Skullcandy is best known for its ultra-affordable earbuds. But every now and then, it tries to take on the big dogs—Skullcandy just launched the Rail and Rail ANC, two sets of earbuds that mimic Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Pro at a more reasonable price.
The highlight here is Skullcandy’s Rail ANC. Clocking in at just $100, the Rail ANC offers hands-free voice commands (through Skull-iQ, not Siri or Alexa), a “Stay-Aware” transparency mode, noise-reducing microphones, and of course, adjustable active noise cancelation.
Rail ANC also features adjustable EQ modes, customizable touch controls, and personal listening profiles (through an in-app hearing test). Tile’s tracking technology is also built into the earbuds, similar to how AirPods can connect with Apple’s Find My network. And with IP55 sweat and dust resistance, you don’t need to worry when taking Rail ANC to the gym.
In other words, the Rail ANC nearly matches Apple’s AirPods Pro in all features. And, in some ways, Rail ANC exceeds the AirPods Pro—while Apple’s offering has a 30-hour battery life (counting the charging case), Rail ANC can reach 38 hours.
If you don’t need ANC, the Skullcandy Rail is your next best option. It offers all the same features as the Rail ANC (including the transparency mode), but it lacks ANC and costs just $80. The basic Rail earbuds also reach a 42-hour battery life (with the charging case).
Skullcandy Rail and Rail ANC are available today. They are exclusive to Skullcandy’s website at the time of writing.
Skullcandy Rail
The Skullcandy Rail earbuds offer a 42-hour battery life, a transparency mode, Tile tracking, and more for a low price.
Skullcandy Rail ANC
With adjustable ANC, a transparency mode, Tile tracking, and a 38-hour battery life, the Skullcandy Rail ANC are an affordable alternative to Apple’s AirPods Pro.
Source: Skullcandy
