I just gave these outstanding open earbuds a glowing review and now they're back, but with an unexpected additional feature

(Image credit: Future) Baseus Bowie MC2 open-ears launched recently, gaining our glowing reviewBaseus Bowie MC2 NC just made their debut mere weeks later, at IFA 2026This model adds noise cancellation and comes at a slightly higher priceIt seems like only yesterday I was reviewing the Baseus Bowie MC2 cuff-style earbuds, which I thoroughly believe are some of the best open earbuds for people on a budget.It was actually about two weeks ago, but the brand is already back with a follow-up to the buds.At annual tech conference IFA 2026, the wraps have been pulled off the Baseus Bowie MC2 NC, which have one main change over the existing earbuds: the addition of noise cancellation. (You got it from the title didn't you?)The Bowie MC2 NC are due to go on sale at some point this month, for a slightly-higher price of $99.99 (likely about £99.99, based on the non-NC buds' price). The previous pair sell for $79.99 / £89.99 (about AU$180), so you're paying a little more for noise cancellation. As you'd imagine.Mostly, these are the same earbuds, with an identical feature set, sound profile and charging case. The latter's stamina is stated to be slightly better, with a 60-hour battery life, but given how much of a power drain noise cancellation is, the resulting battery life will likely be less.Noise cancellation in a noise uncancelling bud (Image credit: Future)Noise cancellation is an odd feature for open earbuds — and it's very rare to see it in this ear cuff-style design. ANC typically removes background sound, but the entire point of open earbuds is to allow you to hear what's going on around you. Very few open-earbuds makers have offered any degree of noise cancellation; Honor's Earbuds Open and Shokz' OpenFit Pro are two of the few examples that do, but both sport a more 'traditional' open-ear shell design, rather than the Baseus Bowie's cuff shape.In practice, though, I get it. You might want to hear what's going on around you while you're stood beside a busy, dangerous road, but not when you're on loud public transport. Some degree of versatility is welcome.Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.Cancelling sound on these buds is a technical challenge, though. It's hard to remove background noise from music, when these sounds are coming around the bud too. It's like trying to block a river, with a dam that only covers half of it.To solve this problem, Baseus has redesigned the 'air cushion', or the comfy padded layer around the Bowie MC2's bud. This apparently now blocks up your ear better, to create an acoustic seal that can better block surrounding sounds.Whether there's appetite for noise cancellation in noise uncancelling buds remains to be seen, but it's good that there are options; this is, as far as I can recall, the first clip-on pair I've heard of with the feature. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Tom Bedford is a freelance contributor covering tech, entertainment and gaming. Beyond TechRadar, he has bylines on sites including GamesRadar, Digital Trends, Android Police, TechAdvisor, WhattoWatch and BGR. From 2019 to 2022 he was on the TechRadar team as the staff writer and then deputy editor for the mobile team.