Technics AZ40M2

The Technics AZ40M2 sounds great and handles calls better than most, with three-device multipoint as the standout feature. But battery life is terrible, ranking in the 2nd percentile, and the ANC is weaker than the specs suggest. Worth it if you live on calls and can charge daily, skip it if you need all-day endurance.

Sound quality is the star. The 6mm dynamic driver with LDAC support lands in the 86th percentile, which means it's one of the best on the market for pure audio. ANC is even better on paper, sitting at the 93rd percentile, but real-world feedback tells a different story. Owners consistently say the noise cancelling is weak, and the ambient mode introduces a faint white noise. Mic quality is strong at the 81st percentile, which lines up with the beamforming tech doing its job for calls. Connectivity is solid but not spectacular at the 72nd percentile. The real problem is battery, which ranks in the 2nd percentile. That's not a typo. It's one of the worst we've seen for this category.

Against the Sony WF-1000XM6, the Technics loses on ANC and battery but wins on multipoint flexibility. The Nothing Buds 2 are cheaper and more comfortable, but their call quality doesn't touch the AZ40M2. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Gen both have better ecosystems and comfort, but neither offers three-device multipoint. If you're deep in the Apple or Samsung world, those are safer picks. If you bounce between a work laptop, personal phone, and tablet all day, the Technics is the only one that handles that natively.

Pricing is all over the map. In Canada you can find these for CAD 148, which is a steal for LDAC sound and three-device multipoint. In Mexico they run MXN 2,969 to 3,199, which feels less exciting. The customer rating sits at 4.1 out of 5 from 269 reviews, and the sentiment summary calls them a great value at discounted prices. If you catch them on sale, the call quality and sound alone justify the cost. At full price, the battery situation makes it harder to recommend.

The Technics AZ40M2 is a bit of an odd duck. It nails the stuff most earbuds fumble, like call quality and three-device multipoint, but then trips over basics like battery life. If you live on Zoom calls and hate swapping earbuds between your laptop and phone, this is a genuinely useful tool. If you want all-day music with deep ANC, keep scrolling.

Sound is the headline here. A 6mm driver with LDAC support puts it in the top tier for audio, and our database backs that up. But the comfort score is rough, and the battery ranking is basically a joke. You're getting a very specific set of strengths and some real compromises.

Skip these if you need earbuds for long flights or all-day wear. The battery life is genuinely bad, and the ANC won't save you on a noisy plane. If comfort is your top priority, the 27th percentile comfort score and mixed fit reports should give you pause. And if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, the AirPods Pro 3rd Gen will integrate far more smoothly.

Buy these if you spend your day on calls across multiple devices and want genuinely good sound for music in between. The three-device multipoint is the killer feature, and the mic quality backs it up. Skip them if you need all-day battery or strong ANC for travel. The battery ranking alone should scare off anyone who forgets to charge their gear.