Product Guide

ENC And Low Latency Explained For TWS Earbud Buyers

What the two most quoted earbud features actually change for the end user

ENC Is About The Person Listening To You

Environmental noise cancellation works on the outgoing call. Our ENC models carry dual noise-cancelling MEMS microphones in each earbud, and the array uses the difference between what each microphone hears to separate the wearer's voice from the street, the office or the car. It does not make the wearer's music quieter; it makes the wearer intelligible to the person on the other end.

ANC And ENC Are Not The Same Feature

Active noise cancellation reduces what the wearer hears. Environmental noise cancellation reduces what the far end hears. Buyers routinely confuse the two, and a product page that uses them interchangeably generates returns. If the sales claim is about call quality, ENC is the correct term.

Latency Is A Video And Gaming Problem

Bluetooth audio arrives after the picture. At normal latency the gap is visible on lip sync and fatal in a shooter. Our gaming models publish 65 ms in gaming mode, which is inside the range where most users stop noticing the offset. It is worth stating the figure on your packaging: buyers in this category compare numbers.

Battery Display Is A Support Cost, Not A Gimmick

Cases with an LED screen show the remaining battery level. It sounds cosmetic until you look at what customers contact support about. Our ultrathin case measures 16 mm thick and is offered with and without the display, so the same platform covers both price points.

Fit Determines Whether Any Of This Matters

An earbud that falls out is not used. The range covers in-ear, attachable and detachable luminous ear hooks that wrap the ear for running and cycling, and open-ear models on 27 mm drivers at 32 Ω that leave the ear canal clear, for users who find in-ear uncomfortable or who need to hear traffic.