Using the noise cancelling option will reduce the battery life quicker than when disabled. They are both similar price. Edit: Took one star off for not having an auto-off feature. Three stars for now Daughter?s xmas gift, replacing a pair she had entirely worn out. which is not the case with many of the other similar earphones. The lock that is included inside the product feels cheap and pretty useless. These are so unbelievably comfortable. However the price is ridiculous. They were worth every dollar!