Forget AirPods Pro: These buds have noise cancellation for $100 less

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The Urbanista London earbuds feature active noise cancellation and water resistance for a very aggressive price

Urbanista London
(Image credit: Urbanista)

Apple's AirPods Pro just got a new rival that sport active noise-cancelling for a much cheaper price.

The Urbanista London wireless headphones look very much like the AirPods Pro with silicone ear tips and protruding stems to hold the earbud’s microphones. However, when they make their debut on May 25, they will cost $149, which dramatically undercuts the $249 AirPods Pro. 

As reported by TechRadar, the London earbuds come in a suite of colors, from pearlescent white and black options, to rose gold and navy, which should help them stand out from the AirPods Pro. 

But the top feature is active noise cancellation, which is something not many wireless earbuds offer at this price. Now that they’ve been reduced in price, the Sony WF-1000XM3 are some of the few earbuds that offer active noise cancellation at below the $200 mark. 

An Ambient Sound Mode lets you hear the outside world when you want to, similar to the AirPods Pro's Transparency mode. And the London earbuds offer IPX4 water resistance, so you can use these buds for working out and not have to worry about sweat.

The rounded rectangular case for Urbanista London is a little different in terms of design than the AirPods Pro’s case, but it supports wireless charging. As for battery life, Urbanista claims five hours of battery life for the earbuds themselves, with the case providing an extra 20 hours of power. And the earbuds’ case can also be charged via a USB-C connection. 

Finally, there’s also support for voice control via the connected phone’s virtual assistant, such as the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. 

On paper, the Urbanista London earbuds look like true AirPods Pro rivals. But they will need to deliver on audio performance in order to really take on Apple’s most expensive headphones. But at the $150 mark, the Urbanista London will have to compete with the likes of the new Pixel Buds 2, which have so far impressed us, as well as the Galaxy Buds Plus. 

And there’s also the rumored upcoming Galaxy Buds X, which also promises active noise cancellation for a price that’s slated to be around $150. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.