AirPods and Powerbeats Pro have a new true wireless rival with noise cancelling… and it launches on Amazon Prime Day

Libratone Track Air+ goes down the same NC route as Sony WF-1000XM3

Libratone Track Air+
(Image credit: Libratone)

There's going to be no shortage of cheap headphone on Amazon Prime Day but it's also chosen by some brands as a good day to launch products. That's true of Track Air+, Libratone’s new true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC). With ANC on board, they are direct rivals to Sony's WF-1000XM3, a splendid-looking pair of buds that I brought you here to talk about last week. They're also rivals to market leaders Apple Airpods 2, of course, and Beats by Dr Dre Powerbeats Pro. Competition in the true wireless market is already red hot and now it is hotting UP.

Sony WH-1000XM4 review

The big selling points for Libratone Track Air+ are the ANC and a 'highly-competitive' price of £179. Whether their rather pointy looks appeal to the public at large remains to be seen…

Libratone Track Air+ have noise cancelling and are quite pointy

(Image credit: Libratone)

Libratone, our 3rd favourite Scandinavian audio brand, is promising 'No wires. No noise' with Track Air+, and that they are 'big in every way but size,' which is an interesting notion. 

Libratone’s designs are usually very easy on the eye but the pointy nature of the Track Air+ is a bit more of an acquired taste, if you're asking me. Unlike Apple's AirPods they are available in both black and white. 

Weighing only 5.6 grams each, the ANC in Track Air+ is able to tune out 30dB of noise, with the noise cancelling level adjustable via Libratone's app. Battery life isn't bad for true wireless at 6 hours, and wireless charging case is good for three full recharges, giving 24 hours of music in total, by my maths (okay that was in the press release).

As is usually the case with premium true wireless buds now, Track Air+ pause when you remove them from your ears and resume when replaced. Bluetooth 5 should mean a reliable connection, unlike many older true wireless headphones. Customisable touch controls let you answer calls with a tap, while dual mics mean 'you will be heard on calls,' which is a bonus.

Track Air+ are sweat and splash-proof (IPX4) and so suitable for rainy days and gym trips.

Libratone Track Air+: price and release date

Track Air+ goes on sale on July 15 aka Amazon Prime Day. It's notably cheaper than Sony WF1000XM3 and Beats Powerbeats Pro. And also pointier.

• Libratone Track Air+ is available from July 15 initially at Amazon only, priced £179. The first 400 purchases will come with a free Libratone COIL wireless charging plate (usually £34)

Duncan Bell

Duncan is the former lifestyle editor of T3 and has been writing about tech for almost 15 years. He has covered everything from smartphones to headphones, TV to AC and air fryers to the movies of James Bond and obscure anime. His current brief is everything to do with the home and kitchen, which is good because he is an excellent cook, if he says so himself. He also covers cycling and ebikes – like over-using italics, this is another passion of his. In his long and varied lifestyle-tech career he is one of the few people to have been a fitness editor despite being unfit and a cars editor for not one but two websites, despite being unable to drive. He also has about 400 vacuum cleaners, and is possibly the UK's leading expert on cordless vacuum cleaners, despite being decidedly messy. A cricket fan for over 30 years, he also recently become T3's cricket editor, writing about how to stream obscure T20 tournaments, and turning out some typically no-nonsense opinions on the world's top teams and players.

Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years. 

A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know."