuds tie into the Soundcore app to deliver Calm Sleep Stories directly, alongside AI brainwave tracks and white noise. The hardware is only half the story; the curated content and extended battery life let people build a consistent wind‑down routine, from reading in bed with subtle noise reduction to drifting off to a story without worrying about wires, over‑ear pressure, or keeping a phone nearby.

Soundcore Boom Go 3i

Boom Go 3i is the speaker that lives on a backpack strap rather than a shelf. The palm-sized form and 15 W output make a picnic or campsite feel less quiet without needing a huge cylinder. The 4,800 mAh battery offers up to 22 hours in Eco mode, so it can handle a weekend of light use without visiting a wall outlet, and it can lend some of its charge for emergency phone top‑ups.

The IP68 rating means it can handle dust, sand, and submersion, which is useful when it gets dropped in a stream or buried in a beach bag. The dual‑mode strap mounting system lets it hang or cinch tightly to a pack, bike, or tent pole, and the LED grille with diagonal light patterns makes it easy to spot in a dark campsite or stowed in the bottom of a gear pile.

Soundcore Nebula P1i

Nebula P1i is the projector for people who want movie‑night flexibility without a permanent ceiling mount. It offers 1080p resolution and 400 ANSI lumens, enough for dim‑room viewing, with a built‑in 0-12 degree tilt stand to aim at walls or screens without stacks of books. Official Netflix and Google TV support mean it behaves like a familiar streaming box, not a bare projector that needs extra hardware.

The flip‑open side speakers swing out for better stereo separation, turning a compact cube into a mini theater without extra cables. Intelligent Environment Adaptation 3.0 handles autofocus, keystone, and screen fit, so the projector can quickly lock onto whatever surface is available. It is the kind of device that can live in a closet until a rainy afternoon or impromptu game night makes a big picture suddenly appealing.

Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro

Nebula X1 Pro is the extreme end of the same idea, a mobile theater station on wheels. It uses a 3,500 ANSI‑lumen 4K triple‑laser engine with 110% Rec.2020 color, 5,000:1 native contrast, and 56,000:1 dynamic contrast, bright enough to throw a 200‑inch image outdoors at night. The integrated wireless 7.1.4 sound system, certified for Dolby Atmos, means the audio is as much a part of the experience as the picture.

The planned bundle adds a 200‑inch inflatable screen and a wireless pump that inflates in about five minutes and holds air without a constant blower, keeping the system quiet during viewing. Dual wireless microphones and AI spatial adaptation handle setup, tuning sound and image to the space. Together, the projector and screen turn any patch of ground into a temporary cinema without generators, scaffolding, or separate speakers cluttering the site.

Soundcore at CES 2026: Entertainment That Travels With You

These five products sketch a day‑long arc: AeroFit 2 Pro for the commute and office, Sleep A30 Special for the hours when noise is unwelcome, Boom Go 3i for the trails and parks in between, and Nebula P1i and X1 Pro for turning small rooms and big fields into makeshift theaters. The common thread is not just wattage or resolution, but designs that respect where people actually listen and watch now, moving with them rather than asking them to stay put.

The post Soundcore at CES 2026 Turns Everyday Spaces into Portable Sound and Cinema first appeared on Yanko Design.

The best wireless earbuds for 2026

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Wireless earbuds are now the default option for everyday listening, whether you’re heading out for a commute, fitting in a workout or just watching videos at home. The best wireless earbuds combine reliable connectivity, comfortable fits and sound quality that holds up across music, calls and podcasts, all without the hassle of cables. Most are small enough to disappear into a pocket and pair quickly with phones, tablets and laptops.

What sets one pair apart from another often comes down to priorities. Some earbuds lean heavily on active noise cancellation, while others focus on long battery life, compact charging cases or lower prices. Features like water resistance, customizable controls and app support can also make a real difference day to day. This guide breaks down the best wireless earbuds available now to help you find the right match for how you listen.

When it comes to shopping for earphones, the first thing to consider is design or wear style. Do you prefer a semi-open fit like AirPods or do you want something that completely closes off your ears? If you’re shopping for earbuds with active noise cancellation, you'll want the latter, but a case can be made for the former if you want to wear them all day or frequent places where you need to be tuned in to the ambient sounds. The overall shape of earbuds can determine whether you get a comfortable fit, so can the size and weight, so you’ll want to consider all that before deciding. And remember: audio companies aren’t perfect, so despite lots of research, the earbud shape they decided on may not fit you well. Don’t be afraid to return ill-fitting earbuds for something that’s more comfortable.

As wireless earbuds have become the norm, they’re now more reliable for basic things like consistent Bluetooth connectivity. Companies are still in a race to pack as much as they can into increasingly smaller designs. This typically means a longer list of features on the more premium sets of earbuds with basic functionality on the cheapest models. Carefully consider what you can’t live without when selecting your next earbuds, and make sure key items like automatic pausing and multipoint connectivity are on the spec sheet. You’ll also want to investigate the volume and touch controls as you’ll often have to sacrifice access to something else to make that adjustment via on-board taps or swipes. Some earbuds even offer app settings to tweak the audio profiles or firmware updates to improve performance over time.

For those in the Apple ecosystem, features like auto-pairing with devices, especially with AirPods Pro 3, can be an added advantage, while Android users may want to look for models that offer similar cross-device functionality.

When it comes to battery life, the average set of earbuds lasts about five hours on a single charge. You can find sets that last longer, but this is likely enough to get you through a work day if you’re docking the buds during lunch or the occasional meeting. You’ll want to check on how many extra charges are available via the case and if it supports wireless charging.

Companies will also make lofty claims about call quality on wireless earbuds. Despite lots of promises, the reality is most earbuds still leave you sounding like you’re on speakerphone. There are some sets that deliver, but don’t get your hopes up unless reviews confirm the claims.

Sound can be subjective, so we recommend trying before you buy if at all possible. This is especially true if you're an audiophile. We understand this isn’t easy when most of us do a lot of shopping online, but trying on a set of earbuds and listening to them for a few minutes can save you from an expensive case of buyer's remorse. If a store doesn’t allow a quick demo, most retailers have return policies that will let you take earbuds back you don’t like. Of course, you have to be willing to temporarily part with funds in order to do this.

We also recommend paying attention to things like Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio and other immersive formats. Not all earbuds support them, so you’ll want to make sure a perspective pair does if that sort of thing excites you, especially if you plan to use them for playback of high-quality audio.

The primary way we test earbuds is to wear them as much as possible. We prefer to do this over a one- to two-week period, but sometimes embargoes don’t allow it. During this time, we listen to a mix of music and podcasts, while also using the earbuds to take both voice and video calls. Since battery life for earbuds is typically less than a full day, we drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent).

To judge audio quality, we listen to a range of genres, noting any differences in the sound profile across the styles. We also test at both low and high volumes to check for consistency in the tuning. To assess call quality, we’ll record audio samples with the earbuds’ microphones as well as have third parties call us.

When it comes to features, we do a thorough review of companion apps, testing each feature as we work through the software. Any holdovers from previous models are double checked for improvements or regression. If the earbuds we’re testing are an updated version of a previous model, we’ll spend time getting reacquainted with the older buds. Ditto for the closest competition for each new set of earbuds that we review.

The WF-C710N is a set of compact and comfy earbuds that offer several of Sony’s best features. While the ANC performance is above average for this price ($120), sound quality isn’t as good as the company’s slightly more expensive options. Battery life fell below stated figures and call performance isn’t good enough to use these buds for work.

The newest version of the Powerbeats Pro have an improved, comfortable design, balanced bass and new H2 chips and a heart rate sensor inside. But heart rate support is currently limited on iOS.

The Galaxy Buds 3 combine ANC with an open-type design, which renders the noise-blocking abilities of the earbuds mostly useless. Still, there’s great low-end tone with ample bass when a track demands it. There are also lots of handy features, most of which require a Samsung phone. But at this price, there are better options from Google, Beats and Sony

I really like the overall shape of the Momentum Sport earbuds. They’re more comfortable than the Momentum True Wireless 4 and fit in my ears better. What’s more, the body temperature and heart rate sensors work well, sending those stats to a variety of apps. However, that sport-tracking feature works best with Polar’s app and devices, so there’s that consideration. Also, the audio quality and ANC performance isn’t as good as the MTW4, and these earbuds are pricey.

There’s a lot to like about the Solo Buds for $80. For me, the primary perk is they’re very comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to some thoughtful design considerations. You only get the basics here in terms of features and, as expected, the overall sound quality isn’t as good as the pricier models in the Beats lineup. You will get 18 hours of battery life though, since the company nixed the battery in the case and beefed up the listening time in the buds themselves.

Bose created something very unique for this set of earbuds that allows you to stay in-tune with the world while listening to audio content. The clip-on design is very comfortable, but sound quality suffers due to the open-type fit, especially when it comes to bass and spatial audio.

These stick buds have a compact design that’s comfortable to wear and the warm sound profile is great at times. However, overall audio performance is inconsistent and there’s no automatic pausing.

Master & Dynamic MW09

Retooled audio, better ambient sound mode and reliable multipoint Bluetooth are the best things the MW09 has to offer. They’re expensive though, and you can find better ANC performance elsewhere.

Most wireless earbuds will last five hours on a single charge, at the least. You can find some pairs that have even better battery life, lasting between six and eight hours before they need more juice. All of the best wireless earbuds come with a charging case, which will provide additional hours of battery life — but you'll have to return each bud to the case in order to charge them up.

Comparing sound quality on earbuds and headphones is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. There are a lot of variables to consider and the differences in components make a direct comparison difficult. Personally, I prefer the audio quality from over-ear headphones, but I can tell you the sound from earbuds like Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 is also outstanding.

With new models coming out all the time, tracking the hours of battery life for each this can be difficult to keep tabs on. The longest-lasting earbuds we’ve reviewed are Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKS5TW. The company states they last 15 hours, but the app was still showing 40 percent at that mark during our tests. The only downside is these earbuds debuted in 2019 and both technology and features have improved since. In terms of current models, Master & Dynamic’s MW08 offers 12 hours of use on a charge with ANC off (10 with ANC on) and JBL has multiple options with 10-hour batteries.

There are plenty of options these days when it comes to increased water resistance. To determine the level of protection, you’ll want to look for an IP (ingress protection) rating. The first number indicates intrusion protection from things like dust. The second number is the level of moisture protection and you’ll want to make sure that figure is 7 or higher. At this water-resistance rating, earbuds can withstand full immersion for up to 30 minutes in depths up to one meter (3.28 feet). If either of the IP numbers is an X, that means it doesn’t have any special protection. For example, a pair of wireless earbuds that are IPX7 wouldn’t be built to avoid dust intrusion, but they would be ok if you dropped them in shallow water.

A secure fit can vary wildly from person to person. All of our ears are different, so audio companies are designing their products to fit the most people they can with a single shape. This is why AirPods will easily fall out for some but stay put for others. Design touches like wing tips or fins typically come on fitness models and those elements can help keep things in place. You’ll likely just have to try earbuds on, and if they don’t fit well return them.

PlayStation 5 doesn’t support Bluetooth audio without an adapter or dongle. Even Sony’s own gaming headsets come with a transmitter that connects to the console. There are universal options that allow you to use any headphones, headset or earbuds with a PS5. Once you have one, plug it into a USB port on the console and pair your earbuds with it.

January 2026: Updated to ensure our top picks have remained the same.

September 2025: Updated to add AirPods Pro 3 to our top picks.

May 2025: Updated to ensure top picks and buying advice remain accurate.

March 2025: Updated the top pick for the best sounding wireless earbuds - runner up.

January 2025: Updated the top pick for best sounding wireless earbuds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-wireless-earbuds-120058222.html?src=rss