Let’s say you’ve got a new iPhone and you’re looking for a pair of earbuds to replace the pair of standard white iPhone earbuds that came with your device. There are now several companies making high quality lightning connector earbuds available for purchase, but not all of them are the same. Here are some of the best Lightning earbuds with noise cancellation technology.
Candidates for the best lightning headphones with noise cancellation
Libratone Adapt Lightning In-Ear Headphones with Adjustable Noise Cancellation
The Libratone Adapt Lightning In-Ear headphones are an extremely well reviewed pair of Lightning connector earbuds available for use with iPhones. They feature advanced noise cancellation that can ramp up to four different levels, depending on the type of environment you’re in (you’re in control of this using the inline remote). This pair of Lightning earbuds with microphone also has high quality sound reproduction with clean, crisp highs and a deep bass to reproduce a full range of sound, regardless of music genre. Also comes with multi-size interchangeable ear covers for differently shaped ears.
Key features:
- In line remote control for play/pausing music, adjusting volume, and taking phone calls
- Adjustable noise cancellation technology
- Available in multiple colors
Zinsoko Noise Canceling Lightning Earbuds
Zinsoko also makes a pair of well reviewed Lightning connector earbuds that have a wired microphone/remote in line for making phone calls and playing/pausing music. These Lightning earphones work on iPhones, iPads and iPods. They have a generous 1.2 meter (47 inch) cable length and use the same standard 8-pin Lightning headphone connector used by Apple’s manufacturer built headphones that come with your phone. These earbuds feature additional noise canceling technology to reduce background noise however, which distinguishes them from the plain old white earbuds that everyone is used to. Comes with 2 extra pairs of earpads. Works on: iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6s/6 plus/6s plus/7/7 plus, iPad 4th gen, iPad Air / Air2 /mini /mini2 / mini3, iPod touch 5th gen.
Key features:
- Dynamic noise reduction
- Jet black color
- Comes with a storage pouch
Pioneer Rayz Plus Lightning Powered Noise Canceling Earphones
This pair of Lightning earbuds connects to your iPhone, iPad or iPod and provides you with exceptional sound quality. They also feature a neat auto-pause mode that automatically pauses your music if you remove them from your ears (place them back inside your ears and the music starts again where it left off!). They also feature smart noise canceling which monitors the volume of the outside world around you and adapts its settings based on that. Comes with its own iPhone App that allows you to customize your settings and can be updated when the manufacturer creates new features in the future.
Key features:
- Smart Noise Canceling technology that monitors the noise level around you
- Available in two colors (Black & Bronze)
- Saves battery power with “Eco Mode” feature
Maxmore MFI Certified In-Ear Lightning Earphones For iPhone
These Lightning earbuds are similar to the Zinsoko model listed above, though they have a differently shaped earpad which some users may find more comfortable inside their ears. They feature the same noise canceling technology however, as well as an in-line remote control for adjusting the volume of the music you’re listening to, or playing or pausing or accepting a phone call. These headphones are MFI certified, meaning they meet Apple’s design standards for third party accessories approved to work with iPhones, iPads and iPods.
Key features:
- Dynamic noise reduction
- Jet black color
- Comes with a storage pouch
Frequently asked questions about lightning headphones and noise cancellation
What are the benefits of noise canceling headphones?
Noise canceling headphones or earbuds are particularly useful when you want to listen to music or other audio in loud environments. For example if you ride a subway every day, noise caneling headphones can help blot out some of that loud ambience around you letting you focus on your music. This also prevents you from having to turn up your music extremely loudly in order to overpower the loud environment around you (which is better for your ears anyway).
What are the downsides of noise canceling headphones?
Active noise canceling headphones or earbuds can be more expensive than normal headphones, though for understandable reasons; they work harder than normal headphones to intelligently cancel out the sounds around you. They also can use more battery power than traditional earbuds, though with increasingly powerful batteries in cell phones today you may not notice this drain issue as much as you would in previous years.
What are the benefits to Lightning connector headphones rather than standard headphone jack headphones?
With the release of the iPhone 7, Apple switched to Lightning connector headphones for a variety of reasons. Read our article about why Apple switched to Lightning connector headphone jacks for more on this. The short answer is that Lightning connector phones allow for thinner devices, better audio quality and superior waterproofing, among other features.