The best wireless earbuds promise comfort, a secure fit, great sound quality and reliable Bluetooth connectivity all packaged in a compact design. Our reviewers have tested hundreds of earbuds – from wired earbuds to the best true wireless earbuds models – so we know exactly what you can get for your money, and which are the best value.
When looking at the best wireless earbuds, we consider audio quality, battery life, comfort, and extra smart features, including active noise cancellation. Every pick in our list below is worth your time – many even feature in our ultimate best headphones guide – and we think there’s a pair to suit everyone here, no matter whether you’re looking for the best earbuds for Android or iPhone.
The most popular style of headphones today by a long way is true wireless earbuds, and our list consists entirely of these products. AirPods are the best-selling model of them, but they’re not so great if you don’t have an iPhone, so you’ll find the best AirPods alternatives based on our testing in this list. There may be models you have in mind that aren’t on this list – it doesn’t mean we haven’t tested them, or we hate them, it just means we think these are better.
The quick list
Want to cut to the chase and find out which wireless earbuds are the best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of every pick, along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.
The best wireless earbuds overall
There’s something incredibly special about the sound that these buds can achieve, and with premium features like triple-point connectivity and next-gen Bluetooth, they’re very smart, too.
Read more below
The best mid-priced wireless earbuds
Nothing delivers fun and expansive audio, high-quality active noise cancellation, good app-based features, and the company’s signature cool design, all for a great price.
Read more below
The best super-cheap wireless earbuds
If you want a pair of small, cheap, good-sounding earbuds that can go everywhere with you, these are ideal. They’re unbeatable for value, and still have smart features.
Read more below
4. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2
The best wireless earbuds for noise blocking
Arguably, the ANC of the new Bose Ultra buds is better than the noise cancellation here… but nothing else is, and those cost lots more. Great sound, supreme silence and a solid fit.
Read more below
The best low-price noise cancellation
These modestly priced buds are packed full of features that will surprise you, including solid ANC and next-gen Bluetooth. The Nothing Ear (a) are better, but these are cheaper.
Read more below
The best wireless earbuds for Apple fans
These work seamlessly with Apple products for auto-switching between devices, using Find My if they’re lost, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and more. The sound and ANC are superb, too.
Read more below
Load the next products…
7. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
The best wireless earbuds for Samsung users
Want a pair of buds with spatial audio and awesome 24-bit hi-res sound from Galaxy phones, plus more unique features? These are seriously impressive, and incredibly affordable now.
Read more below
The best wireless earbuds for supreme sonic clarity
Absolutely exquisite audio quality that’s a clear level above other premium earbuds – but battery life isn’t great, they’re large, and they lack some smart features.
Read more below
The best wireless earbuds for battery life
With 10 hours from the buds with ANC on, and 48 hours from the case, these earbuds go on and on and on. The cool screen on the case is a highlight too, as is the sound.
Read more below
Becky Scarrott
I’ve reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. My love of music ties it all together.
September 3, 2024
Corrected an error with the product listings in this guide.
The best wireless earbuds of 2024
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The best wireless earbuds overall
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You like a neutral, natural sound: These impressively coherent, organized and true-to-life earbuds, that will really suit those who want to hear all the detail in their tracks.
✅ You want to switch between devices easily: The triple-point connectivity is the first time we’ve seen it, and makes it seamless to move between phone, tablet and laptop without re-pairing.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want huge battery life: The longevity here isn’t as impressive as some options – it’s fine, it’s just not above average.
❌ You need the best noise cancellation: Again, they don’t do this badly at all, but the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at #4 on the list clearly do it better.
The Technics EAH-AZ80 obviously have incredibly tough competition in the form of the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, or Apple AirPods Pro. But the famous audio brand stands out as our general favorite among all those, thanks to the rich combination of features, audio quality and design.
The sound these earbuds make is also highly accomplished – it’s both swift and accurate, as well as balanced and detailed. There’s nothing artificial about the way the Technics EAH-AZ80 sound, they offer convincingly realistic and coherent listening in all circumstances. It perhaps could be more energetic and fun, but that’s a minor complaint.
In terms of features, their triple-point connectivity is a first in a product of this type, and means you can seamlessly move between three different devices without repairing. It proved stable and useful in testing, too. And thanks to ‘Just My Voice’ technology, we found these earbuds to be far less prone to wind-noise interference than any number of rivals. The active noise cancellation overall is behind the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at #4 on the list, but they’re still strong compared to almost everything else.
They’re well-designed, too. They come with a broad range of silicone ear tips to make sure they have a secure fit. We said in our review that “the EAH-AZ80 should stay comfortable no matter the size or shape of your ears”.
The battery life is average rather than great, take a look at the JBL Live Beam 3 further down in the guide if playback time is a top priority. But as a total package, they’re incredibly impressive and future-proof, with support for next-gen Bluetooth on top of their great app control and rich, involving sound. We rate them as the ultimate all-rounder, though this does all come at a fairly premium price – though still a very competitive one compared to other equivalent earbuds.
Read our full Technics EAH-AZ80 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 4 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 7 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 10.5 hours |
The best mid-range wireless earbuds
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You want great ANC for less: These offer maybe the best noise-stopping power we’ve heard for their price.
✅ You want serious sound quality: The Ear (a) are a seriously fun and zealous listen, aided by their support for LDAC higher-res wireless tech.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want spatial audio support: The similar priced Sony WF-C700N offer this, but you won’t find it here.
❌ You want long battery life: 5.5 hours with noise cancellation on is distinctly average – again, the Sony buds mentioned above offer 7.5 hours.
Nothing’s latest affordable earbuds are a seriously impressive bit of audio power. In our Nothing Ear (a) review, when tested in direct competition with the Sony WF-C700N, which we previously recommended as our favorite buds at around the $100/$100 price, we said “the Nothing earbuds look more premium and feel more foxy. Their noise cancellation is a touch more robust and the sound is every bit as energetic, detailed and zealous, and (dare we say it?) a tad more expansive to boot.”
The sound quality is the star here (though it doesn’t have all the limelight to itself). Our review called the sound “meaty and arresting”, focused less on a delicate hi-fi listen and more on “fun and energy”, and we’re very happy with that. Naturally, spending more on the Technics at #1 on the list will get you a clear improvement in sound but, as our review said, “for the money, Nothing has tweaked its recipe to near perfection here.”
On top of that, we were seriously impressed with the active noise cancellation, which clamped basically all standard droning noise, with only louder and more chaotic sounds breaking through. And with features such as wear detection (so they auto-pause when you take the out), LDAC hi-res audio support, multi-point pairing, and the Nothing app for tweaking the EQ and other features, they’re about as well-specced as anything you can get for this price. The 5.5-hour battery life with ANC on is nothing special, but we’re happy to forgive it – and it’s the same with the lack of spatial audio support. We don’t mind at all, not when you’re getting such good value in the essentials, as well as other nice features.
Read our full Nothing Ear (a) review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 3.5 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 5.5 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 9.5 hours |
The best budget wireless earbuds
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BUY THEM IF
✅ Your budget is about $30 / £30 / AU$50: Strong sound quality, multi-point Bluetooth pairing, customizable sound and controls in a great app… and for such a low price!
✅ You never want to be without music: These buds and their case are so tiny – the case comes with a keyring attachment, so there’s no reason to ever leave them at home.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want noise cancellation: It’s not exactly a complaint given their price, but if you need ANC, stretch your budget a little further to the Earfun at #5 on this list.
❌ You want driving bass: The JBuds Mini are great with vocals, but bass is where you notice the low price. The other buds here will give you a more full sound.
The JLab JBuds Mini can usually be found for $25 / £25 / AU$49 (though they’re officially priced a little higher), which is incredibly cheap and would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Fast-forward to now, and JLab is bringing out durable listening gear at rock-bottom prices. The big question is: can earbuds this budget-conscious actually do a good job?
The short answer is: yes, and you’ll be surprised at how little you give up to get here – and they do while being astoundingly tiny. Let’s talk about the design a little first – these are so small, and so incredibly light, that the case is intended to be a keyring so that it never leaves your side. The teeny size and super-light weight of the buds means they’re also great for anyone look for the best earbuds for small ears – though they should be comfortable for everyone. In our review, we said “They fit snugly in your ears and even during a run, there was no wobble factor here. The earbuds are sufficiently comfy that your ears won’t ache during extended periods of use either.”
And yet, despite the small size, somehow JLab managed to fit the tech to make these a pair of relatively modern and smart earbuds. They have multi-point pairing for instant switching between two devices, they’re IP55 rated against rain and dust, they have some of the better microphone performance here for calls, and the excellent app enables you to customize the sound intricately, and to change what the touch controls do. There’s no active noise cancellation (though we said they “block out sound far better than you’d anticipate” in our review), or advanced features such as spatial audio, but that’s okay. The battery life also isn’t amazing, but 5.5 hours is fine, and the buds achieved this in our real-world tests.
And, crucially, they sound good! Obviously, not as good as the other models here, but you have to pay twice as much for even the next step up, and the JBuds Mini outperform their price. In our review, we said “While bass could be stronger in an ideal world, it’s all still pretty lively with a wider soundstage than anyone could have seen coming here … vocals are clear at all times while there’s a reasonable crisp quality to ballads”.
Read our full JLab JBuds Mini review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | N/A |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 3.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 3.5 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | N/A |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 5.5 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for ANC
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BUY THEM IF
✅ Noise cancellation is vital: These offer simply the best noise stopping power for the price (the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds maybe do it even better, but they cost a load more).
✅ You like a finely balanced sound: Whatever Bose’s CustomTune does inside your ear, it works really well. The sound is very well balanced.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want a slim, light bud: These are about as bulky as mainstream earbuds get in this day and age, and their case is pretty large. AirPods Pro 2 (#6 on this list) or Sony LinkBuds S are much slimmer and lighter.
❌ You’d want higher-quality Bluetooth: No LDAC, no aptX – you’re on average-quality streaming only here.
If your number one priority is active noise cancellation, then these are our top pick. There’s an argument that the newer Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are actually better for ANC, but they’re significantly more expensive (especially since these buds have had some great price drops) and the difference isn’t so large that we think it’s necessary to go for the 2023 model – the ones we’re recommending are still ahead of everything else here.
The best news is that this excellent noise cancellation isn’t at the expense of sound quality. In our review, we wrote: “We can’t stress this enough – the sound is very well balanced, with a heck of a lot of details and textures coming through. And if you still find you need to tweak it, you can via the EQ in the app.”
The buds are quite bulky, which will not suit everyone, though they do feel quite secure in ear. Too secure, some might feel, especially those with smaller ears. The six hours of battery from the buds with 18 more from the case is also pretty average – not bad, not great. There’s also no high-res audio option, spatial audio or multi-point pairing, but the Ultra model does offer those if you want them.
Not everyone needs all mod cons. Some people want one in particular, and if blocking as much outside sound as possible at a reasonable price is your goal, these are you new best friends.
To save money on Bose products, check out our Bose voucher codes.
Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 3.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 3 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 5 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 6 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for cheap ANC
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You want affordable all-rounder earbuds: A comfortable fit, reasonable ANC, decent sound quality, future-proof Bluetooth and great battery life – all under $100/£100.
✅ You want a long battery life: There’s a lot to like here, but the battery life is near the top of the list. High-end buds don’t even get this much life usually.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You expect total silence from the ANC: Being cheaper means they’re not as noise-blocking as more expensive buds. It helps, but if you spend more, you get more.
❌ You want audio fidelity: The sound quality is fine, but stepping up to the Nothing earbuds at #2 on the list is like night and day.
If you’re looking for a solid pair of wireless earbuds on a budget with noise cancelling baked in and some future-proofing, then we highly recommend the Earfun Air Pro 3.
These earbuds are only $79.99 / £79.99 officially, which makes them excellent value considering they’re such all-rounders, and they’re the cheapest in our guide with ANC on board – but actually, you’ll pay more like $60 / £60, if that, thanks to regular price cuts.
You get active noise cancellation, good sound, a comfy fit, a whole 45 hours of battery life (which is only bested by the JBL Live Beam 3 at the bottom of our guide), and these buds also boast support for the new Bluetooth wireless standard, Bluetooth LE Audio. Right now that doesn’t mean much, as few other devices support it – e.g. major smartphones – but that means your buds are ready for when more phones catch up. We can’t think of any earbuds that are currently as cheap as this and yet offer such a range of features.
As well as features, the design also has no business looking so elegant and minimal at this price. Although it is worth mentioning they have a long stem design. We found them comfortable to wear with a good seal – vital for ANC – but did knock them out a few times due to the stem, including a problem with them tangling in long hair (which haven’t found with most stem designs).
The sound is not the last word in quality in general – you’ll get much better fidelity from stepping up to the Nothing Ear (a) at #2 on our list – but in our review we said we “liked their punchy sound and found them fun to listen to”. Similarly, the noise cancellation is notably weaker than more expensive models, but does its job of softening background noise so you can actually hear what’s going on.
Read the full Earfun Air Pro 3 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 3.5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 3.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 2 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 6.5 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 9.5 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for Apple fans
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You want superb sound and noise cancellation: The audio quality is extremely strong, and the noise cancellation is nearly as good as you can right now.
✅ You’re in the Apple ecosystem: They’ve got lots of extra features for iPhone users, including Spatial Audio and Find My support – and they switch seamlessly between all your devices.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want good battery life: These are distinctly average when it comes to the battery – most buds match or beat them, even with similar features.
❌ You don’t have an iPhone: If you’re an Android user, you’ll miss out on features if you get these compared to other earbuds that have app control on Android.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer rich, detailed and powerful audio performance plus stunning ANC in design that’s much smaller and more lightweight than most of the premium earbuds competition. In our testing of both the original model and the new USB-C version, we’ve found the active noise cancellation to be better than the vast majority of earbuds, blocking out almost all external sounds – though the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 (#4 on this list) have them beat.
Battery life in the buds is distinctly average compared to the other options in this guide, but they’re good for a long listening period at six hours – and the 30 hours from the charging case as well is actually quite high compared to other options.
As always with Apple products, these buds are best suited to iPhone users thanks to unique features such as head-tracked Dolby Atmos spatial audio that’s extremely impressive, Find My support including ultra-wideband precision location tracking (so you can find them down the side of the sofa), and auto-switching between your Apple devices seamlessly, giving the equivalent of multipoint connectivity on more devices than most. Of course, you need an Apple device to enjoy all of this – ideally all Apple devices.
The price is relatively low compared to premium options such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Technics EAH-AZ80, which is why we think Apple users should be seriously considering them as their pick for a premium pair of buds – but if you’re not heavily in on Apple, something more platform-neutral may be better overall.
Read our full Apple AirPods Pro 2 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 4 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 6 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 9 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for Samsung fans
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You have a Samsung Galaxy phone: The Buds 2 Pro offer smarter pairing and features with Galaxy, and even seriously high-quality audio streaming.
✅ You want Samsung’s best audio quality: Samsung’s immersive, expressive, head-tracked, 24-bit audio is far better than we ever expected.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You want good battery life: Five hours with ANC deployed is below average these days – everything else here lasts longer.
❌ You use an iPhone: They work fine as basic earbuds with iPhone, but AirPods give you so many more features.
These are effectively Samsung’s equivalent of AirPods, and not just in the sense that they’re true wireless earbuds. They come with features that work only with the company’s own phones, with two really stand-out features for audio fans. The first is spatial audio with optional head-tracking, giving better immersion in your sound. The second is really for audiophiles, and it’s the new 24-bit high-res audio – this is arguably the best high-res audio option of all the earbuds here, even if these aren’t necessarily the best-sounding.
These relatively svelte and light earbuds are comfortable to wear, yet are packed full of useful perks such as great active noise cancellation, voice detection to active a transparency mode when you need it, and customizable on-ear controls – all of which work very well indeed – plus IPX7 water ingress protection.
It’s nearly a home run from Samsung, marred by the disappointing five-hour battery life. And these are beaten in certain areas by other buds here – the Technics at #1 on the list are better for sound, for example, and the Bose at #4 are better for noise cancellation. But they’re both also much more expensive; much like the AirPods Pro, these are a superb-value package if you have the phone that fully takes advantage of them.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4.5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 4 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 3 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 4.5 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 8 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for sound quality
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BUY THEM IF
✅ You want the most elite sound: For a price similar to the best earbuds from Sony and Bose, you get a whole new level of music quality than those offer.
✅ You want to really enjoy higher-res audio: With aptX and Snapdragon Sound support, you can make the most of high-quality streaming with the awesome audio here.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You like your earbuds to be subtle: There’s a big bar on the outside of these, extending up as well as down. It’s a statement, and may not be one you want to make.
❌ You want lots of battery life: The five hours you get from the buds is low by today’s standards – six is average.
Final’s second stab at true wireless earbuds aren’t the most easy to pocket (the earpieces and case are positively chunky by today’s standards) and the battery stamina is also beaten by almost everything else here (check out the JBL Live Beam 3 before for more than double what these buds offer). Oh, and the app won’t wow you for extra features or slick usability. The thing is, you’ll forgive it all when you put them in your ears and fire up some music.
Final’s dedication to its hi-res terminology will also make audiophiles bristle, because it involves the term ‘8K Sound+’ – but again, once you’re listening to them all is forgiven. Why? because whatever Final wants to call it, we called the ZE8000 MK2 “honestly joyous” for sound in our review, enthusing that “each musical passage is given ample due diligence; dynamics are spot on; sonic articles come through with pinpoint accuracy and a three-dimensional quality scarcely heard – at any level”.
Also, Final’s active noise cancellation really works here, partly due to the seal achieved with the company’s new ‘Shield Fin’ eartips (there are little flaps on the bit coving the driver housing, before the neck of the earbud) which have the added benefit of making them feel super secure.
Can you take a hit on the battery life – ie. earbuds that’ll only last for five hours (or possibly closer to four when you’re playing them slightly louder on the commute)? If you can, and you’ll forgive the dearth of fit tests, hearing profiles and other whistles and bells offered by similarly priced rivals, the audio quality here sets a new bar in wireless audio. And that is not a statement we make lightly.
Read our full Final ZE8000 MK2 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 5 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 5 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 2.5 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 5 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 6.5 hours |
The best wireless earbuds for battery life
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BUY THEM IF
✅ Battery matters most: If you want a reliable pair of buds you’ll rarely need to charge, you’ve found them. 10 hours with ANC on from the buds, and 48 hours total is massive.
✅ You like cool new tech ideas: Some people might think the screen on the case is a gimmick, others will love this addition and make great use of it – it works well.
DON’T BUY THEM IF
❌ You’re not always a fan of in-ears: They were comfy during testing, but some people might find they go too far into your ear canals.
❌ Spatial audio is a priority: You won’t get fully immersive, Dolby Atmos-type presentation here.
Battery life is a top priority when you’re looking for a pair of wireless earbuds. If you hate running out of battery on the move (we get it) or don’t like constantly charging them, then we recommend the JBL Live Beam 3. They’re the second generation of JBL’s case with a screen buds – the JBL Tour Pro 2 came before them. As well as great battery, they’ve had a serious boost in sound quality and screen functionality, too.
Battery life is the headline feature of the JBL Live Beam 3 buds for us. You get an already impressive 12 hours from the buds themselves (that drops to 10 hours with ANC on) and an extra three charges from the case. That’s a seriously stellar 48 hours in total. No other buds on this list come close to offering that amount of playback time, let alone beating it. Other notable features include auto-off, a fit test and multi-point connectivity.
The sound is great here, too, and a big improvement over the previous iteration of these buds. In our review, we wrote: “There’s an expansive soundstage, there’s dynamic ability, there’s cohesion across the frequencies.” Sony’s LDAC is supported here, delivering the best-possible listening experience. Well, as long as you listen with a compatible device and a quality streaming service.
We liked the ANC in our review, but it’s not the best we’ve experienced. We were also a little disappointed by the promise of spatial audio profiles, as they didn’t deliver the expected level of immersive sound compared to what you get from the likes of AirPods Pro 2.
During our testing, we experienced a snug and secure fit from the Live Beam 3, but we did note that they go very far into your ears, which won’t be comfortable for everyone. They have a sleeker and more refined case than the previous version, with a build quality we commented felt “resoundingly expensive” while we were reviewing it.
Of course, the case stands out for another major reason: it has a screen on it. To manage expectations, the screen doesn’t have much functionality. But there are some cool features, including playback control, adding a photo to the lock screen and using it as a flashlight. It’s not as advanced as a smartwatch, but it’s a nice addition and, surprisingly, apparently doesn’t really drain your battery.
Read our full JBL Live Beam 3 review
| Sound quality (ANC on) | 4 / 5 |
| Sound quality (ANC off) | 4 / 5 |
| Mic quality | 3.5 / 5 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 10 hours |
| Battery life (ANC off) | 12 hours |
Best wireless earbuds test results comparison
Other wireless earbuds to consider
We’re hotly anticipating the arrival of AirPods 4 and perhaps AirPods Pro 3 during September 2024 – AirPods Pro 2 have been on this list since their launch, but perhaps Apple’s next cheaper model can break through the incredibly strong competition at last.
We’ve reviewed several other pairs of great wireless earbuds over the past few months, but why didn’t they make the cut and should you still consider them? We tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which we rated highly for their excellent ANC and great-sounding audio quality – even if their new look makes them seem more like AirPods copycats. If you’ve got a Samsung smartphone, they’re a great choice and we recommend you head on over to our Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review to find out more.
The truth is, the Buds 3 Pro performed well, which means they’ll eventually be added to our best wireless earbuds guide above. But, at the time of writing, the older Samsung Buds 2 Pro are such good value because they’re basically half price or better, they’re keeping the Buds 3 Pro out. When stock of those disappears, we’ll update the list.
You may notice that two big earbuds aren’t on this list: the Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The reason is that, while both are extremely good products, they’re not better than the options already here. We said in our Sony WF-1000XM5 review that the noise cancellation was weaker than we expected, and the sound is bettered by the Technics EAH-AZ80 at #3 on this list. And in our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review, we noted that the noise cancellation might be best-in-class, but it’s barely any better than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, which are now easy to find for much cheaper than the Ultra.
We also took a look at the Jabra Elite 10, which are premium buds from a fan-favorite company, and jump on the spatial audio bandwagon by offering Dolby Atmos support. Between that, a very comfortable fit, and excellent call quality, they could easily find favor with people – but the world of earbuds is crowded and cut-throat, and when it comes to sound quality and features, they’re behind the similarly priced Technics EAH-AZ80 in general, or the AirPods Pro 2 if you have Apple gear. Read our full Jabra Elite 10 review if you’re a fan of the company’s products, because they might still be worth your time.
How to choose the best wireless earbuds
With so many wireless earbuds to pick from, how do you know which are right for you? There are a few key considerations you need to bear in mind.
The first is price. How much can you afford? You can get a good pair of wireless earbuds for under £100/$100. But often you do get what you pay for in terms of connectivity, build and noise cancellation.
Next up is form. Do you intend to hit the gym, bike or pavement with your earbuds? Then you’ll need a design that’ll stay put. Or maybe small and minimal is what you’re after, so opt for a pair of discrete true wireless buds.
The best sounding earbuds are exactly that – our pick of the wireless earbuds that sound fantastic. These are far from the best cheap earbuds out there, but if you’re passionate about hearing music with clarity, richness and powerful bass, these are the ones you need to consider.
It’s still important to pick earbuds that feel good in your ears, but the models in our guide above have been picked for sound quality first and foremost, with those that excel in extra features such as noise cancellation or workout-friendly designs noted separately.
What kind of speakers do wireless earbuds use?
All the wireless earbuds in our guide produce their sound using dynamic drivers, so that’s one tech element you don’t have to thing about. This is the most common kind of speaker technology in everything from big loudspeakers to over-ear headphones to earbuds. To explain how dynamic drivers work, and why they’re so dominant in wireless earbuds, we spoke to Andy Kerr, Director of Product Marketing and Communications at Bowers & Wilkins, which has over 60 years of experience creating these kinds of drivers in both headphones and loudspeakers.
“Dynamic drivers use a magnet, a voice coil (typically made from winds of copper wire wound around a circular form), and a diaphragm/drive unit (a thin cone of material that makes the sound). The narrow end of the diaphragm’s cone is attached to the voice coil; the wide end of the diaphragm is held in place by a rubber surround, also called ‘suspension’. When electrical current is supplied to the voice coil, it becomes electromagnetic. This creates a push-pull interaction between the coil and the magnet, which it is coiled around, causing the coil to move up and down over the magnet rapidly. Since the coil is attached to the bottom of the drive unit, its movement pushes the drive unit up and down in response, creating sound pressure waves that your ears and brain translate into sound,” explains Kerr.
“A single dynamic driver can be made very compact, is light, and is highly efficient in terms of battery life, which is of course hugely relevant in the age of wireless earbuds. Dynamic drivers are also very popular in headphone designs essentially because they give companies like Bowers & Wilkins a way to use our knowledge and experience from designing and manufacturing them – for both loudspeakers and headphones – while customizing and continually improving the technology over time. For example, our approach to drive unit design combines stiffness in the material (for accuracy and fast response) plus good excursion (meaning how far the diaphragm is capable of moving, for deeper bass performance) that’s equally important for both earbuds and loudspeakers.”
Dynamic drivers are not the only earbuds driver technology available: planar magnetic is the most common other type, and we’re about to see the launch of more earbuds using a new solid-state driver. Some earbuds also combine a dynamic driver with a smaller solid-state driver to create a wider sound range, which is often known as dual-driver technology. It’s possible to have more than two drivers in earbuds, but it’s very uncommon in wireless earbuds.
What is noise cancellation in earbuds?
One of the hottest features in wireless earbuds right now is active noise cancellation (ANC) – this used to be the preserve of premium buds, but is now common even among many budget models.
All in-ear earbuds block some noise thanks to the seal formed between the ear tips and your ear canal. This stops a lot of noise coming in, and is known as ‘passive’ sound isolation.
But active noise cancellation goes a step further to remove outside noise from what you’re hearing. The technology was introduced by Bose, and the company has been making ANC tech for over 30 years, so we asked John Rule, Senior Engineer at Bose Corporation, to explain noise cancellation.
“Today, noise cancellation in the majority of headphones and earbuds is achieved through a combination of both active and passive technologies. For active noise reduction, sophisticated electronics work with microphones both inside and outside the earcups to sense the sound around you and then measure, compare, and react – instant by instant – to produce an opposing cancellation signal,” says Rule.
Imagine you’re trying to walk in a straight line, and someone is pushing you from one side to stop you walking straight. That’s outside noise, interfering with what speakers are trying to do. Now imagine someone pushes you from the other side in a way that exactly balances out the first push, so you’re walking straight again – that’s active noise cancellation, counteracting the interference by ‘cancelling’ it out.
Bose’s John Rule emphasizes that it’s not just the circuitry doing the work, though. He says, “Passive noise reduction also plays a role in headphone performance. When you place an earcup over your ear or an earbud in your ear, some noise is physically blocked. The cup or bud design, materials used, clamping force of the headband, shape of the ear tips, and many other factors contribute to a comfortable fit while providing a good seal against incoming noise. When active and passive elements are combined, the result is cancellation of the noise you don’t want to hear, such as a plane engine or annoying vacuum. This lets you hear what you want, whether that’s your music or silence.”
Wireless vs true wireless: what’s the difference?
Wireless earbuds have existed for a while now, basically since Bluetooth was invented. Though battery-powered and not physically connected to your phone, they have a cord connecting both buds – and sometimes a band around the neck too.
True wireless earbuds have no cord whatsoever. While wireless allows us to wear headphones a few feet away from our music players, True Wireless cuts the cord between the earbuds, giving us true freedom. If you’re looking to go full wireless, we also have a round-up of the best true wireless headphones, but you’ll find our top picks here, too.
Wireless headphones are traditional over-ear or on-ear headphones without the wire – the two earcups are connected by a headband. Check out the best wireless headphones for more.
Which brand of wireless earbuds is best?
In this guide we’ve included all of the best audio tech and earbuds brands on the market today. But the question of which brand is best depends on what you’re looking for.
Sony is certainly one of the best wireless earbuds brands, and one of the best audio brands generally. It consistently brings out great-sounding products and has led the way with fantastic true wireless earbuds year-on-year. The Sony WF-1000XM5 didn’t make it into this list for reasons given a little above, but we still gave them a very positive review! You really can’t go wrong at any budget with Sony’s range right now.
If you’re looking for a pair of premium wireless earbuds and have a high budget for a new pair, then check out high-end brands like Bose – though Technics is a great audio name that’s currently having a fantastic product run. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a budget pair of earbuds, Earfun and JLab make some of our favourite cheaper wireless earbuds.
Which wireless earbuds are best?
Right now, we currently rate the Technics EAH-AZ80 as our favorite, balancing price, sound quality and features. They’re not cheap, but they’re worth every penny.
However, if you have more specific priorities you might want to consider other buds in our list. Like the JLab Go Air Pop if you’re on a budget. Or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 if you want the best ANC buds you can buy.
What are the best value for money wireless earbuds?
All of the options in our best wireless earbuds guide are good value for money. However, if you’re looking for a budget pair of buds we’ve got some of those too.
The JLab Go Air Pop are incredibly cheap at under £20/$20. They sound great for the price and are light, small and comfy. If you want a pair of budget buds that also pack in ANC, take a look at the Earfun Air Pro 3, which are discounted at the time of writing to $79 / £79.
Which is better: Bose or Beats?
In the battle between Bose and Beats, it depends what you’re looking for. In our opinion, Bose is the better option for sheer audio performance and noise cancelling tech. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 can’t be beaten in terms of ANC.
However, Beats earbuds offer a great fit and excellent sound. Particularly the Beats Fit Pro, which we highly recommend if you’re looking for a pair of earbuds for working out. They’re also a little more affordable than Bose options and have a more stylish design.
Which wireless earbuds are just as good as Apple AirPods?
The most recent AirPods Pro 2 are excellent if you want a comfy fit, quality audio and have an iPhone as there are some feature only iOS users can access. They’re even a little cheaper than a lot of the competition, which is not something we get to say about Apple a ton… However, the Technics EAH-AZ80 have them beaten for cross-platform support and sound quality. In terms of ANC, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are a little better than AirPods Pro 2.
When it comes to the cheaper AirPods models, we think there are lots of better option, especially for value. The Nothing Ear (a) are the big alternative we’d point you towards if you’re looking at non-pro AirPods.
What are the best wireless earbuds for Android?
Our top three picks in this guide are all a perfect match for Android phones, and cover a broad range of budgets: we think the Technics EAH-AZ80 are the best overall, but at a premium price; the Nothing Ear (a) are an incredible option that’s more affordable but still has premium features; and the JLab Go Air Pop are the best super-cheap option.
However, if you have a Samsung phone in particular, you should strongly consider the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. They’re incredibly affordable now, and have special features that specifically work with Samsung phones, including great spatial audio and higher-quality audio support.
How we test the best wireless earbuds
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We’re looking (listening?) for earbuds that sound good first and foremost – we want to hear clear, rich audio that does justice to every genre. We listen to both high-quality source music, as well as lower-quality streams, as well as movies and videos.
Voices should be natural, instruments should stand out from each other, and there should be a good sound balance overall between bass, mid-range and treble.
You can read our full article on how we test earbuds if you want to know more, but the starting point of our process is that our reviewers use a particular playlist of songs as their first port of call for listening to the sound quality of the earbuds. We’ll listen to these songs with active noise cancellation turned both on and off, to see if there are any differences in the detail or balance. The playlist is available for anyone to copy on your streaming service of choice, with notes on elements to listen out for, if you’d like to try it.
This isn’t the only music our reviewers will listen to, obviously – but by using these songs as the starting point, we can make specific and direct comparisons between earbuds, while will make it easier for you to follow the subtlety of their differences, we hope. Then our reviewers can use other tracks to explore the nuances of each pair of earbuds.
Of course, this is then balanced against lots of other factors, not the least of which is price. We know that a pair of cheap earbuds won’t sound as good as premium ones – so we’re judging them against competition at the same kind of price, not against something wildly different.
In terms of noise cancellation, we want to find buds that work well to drown out ambient noise day-to-day in a variety of environments. We test them in our pretty typical office environment, out walking in city traffic, and on public transport.
We also consider battery life, ensuring that most of the buds we pick will last long enough to not be annoying. And then we look at extra features, such as sound personalization and other app support – this can make a big difference to the overall value of two earbuds that are the same price.
We also test the microphones, and to help you choose the right earbuds, we record ourselves reading a particular passage, and embed them here, so you can simply play back the recordings and see what you think. These are recorded indoors and to a basic recording app, for consistency – we’ll also test them out in the wind and with background noise, during cellular calls, as part of our overall judgment.
Latest updates to the best wireless earbuds
September 3, 2024
Corrected an error with the product listings in this guide.
August 6, 2024
Updated our note on other earbuds to consider based on our latest reviews.
July 12, 2024
Added the JBL Live Beam 3 as the best wireless earbuds for a long battery life, based on our recent review.
June 12, 2024
Added test result scores from our real-world testing methodology to each product, as well as a comparison table, to make it easier to see which earbuds sound best, and have the best real battery life. You can also listen to samples from the microphones on each pair of earbuds.
May 22, 2024
Updated the ‘Also consider’ section with information on recently reviewed earbuds and why they didn’t make the list.
April 23, 2024
Swapped Sony WF-C700N for Nothing Ear (a) based on our reviewer’s experience with both products. Updated the ‘Also Consider’ section with information about other recent earbuds that didn’t make the list.
March 21, 2024
Removed Sony WH-1000XM4 due to stock running extremely low. Moved Technics EAH-AZ80 as our new #1, and reordered other products to round out our selections.
February 29, 2024
Checked all products against latest reviews and pricing. Updated the ‘Also consider’ section with new products, and added more information to our ‘How to choose’ section’.
January 29, 2024
Added the Final ZE8000 as the best option for excellent sound quality. Checked all other products against out current reviews, and added a new ‘Other wireless earbuds to consider’ section to help provide context to our choices.
December 20, 2023
Updated the list to remove the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, which is no longer available to buy. Rewrote some entries to add more comparisons between products on our list.
November 10, 2023
Checked all products against our latest review. Added more at-a-glance buying advice for all earbuds in the list.
October 5, 2023
Updated the order of rankings and completely refreshed the format of the guide to include a new quick menu to make it easier to find right buds to suit your needs.
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