As a new earbud manufacturer, Elevoc is up against it. So imagine my surprise when these earbuds from an unknown brand arrive on my doorstep, promising advanced ANC and clear voice calling technology, only to live up to their marketing talk, and deliver the goods.

After all, active noise cancellation on a budget is difficult enough to pull off without compromising other features. Elevoc's Clear earbuds are also comfortable, come with reasonable battery life, and most importantly, they sound good when put up against a range of music and films.

So, are the Elevoc Clear earbuds worth buying? Can you really buy good ANC earbuds on the cheap? Find out in our Elevoc Clear ANC review.

Elevoc Clear Earbuds Have Excellent ANC

Let's start with the Elevoc Clear earbud's best feature, its active noise cancellation. Elevoc claims that the Clear earbuds as the "most powerful noise-canceling earbuds ever," which really is a bold assertion. The Clear earbuds feature six microphones along with a hybrid active noise cancellation feature, and I have to say, for a sub-$200 set of true wireless earbuds, the ANC is really good.

Elevoc's hybrid ANC also allows for ambient noise passthrough, which the company calls Environmental Noise Canceling (ENC). Giving a catchy name to the ambient passthrough mode is a useful marketing tool, but it doesn't do anything that other hybrid ANC earbuds do not. Still, the hybrid ANC mode works well and allows you to customize the ratio of noise-canceling to external passthrough using the companion app, discussed below.

The ANC succeeds in blocking most of the noise in a variety of situations. Working at home with the Elevoc Clear ANC turned up to full, and you're in an isolated audio world, perfect for concentration on your work or otherwise. Similarly, while out running, the Clear ANC helps to create a personal bubble, excellent for short or lengthy workouts (though please, take care when crossing roads with ANC earbuds in!).

As the Elevoc Clear true wireless earbuds retail for $129, it's clear that this is one of the standout features, especially at this price range. It is testament to Elevoc that you don't find that many earbuds at this price point delivering active noise cancellation successfully, yet the Clear buds are one of the best on this budget.

Control ANC and Ambient Passthrough With the Elevoc App

Elevoc's companion app is available for both Android and iOS devices. Unfortunately, the Elevoc app is fairly basic in options, and its main focus is adjusting the level of ANC versus ambient noise passthrough. It works well enough, but aside from firmware updates (which are handy, no doubt) doesn't offer any other features at the time of review.

Elevoc Clear Earbuds Sound Quality Is Good

Along with the excellent ANC, the Elevoc Clear buds also have a pretty good overall sound profile. However, it isn't a clean, neutral sound. These earbuds aren't designed for audiophiles in search of the perfect audio experience.

That said, they're plenty good for most music. The Clear's 10mm dynamic drivers power a soundstage with a definite lean towards deeper bass tones, with some issues found at the top of the scale. The bassy profile isn't quite what you'd call "bass-heavy," in that it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the sound. As you will find with headphones and earbuds with a similar profile, the slant towards bass improves the Elevoc Clear audio experience with some genres while making others markedly less enjoyable.

You could consider it bassy without being punchy, with the quality of your experience depending on the music you listen to.

So, the Elevoc Clear sound experience is just... good. Nothing bad, nothing outstanding, sound delivered without causing an issue. In fact, switching ANC on and off also makes a difference to the overall output, so it's worth experimenting between the modes to see which you prefer. There is no right or wrong approach here as the ANC does somewhat tone down the bass, but you might prefer that sound anyway.

The Clear Elevoc Microphone Quality Is Excellent

Before moving on, consider Elevoc's other excellent feature: its microphones and overall call quality. Along with ANC, Elevoc uses what it has dubbed ENC, or Environmental Noise Cancellation. This is more a play on words, but your voice comes through with exceptional clarity when using the Clear buds. The combination of six microphones and two voice accelerometers helps to isolate and project your voice, and the Elevoc Clear earbuds voice call and capture quality is one of its resounding successes.

Working with the microphone array is something Elevoc calls Vocplus, an award-winning AI noise cancelation tool that uses neural network processing and audio analysis to capture and separate voices from distracting and disruptive background noises. What better way to test the earbuds than on the school pick-up run, with a thousand exuberant kids bursting out of school on a Friday afternoon. The result? Excellent. My voice remained clear throughout the entire phone call, surrounded by buses, coaches, taxis, and the general hubbub you might expect.

As a nod to the quality of Elevoc's Vocplus tech is that other companies are using it in their products. Qualcomm showcased Vocplus at the Snapdragon Technology Summit, while the Realme Book uses Vocplus to power its microphones.

Elevoc Clear Specs and Battery Life

The Elevoc Clear battery life is another plus point for these earbuds. Each earbud has a 45mAh capacity, which translates to five hours of playback with ANC on, rising to six hours with ANC off. The charging carry case delivers another 600mAh, which delivers between 25-30 hours of additional playback depending on your active noise cancellation settings.

With ANC switched on, five hours of playback is perfectly respectable. The battery ratings were largely accurate during testing, with the earbuds regularly lasting for between five to six hours with ANC switched off. You can grab around one hour of playback on a 15-minute fast charge, decent enough when you're in a rush.

The rounded rectangular case has a soft rubber coating which means it won't slip from your hand easily. Furthermore, you can open the case with a single hand, which is handy in certain situations. Overall, the case quality is pretty good. It feels sturdy enough to protect the Elevoc Clear earbuds from harm while out and about and can probably withstand being thrown into your bag. One thing I would mention is that while the magnetic clasp is strong, once opened, the earbuds are liable to fall out quite easily when jolted around.

Each earbud weighs in at 5g (0.17oz), lightweight enough that you can wear the Clear buds for hours at a time. For comparison, Apple AirPods weigh 4g each, while Huawei's Freebuds Pro weigh 6.1g each, so the Elevoc Clear earbuds really are slap bang in the middle of things. Either way, you won't notice them weighing you down.

The black and grey color scheme is fairly standard, as is the earbud with stem design. That said, they do look good when you're wearing them, even if they won't win any awards for pushing the boundaries of design. In terms of comfort and ergonomics, there are six different silicone ear tip options available to you. Switching them out will help you find the ideal level of inner ear comfort for prolonged listening sessions, and having six different sizes is a nice touch.

It took me a couple of tries to find the ideal fit, but they create a good seal once you get the right tips. Earbud comfort is such a personal thing that it is difficult to comment too much, but my general feeling is that the Elevoc Clear buds are sufficiently comfortable for prolonged use.

The Clear buds are rated IP54, which means they'll protect against splashes of water and some dust, but they're not going to become your go-to earbuds for a long run in the pouring rain. Also, while the earbuds carry the IP54 rating, the case does not and will be damaged if it gets wet.

Do the Elevoc Clear Earbuds Offer Good Value For Money?

As a company with close ties to Qualcomm, you might expect Elevoc to knock it out of the park on the first attempt. But with earbuds, it is rarely that simple. So that the Elevoc Clear delivers excellent active noise cancellation for under $130 should put the Clear earbuds right in the discussion for the best budget ANC earbuds. They're not going to beat out the premium alternatives, but they also cost hundreds of dollars less, so you know what to expect when you buy.

Furthermore, the Elevoc Clear earbuds do sound good. It isn't the clean sound an audio engineer demands, but they're perfectly acceptable for most uses. You might consider these a slightly lower budget alternative to Apple's pricier and less featureful AirPods, a handy option for the child (or adult!) in your life that is forever losing their buds. They don't have the same style or sophistication as AirPods, but they more than get the job done, and they'll save you few bucks in the process.