I tried the ‘world’s smallest’ noise-cancelling earbuds — and the size isn’t even the most mind-blowing thing about them

We've been fans of JLab's original JBuds Mini since their launch – the teeny tiny buds featured high in our list of the best budget earbuds for quite a while. Now the company has announced the new version, the JLab JBuds Mini ANC, and after testing them, I think they might be the cheap earbuds to beat in 2026.

Like their predecessors, the JLab JBuds Mini ANC will still cost just $39.99 full price when they release in March 2026 (global pricing TBC, but expect around £39 / AU$80 based on the previous model), and JLab says they're the "world's smallest" noise-cancelling earbuds. I certainly can't think of anything to compete with their 19x21x14mm dimensions.

The addition of active noise cancellation is the big change here, though JLab has also added a Spatial Audio mode this time. Beyond that, you've got ...