Noise-canceling, sport models and budget earbud options galore.
With real wireless earphones, companies are constantly thinking of new ways to amaze clients. While there is no denying that the popularity of Apple's AirPods helped them become standard equipment, there are plenty of other options that offer consistent connectivity, good sound quality, and active noise cancellation (ANC) in ever-smaller forms. You can also get extra features on mid-range devices that were previously only available on more expensive models. Naturally, earbuds are growing in popularity and coming in a wider range than they did a few years ago owing to their allure. In order to help, we've compiled a list of the top wireless earbuds on the market right now, complete with important features for each.
What to look for
When buying earphones, the wear style or design should be your first consideration. Which would you prefer—something that fits partially opens or something that completely covers your ears, like AirPods? When shopping for earbuds, you should look for active noise canceling models, but if you use them constantly or frequently go somewhere where background noise is a concern, there's a case to be made for the former. Before making a choice, consider the earphones' size, weight, and overall shape as these factors can all impact how comfortable they are for you.
Nowadays, wireless earphones are more dependable for routine tasks like consistent Bluetooth communication because they are more widely available. Companies are still competing to cram as much as they can into ever-tinier designs. Higher-end earbud sets typically translate this into more features, while lower-end models typically have more basic features. Make a list of the features you absolutely must have before selecting your next pair of earbuds, and confirm that the specification sheet lists features like automatic pause and multipoint connectivity. Look into the volume controls as well, as using the on-board swipes or taps to change the volume will often require you to give up access to something else.
A typical earphone's battery lasts for about five hours during a single charge. Longer sets are available, but if you change your headphones during meetings or lunch, this one should last you through the workday. Verify the case's wireless charging compatibility and the number of additional charges it can offer.
Additionally, companies will overstate how good their wireless earbud calls are. Despite several claims to the contrary, most earbuds still sound like you're on speakerphone. Some sets are excellent, but don't get your hopes up until reviews corroborate user feedback.
How we test wireless earbuds
Wearing earbuds as much as possible is the main method we test them. Although we would prefer to do this over a one- to two-week period, embargoes occasionally make it impossible. We use the earbuds to accept voice and video calls during this time, as well as to listen to a variety of music and podcasts. We drain the battery by playing music continuously on repeat while keeping the volume at a comfortable level, usually around 75%, since earbud batteries usually last less than a full day.
We listen to a variety of genres and note any variations in the sound profile between them in order to assess audio quality. To ensure that the tuning is consistent, we also test at low and high volumes. We'll record audio samples using the earbuds' microphones and have outside parties call us in order to evaluate call quality.
We thoroughly evaluate companion apps in terms of features, putting each feature to the test as we progress through the program. We double check any residuals from prior models for regression or improvements. We'll take some time to get acquainted with the older earbuds again if the ones we're testing are an upgraded version of a prior model. The closest competition for every new pair of earbuds we test out is also true.
Best earbuds overall: Sony WF-1000XM5
Because mine is a customer-oriented company, we diagnose with a method that reflects the customer's complaint or description of the problem. It turns out that all customer complaints generating service requests fall into six general categories:
Sony WF-1000XM5
With the WF-1000XM5, Sony improves its already formidable mix of great sound, effective ANC and handy features. These earbuds are undoubtedly the company’s best and most comfortable design of its 1000X models so far, which was one of the few remaining riddles Sony needed to solve. Sony still manages to pack in more features than anyone else too, including trademark ones like adaptive sound and Speak-to-Chat. Add in upgraded drivers, new chips and significant improvements to sound quality and these are Sony’s best earbuds yet. But all of the advancements come at a cost: these are also Sony’s most expensive set of wireless earbuds in the 1000X lineup.
Runner up: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
If sound quality is your primary concern, the Momentum True Wireless 3 is your best bet for excellent sound and an overall top notch listening experience. You won’t get the truckload of features that Sony offers, but Sennheiser does the basics well at a lower price than the previous Momentum earbuds. A new Adaptive Noise Cancellation setup continuously monitors ambient sounds to suppress them in real time. Inside, the company’s True Response transducer is paired with 7mm dynamic drivers for top-notch audio.
# Battery life: 7 hours, up to 28 hours with charging case
# Water resistance: IPX4
# Noise cancellation: Yes
# Multipoint: Yes
Best earbuds for noise cancellation: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
Bose's latest earbuds maintain that excellent noise cancelation the brand is known for, and now Immersive Audio features bring spatial audio to all kinds of content. Since the company introduced the first model, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds have consistently been the best option in terms of noise-canceling ability. It’s not surprising that its most-recent version, the QC Ultra Earbuds, only improved in ANC performance. However, the bigger story here is that Bose finally has the audio chops to compete with the best earbuds thanks to its new Immersive Audio tech. The feature brings spatial audio to all by not requiring specially-made content to use it. Rather than employ music and movies where the sound is coming from all directions, QC Ultra Earbuds put you in the middle of the acoustic “sweet spot” by relying heavily on virtualization. A dedicated gesture for volume controls, better-than-advertised battery life and customizable settings round out the spec sheet.
# Battery life: 6 hours, up to 24 hours with charging case
# Water resistance: IPX4
# Noise cancellation: Yes
# Multipoint: Yes
Best earbuds for iOS: Apple Airpods Pro
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
Apple managed to improve the sound quality and ANC performance on the 2022 AirPods Pro, while keeping all of the conveniences that make them the best option for Apple fanatics. Apple’s latest AirPods Pro are a huge improvement over the 2019 model. The company managed to improve the sound quality and active noise cancellation while keeping all of the conveniences that make AirPods the best earbud option for iPhone, iOS and Mac. When we reviewed them, we found the most impressive feature to be transparency mode, which is more natural sounding than any other earbuds by a mile. You can leave these in during a conversation and it’s like you’re not even wearing them. Of course, fast pairing, hands-free Siri, spatial audio, good battery life and a wireless charging case will also come in handy.
# Battery life: 6 hours, up to 30 hours with charging case
# Water resistance: IPX4
# Noise cancellation: Yes
# Multipoint: Yes
