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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a lightweight, foldable over-ear pair with four-mic active noise cancelling, Tile finding built in and a wired 3.5 mm fallback, choose Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise; if you need maximum playtime, adaptive noise cancelling that reacts to wind and a busy street, and Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint and Auracast, choose Philips H8000.
• Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise — biggest strength: 4-mic active noise cancelling in a flat-folding, collapsible over-ear design that weighs 228 g and includes built-in Tile finding technology.
• Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise — biggest trade-off: 22 hours of battery life per charge is modest next to the Philips figure, so heavy travellers will charge more often.
• Philips H8000 — biggest strength: Up to 70 hours of playtime with noise cancelling off (50 hours with it on), plus Quick Awareness for conversations and Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint and Auracast.
• Philips H8000 — biggest trade-off: It's the heavier-duty listening device rather than a compact one — you get endurance and call clarity, not a fold-flat travel shape.
• Who each pick is for: Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise suits students, commuters and anyone who wants a light, packable pair with a cable option; Philips H8000 suits long-haul travellers, remote workers and listeners who hate charging.
The Hesh ANC Noise is built around one clear idea: keep it simple, keep it light, keep it packable. The 4-mic active noise cancelling array is there to push down the drone of a bus engine or a lecture-hall air conditioner so your music, movie or podcast sits in front of it. It's not the most aggressive cancellation system in this comparison, but the four-mic setup is a genuine step up from passive isolation, and it's the headline feature here.
Where this pair really earns its place is portability and control. The flat-folding, collapsible design means it collapses down rather than just swivelling flat, which matters if you're stuffing it into a backpack pocket between classes. At 228 g with a faux leather, plastic and silicone build, it's the sort of headphone you forget you're wearing on a two-hour commute. Physical button controls handle calls, volume and track skipping — no swiping, no guessing — and there's a 3.5 mm jack so you can plug in when the battery runs down or when you're on a plane with a seat-back screen.
Battery is the honest weak point. Up to 22 hours per charge is fine for a week of commutes, and Rapid Charge gives you 3 hours of listening from a 10-minute top-up, which is genuinely useful when you're walking out the door and realise you forgot to charge. But if you fly long-haul or work full days in headphones, you'll be reaching for the cable more than you'd like. The built-in Tile finding technology is a nice practical touch — register the product in the Tile app and you can locate the headphones near or far, which is more than most pairs at this level offer.
Buy it if you want a light, folding, everyday over-ear with real ANC, a wired fallback and a way to find it when it goes missing. Skip it if battery endurance is your number one priority or you need multipoint switching between a laptop and a phone.
The Philips H8000 is the endurance play. Up to 70 hours of playtime with noise cancelling off, and 50 hours with it on, is a different category of battery life — that's measured in weeks of commuting, not days. Quick charge gives you 8 hours from a 10-minute top-up, which is roughly a full workday from a coffee-break charge. If you're the person who always forgets to plug things in, this is the pair that forgives you.
Its noise cancelling is the more sophisticated of the two. Noise Canceling Pro is adaptive: it reacts to your surroundings and suppresses external noise in real time, including wind, which is the failure mode that trips up a lot of ANC headphones outdoors. Awareness Mode lets outside sound back in when you need it, and Quick Awareness specifically enhances voices so you can hold a conversation without taking the headphones off. That's a genuinely thoughtful feature for anyone who orders coffee, talks to a colleague or listens for a gate announcement.
Calls are the other headline. The 5-mic technology pairs dedicated microphones with a noise-reduction algorithm, so your voice is picked up clearly while background noise is pushed down — the windy-street scenario is exactly what it's designed for. On the connectivity side you get Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, so it holds two devices at once (laptop and phone, say), plus Auracast for tuning into public broadcasts like airport announcements or sports-bar commentary.
The trade-off is shape and focus. At 0.18 kg with a fabric finish it's comfortable, but it isn't described as folding or collapsible, so it's a bag-space commitment rather than a pocket one. It also leans into voice and endurance rather than compact travel convenience.
Buy it if you want the longest possible battery, adaptive ANC that handles wind, and clear calls in noisy places. Skip it if you need a pair that folds down small or you mainly want a cheap, light secondary pair.
• Best for battery life → Philips H8000. Up to 70 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with it on, versus 22 hours on the Skullcandy.
• Best for portability → Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise. Flat-folding, collapsible and 228 g, with a wired 3.5 mm option for when you're out of juice.
• Best for noisy calls in bad weather → Philips H8000. 5-mic technology plus a noise-reduction algorithm is explicitly aimed at busy streets and wind.
• Best for outdoor ANC → Philips H8000. Noise Canceling Pro is adaptive and reacts to surroundings in real time, including wind.
• Best for quick conversations → Philips H8000. Quick Awareness boosts voices so you don't have to remove the headphones.
• Best for multi-device switching → Philips H8000. Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint holds two devices at once; the Skullcandy sheet lists Bluetooth 5 without multipoint.
• Best for finding a lost pair → Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise. Built-in Tile finding technology, once you register the product in the Tile app.
• Best for a light everyday commuter pair → Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise. Button controls, Rapid Charge and a fold-flat shape make it the easier daily carry.
In my opinion, the Philips H8000 is the stronger buy for most people comparing these two, because battery life and call quality are the two things that annoy headphone owners most, and it wins both comfortably. Up to 70 hours, adaptive ANC that copes with wind, 5-mic call clarity and multipoint are a lot of practical upside.
That said, I'd pick the Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise for a student, a light commuter or anyone who wants a foldable pair with a cable in the box and Tile finding. It's the more packable, more casual option.
If you're still unsure, check the current price on Amazon before deciding — the gap between the two may settle it for you.
FAQ
what are wireless noise cancelling headphones
how do wireless noise cancelling headphones work
Microphones pick up ambient noise and the headphones generate a signal that offsets it, while the Bluetooth link carries your audio. The Philips version adapts in real time and handles wind; the Skullcandy version uses four microphones and adds a Stay-Aware mode alongside its cancellation.
what is wireless noise cancelling headphones
The term describes Bluetooth headphones with built-in ANC rather than passive isolation from padding alone. Both models also include a 3.5 mm jack, so they can run wired when you prefer or when the battery is empty.
what is the best wireless noise cancelling headphones
There's no single answer — it comes down to what you value. In my opinion the Philips H8000 is the better pick for battery life, calls and adaptive ANC, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC Noise is the better pick for a light, folding, findable pair with a cable option.
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