Skullcandy's Aviator 900 ANC headphones take on rivals with a retro design and a $299 price tag

Skullcandy isn't a new name in the audio space, but the newly announced Aviator 900 ANC is its most premium pair of headphones yet. With a price tag of $299, the Aviator 90 ANC undercuts rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Sonos Ace.

Available in a single color — True Black — the new pair of headphones has a retro-inspired design that can be seen in the overall look including the choice of controls. The right earcup houses the power button which seems to be a latching type that retains its position until pressed again. Below it is a small joystick for controlling playback while a miniature LED screen that displays info such as the remaining battery and the volume level is at the top. The left earcup houses a custom button and a recessed dial for adjusting the volume.

The earcups have memory foam and are covered with a leatherette material, although the underside of the headband appears to be fabric while the top seems to be the same leatherette material as the earcups. According to the spec sheet, the headphones have a nano-coating protection against sweat and water. while

Skullcandy says the headphones have a flat-folding and collapsible design, but a more interesting feature is that they don't come with a case but a crossbody bag. At 332 grams, they weigh significantly more than the Sony WH-1000XM6 (available on Amazon for $448) which weighs 254 grams.

The Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC boasts 40mm drivers, six microphones for adaptive ANC, and THX Spatial Audio with head tracking. There's ear detection, Bluetooth 5.3 with Low Energy Audio, and support for wired mode thanks to having an aux port. The Aviator 900 ANC headphones support Google Fast Pair with Find My support and Bluetooth Multipoint. In addition, the headphones have a low-latency mode for gaming and watching movies and TV shows.

Skullcandy says the Aviator 900 ANC will last up to 60 hours on a single charge but it drops to 50 hours with ANC turned on. A short 10-minute charge via USB-C will provide up to 4 hours of use. The headphones work with the Skullcandy app and users can modify the preset EQ modes or create a custom one.

The Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC can be pre-ordered now on Skullcandy's website with shipping expected to begin in mid-June.