Before launching the new $100 Method 360 ANC Skullcandy’s earbuds at Newyork City are hyping up the new Buds as “the boldest audio product of 2025, featuring a partnership you don’t see.” Whether the 360 ANC is the bravest audio product of the year is worth the deal, but I was certainly surprised to learn that Skullcandy teamed up with Bose to create a budget version of the Quietcomfort Ultra Earbuds for Bose $299.
Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2025
I only used the method 360 ANC for a day – now 5 color options are available – but I was impressed with the new buds, which sounds better than most earplugs in this price category. From a design perspective, they have many of the features of static comfort Ultra earbuds, with similar shapes and stable “fit” fins, but they are lighter and lack the more advanced finish and overall feel of expensive buds. That said, they offer a similar fit – I mean, once you make the buds with the correct ear tip and fins (including 3 sizes), my ears are comfortable and stay firmly on your ears.
Buds are available in 5 color options.
Method 360 ANC's mega-cases have debris and disadvantages
One obvious difference between the Method 360 ANC and the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra Earbuds and the Step-Down’s Quiet Comfort Earbuds ($179) is the charging case for Method 360 ANC. It's big – maybe too big for some – getting buds in a case is a bit awkward. Yes, the box still fits in the pocket, or can be clipped to a backpack or jacket. However, this is great compared to most real-life earbud charging cases. It also doesn't charge wirelessly.
On the plus side, the box does have a unique Skullycandy-ish vibe, and I love how it turns on/off and how it integrates the O-ring clip into the case. It also houses a large size battery that can store 23 hours of battery life when the box is fully charged. The buds are rated for 9 hours of battery life, total noise reduction or a total of 32 hours (in the case of juice), while the ANC is closed or a total of 40 hours. I haven't fully tested the buds to confirm these numbers, but if it's accurate, they're fine.
The housing has a slot on the opposite side of the housing. No wireless charging.
Bose's voice
Skullcandy describes the bud as having “boby by Bose sound”, which involves hardware (chipset and presumably drivers) and acoustic digital tuning. I don't know which components the buds are using, but they sound similar to Bose's static comfort earbuds and have similar specifications including 4-MIC hybrid noise reduction.
Like the QC's earbuds, they come with an ear detection sensor that pauses your music when you remove the buds from the ear and restore them to the ear. I also think the touch controls get a good deal. They can be customized with the Skullcandy-IQ app for iOS and Android, where you can also use the EQ settings to adjust the sound profile.
Test buds on the streets of New York.
Bose's earbuds and headphones are designed to work with a variety of music and provide a generally smooth, powerful sound that is very pleasant. While some premium buds offer more detail and clarity, like Bose’s QC earbuds, the bass on these Skullcandy Buds kicks well without sounding.
I think the 360 ANC buds don't sound as good as the QC Ultras, they have a deeper and more depth (they provide richer and more detailed sound), but the game is much closer than I thought. It's also worth mentioning that the Method 360 ANC buds have a much better effect than any Skullcandy earbuds I've tested over the years. I still have to listen to them for a longer time and compare them to other earplugs in this price range, but in terms of sound, there is actually not much to complain about.
Skullcandy's best noise cancellation in a pair of earbuds
Noise cancellation also seems to be great, you can adjust the “intensity” in their apps in the app, and when you're in “persistence” mode, you can put it into the bud. While canceling noise is not part of the Bose plan, I was told by me that it has been confirmed by Bose to meet its standards. Like the sound quality, it doesn't reach the level that QC Ultra earbuds or even QC earbuds get, but it's considerable and more effective than the intermediate ANC of the Skullcandy noise-cancelling headphones I've tried.
I found that the voice performance was mixed. In my test on the noisy streets of New York, one caller said they could be clearly here, while two other callers said my voice was swaying and cutting in and cutting out (it was hard for me to hear). I still have some tests to do in this regard, but a question mark on call quality – at least when the caller is hearing what the caller is (I end up hearing the caller has no problem).
Plasma red buds.
Temporary excellent value
I'll give a full review of the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC earbuds in the coming days. But, apart from some warnings, it is safe to say that these buds seem to be a very good value. Note that Skullcandy calls its $100 price tag “Introduction Price” and as the tariff situation remains smooth, time may change. However, a Skullcandy representative told me that earplugs started production in January, so the company was able to provide a large number of units to the U.S. before the tariffs took effect. While there are currently exemptions for smartphones, laptops and some other electronics, there are no tariffs on headphones and earbuds.
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC Key Specifications
- The sound of Bose technology
- Battery life: up to 40 hours of ANC (11 buds, 29); up to 32 hours of ANC (9 buds are 9, 23, just in case)
- Noise isolation, ergonomic fit: 3 pairs of fit fins and 3 sets of ear gels, utilizing licensed technology from Bose
- Adjustable 4-MIC hybrid active noise is cancelled through customizable stay mode
- Low-latency audio
- Wear detection sensor
- IPX4 sweat and waterproof (splash-proof)
- Skull-IQ App Compatibility: Select one of 3 preset EQ settings or customize your, reconfigure button features, adjust your persistence or ANC mode, and more
- Quick Charge: 10 minutes offer 2 hours of game time
- Clear sound Smart microphone helps isolate your voice and reduce background noise during a call
- Spotify Tap Compatible
- Google Quick Pair
- Multi-point Bluetooth pairing: pair two devices at the same time to facilitate switching
- Voice side station call (heard your voice in the earbuds during the call)
- Bluetooth 5.3 and le audio
- Five color options: black, bone, primer, plasma and leopard
- Price: $100
