PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Samsung's Latest Wireless Headphones Are Built For Travel

The company announced three new wireless headphones that'll let you control when you want to hear the surrounding noise around you. Two of the models go on sale starting today.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Samsung is launching three new wireless headphones through its AKG brand that'll let you control how much ambient noise you can hear around you.

The priciest of the three models, the N700NC, will go on sale later this year for $349.95. The product tries to stand out from other noise-canceling headphones by giving you the power to fine-tune how much surrounding noise it can filter out.

"Users can control how much surrounding noise they want to let in —so they can immerse themselves in the music or keep an ear open to the world around them— all with the push of a button," Samsung said. This helps make the product ideal for traveling around, the company added.

The over-ear headphones also promise studio-quality audio, and the ability to take clear-sounding calls from your smartphone. Samsung claims the N700NC can last up to 20 hours on one charge.

The two other headphones, the Y500 and Y100 models, have also been built to let in ambient noise with a single button tap. The Y500, which will retail for $149.95, is an on-ear headphone that Samsung says can last for up to 33 hours on one charge.

The Y100, on the other hand, will go on sale for $99.95. It functions as a pair of in-ear headphones connected together by a wire; on a single charge, the product can last for up to 8 hours.

The Y500 and Y100 models are available in the US starting today. You can find them at the Samsung online store and over at Amazon.

In 2016, Samsung bought audio electronics maker Harman, which owned the AKG brand. You can find our recommendations for the best wireless headphones here.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

Read full bio