Happy Plugs’ cheap noise-canceling headphones look like a budget Sony WH-1000XM4 in the best possible way
- Play Pro headphones look more expensive than they are
- 1 gram lighter than the Sony’s at only 253 grams
- Launching for $59.99 / £59.99 / €59.99
We’re big fans of the fantastic Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones, but even though they’re now heavily discounted, they’re still out of many buyers’ budgets. That’s a problem that the company of Swedish musician and DJ Andreas Vural is keen to solve with its new Happy Plugs Play Pro headphones.
The Play Pro is one of three headphones that the company is launching at CES 2025: it is also launching the Happy Plugs Clip, which, as the name suggests, clamps to your ears, and the Happy Plugs Adore, earbuds that fit into a make-up form are supplied. mirror cabinet. But the Play Pro are the most interesting, as they’re a third of the price we’d expect to pay for a range of Sonys with similar specs, and also bear more than just a physical resemblance to the XM4.
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Happy Plugs Play Pro: main features and prices
The Happy Plugs Play Pro are wireless over-ears with an impressive 50-hour battery life and the usual USB-C charging port. They are made with 40mm drivers and are IPX4 waterproof. They’re also portable: they weigh 253 grams and you can fold them for easy transport (a feature removed from the newer Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones).
A big draw here for the price is active noise cancellation, which is complemented by what the company calls “effective ambient noise cancellation for calls.”
We don’t have more detailed technical specifications yet, but the brand has previously focused on affordability and good looks; Before this launch, the only over-ears were the kid-targeted Happy Plugs Play, so I suspect the sound here will be more good than great.
But with a price tag of less than $60 and likely discounts – at the time of writing Happy Plugs is doing one to buy one and get one free deal on its range of headphones and earbuds – they could be one of the best cheap headphones can be . We look forward to testing them in the future.
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