Logically I see all new products having ANC, because a consumer when given choice of a product with ANC vs not having, if the cost difference is small then a “why not” conclusion is formed. Because Soundcore doesn’t retire products for years, you’d see a lower cost earlier non-ANC version.
ANC is a sibling of Ambient because Ambient sends the sound in-phase while ANC is out-of-phase.
Doing it well is expensive but you can cheaply filter out lower frequencies. If you imagine a triangle formed by the ear canal to the ear drum, a low frequency sound has the width of the ear canal becomes relatively smaller so the sound coming from front/back has a relatively small difference in phase, hence a small relative error regardless of sound direction. The error produces a “beat” which is the hiss of ANC. The more microphones the smaller the errors, less hiss. So I see future products having 3 or more mics each side to reduce the hiss.
So the argument drives the technology. You need a good seal to make the sound generated by the drivers to be the only sound, and stops leakage so others don’t suffer your choice of music. That then drives a market for ambient, which can pipe in-phase sound. Then its a little more challenging to then be ANC out-of-phase.
I then see an inevitable intelligence added to flip between normal, ambient, ANC based on user settings. For example you can teach it your name so it flips to Ambient when someone says your name, or if a sound is coming towards you then Ambient comes in. An approaching sound becomes relatively higher pitch and the delta between left/right grows, so an incoming sound can be inferred as it gets nearer. You’d then have Ambient enabled if a car was approaching.
Once that technology exists and becomes a “why not” cost difference, probably 5 years from now, then the buds not having this will become banned, illegal due to safety issues particularly where medical services are funded through taxation (e.g. Europe).
So what I have seen from Soundcore, and expect to see in the future, is to initially focus on sound quality, then add ambient, then add ANC, then add intelligent switching normal/Ambient/ANC. As the L2P was focused on sound, the L2P+ added ambient, logically there has to be a “L3P” which adds ANC and then a “L4P” 1-2 years later where the normal/Ambient/ANC switches intelligently.
My needs have been ignored so far, and it’s my fault if I don’t ask, and then Soundcore’s fault if they ignore me. So what I want is the Slim wired buds design, with ambient and ANC added. 2 weeks ago I was backpacking B&B, walking, bus, train. I’d like ANC for the B&B for neutralising the sound of the drunks coming in at 1am. I am backpack camping later and I’d like to block wind and nature sounds. No way would I use any TWS I’d easily lose something in the tent or walking, I’d only use the Slim wired buds and want an Ambient ANC future version to exist.