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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize lower cost, longer battery life, and intend to use them for exercise, the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 could be the right choice for you as they are budget-friendly, sweatproof, and have a longer battery life. However, if better sound quality, noise isolation, and active noise cancelling are important to you, especially for air travel or in noisy environments, then the Skullcandy Hesh ANC, despite being more expensive, offers superior audio performance and noise cancellation features. Additionally, the Hesh ANC can be used with a wire, providing more versatility if battery life is a concern. Both have integrated microphones, but the Hesh ANC have a slight edge in mic quality. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for exercise
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Skullcandy Hesh ANC
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Music
5.7
6.7
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC is only fair for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
5.3
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good for phone calls, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9
6.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is only fair.
Noise Reduction
6.5
8.7
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC is very good for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair.
Battery
10.0 Hours
23.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Skullcandy Hesh ANC has 23 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$135
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the Skullcandy Hesh ANC costs $135.
Build Quality
9.0
7.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC has good build quality.
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Key similarities
Gaming
5.1
5.6
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.4
5.8
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for TV and video.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and the Skullcandy Hesh ANC compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 | Skullcandy Hesh ANC |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $135 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Skullcandy | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | December 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.2/10 | 5.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.5/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 8/10 | 6.2/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 10 Hours | 23 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 1.6 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.2 | 5 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 40 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | No | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | No | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5.2 Grams | 226.7 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
Skullcandy Hesh ANC
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Headphonecheck
Maike Paeßens | 2021
"Skullcandy’s Hesh ANC are compact, wireless over-ears for everyday use that are tuned for bass and designed to suppress or amplify ambient noise as required. In addition to Bluetooth 5.0, optional tracking via the Tile app is supported so that these headphones can be found if they get lost."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the Skullcandy Hesh ANC
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Skullcandy
Skullcandy is an American, consumer-oriented, earbuds and headphones manufacturer with 20 years of market experience. They sell a wide variety of, budget-friendly and unique, wired and wireless products that are sure to please the vast majority of users. Among their most popular offerings, the Crusher headphones, includes a pair of actual subwoofers inside the cups which makes the bass extra prominent for a unique and extra fun sound.
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