Creative Zen Air SXFI

Flagship-level mic and ANC for budget money. Music lovers should look elsewhere, but call-heavy users just found their new favorite earbuds.

What surprised us most is how good the adaptive ANC is. It's not just marketing fluff. The AI-enhanced noise control actually adjusts to your surroundings in real time, and it's among the best we've seen at this price point. The six-mic setup with beamforming and wind noise suppression is also a standout. Call quality is genuinely impressive, even in noisy environments. Battery life is another bright spot. You get 12 hours per charge from the earbuds and 39 hours total with the case, which is well above average. The IPX5 rating means sweat and light rain won't kill them either. But the music performance is where things get a bit rough. The bass is punchy and vocals are clear, but the overall tuning feels a bit flat for dedicated music listening. It's fine for podcasts and calls, but don't expect audiophile-grade detail.

Against the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation, the Creative Zen Air SXFI holds its own on mic and ANC, which is honestly shocking at this price. The Sony and Apple buds are better all-rounders with superior music performance and more refined comfort, but they cost significantly more. The Nothing Buds 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are closer competitors in terms of features, but the Creative beats them on call quality and noise cancellation. The Soundcore P31i is the budget alternative, but it doesn't come close to the Creative's mic performance. If calls and ANC are your priority, the Creative is the smart buy. If you want the best music experience, the Sony or Apple buds are worth the extra cash.

At $115 to $133 USD, these are a solid deal if you prioritize calls and noise cancellation. The price spread across vendors is $18, so shop around. Newegg has the best deal at the lower end of that range. You're getting flagship-level mic and ANC performance for budget earbud money. That's a rare combo. But if music quality is your main thing, you might want to look elsewhere. For the price, though, it's hard to complain too much.

The Creative Zen Air SXFI is one of those rare budget earbuds that punches way above its weight where it counts. The headline here is the mic and ANC performance, both sitting in the top 3% of everything we've tested. That's wild for a pair of earbuds that costs around $115 to $133. Creative clearly spent the engineering budget on call quality and noise cancellation, and it shows. The 10mm neodymium drivers deliver solid sound too, landing in the 94th percentile overall. But it's not all sunshine. The music score is the weakest area at 60.9 out of 100, which tells you these are tuned more for calls and podcasts than critical listening sessions.

If you're looking for the best music experience, these aren't it. The music score of 60.9 out of 100 is the weakest area. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation instead. They cost more, but they deliver where the Creative falls short.

The Creative Zen Air SXFI is a niche winner. It's not the best all-around earbud, but it's arguably the best budget option for calls and noise cancellation. If you spend your day on Zoom calls or commute in noisy environments, these are a no-brainer at this price. The mic and ANC performance are genuinely flagship-level. Just don't expect them to replace your dedicated music earbuds. For the price, they're a steal for the right user.