The best audio brand you've never heard of just launched an AirPods 4 rival for half the price

(Image credit: Final)

The AirPods 4 with ANC are the latest in the AirPods line, but they're not without controversy — especially when there are so many options out there with better feature sets for less money. One such pair of buds that looks to take the fight to both models of AirPods 4 is the Final ZE3000 ANC.

This is a $99 pair of earbuds with features to rival far more expensive models.

You might have heard of Final if you've been with Tom's Guide for a while — it makes some of our favorite in-ear and over-ear headphones. The ZE3000 are the firm's budget offering, and they offer a very compelling package.

Compact, comfortable, and Final's audio expertise

The polar opposite price-wise to the $4,000 Final D8000 DC, the ZE3000 ANC are a tiny pair of in-ears that want to disappear into your ears and play your favorite tunes without breaking the bank. They cost just $99 — but don't let that lower price fool you. These are fully featured buds.

Everything from Final we've tried has sounded immense, and the ZE3000 are hopefully going to be no different. Final has packed in new driver tech, with a 10mm f-core SV driver to "deliver superior audio quality".

There's also Final's Comfort ANC on board, which balances sound quality and sound isolation performance. Now, usually, that would mean 'the ANC is weaker so that the music sounds better', but we'll wait and see until we've got them in our ears.

Everything from Final we've tried has sounded immense, and the ZE3000 are hopefully going to be no different.

Gaming fans will be pleased as well — there's a gaming mode to lower latency. That's activated using Final's excellent CONNECT App, which is where you'll also find loads of EQ options. There's LDAC support on board too, for even higher quality audio.

Battery life seems about par for the course, with 7 hours of battery life out of the buds themselves. Crucially, that's lots more than you'll find with either model of the AirPods 4.

The ZE3000 ANC are ready to buy today, from Amazon and other select retailers. We'll be thoroughly testing them to see how they rank against the best wireless earbuds.

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Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.