TESNA Pro2, Ultra or Free7: which ANC earbuds to choose
In short
The Pro2 if you work across laptop and phone. The Ultra if you want the most quiet and Hi-Res sound. The Free7 if you have small ears.
Noise cancelling
The Ultra have adaptive ANC up to 50 dB that re-tunes as you move. The Pro2 have hybrid ANC up to 42 dB, and the Free7 up to 38 dB.
What each adds
The Pro2 have multipoint, staying connected to two devices at once, and you can find a lost bud from the TESNA app. The Ultra have Hi-Res sound over LDAC on Android phones that support it, and an 11 mm coaxial driver. The Free7 come with four tip sizes, XS included, and weigh just 3.9 g a bud.
Battery
With ANC on: the Ultra last 8 hours plus 32 from the case, the Pro2 7 hours plus 28, the Free7 6 hours plus 24.
Sound
The Ultra has an 11 mm coaxial driver, built so the low and high notes come from the same point, and supports LDAC for Hi-Res music on Android phones that have it. It is the pick for anyone who listens a lot and closely.
The Pro2 has a 10 mm dynamic driver and sounds balanced, suited to music, podcasts and calls. The Free7 has an 8 mm driver, smaller because the bud is smaller, but with a well-fitting tip it sounds full for its size.
All three use SBC and AAC, so on an iPhone the difference comes from the driver and the fit, not the codec.
Weight and fit
The Free7 is 3.9 g a bud with four tip sizes, XS included: the pick for small ears and for anyone who sleeps in their buds. The Pro2 is 4.9 g and the Ultra 5.3 g.
The 1.4 g difference between the Free7 and the Ultra looks small, but after two hours you feel it, especially in small ears. In medium and large ears all three are comfortable for a working day.
Toughness and sport
The Free7 is rated IPX5, resistant to water jets, so it copes best with heavy sweat. The Pro2 and the Ultra are IPX4, enough for normal sweat and splashes.
For the gym, the Free7 is the better fit of the three; for running outdoors, where you need to hear the traffic, an open-ear bud is safer than any of them.
Which to choose
The Ultra, if you want the most quiet, up to 50 dB, adaptive ANC and Hi-Res sound over LDAC, and are willing to pay for them.
The Pro2, if you work on a laptop and a phone at once: multipoint saves you reconnecting, and ANC of up to 42 dB is enough for the office and public transport.
The Free7, if you have small ears, want the lightest buds or work out in them.
What they share
All three are true wireless buds with active noise cancelling, a charging case and a Bluetooth connection to iPhone and Android. All use SBC and AAC.
The differences come down to how much quiet you need, the size of your ears, sport, and work features such as multipoint. Below, each point in turn.
The features you do not see on the box
The Pro2 can find a lost bud: from the TESNA app you can make either bud ring, handy when one has fallen between the sofa cushions. The Ultra has adaptive cancelling: the bud measures how much sound leaks past the tip and re-tunes the cancelling as you move.
The Free7 are under four grams a bud, light enough to fall asleep in on a plane, and the box has four tip sizes, including an extra-small one many brands leave out.
Every model is in the shop, under noise cancelling earbuds.