Skullcandy Rail ANC Review

Apr 09, 2024

At $99.99, Skullcandy’s flagship Rail ANC noise-cancelling true wireless earphones feature a cool, partially transparent design and emphasize the lows on tracks. A light-up charging case and a feature-filled companion app—complete with adjustable EQ—add intrigue and value, though the active noise cancellation (ANC) mode is merely decent. For the same price, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earphones deliver better ANC and an even better app experience, so they remain our Editors’ Choice winner in the sub-$100 category.

Available in only a black finish, the semi-transparent, stem-style Rail ANC earphones feature the Skullcandy logo on their outer panels. They feel comfortable and ship with three pairs of silicone eartips. One note about the product name: At Walmart, Skullcandy sells them as the Rail ANC XT.

Internally, 12mm drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.2 and work with the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX. Competitors offer better options here; the EarFun Air Pro 3 offers the LC3 and AptX Adaptive options, while the aforementioned Anker pair has LDAC. In any case, multipoint support means you can pair the Skullcandy with up to two devices simultaneously.

The outer capacitive touch control panels on each earpiece are easy to operate but occasionally misfire. By default, the controls are nearly identical on each side: a single tap controls playback, double taps skip forward a track, and triple taps cycle through ANC On, ANC Off, and Stay Aware modes. A long press on the left earbud summons your voice assistant, while the same gesture activates Spotify Tap on the right. Thankfully, you can reconfigure this layout however you prefer via the companion app. That includes adding volume controls and removing the Spotify Tap option.

An IPX4 rating means the earphones are modestly water-resistant. They can withstand moderate splashes from any direction, so neither light rain nor sweaty workouts should cause an issue. Dunking them underwater is not something I recommend, however, and make sure not to expose the unprotected charging case to the elements.

The matte, rounded case is slightly bulky and features a flip-top lid with a contrasting glossy finish. Inside, a transparent docking area shows off the interior circuity and a glowing blue LED. A USB-C port on the back enables charging via the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable, but you can also power up the case via Qi-certified wireless chargers.

Skullcandy estimates that the Rail ANC earphones can last roughly 10 hours per charge and that the case holds an additional 28 hours of battery life (with the ANC Mode off). With noise cancellation active, those estimates respectively drop to 7 and 20 hours for the earbuds and case. Your real-world results will vary depending on your typical listening volume, but these claims are competitive considering the price.

The ever-evolving Skull-iQ app (available for Android and iOS) shows battery life readouts for each earpiece at the top of the main screen. Below that are two columns of tiles that let you tweak various functions.

Tap on the Voice Control section to enable the Skullcandy Voice integration and set its language—commands like “Hey Skullcandy, play” or “Hey Skullcandy, Spotify” all work quite well. Select the Button Settings section to assign whatever function you desire to any of the gestures the earphones support. In the Hearing Modes area, you can switch between the ANC and Stay Aware Modes, as well as adjust their levels with a fader. The EQ section includes several presets (Bass Boost, Music, and Podcast) and lets you create a custom curve with five bands.

Personal Sound, Spotify Tap, and Take a Photo sections round out the experience. The Spotify Tap integration enables quick access to Spotify, the Take a Photo feature lets you use the earbuds to remotely take a photo with your phone's camera, and the Personal Sound section employs the Mimi assistant to measure your hearing and adjust the sound profile accordingly. Of course, the EQ is a better bet for getting the sound you prefer. Otherwise, you can toggle multipoint pairing and set up a Tile integration to help you locate a missing pair.

From the settings menu, you can download new app versions and features. None were available at the time of testing, but a hands-free Alexa integration should arrive in the future (Skullcandy didn't provide a specific date).

The Rail ANC earphones didn't impress in my noise cancellation tests even at their highest intensity level. They somewhat cut back low-frequency drones like those from appliances or an engine, but not nearly as effectively as the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC model (let alone the class-leading Apple AirPods Pro). The Skullcandy also didn't fare as well as the Anker against a recording of a crowded restaurant with more complex noise, though the performance gap was a little less obvious. This is all to say that the ANC mode shouldn't be a selling point; you can do better even at $100.

The Stay Aware mode transmits your surroundings with a high-frequency emphasis (helpful for understanding speech). The top volume level here isn't very loud—keyboard typing sounds are about as loud as they would be without the earphones in—but you can adjust the level of transparency in the app, as mentioned.

For audio testing, I kept the Rail ANC earphones in Music mode. On tracks with intense sub-bass elements, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” they deliver a heightened low-frequency response. The bass doesn't ever distort at high volumes and still packs some power at moderate levels. The higher frequencies generally complement the deep lows here.

The earphones have no trouble handling the sub-bass content at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” They reproduce the deepest lows with serious rumble, while the vocals get enough high-frequency attention to provide balance.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a more varied track, gives us a better sense of the pair's sound signature. The drums receive some low-frequency emphasis, but never to an extreme extent. Callahan’s baritone vocals benefit from a mix of low-mid richness and high-mid definition. The acoustic strums sound slightly less bright and present than typical, but never dull.

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the drivers boost the lower-frequency instrumentation, but the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals are crisp enough that they remain present in the mix. Again, the latter elements sound a tad less bright than typical. If that bothers you, head to the EQ to bring back the missing sheen.

The mic offers good intelligibility and I had no trouble picking out every word of a test recording from my iPhone. The signal is very clear overall, though higher-end options like the AirPods Pro still sound brighter and crisper.

We like the Skullcandy Rail ANC earphones' granular app experience, customizable sound signature, and cool design, but the just okay noise cancellation is what keeps them from earning a higher rating. The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds remain the sub-$100 pair to beat because they cancel distracting noise more effectively and ship with a similarly robust companion app. And, if you prefer a stem-style design, the $99.99 Earfun Air Pro 3 also edges out the Skullcandy thanks to their better ANC performance.

The eye-catching Skullcandy Rail ANC earphones seamlessly integrate with an intuitive companion app and drive a good amount of bass, but they don't cancel noise particularly well.

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