Adidas Z.N.E. 01 vs Z.N.E. 01 ANC: Two Running Earbuds, Two Very Different Verdicts

Introduction

Adidas entered the running earbuds market with two closely related models: the Z.N.E. 01 and the Z.N.E. 01 ANC. They share a family look and a running-first focus, but after extended run testing they land in very different places. The non-ANC version turns out to be a solid, affordable option for steady runs, while the ANC model asks for considerably more money and delivers noticeably less than the competition.

What You Get with Each Model

The standard Z.N.E. 01 uses a longer stem design with silicone ear sleeves and no wingtips. It carries an IPX4 sweat and splash proof rating, touch controls for music and calls, two microphones, a 10 meter Bluetooth range, and up to five hours of battery life. Quick charge support gives you an hour of playback from a 15 minute charge.

The Z.N.E. 01 ANC swaps to a shorter stem design with two microphones per earbud for active noise cancellation, plus an awareness mode for hearing your surroundings. It steps up to IPX5 sweat and water resistance, with the case rated IPX4. It also gains access to the Adidas headphone app for EQ presets, touch control customization, and an eco charging mode that caps charging at 80 percent to prolong battery health. Battery life is up to four and a half hours with ANC on and six hours without, with the same 15 minute quick charge for an hour of playback.

Adidas Z.N.E. 01: The Budget Surprise

The standard model is the more pleasant surprise of the pair. The fit is light and comfortable, and the silicone sleeves help the buds stay in place during steady runs, indoors and out. The design leans heavily on early AirPods styling, which looks great, and the case has enough splash and sweat resistance for real use, fitting neatly into a running belt.

Sound quality improves after a few runs and turns out to be reasonably powerful for the size, with a decent amount of detail and a wide sound stage. It suits vocal-based audio, podcasts, and higher tempo music like house. There is no active noise cancellation, so wind and traffic remain audible, but the balance never makes your music unlistenable on quieter roads.

Battery life is not the biggest on paper at up to five hours, but quick charging makes it easy to cover a week of workouts if you top the buds up in the case after every run. The main weaknesses are the touch controls, which feel too sensitive when you run faster, and the lack of wingtips, which raises real concerns for fast sessions and races where knocking a bud loose is a genuine risk. There is also no find my buds feature to help recover them.

Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC: Falling Short at the Price

The ANC version is the lighter set here at around 4.7 grams per bud, and without wingtips it still fits remarkably tightly. During testing it survived steep downhills and never shook loose, arguably the best fit of any stemmed true wireless design tested. The compact, ergonomic case is also genuinely one of the better ones available.

The problems start with build feel and comfort. The buds feel a bit plastic and lack the premium touch of rivals, and they are somewhat uncomfortable over long wear. Touch controls are unresponsive, particularly with gloves on, where press-style designs like the Beats Fit Pro still work through a hat or beanie.

Sound is tinny and lacks depth at the £170 price point. The Adidas app offers several EQ presets including an Adidas mode, hip hop, and electronic, but there is no fully customizable EQ, no personalized hearing test, and no way to save sound profiles, features that rivals like the Jabra Elite 7 Active and Jaybird Vista 2 include.

Battery life on the buds is only around half to three quarters of what competitors deliver, both per charge and from the case. During a two hour run the buds drained by about 30 percent, matching the stated four and a half hour ANC figure, though the right bud drains faster than the left.

Other gaps add up: no find my buds feature for either the buds or the case, occasional Bluetooth stutters during runs, and an app bug where battery readouts stopped updating, making it hard to see remaining charge at all.

How the ANC Performs Outdoors

Out on a busy road, the active noise cancellation dulls lower traffic noise compared to having the buds in with ANC off, though it never fully removes the top level traffic sound. It is not a full cocoon, but it is solid. Transparency mode performs well, letting in about as much sound as if you had no earbuds in at all, while a good ear seal still dampens some ambient noise on its own.

Which One Should You Buy?

If you can get the standard Z.N.E. 01 to fit your ears, it delivers a genuinely solid pair of running headphones for around £85, with good sound, simple faff-free use, and battery life that covers a week of training with quick charge top-ups. It works best for steadier runs where overly sensitive touch controls and the lack of wingtips matter less.

The Z.N.E. 01 ANC is harder to recommend. At £170 it falls short on sound, build quality, battery life, and customization compared to alternatives like the Jaybird Vista 2, Jabra Elite 7 Active, and Beats Fit Pro, several of which cost only £10 to £15 more. Had it been priced around £129 to £139, it would have been compelling; at the current price there are simply better options.

If open fit earbuds are what you want, the Apple AirPods 3 sound considerably better but cost about twice as much. The Huawei FreeBuds 4, often available for the same money as the Z.N.E. 01, offer a sleeker design, better sound, more app customization, volume swipe controls, and ANC, though their battery life is slightly shorter at four hours, or two and a half with ANC on. For a more versatile all-rounder near this price, the JBL Reflect Flow, available for around £60 to £70, brings a wingtip design, solid sound, and longer battery life without ANC.

Conclusion

The Adidas Z.N.E. 01 earns its place as a solid budget running option for steady-paced runners who get on with open fit designs. The Z.N.E. 01 ANC is a genuinely good lightweight fit with decent noise cancellation, but at £170 it asks for more than it delivers, and better-equipped rivals sit at or near the same price. Choose the standard model if budget is the priority and your runs are steady; look elsewhere if you want ANC and premium performance.