In-ear earbuds sit inside your ear canal to create a seal that helps improve sound quality, emphasize noise-canceling, and provide passive noise isolation. On the other hand, open-ear earbuds leave your ear canal open while still transmitting audio to your ears through various methods. 

Some earbuds, such as the Apple AirPods 4, feature a semi-open fit, which sits somewhat loosely without creating a full seal in your ears, allowing them to feel less constricted. However, because of their lack of a seal, these earbud types may struggle to create full and intimate audio performance.

Brands also sell fully open-ear models, like the Soundcore Aerofit 2, that don't block any ambient audio. These earbuds sit above your ear and transmit focused sound waves from specialized drivers.

Bone-conducting headphones, like those from Shokz, are another type of open-ear option. These headphones use sound pads designed to transmit audio through your jawbone. All open-ear earbuds have limited use cases but are prized by active users for their ability to let in environmental sounds naturally.

Multipoint pairing enables a pair of wireless earbuds or headphones to simultaneously connect to two source devices, such as a phone and a computer. While you won't be playing audio from both devices simultaneously, multipoint pairing makes it easy to switch between the two, allowing you to seamlessly transition from taking a call on your phone to joining a Zoom meeting on your computer without needing to connect and disconnect your earbuds.

Noise-canceling and transparency modes are both considered "ambient sound" modes, which use exterior microphones and advanced sound processing. But they're essentially the exact opposite of one another.

Active noise canceling (ANC) utilizes algorithms that continuously monitor environmental frequencies and then invert their polarity before being piped into your ears. This reversal of the sine wave of each frequency affected will "cancel" the sound.

Meanwhile, transparency mode is designed to allow environmental sounds to pass through, so you can stay aware of your surroundings. You can usually increase or decrease the ambient volume level, and the best versions from brands like Bose and Apple can even employ audio compression that attempts to block and/or reduce sudden loud noises to protect your hearing.