StatusBetween 3ANC Onyx True Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds - Black iPhone & Android ANC in Ear Buds, Charging Case, Built-in 6 Microphones, 8H Playtime, Bluetooth 5.2, IPX5 Waterproof

TLDR: These are great earbuds for those who want a smooth professional looking set of earbuds that deliver amazing sound without the need for phone apps and complex equalizers. Case design provides a very solid and smooth platform for safety and charging, though some may have difficulty removing the earbuds for use.Long and involved review full of personal bias and opinions:This is probably the best earbuds I've had to date.With previous earbuds I've had better sound, or longer battery life, or better range, or better comfort, or more options, but I've honestly never had the best balance of all of those things in one set of earbuds.First off, no App necessary. Sure, apps are great to twink things and adjust EQ's, but they also cause almost more problems than they create solutions. The sound from these are very good, very balanced. Bass is there when it needs to be, highs the same thing. The first set of buds that I haven't felt the need to twink the sound in a long time. I find that the sound is very well balanced. On occasion I miss the bass, but I've found that it depends on what the music emphasizes. On songs that have bass, the bass is STRONG. but most songs don't do this, so if you're looking for greater flexibility or control on the sound, this may not be your thing.Style: very modern and smooth. you may not think about it, but how the earbuds are designed go a long ways towards comfort and feel. these are simply and direct. you know where the buttons are, where the speakers are. They also don't look like alien growths coming out of your ears. very sleek and modern feel and appearance. I would not feel bad wearing these in a meeting with Director or above level representatives. Grey/black tone design fits well with most professional environments.Case: I can't tell you how many earbuds I've had that were great buds but ruined by the case design. the design here is great: magnetic closure is sound with a nice click, buds are secure and charge easily. Its the only case I've had in 4 different setups that I actually liked. the buds are very secure in the case. Some people have mentioned difficulty getting them out of the case. if you just use your index finger and thumb, and position them above the buds and squeeze and pull together, they come out easily. but they are very secure in the case, some consider this a bad, I consider it good.Function: very easy to understand and simple to use. unlike many other buds, they use simple push buttons at the top of the earbuds. I LIKE THIS. I hate having to constantly tap an earbud wondering if it's actually working as intended or not. 2 buttons, simple operations listed in the manual. stable, strong, secure. I like it.Cons:I feel it's important to list some cons, as all products have them. So here it is:Although I love how they fit into the case, they are a deep and tight fits. some people have problems pulling them out. they're cylindrical in design: grab the cylinder between thumb and forefinger and squeeze as you pull up, I never had issues doing it this way.Lack of equalizer and phone app may irritate some people, but the sound balance is so good IMO that it isn't needed. these are earbuds for people who want to insert and go.When using for work as a mic, I tend to like to have only one bud in, and it seems a bit finicky when trying to get it to recognize that you want it to work as speaker and earbud when you only have one earbud in. I have to put both in initially, then pull one out, and it works fine. otherwise, people can't hear me on my meetings. I may find settings that fix this, but in the meantime, it seems like an extra step that doesn't need to be there.that's it. I'm looking for other negatives, haven't found them. Unless your a high end audiophile and want that specific level of control, these earbuds are amazing and do the job +10

I'm a bit of a weird one. As in, I'm a mildly autistic audiophile with ADHD, OCD, and I've developed a particular hyper-fixation on TWS-style products over the last few years as they've grown in prominence. Anyway, I've both tried and personally own several pairs of earbuds/headphones/etc. At the moment, I have:(These Between3 ANCs)Airpods Pro (2nd Gen)OnePlus Buds Pro 2Galaxy Buds FEPixel Buds A-SeriesJBL Tune BudsSoundcore Space A40sJLab Go Pop ANCsAnd the Soundcore Life Q30 over-ear headsetI have to at least explain the fact that each audio product on that list has usually been used for a specific purpose and that purpose only (for example, the $30 JLabs are my "throwaway" earbuds that I wouldn't feel as devastated if I lost them vs, say, my AirPods or Galaxy Buds FE). Anyway, I'd seen the ads all over social media and beyond when it came to the Between3 ANCs. Naturally I didn't give them much thought at first, but I did hear out their sales pitch of having multiple drivers inside these vs your typical single 2-way woofer or dual driver design (like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 have). Having a dedicated speaker/driver for not just mids/bass and treble, but all THREE? I will admit I was intrigued. Unfortunately at the time I could not afford their initial asking price of nearly $200 after tax, and I was also a bit hesitant given what little presence the company seemingly had. Fast forward 2 years & my friend and I were discussing our favorite earbuds and listing all of the reasons why. Somewhat ironically, he mentioned the Between3 ANCs despite not even owning a pair lol. He'd just recently tried them out at the time via a mutual friend who did have them, and he was so impressed that the experience had stuck with him. And keep in mind, this is a guy who's equally weird/autistic like me with an INSANELY picky preference for audio quality and fidelity. He couldn't stop raving about them, and I had mentioned knowing about them vaguely and having been interested in them a while back. Well, through both his obnoxious attempts of persuasion (and my own curiousity having finally peaked) I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet. I figured the worst thing that could happen is I'd just return them if I didn't like them enough. As if that was ever going to be a genuine possibility lol. The Between3 ANCs are EVERY BIT as good as everyone else (including the company behind them) says they are. The bass is powerful, full, but not muddy or incessant. The mids are equally as powerful, and make their presence known without overstepping the highs/treble. Which even said treble too is clear, crisp, and the cherry on top of what I consider to be an incredibly well balanced soundstage that absolutely NAILS the 3 main aspects of what makes music sound good. I absolutely love them. Before, I was torn between my AirPods Pro Gen 2 and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with trying to decide which one sounded better/the most balanced to me. The former is just one of those "take them out of the case and just enjoy" whereas the latter just needs a tiny bit of tuning (and a OnePlus device to enable their LDHC codec for lossless audio) to achieve a fairly impressive sound. The Between3 ANCs are like both of them put together, and the best part is they work just as well on iOS as they do on Android. So they're truly THE earbuds to use for all of the things you could want to use them for. Discord chats and phone calls are fantastic; everyone always says the mic quality is top notch and background noise is non-existent (even if there's a lot going on in the background that SHOULD be able to be heard by others). Battery life is arguably one of the most important factors for me aside from the sound quality when it comes to a pair of TWS earbuds, and the Between3 ANCs deliver on that front flawlessly. The claimed 12-hours on a single charge on the earbuds themselves (with no ANC or ambient mode enabled) is spot on. And for earbuds that can produce this kind of sound quality, that is insane. By comparison, my AirPods Pro Gen 2 will only get 8 hours at best with no fancy stuff turned on, while the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 get closer to 9-10 give or take. The Galaxy Buds FE are around roughly 8-9 hours, with the Space A40s netting 10 hrs & the Tune Buds about 12 hrs respectively. The JLabs and Pixel Buds sit at the bottom of the pack with a meager 7 hrs and 5-6 hrs respectively (and the Pixel Buds don't even have ANC or ambient mode). So for the Between3 ANCs to offer the sound quality, multi-point connectivity (also a must have for me), AND have ANC + ambient mode with such long battery life is just hard to not be satisfied with. The last thing I'll cover is the recently mentioned ANC and ambient mode. They are good, but they're not "great". I used to think AirPods were overhyped at every turn, but after having owned the 2nd Gen Pros I cannot deny their supremacy in both ANC and transparency/ambient mode. Even with the Between3 ANCs in consideration, nothing I have owned/tested/compared has been able to surpass the level of quiet using ANC with a proper seal in your ear. Same with the transparency; the AirPods are so good in that regard it literally makes it seem as if there's not even an earbud in your ear (not to mention they were deemed good enough to be a legally acceptable alternative to hearing aids). Still, that doesn't take anything away from the Between3 ANCs. Their ANC is still more than sufficient to get the job done and enhance your listening experience in a noisy area (or if you just want to drown out the world entirely when you're alone and it's already quiet to begin with). And their ambient mode works well enough to where you don't have to take the buds out of your ears to have a conversation or be aware of surroundings when out in public. They're also very comfortable thanks to the ergonomic curvature just passed the silicone tip, which helps keep it seated in your ear for long periods without causing any soreness. If I had any complaint AT ALL, it'd be that I originally joked about the Between3 ANCs looking like Juul pods lol. But looks aside, the build quality is exquisite and comprised of premium materials. And the practical factor of this design having allowed Status to pack 3 total drivers and hefty battery cells into each earbud is enough to make me not care too much about how it reminds me of a Juul pod. I just wish they'd have at least given the charging case a little bit more love, because as it is currently I am weary a good drop or two on solid concrete will make short work of the hinge (or chip/scuff it to oblivion). Hopefully we'll get a successor model, maybe even with a metal hinge (like AirPods use) and a more resilient material for the rest of the case that's not matte plastic (which is prone to scratches and scuffs, so when those start showing up on mine I won't be super caught off guard).All in all, these are a MUST HAVE if you need TWS earbuds with extremely long battery life (either for long calls or just listening to stuff while working a 8 hr+ shift at work), you want AMAZING sound quality with real bass, mids, and highs that don't bleed over onto one another (therefore ruining the balance in sound), and you can live with the somewhat lackluster quality of the charging case. I promise you won't regret it, even if you only aim to buy them to use for something highly specific. For me I tend to leave them at home to use with my gaming PC + my phone thanks to multi-point, mainly because I don't want them to get lost or damaged. But if they were the only pair I had, I'd take them everywhere because yes, they're THAT good (which can't be said for ALL of the ones I listed previously). The price can be a bit steep, so if that's the only big thing holding you back then I'd recommend waiting for them to go on sale (right now they're only $150 vs $180 if I recall). Don't let the design of the earbuds turn you away though! These are fantastic! And their companion app is on both iOS and Android and you get the same experience regardless of which phone you use!