If you already have the latest and greatest smartphone, tablet, and laptop, you may be looking for the next gadget to keep these tech selections as cutting-edge as possible. What might be missing is a terrific pair of wireless earbuds.
Wireless earbuds harness the power of Bluetooth to establish a wire-free connection between many go-to audio-hosting peripherals. Once paired, you’ll be able to use your phone, tablet, or computer to adjust volume; many earbuds even have built-in volume controls. You’ll also be able to enjoy features like active noise-cancellation, spatial audio, and fast-charging capabilities.
Don’t expect Sony to sit on their laurels. As good as the Sony WF-1000XM4 were, the company has made sure to build on that with the WF-1000XM5. Considering the high price point, it’s a good thing that these earbuds are so excellent.
As is expected with this line of earbuds, the sound quality is great with its detailed and slightly bright sound signature that still manages to produce a warm, full, low-end. The ANC is equally impressive, offering some of the best in the business, possibly only beaten out by Bose. It’s good enough that you’ll feel comfortable skipping over-ear headphones for that next flight you have planned.
The battery life is another area in these earbuds’ favor, as it can last eight hours with the ANC on and twelve with it off. Really, there’s very little to fault with the XM5 to the point where it’s an obvious choice as the overall best earbuds available right now.
If any product has earned its name, it is this. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are a recent upgrade over their predecessor, the QuietComfort II. Bringing the best ANC of any consumer-grade earphones, these buds practically mute the world around you and yet create no ear pressure. And they are so comfortable that you may forget they’re there.
Adding Snapdragon Sound to their already-formidable arsenal, these Bose buds can decode aptX Adaptive audio, which brings high-resolution music to the extremely capable 9.3mm drivers, which do wonders in converting that into admirable sound. Bose’s version of spatial audio is arguably more capable than any others out there and a good reason to splurge on the Ultras.
While the audio features are absolutely awesome, there are some downsides. Bose still hasn’t considered adding multipoint connectivity, though these run on Bluetooth 5.3, and at 6 hours the battery isn’t anything to write home about. Neither does the case support wireless charging, but you can add this on with a $50 official case cover.
The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is amazing for the price. They might not quite reach the heights of our #1 pick, but they sound as good and implement their features as capably as earbuds twice the price. While the audio is not perfect — there’s a bit too much bass — it is as good as earbuds in the $200 range, even though these only cost $100. Considering its low price, the ANC on hand is surprisingly robust, even offering manual adjustments as well as the ability to automatically respond to outside stimuli.
On top of that, there’s plenty of fine-tuning in the app, including HearID, which runs you through a short test to create a completely personalized EQ preset. You can even remap the touch controls in the app, though they require careful presses to respond correctly. And that’s all the tip of the iceberg. The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC proves that you don’t have to compromise just because you’re on a budget.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the strangely named follow-up to 2021’s Galaxy Buds Pro. They take what was great about the first generation — robust audio with a generous helping of bass, strong noise cancellation, and a comfortable shape — and jam it into smaller earbuds with a more modern, refined design.
Coming from the last generation, there aren’t many new features here. There’s support for 24-bit audio in compatible apps when the buds are paired with a Samsung phone, plus a gimmicky new head-tracking feature that tries to mimic directional audio, even in apps that don’t offer surround sound content.
The new buds also inherit the older model’s middling battery life of five hours per charge with ANC. Everything else is so good that these should be on your radar if you’re in the market for new, premium earbuds, but think twice before upgrading from last year’s pair.
We loved our time with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, but the German audio brand is already moving into a new generation. Enter the Momentum True Wireless 4, a brilliant example of fine-tuned audio performance meeting next-level comfort and stability.
In our ears-on testing of the True Wireless 4, we were floored by the solid balance across the highs, mids, and lows. Codec support includes AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX Adaptive/Lossless, and LC3. The True Wireless 4 even includes Adaptive ANC with three presets (Off, Anti Wind, and On) that you’ll be able to choose from.
Battery life is another big win for Sennheiser. The True Wireless 4 should last for up to 30 hours when you factor in charging case re-fuels. Said case can also be topped off via USB-C or wireless charging.
With full and satisfying audio, ANC, and a great transparency mode, the Google Pixel Buds Pro deliver a premium earbud experience in ways Google’s past attempts couldn’t. Packed with useful features like the always-on “Hey Google” detection, Bluetooth multipoint, and marathon battery life, the Pixel Buds Pro don’t have any glaring weaknesses. While the Pixel Buds Pro did launch without a customizable equalizer, five-band EQ eventually made its way to the Pixel Buds app, addressing a considerable flaw the buds suffered at launch. Google even ironed out the connectivity issues that plagued the past couple of pairs released.
They don’t have the very best audio quality or ANC money can buy, but strong fundamentals, batteries that can go for up to seven hours (with ANC) on a single charge, and a hassle-free experience might be worth the premium to you.
So if you’re an Android user with $200 to spend on earbuds, the Pixel Buds Pro are a great pick. The buds fit might feel odd for some, but you get used to it rather quickly.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 are a tame upgrade over the first-generation OnePlus Buds Pro, but the newer set features better sound and slightly improved battery life. The audio here is full and bouncy with lots of bass, but not too much. The call quality is also great.
Battery life is just okay at six hours on a charge, and ANC isn’t quite top of the line, but with a fun sound and a good feature set, these are easy earbuds to like at $179. If you’re into stem-style earbuds, the Buds Pro 2 have plenty to offer.
Looking for good ANC and high-resolution audio for cheap? The EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds have your back. The ANC is quite capable of cutting background conversation and predictable noise to practically zero. The buds also support aptX Adaptive, giving you the ability to hear high-resolution audio files or streams if you have access to them.
A basic stick design incorporates IPX5-rated protection along with responsive touch controls. The sound can be really fun with thumping bass and clear highs. However, the over-processed quality of the audio may grate on practiced ears. The buds have six mics that work in and out of the ears to pick up inner and outer noise and drive the ANC accordingly.
For such low-cost buds, the app is good. While rather flat and unappealing in design, it brings core functionalities that a companion app should quite effectively. You get updates, custom equalizers, ANC controls, and so on.
Launched in August 2023, the latest musical offering from Jabra, the Elite 10, brings a lot to the plate. It has some of the best spatial audio tech in the market, using Dolby Head Tracking. When you combine that with the excellent Dolby Atmos decoding, music and videos come alive in your ears. The 10mm drivers don’t promise anything outstanding in the frequency response, but working in tandem with the amps, they do a great job of reproducing the Jabra signature sound that most people will love.
Jabra made these earbuds beautifully, with a premium look and finish that justifies the high price. That design does more than just look pretty — it also protects the buds with IP57-rated water and dust resistance. Inside, they carry a superb ANC solution and a 6-hour battery that is arguably all you may need daily. The Bluetooth 5.3 does an excellent job with multipoint connectivity. However, it falls short in the codec department.
We had the privilege of testing the Beats PowerBeats Pro, and let’s just say that one of the earbuds’ best features is also one of its worst. We’re referring to the silicone ear fins that wrap around your ear for a super-stable fit. The downside is that they’re a major pain to properly hook; while the upside is they deliver one of the most secure fits we’ve ever seen on a pair of earbuds, once they’re actually in place.
In terms of sound quality, we really like the PowerBeats Pro’s performance. We tested the buds across multiple genres and found them to be well-balanced and punchy in all the right places. It’s not exactly flagship sound, but for less than $250, they check all the right boxes. Unfortunately, codec support is limited to just AAC and SBC, but the PowerBeats does support Dolby Atmos spatial audio.
Battery life isn’t too shabby either. Considering this is an Apple product, getting stuck with a Lightning port isn’t exactly ideal, but the buds should last for up to nine hours on a full charge. And if you need a recharge in a pinch, five minutes in the charging case will get you an additional hour-and-a-half of playback.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 are not cheap. But they may be the only pair of earbuds out there right now with a touchscreen on the charging case that allows you to interact with the earbuds in a way that won’t require you to pull your phone out, whether it’s answering calls or changing settings, like ANC.
As far as sound quality goes, these skew neutral, so they sound technically very good and lend themselves to all genres of music, but don’t have the most exciting sound out there. However, JBL has thoughtfully included its Personi-Fi feature, which creates a personalized EQ profile catered to your hearing.
If you care about ANC — and you should — it’s exceptionally executed, easily blocking out ambient noise. If you care about lossless audio, things are a little less impressive, as there’s no support for LDAC or AptX. Multipoint connectivity is a bit underwhelming as well. At least they’re pretty comfortable to use.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) are the best earbuds out of Apple yet for the price. If you have a moderately modern Apple device (iPad, iPhone, Macbook, etc.), then this is a no-brainer; the buds are seamlessly integrated into the OS itself and you get to play with numerous high-end features such as spatial audio and adaptive equalizer.
The no-frills, simplistic yet classy design goes a long way, while it also gives the advantage of being extremely comfy thanks to the lack of ear tips. However, that also translates into a comparably loose fit. The IPX4-rated buds have the Apple H1 chip inside that does a lot of processing of the incoming and outgoing audio and gives you the best sound that your ears can hear.
Speaking of which, for the price, you get a surprisingly accurate frequency response with these earbuds. The sub-bass response is strong, while the definitions in the highs carry your tune through. Apple’s excellent spatial audio feature (fixed or head-tracked) helps you to bring your music alive in the room. The mics are strong, too, and recognize every syllable spoken.
Apple’s AirPods Pro pack more power, but the regular AirPods deliver more bang for your buck – and make more sense if you’re an Android user eyeing them up, as you won’t be paying extra for too many iOS-exclusive features.
We’re totally gung ho about wireless earbuds because these tiny sound titans are one of the best ways to experience your favorite playlists, podcasts, movies, and TV shows. And most earbud fans are truly going to dig the Sony WF-1000XM5. The sound quality on these buds is undeniable, and Sony went to great lengths to make its flagship buds more comfortable than its XM4s.
For the best money can buy, though, there are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The QC Ultra from this premium pick delivers amazing audio, powerful noise cancellation, and one of the most secure and cozy fits of any earbuds we’ve ever tested.
Still, not everyone can afford a $300 purchase, which is why the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds are the ideal value option. They sound great, have solid ANC capabilities, and are less than $150.
Maybe if we start telling people the brain is an app they will start using it!
