Most charging cases only hold a charge and a pair of buds. JBL Live Buds 3, priced at $129.95 (was $200), add a 1.45-inch color touchscreen that turns the case into a control panel you can use with a laptop, tablet, TV, or phone without opening an app. Swipe to play, pause, or skip, raise or lower volume, flip between adaptive noise cancelling, Ambient Aware, and TalkThru, pick an equalizer preset, or set spatial sound for music, movies, or games. Incoming texts and call alerts can flash across the same display, battery levels for both buds and the case sit along the top, and you can load a photo from your phone as a lock wallpaper. A lanyard loop on the case makes it easier to keep that little screen within reach.

Anker still sells the Soundcore Q20i as a $70 pair that regularly lands closer to $40, and that number explains why these over-ears keep showing up in carry-ons years after their original launch. Hybrid cancellation, a 40-hour ANC claim, memory-foam cups, and a fold-flat frame sit in a package light enough that you forget them until the cabin drone disappears. For commuters and travelers who want silence more than a flagship badge, that combination has been hard to ignore.

Bose refreshed its everyday over-ears and left the price at $199 (was $359). QuietComfort Headphones now carry Immersive Audio, two-way USB-C sound, and smarter canceling that used to live on the more expensive Ultra models.

People who want a pair of over-ear headphones with good noise cancelation and a long battery life without spending money on AirPods Max continue to prefer the Beats Studio Pro, priced at $149.99 (was $350). They borrow enough from Apple’s playbook to be comfortable while being versatile enough for Android users, and they do it in a package that is substantially lighter and more robust than the aluminum cans that many people desire.