When it comes to Skullcandy, one thing is sure — they make a lot of headphones and earbuds. Two that stand out are the Indy ANC and the Indy Fuel, both wireless earbuds that look almost identical, save two crucial differences. Want to know which one is best for your needs? Here's what we found in our testing and how you choose.

The Skullcandy Indy Fuel looks nearly identical to the Indy ANCGearBrain

Style and design

With both the Indy Fuel and the Indy ANC, it's as if you're looking at twins. Both are wireless earbuds that fit snugly in the ear. There's a long antenna that comes down, and the case is a rounded shell that also acts as a charger. But the Indy Fuel does not have a fin at the top, which the Indy ANC does, and these help keep the earbuds more firmly in the ear.

In each box, you get a USB-C charger, extra ear gels, an instruction manual, and also wireless earbuds, and a case. The Indy ANC also has an extra pair of fins.

Skullcandy Indy ANC True Wireless Noise Cancelling in-Ear Earbud - True Black

List Price: $128.99

New From: $120.44in Stock

Used From: $99.34in Stock

Sound

Both the Indy Fuel and the Indy ANC have acceptable sound but are equally a bit muffled. They're fine, they're solid. Crucial is that both are almost the same. You won't lose quality by picking up one for the other. This isn't where the difference is going to come into play.

However, while reviewing the Indy Fuel earbuds, I found that I had much more trouble connecting them to my devices than the Indy ANC. The Indy Fuel would not reconnect quickly to Bluetooth devices if I switched to another pair of earbuds for a day. And they would switch from stereo to solo if I also switched devices, from my computer to my iPhone.

I did not have this issue with the Indy ANC. Something to note.

You can see the fins at the top of the Indy ANC earbuds, small bumps that sit closely to the earGearBrain

ANC

Only the Indy ANC comes with active noise cancellation. The Indy Fuels do not. And frankly, this Indy ANC feature is excellent for the price, completely closing off sound around you — if you choose. You can flip to Ambient Mode, which opens up sound around you and switch between three preferred EQ modes, including one for movies, music, and podcasts.

The Indy Fuel earbuds support the three EQ modes and also the Ambient Mode. But again, you aren't going to get ANC with these.

Battery

The Indy Fuel earbuds have 30 hours of battery life, while the Indy ANC promises 32 hours. Of course, start using active noise canceling, and that battery life will decrease. So if you're using the ANC feature you bought the Indy ANC earbuds for, you'll likely get the same battery life level with the Indy Fuel, maybe even a bit less.

Both cases support wireless charging and have a rapid charge option, which means you can grab an extra hour or so in minutes.

Both the Indy Fuel and Indy ANC have a case that can be charged wirelessly from the backGearBrain

Tile tracker and other features

Both the Indy Fuel and the Indy ANC earbuds have Tile trackers inside, which means you. So you'll get that ability no matter which one of these you pick up. Both also can pick up voice assistants and be operated as solo earbuds.

Skullcandy Indy ANC True Wireless Noise Cancelling in-Ear Earbud - True Black

List Price: $128.99

New From: $120.44in Stock

Used From: $99.34in Stock

Price

The Indy Fuel can be picked up for $99.99, while the Indy ANC is available for $129.99. That's a $30 difference. Color choices are about the same. Both come in True Black, while the Indy Fuel also has a grey option.

We feel for the extra $30; it might be a better choice to pick up the Skullcandy Indy ANC for the active noise cancellation featureGearBrain

Which one to buy?

If you want to save a few dollars, the Indy Fuel is almost the same pair of wireless earbuds as the Indy ANC, save for the active noise cancellation. I found the Indy Fuel to be a bit more temperamental in terms of connecting, but they share the same sound quality, style, and design, and both have Tile trackers inside.

That said, for just $30, you get a significant boost with the active noise cancellation feature in the Indy ANC. This feature typically costs much more and works exceptionally well in these Skullcandy wireless earbuds. For that reason, we think it's hard to turn away from the Indy ANC. If you really want to stick to a tighter budget — and maybe you want the option to pick up a set of earbuds in grey — then the Indy Fuel is fine. But this may be a situation where spending a bit extra gets you a lot more.

Skullcandy Indy Fuel True Wireless In-Ear Earbud - True Black

List Price: $72.00

New From: $69.88in Stock

Used From: $70.00in Stock

Check out The GearBrain, our compatibility find engine for smart devices. It will help you find other Bluetooth earbuds as well as compatible products that work with Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa enabled devices.

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