Master & Dynamic MW08 enters wireless earbuds knife fight with a gun

The lead Apple’s AirPods has enjoyed is quickly disappearing. As if Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro beating AirPods Pro on price and battery life wasn’t enough, the audio nerds at Master & Dynamic are raising the stakes with its MW08 wireless earbuds.

42 hours of battery life — Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus already got 40 hours of battery total between the earbuds and the charging case. The MW08 earbuds push the battery life to 42 hours total — 12 hours on a single charge and 30 from the case.

If you’re keeping score, the MW08 completely destroys its competition on battery life. On a single charge with active noise-cancellation turned on, AirPods Pro only gets 4.5 hours (24 hours with case), Galaxy Buds Pro lasts 5 hours (28 hours with case), and Sony’s WF-1000XM3 lasts up to 6 hours (24 hours with case).

Hybrid active noise-cancellation — The MW08 earbuds aren’t true active noise-cancellation earbuds — they’re hybrid, meaning they cancel out a good amount of external noise, but not as much as earbuds that truly block out sound. I’ve been testing a pair for a few days and they’re better than many other hybrid ANC earbuds like Galaxy Buds Live that use an open-ear design as opposed to in-ear like the MW08. In-ear ear tips provide natural passive sealing.

You get what you pay for — The long-lasting battery life sounds like a game-changer. But like all of Master & Dynamic’s products, the MW08 earbuds do not come cheap. They cost $299, which is $50 more than the AirPods Pro, $100 more than the Galaxy Buds Pro, and $120 more than the WF-1000XM3.

Then again, none of those earbuds are made of ceramic and stainless steel. Nor are their charging cases made of metal, either.

Review coming soon — There’s a ton of new tech inside of the MW08 wireless earbuds. 11mm Beryllium drivers, Bluetooth 5.2, six microphones, and on-bud buttons (non-touch ones) for controlling volume and playback, to name a few. Master & Dynamic’s also launching its first app, M&D Connect, for iOS and Android that will let users “customize their listening experience.” To what extent is something I’ve yet to test.

The MW08 comes out on March 30 in several colors: black ceramic/stainless steel, white ceramic/stainless steel, brown ceramic/stainless steel, and blue ceramic/graphite grey stainless steel.

I’ll have more thoughts on sound quality, battery life, and the hybrid ANC (and ambient mode) soon. Stay tuned for my full review.