Just a few weeks ago, certain people in a particular corner of the internet decided they had cracked the reason Kamala Harris was doing so much better than Donald Trump in the presidential debate. Not that she was better prepared, nor that she was a better debater. No, she must be wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, carefully disguised as a pair of pearl earrings. Obviously.
As it turns out, earbuds like this really do exist. The Nova H1 audio earrings put forward by the conspiracy theorists do bear a decent resemblance to the earrings Kamala was wearing on the night. Of course hers were, in fact, from Tiffany & Co. and not from a Kickstarter campaign from 2021, but the concept piqued our interest all the same.
Could this so-called audio jewelry be the perfect crossover product for anyone who wants to make calls or listen to music, without a bulky pair of headphones or earbuds hanging out of their ear? We slapped them on our ears for a week to find out.
Stylish … to a Point
When I receive them, first impressions are promising. The Nova H1 arrive in what feels a bit like a jewelry box, a stylish detail we’re sure is no accident. Pull the inner packaging toward you, like a drawer, to slide the outer cover away, and the headphones appear against a rather striking yellow backdrop, the pearlescent square charging case adorned with Nova’s branding.
The case is plasticky though, and the earrings sit on an equally plasticky panel that rises up to present them to you as you open the lid. That’s a nice touch, but it all looks cheap and doesn’t feel in keeping with the premium look the Nova H1 is trying to present.
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The earrings themselves are not exactly subtle, either. The pearl, to my surprise, is actually a real freshwater pearl connected to your choice of clip-on or stud earring, but delicate it ain’t. Still, when clipped onto your ear they do at least look like jewelry—more costume jewelry than fine jewelry (our British readers may appreciate a Pat Butcher reference here), but they don’t look out of place. I have the silver ones to test, but there is also a gold option that will set you back a little more (more on that shortly.)
The clip-on version I’m testing offers exactly the right clamp force to be secure without causing any discomfort, which is indeed impressive. I could genuinely forget I was wearing them, meaning they can simply be worn as earrings, while being ready to jump into audio action whenever you need them.
That’s helped by the fact they will go into a dormant mode when they don’t detect any playback, and offer up to six hours in active use. That means you can pretty much get a full day’s wear out of them, plus the case offers three full charges.
Can You Hear Me?
When you take them out of their case, they jump into pairing mode automatically. My phone finds them without issue, and within seconds they’re paired.
I immediately head to a playlist in Tidal and get to listening. It quickly becomes clear that audio quality is not a reason to buy these headphones—so much so that it’s almost impossible to critically evaluate the sound at all.
Bass is weak, and music has a somewhere-in-the-distance quality, almost as if someone has the radio on across the office. It’s a unique experience, not unpleasant by any stretch but not at all as engaging as the sound quality you’ll get from something like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.
Switch between your computer and cell phone, and the headphones are smart enough to know it. You can answer a call on your phone while also connected to your computer, which is super helpful for multitaskers.
One thing I find underwhelming, as I have with all voice assistants so far, is the Gemini integration. You press the buds to ask every question to standard Gemini, including follow-ups, which is very annoying if you have multiple questions at once. Google has also integrated a wake phrase (“Hey Google, let’s talk”) to open its Gemini Live conversational AI.
The prompt opens Gemini Live, and you can ask it anything you can think to ask an AI for—from restaurant reviews to a good workout schedule based on your current day’s activities. You can even interrupt it if you think it’s missing your point, and it will follow context.
I’d rather use this functionality in the Gemini Live app on my phone, so I don’t have to speak them out loud, but if you are hard of sight or simply hate typing, the wake word and Gemini Live might be more impressive to you. I’d note that as long as you have the Gemini app, you can open Gemini Live and use it with any other pair of headphones. You don’t need Pixel Buds Pro 2 to use Gemini Live, it’s just to have the wake word.
I would trade these features in a heartbeat for the myriad hearing assistance tools Apple is adding to its AirPods Pro via a software update. After all, almost any headphones with Android can connect to Gemini Live. If you’re looking for a pair of buds that might also help you hear a little better, those are still what I would choose.
As far as a pair of headphones that do everything else you’d ask of them in all contexts, there are very few earbuds I can recommend as highly as the new Pixel Buds Pro 2. They have excellent noise canceling, work great on calls, and have long enough battery life to last an entire workday. I can see why Google raised the price by $30 over the last pair, and they’re worth the extra cash. These are probably the best high-end earbuds for Android that exist right now.
While the latest wireless earbuds from Apple, Sony, Bose and other big-name brands may dominate the headlines, you absolutely do not need to spend triple digits to get something good. These days it’s more than possible to find a clean-sounding, richly-featured pair for well under $100, but navigating the bargain bin still brings its share of challenges.
If you want to upgrade without breaking the bank, allow us to help. Whether you’re looking for active noise cancellation, great sound, a gym-friendly design or just something dirt cheap, here are the best budget wireless earbuds we’ve tested. This is a busy market with new models arriving all the time, but we’ll keep this guide as up-to-date as possible as we test out recent releases.
The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is often available for $60 but offers the kind of performance and features you’d see from a pair of earbuds that costs twice as much. Its little round earpieces are light and evenly balanced, so they shouldn’t be a pain for most to wear for hours at a time. The default sound profile is good enough: It’s warm, with a bump in the upper-bass and a dip in the treble that can dull some finer details, but pleasant on the whole. Unlike many cheaper headphones, it doesn’t completely blow out the low-end. As with many modern pairs, you can tweak the sound with custom EQ tools in the Soundcore app. Using these won’t make the Space A40 sound as nice as the best wireless earbuds on the market, but it can give them a touch more deep bass or high-frequency emphasis. The app in general is easy to use, and it saves any changes you make directly to the earphones.
The Space A40’s best feature is its active noise cancellation (ANC), which is outstanding for the money. It won’t totally block out higher-pitched sounds, but it’s plenty effective at muting the rumbles of a train or jet engine. By default, Anker uses an adaptive ANC system that automatically tweaks the intensity based on your surroundings, though you can manually set it to strong, moderate or weak levels, too. That’s great for those with sensitive ears. There’s also a transparency mode, which isn’t nearly as good as what you’d find on a high-end pair like the AirPods Pro but works in a pinch.
Most of the little touches you’d want from a modern set of headphones are here as well. The Space A40 can connect to two devices simultaneously, and you can use one earbud on its own. Battery life is solid at eight-ish hours, while the included charging case can supply another 40 or so hours and supports wireless charging. The IPX4 water resistance rating isn’t anything special but still means the earphones can survive light rain and everyday sweat. The touch control scheme can feel somewhat busy, as it lets you assign up to six different shortcuts to different taps and long presses and effectively forces you to omit a function or two, but it works reliably. We’ve had no real connection issues, either.
The only major shortcomings are the mic quality and the lack of auto-pausing when you remove an earbud. The former doesn’t handle sibilant sounds very well and can lose your voice in particularly noisy areas, so this isn’t the best option for phone calls, but it’s usable.
Pros
Excellent ANC for the money
Pleasant, warm sound
Multi-device connectivity and wireless charging support
Comfortable
Good battery life
Cons
No automatic wear detection
Call quality is mediocre
Audio performance isn’t as detailed as higher-end options (as expected)
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is a commendable option if you prefer a larger “stem” design akin to Apple’s AirPods. In many ways, these earphones are just the Space A40 in a different shape. Like our top pick, they deliver an impressive adaptive ANC system, a relatively stable fit, wireless charging, an intuitive app, IPX4-rated water resistance and the ability to connect with two devices at once. Battery life is about the same as well, but we were usually able to get a half-hour or so more out of the Liberty 4 NC.
By default, this pair has an exciting sound with big, thumpy bass and a noticeable spike in the treble. It’s a good example of the “fun” EQ curve we often see from mainstream headphones these days, one that lends a nice sense of clarity to vocals and higher-range instrumentation. It fits especially well with EDM and pop music. That said, it’s intense, so some might find it fatiguing. The Space A40 doesn’t exactly sound neutral, but it comes off as easygoing by comparison, so it should be more agreeable for most. You can still personalize the Liberty 4 NC’s sound profile through a variety of EQ settings in the Soundcore app, but it’s hard to fully rein in the bass even with those.
Beyond that, you can manually adjust the strength of this pair’s ANC on a five-step scale, which is a little more granular than the Space A40’s three-step option. The touch controls are slightly more extensive, as you can triple-tap each earbud to change volume or access other commands. It also supports wear detection, plus its integrated mics are a bit better at resisting wind noise. However, it’s sluggish to auto-pause whenever you remove an earbud, and call quality is still mediocre in general. The included transparency mode is still merely serviceable too. And at $100, it’s right on the edge of our “budget” limit.
Pros
Strong ANC for the money
Multi-device connectivity and wireless charging support
Bluetooth: v5.2 | ANC: No | Transparency mode: No | Custom EQ: Yes | Charging port: USB-C | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IPX7 | Multipoint connectivity: No | Wear detection: No | Battery life (rated): 7 hrs, 30 hrs w/ case | Fast charging (rated): 10 mins = 2 hrs | Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX | Warranty: 18 months
If you don’t want to spend more than $50 on a set of true wireless earbuds, consider the Earfun Free 2S. Similar to the Liberty 4 NC, this pair has a big bass response and a smaller bump in the treble. It misses details in the mids and can feel exhausting to listen to over extended periods, but it’s a richer take on this kind of sound signature than most pairs in the price range. You can adjust the sound through EarFun’s app as well, though there’s fewer EQ presets to choose from than with the Space A40.
The earpieces themselves are well-shaped and not oversized; combined with their soft silicone ear tips, they should be comfortable for most to wear over long periods of time. An IPX7 rating means they’re fully waterproof, too. There’s a suite of reliable touch controls and battery life sits at around seven hours. The included case adds another 30 or so hours and supports wireless charging, too. It’s not the smallest case we’ve used, but it’s not so large that it can’t fit in a pocket, either.
That said, you start to run into more “you get what you pay for” situations once you drop into this price range. In addition to not sounding quite as sharp as our pricier picks, the Free 2S lacks active noise cancellation, multi-device connectivity, auto-pausing and a transparency mode. And though their mic quality is decent in most cases, it’s pretty susceptible to wind noise.
Pros
Very affordable
Comfortable and compact fit
IPX7 waterproof rating
Lively, customizable sound
Cons
No ANC or ambient sound modes
No wireless charging, wear detection or multi-device connectivity, either
Sound quality is still less balanced than our top picks
Bluetooth: v5.1 | ANC: No | Transparency mode: No | Custom EQ: Yes (presets only) | Charging port: USB-A (integrated) | Wireless charging: No | Water resistance: IP55 | Multipoint connectivity: No | Wear detection: No | Battery life (rated): 8 hrs, 32+ hrs w/ case | Fast charging (rated): 10 mins = 1 hr | Codecs: SBC | Warranty: 2 years
Any of our picks above will be perfectly fine for working out. But if you want a set of cheap earphones specifically for the gym, the JLab Go Air Sport are worth considering. Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends this pair in our guide to the best running headphones and, at $30, it is indeed a strong value. It uses an around-the-ear hook design that keeps everything secure while you’re on the move, and the hooks themselves are soft and flexible, so they shouldn’t be a pain to wear regardless of your ear size. The design is IP55 water-resistant, which isn’t the absolute best but is enough to survive sweaty, non-swimming workouts. (Just note that the rating doesn’t apply to the charging case.) Battery life is solid at roughly eight hours, and the touch controls generally work well.
The Go Air Sport doesn’t have a dedicated app but comes with three EQ modes built in. Unfortunately, all of them are somewhat boomy. A bass-heavy sound isn’t the worst thing for pumping yourself up at the gym, but the Space A40 should be better for enjoying music everywhere else. This pair is also light on features: no ANC, transparency mode, wireless charging, auto-pausing or multi-device connectivity. The case has a short USB-A cable hardwired in, which is sort of convenient but demands extra care — if that cord breaks, you’ll need a whole new case. The case could stand to be a bit smaller as well. But for $30, there’s plenty to like about the Go Air Sport as a cheap beater set used strictly for workouts.
Bluetooth: v5.2 | ANC: No | Transparency mode: No | Custom EQ: Yes | Charging port: USB-C | Wireless charging: No | Water resistance: IPX2 | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: Yes | Battery life (rated): 5 hrs, 6 hrs w/ wake word off, 20 hrs w/ case | Fast charging: 15 mins = 2 hrs | Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX | Warranty: 1 year
All of our picks so far are technically earphones, meaning they extend into your ear canal. For some people, that is inherently uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the market for decent yet affordable “earbuds,” which rest on the concha instead of going all the way in your ear, is spotty. If you can’t bring yourself to pay for a pair of AirPods, though, the Amazon Echo Buds are a worthy compromise at $50.
The plastic earpieces here aren’t exactly premium, but they rest lightly in the ear and feel sturdily put together. They let in and leak noise more easily than in-ear headphones, but if you prefer open earbuds, that’s more of a feature than a bug. If the fit doesn’t feel right, you can shed a little bulk by removing the pre-installed silicone covers. (Like most open earbuds, though, comfort here is dependent on your ear shape.) Mic quality is more than adequate, and the circular touch panels give ample room for using the controls, which are customizable and consistently responsive. Battery life sits aroundfive hours, which is middling but not out of character for budget earbuds.The pocket-friendly case adds about three full charges, but it’s worth noting that Amazon doesn’t include a USB-C charging cable. A poor IPX2 water resistance rating means you should avoid the gym with these, too.
While the Echo Buds sound fine out of the box, I’d use the EQ sliders in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a click or two. By default, the highs are a bit too edgy. That said, this emphasis lends a nice crispness to things like vocals, cymbals and strings, and there’s enough separation to keep complex tracks from sounding totally muddled. The profile here isn’t as full-bodied as the latest AirPods, and no open earbuds deliver true sub-bass, but there’s at least some rumble for hip-hop and EDM.
Unlike many cheap earbuds, the Echo Buds support auto-pausing and multi-device pairing. I often had to manually pause playback on one device before I could switch to the other, but having the feature at all at this price is great. Unsurprisingly, they also come with Alexa baked in, which you can access hands-free. You manage the Echo Buds through the Alexa app, which is much more cluttered than a dedicated audio app but includes extras like a lost device tracker and sidetone control for phone calls. And if you want nothing to do with Alexa, it also lets you turn off the mics and wake-word support.
Pros
Actually decent unsealed earbuds that cost less than $50
Lightweight
Pocket-friendly case
Automatic wear detection
Multi-device connectivity
Hands-free (and optional) Alexa
Cons
Open design means you’ll hear external noise all the time
Our former runner-up pick, the EarFun Air Pro 3 offers a similar shape, feature set and bass-heavy sound profile as the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC. Its call quality and IPX5-rated water resistance are a touch superior as well. But its battery life is shorter at six to seven hours per charge, and its ANC, while serviceable, is neither as comprehensive nor customizable. Anker’s pair also sounds better, with richer bass and greater clarity in the treble range. The main reason to consider the Air Pro 3 is because it often goes on sale for much less than the Liberty 4 NC, so if you prefer a stem-style design and really need to save cash, it’s worth a look. Be aware that EarFun recently released an updated model called the Air Pro 4, though we haven’t been able to test that $80 pair just yet.
If you just want a competent pair of wireless earbuds for as little money as possible, take a look at the JLab Go Air Pop. For $25, it has a light design with decent isolation, plus eight to nine hours of battery life, IPX4 water resistance and a full set of touch controls that actually work. As with the Go Air Sport, there’s no companion app but JLab lets you swap between three built-in EQ presets from the buds themselves. It’s still worth upgrading to the EarFun Free 2S if you can afford it, as the Go Air Pop sounds boomier by comparison and isn’t as clear in the treble and upper-mids. But at this price, those shouldn’t be dealbreaking trade-offs.
The Beats Solo Buds. (Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget)
Note: This is a selection of noteworthy earbuds we’ve put through their paces, not a comprehensive list of everything we’ve ever tried.
Beats Solo Buds
The $80 Beats Solo Buds are comfortable and long-lasting, with an impressive 18 hours of battery life. But they sound a bit flat, and they’re severely lacking in features. There’s no ANC, wear detection or official water-resistance rating, and the included case can’t wirelessly charge the earbuds on its own. You can read our full Beats Solo Buds review for more details.
EarFun Free Pro 3
The EarFun Free Pro 3 are totally solid, but the Space A40 gets you superior ANC, longer battery life and a more comfortable design for a lower price these days.
EarFun Air 2
Along those lines, the EarFun Air 2 are a good alternative to EarFun’s Free 2S if you’re partial an AirPods-style stem design, but they cost $10 more and aren’t significantly better.
Baseus Bowie MA10
The Baseus Bowie MA10 are saddled with a ginormous charging case, a sloppy app and bulky earpieces that we found uncomfortable to wear over time.
Baseus Eli Sport 1
The Baseus Eli Sport 1 have a fully open design that wraps around the ear and rests outside of your ear canal entirely. That’s nice for staying alert to the outside world, but it’s less so for getting the most detail out of your music. This is another pair with an oversized case, too.
OnePlus Buds 3
The OnePlus Buds 3 have an excited sound and a stylish design in the same vein as the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, and their mic is a bit clearer for phone calls. They fall short of Anker’s pair when it comes to noise cancellation and battery life, however.
Skullcandy Dime 3
The Skullcandy Dime 3 deliver a surprisingly neutral sound profile for their dirt-cheap price, so they’re worth considering over the JLab Go Air Pop if you see them in the $25 range. Unlike that pair, they can also connect to two devices simultaneously. But their overall battery life is shorter, their call quality is poor and their physical controls are both unintuitive and uncomfortable, since they lead you to push the buds deeper into your ear canals.
Skullcandy Smokin’ Buds
The Skullcandy Smokin’ Buds are another ultra-budget option with a sick name, brah, but they sound harsher in the treble than the JLab Go Air Pop and offer worse battery life through their charging case. This pair does use tap-based controls, but they can be finicky, and they still aren’t the most straightforward things to operate.
Recent updates
September 2024: We’ve added notes on a handful of other budget wireless earbuds that we’ve tested but fall short of our top picks, which remain unchanged. We’re still evaluating a few other models from the likes of Samsung, JBL, EarFun and Tribit for our next update.
June 2024: We’ve checked this guide to ensure that all of our picks are still in stock. Accordingly, we’ve removed the Nothing Ear Stick as an honorable mention, as it no longer appears to be available — though it remains a decent option if you do see it and want an unsealed alternative to the Amazon Echo Buds. We’re also still in the process of testing several other sub-$100 wireless earbuds for an update that we hope to complete in the coming weeks.
Koss’ bestselling lightweight and affordable headphones finally go wireless. The Porta Pro Wireless delivers the same unbeatable sound quality for its price range while adding Bluetooth 5.2 support and built-in playback and call buttons. It lasts up to 20 hours per charge and tops up via USB-C. It also comes with a USB-C to 3.5mm cord for wired listening.
I’m a pretty lazy listener, which is why I love modern streaming amps. These amps have controls for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other streaming services built directly into easy-to-use interfaces. Streaming amps have gotten really great over the last few years. It used to be that anything with an internet connection sounded terrible, but that’s not the case with the latest models. My high-end favorites right now are the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 ($2,999) and the Naim Uniti Atom ($3,799), which both feature gorgeous color displays and some of the best fidelity (and most glorious knobs) I’ve ever experienced. Both work with every major streaming service imaginable, and you can connect to them over Bluetooth too.
A good step-down option is Yamaha’s R-N1000A ($1,800) stereo network receiver. It’s loaded with high-end components like a SABRE ES9090Q DAC for high-resolution digital audio and enough A/B amplification for nearly any pair of speakers in your arsenal. Just as important, it provides rock-steady performance and loads of connection options, from tons of streaming services and internet radio stations to a turntable input and HDMI ARC for connecting to your TV. Its retro design, which skips a color screen for a slim digital display set below tactile knobs, stokes nostalgia while delivering excellent sound quality.
If you don’t have that kind of money, I highly recommend checking out the Canadian brand NAD. Its amps, like the NAD C 316 V2 ($399) aren’t the flashiest, but they sound amazing for the money. Like the Yamaha above, the C 316 even comes with a phono channel on board so you can hook up a record player—a nice touch, seeing how NAD’s model doesn’t have built-in streaming. If you want to stream, you can find the proper dongle to connect your phone to it.
Pro-Ject’s turntables are handsome, and they offer top-tier sound.
Photograph: Pro-Ject Audio
Vinyl is back! And turntables are more fun—and better-sounding—than ever. If you’re looking for a starter deck with audiophile-grade sound quality, I would check out options like the Pro-Ject T1 ($499) or Debut Carbon Evo ($599). On the higher end, we like the Rega Planar 2 ($775), which has a bit more open and dynamic sound, and U-Turn’s Orbit Theory ($999), which sounds fantastic thanks to extras like a custom-made magnesium tonearm, the part that sets the needle to the groove.
Get a phono amp to hook up that turntable.
Photograph: Pro-Ject Audio
If you have a vintage stereo, it likely has a phono preamp built-in, meaning you can plug a turntable directly and get straight to listening. But if you have a modern stereo, you may need to buy a dedicated phono preamp to play your records through your headphones or speakers. Check both your turntable and your stereo, because setups differ, and some turntables come with phono amps inside them that you can activate by flipping a switch. Still, while some built-in options like the one inside the Orbit Theory above perform well, others may not sound as good as you’d like.
Apple’s high-end earbuds will be able to be used a full-on hearing aids. (Apple)
Could Apple really be teeing up a change that could save my elderly mother more than $1,500? That’s the promise of the company’s newly announced initiative to add true hearing aid functionality to the AirPods Pro — and why, with all due respect to the iPhone 16 and its fancy Camera Control button, it was the most promising section of Monday’s keynote, to my eyes.
The news couldn’t have come at a better time for me. My 80-year-old mother has finally admitted that her hearing is, shall we say, subpar. And she just asked me to book her an appointment at the Miracle Ear clinic down the street (“They’re having a fall sale!”). But before I went down that road, I decided to do some research.
The frustrating world of hearing aids
I knew that there was a burgeoning market for hearing aids since the US government opened the field to over-the-counter competition in 2022. But a bit of googling confirmed that those models — even those with familiar names, like Jabra, Sony and Sennheiser — start at $300 and go north from there, sometimes topping $2,000. And while that’s certainly a lot, the crazy thing is that it’s downright cheap compared to clinical hearing aids. Those often start at $1,000, and can go as high as $5,000 or more. Yes, really.
Some medical insurance may defer costs, but Medicare doesn’t. While retired military personnel can get hearing aids through the VA, I remember my father’s journey down that path meant that his hearing aids arrived many months after the initial hearing exam.
Jabra Enhance’s OTC hearing aid options top out at almost $2,000. (Jabra Enhance)
And here’s the clincher: Many elderly folks seem to loathe their hearing aids, and for good reason: They’re generally tedious and unintuitive to use, sometimes with a single microscopic button to control volume. Want to turn them off? Pop open the battery cover, for starters. (And many hearing aids still use disposable microbatteries.) Case in point: My mother got one of these expensive pair of hearing aids years ago, but found the challenge of wearing and maintaining them wasn’t worth the so-so audio improvement they offered. They still power on, but they don’t seem to work effectively any more — and being out of warranty, the cause of our current hearing aid search.
The competition from the OTC market has helped in that regard, as the Jabras and Sennheisers of the world push the traditional hearing aid providers to become a bit more tech-savvy. Some eschew the behind-the-ear battery pack and go for earbud-style simplicity. Bluetooth connectivity for calls and apps for sound adjustments are finally more common, as older people become accustomed to using their phones and tablets.
But why go for what’s essentially an AirPods knockoff when you can get the real thing at a fraction of the price? (And — amazingly, in an age where everything has gone the subscription route — free of any sort of recurring monthly fees.)
Waiting for the software update — and managing expectations
So, when will the hearing aid features become available? What seemed to be weeks away may now be much closer. FDA regulatory signoff (in the US) is already a done deal, arriving just a few days after the initial announcement. That leaves the requisite software upgrade. You’ll need an AirPods Pro paired with a compatible device running iOS 18, or the equivalent 2024 OS updates for iPad or Mac. On the iPhone side, that’s pretty much every model sold after the 2018 model year (iPhone XS/XR and later). While those initial software updates hit on September 16, it’s unclear if the hearing aid functionality will arrive then, or sometime later — perhaps alongside the first Apple Intelligence coming in October. (Apple’s site simply says “coming this fall.”)
In the meantime, I’ve started the upsell to my mother. I showed her the relevant portion of Apple’s video presentation, and I had her try out my AirPods Pro, just to gauge fit and comfort. The initial response wasn’t enthusiastic. While she liked that they “didn’t fall out of my ears” like the AirPods 2, she’s put off by the penetration of the eartips into her ear canal. Countless other headphone fans agree, and that’s why the design of the new AirPods 4 is more open. But Apple hasn’t suggested the hearing aid functionality is coming to those headphones anytime soon — if ever.
Unlike traditional hearing aids, AirPods Pro are anything but discreet. (This shot is from Apple’s keynote video.) (Apple)
And let’s be honest: This isn’t envisioned as a miracle cure. Apple specifically says this feature is “intended for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.” I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother has graduated to the need for pro-level hearing assistance at this point, over-the-counter or otherwise. So we may end up opting for one of those Jabra Enhance models, which offer a 100-day no-hassle return policy.
But now we have the AirPods Pro as a testable alternative. Going forward, anyone in the market for hearing aids can start their journey with the AirPods Pro and its companion free audio test. If you like the results, you’re done — or you at least have a stopgap solution. And if not, you can compare and contrast them against pricier OTC or clinical options in terms of comfort, battery life, ease of use and — of course — the respective efficacy of their actual hearing assistance. The very fact that Apple is in the hearing aid conversation with a $200-ish option feels like a win.
If Apple wanted to bury the fact it’s leaving its most expensive headphones as the least technically capable in its lineup, it didn’t do a very good job.
It all started promisingly. At Apple’s September Glowtime event, CEO Tim Cook teed up VP of hardware engineering Kate Bergeron for the big reveal by stating that the company’s much-loved AirPods family had “significant updates across the entire lineup.” And with four years under their belt since their debut, it felt like the supposedly flagship AirPods Max had to be top of the billing.
Instead, that honor was bestowed upon the AirPods 4—Apple’s cheapest AirPods at $129, and now with the option of noise cancellation for an additional $50. Among other additions, Bergeron announced they would now come with the “power of the H2 chip,” the most advanced headphone chip from Apple, which was first introduced in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022.
That chip delivers some significant upgrades, too. Apple said at the time that the H2 chip in the AirPods Pro 2 cancels “twice as much noise” compared to the original Pro. Now, in the AirPods 4, Apple writes in its press release that H2 delivers a “major improvement in sound quality” and that it unlocks a whole host of “intelligent features that change the way users take calls, interact with Siri, and so much more.”
A lot of these features are down to the advanced machine-learning capabilities of the H2 chip, and Bergeron touched on a few of them in her enthusiastic introduction of the AirPods 4. Features like Siri Interactions, which allows you to respond to Siri by nodding or shaking your head; “the magic of Adaptive Audio,” said Bergeron, which blends noise cancellation and transparency modes to best suit your environment; and also Conversation Awareness, which dips your audio down when it hears you talking to someone, then raises it again after.
That’s not even all of them. There’s also Personalized Audio, shorter “Siri” summoning and Voice Isolation for clearer calls.
Better sound, better ANC, better features? That sounds like a very tempting package indeed. But when it came to the H1-packing AirPods Max, Apple quickly swept all that good stuff under the carpet, throwing a handful of new colors and a USB-C connection our way in the hope we’d forget about everything that had just come before.
NWM One Wireless headphones look like one of those AI-generated concept renders that plague Instagram. But it’s an actual product, albeit for specific needs. Instead of ear cups, its drivers dangle in open frames. Its noise-canceling tech does a good job of minimizing sound leakage. They’re not the best sounding, but unique and comfortable.
Bang & Olufsen’s new headphones are packed with premium tech and materials – 10 mics for active noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, lambskin leather headband, etc. But it’s also a modular platform. B&O promises to offer not just replacement parts but also upgraded versions of the headband, cushions, battery, and drivers in the future.
Now that the majority of new headphones and earbuds offer at least a modicum of noise canceling, it’d be impossible (and unproductive) to list everything we like above. But if you haven’t yet found your fit, here are some more favorites worth considering.
Apple Beats Fit Pro for $199: The Beats Fit Pro are an aging but still knock-out pair of wireless buds, with great sound, easy-access physical buttons, and solid noise canceling to boot. Add to that six hours of battery life, spatial audio compatibility with Apple Music and other services, and you’ve got one of the best pairs of earbuds ever “designed in California.”
Sony WF-1000XM4 for $290: Sony’s WF-1000XM4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) still have some of the best noise reduction we’ve heard from a pair of earbuds and offer the same super-customizable sound we love from Sony’s over-ear headphones. These are becoming harder to find, and they’re a bit too large for smaller ears but the extra size allows for fantastic battery life.
Amazon Echo Buds for $45: Amazon’s second-gen Echo Buds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) don’t provide quite the same silence as the top buds on our list, but they’re still a good low-cost option. Amazon’s built-in Alexa voice assistant lets you set timers, check the weather, and control your buds hands-free. The buds sound pretty good too, making them worthy of consideration several years on.
Epos/Sennheiser Adapt 660 for $152: Want excellent sound, a comfortable fit, and high-quality noise-canceling tech for less than what you’d pay for Sony or Bose headphones? Check out this collaboration between Epos and Sennheiser. The Epos/Sennheiser Adapt 660 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) sound fantastic, and are some of the lightest noise-canceling headphones I’ve ever worn. They also feature excellent microphones for great silence on calls and Zooms.
Rather ambitiously, Shokz promises these sports headphones can deliver clear highs and natural mids and that the new dual air conduction unit design manages to produces pure vocal sound. The air conduction certainly delivers the bass, while the bone conduction handles the rest. In the battle to compete with traffic, wind and the gym stereo, there’s some winners and losers here. The bass is a big improvement, with a noticeable uptick in warmth and punch.
Annoyingly, however, while more power means bigger bass for your buck, the clarity isn’t on a par with the older OpenRun. Similarly, in a sound-off with the uniquely designed Bose Ultra Open, the lack of clarity is exposed too. When I eased off the high tempo drum-and bass-heavy playlists to listen to a podcast, the backward step in clarity remained noticeable. This doesn’t make the OpenRun Pro 2 a bad headphone, they simply offer a shift to a sound that many runners will greatly enjoy, and one that’s a little closer to typical bass-heavy workout headphones.
Winner by a Nose
Photograph: Michael Sawh
You always have to make compromises with open-ear headphones, but with the OpenRun Pro 2, the compromises are actually relatively insignificant. If you’re looking for running headphones with more bass and power, but you still want to be aware of your surroundings, these are the best available.
Other options worth considering include the Suunto Sonic ($149), which offer a very balanced sound profile from a nicely weighted and comfortable neckband design. The premium-priced Bose Ultra Open give better, more detailed sound, but a dubious fit if you’re running fast. The Sivga SO2 ($70) produce a really likable, open-ear sound and secure fit.
It’s not the huge leap in quality I’d hoped for, but Shokz has done just enough for me to recommend the OpenRun Pro 2. That being said, you shouldn’t rule out the OpenRun Pro, which gives you pretty much the same design with solid audio quality and battery performance. You just have to remember where you put that fiddly, archaic, proprietary charging cable.
Similarly, the BlackShark V2 Pro feels like you could pick it up 10 to 20 years from now and still think “Oh yeah, this is cool.” The angled wire rods extend down to thicker tubes housing a rotating hinge, with the ear cups set between them. It gives the headset a professional, yet fashionable aesthetic that I vibe with.
For reasons I can’t quite explain, the fact that the volume knob sticks out when it really doesn’t have to is what makes me love it. Other headset manufacturers spend so much effort on minimal designs with low-profile buttons and dials—having this one sticking out so prominently makes it feel attractive just by virtue of its boldness.
Convenience and Comfort
It doesn’t hurt that the volume knob is convenient and thoughtfully designed. It’s an infinite dial, so you can rotate it as far as you want in either direction, with very subtle clicks to provide feedback on how far you’re turning it. In lieu of a physical stopping point, an audio cue plays when you reach either the maximum or minimum volume.
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
The audio quality is solid, but it’s the bass tones that really stand out. Out of the box, the lower tones are emphasized, which can be handy in some competitive games to help you hear enemy footsteps and other important sound cues. In my opinion, it’s a little too bass-heavy for general media listening, but it’s great for gaming.
While the aesthetic design might remind me of ’90s elementary school headphones, wearing the headphones does not. The foam on the ear cups is soft and comfortable, and they don’t put much pressure on the sides of my head. The inner cavity is spacious, so I never feel like my ears are getting squished.
They’re so comfortable that I was able to wear them for hours while listening to music as I worked. Or, more often, when I put music on for five minutes, paused it, then forgot I was wearing the headphones for two hours.
And the BlackShark V2 Pro can run for a lot of hours. It might not have the longest battery life we’ve ever seen, but it still beats most gaming headsets we’ve tested. Razer rates its battery life at 70 hours on a full charge, though in my testing it usually lasted a couple hours longer than that.
The headset charges via a USB-C port on the left ear cup. In the box, Razer has included a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging, as well as an additional USB-A extension cable. I appreciate this little touch, because it means I don’t have to choose between having a charging cable that’s long enough or having a ton of excess cable cluttering up my desk.
No doubt picking up on the trend of wired 1990s-style earbuds—must-haves for those craving nostalgia tech from an era they may not have been around for—Chanel has dropped a “jewelry watch,” where the bracelet transforms into a necklace that hides a physical connection for earphones.
The Première Sound Watch is a riff on the brand’s Première watch, created in 1987, but with a long sautoir necklace with detachable earphones and a quaint 3.5-mm jack—but, fear not, the set also comes with 3.5 mm to Lightning and 3.5 mm to USB-C adapters, for those who prefer more up-to-date tech in their phones.
The whole “luxury meets Lana Del Rey” creation (available September 2) started two years ago as a sketch by Chanel watchmaking studio director Arnaud Chastaingt, who was fooling around with the concept of shoehorning audio kit into products worn as accessories. While the watch and necklace elements could be taken care of in-house by Chastaingt and his team, Chanel wisely turned to Master & Dynamic—a brand with form when it comes to collaborating with luxury marques, including Louis Vuitton and Celine—for the audio expertise.
Chanel’s Première Sound Watch features removable wired earbuds made by Master & Dynamic.
Photograph: CHANEL
Speaking of which, the headphones feature a 6-mm planar diaphragm and 11-mm beryllium-coated dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 KHz, so not too shabby. The wire itself houses a remote for volume control, play/pause, answer/hang up, and skip forward and skip back, as well as a microphone for taking calls.
Water resistance for the wired buds, however, is just IPX3—so merely splash proof. The 18K yellow-gold-coated quartz watch on the Première (with an octagonal case inspired by the stopper of the No. 5 perfume bottle) fares much better, with a water resistance of 30 meters, should you be foolish enough to go diving with a piece of wearable audio jewelry that costs £12,600 in the UK or $14,700 in the US.
If only Apple had known, when it removed the 3.5-mm headphone jack from the iPhone in 2017, that it was going to start a future backlash where wireless earbuds like the ubiquitous AirPods would be considered so lame, entire Instagram channels would be devoted to young, hip people signaling their youth and hipness by wearing wired earbuds, simultaneously looking cool while shunning convention, better technology, common sense, and general convenience.
You see, you have to suffer for your Y2K nostalgia. After all, how else can you remember what it was like to rock a Walkman or first-gen iPod when you weren’t there in the first place? Well, at least now, Chanel and Master & Dynamic have stepped into the fray, offering a chic option for those growing weary of their impossible cleverness of juxtaposing stylish clothes while rocking cheapo headphones.
Or, there’s always the company’s Music app (free for iOS and Android). It too has playback control, but also adds in ANC options (hybrid, off, or pass-through) and will let you integrate your favorite music streaming services—provided they’re Deezer, NTS, Qobuz, SoundCloud, Tidal, and/or TuneIn. And it includes a very useful five-band EQ, along with a Bowers & Wilkins True Sound preset. By prevailing standards, it’s a clean, logical, and usable app, which is about as much as anyone is entitled to expect.
As far as performance is concerned, the headline here is that Bowers & Wilkins has come within an ace of justifying the asking price of the Pi8—and, what’s more, drawbacks (such as they are) to Pi8 ownership are both mild and not centered too heavily on the way they actually sound.
Keep volume levels anywhere between “realistic” and “perhaps a little too loud,” and there’s a huge amount to enjoy about the way the Pi8 perform. They create an expansive, well-defined, and rigorously organized soundstage, which means that every element of even the most complex recordings have plenty of room in which to spread out and express themselves.
This spaciousness and separation doesn’t affect the singularity or unity of the way the Pi8 present something like Fela Kuti’s Gentleman. No matter how hectic the going gets, there’s a togetherness to the Pi8 sound, despite their ability to peer so deeply into the mix that any individual instrument is easy to isolate and examine.
Photograph: Simon Lucas
Avoiding Aural Pileups
The same recording allows the Bowers & Wilkins to demonstrate their facility with dynamics, too. There’s plenty of headroom when the shifts in intensity or simple volume come along, but the earbuds are also able to identify and contextualize the more minor (but no less important) harmonic variations or transient occurrences.
In fact, detail levels approach sky-high at every turn. No aspect of the recording is too fleeting or too far back in the mix to be overlooked by the Pi8. To these earbuds, there’s no such thing as “negligible.”
The first Dyson headphones, the Zone (4/10, WIRED Review), with their attachable air filter for cynical techno-futurists, were so ridiculous and stupid it was hard for me to take the company seriously. Let’s face it: Dyson’s vacuums and hair care products are very nice, but many of its other products have been feeble, design-forward gimmicks that quickly fade behind the media hype. Sure, you’d see a few “fanless” Dyson air movers or purifiers in luxe locales after they first came out, but they never reached the broad-market ubiquity of its shiny plastic-sucking machines.
All this to say: I had low expectations for the new, $499 Dyson OnTrac headphones. With everyone from established brands like Apple, Sony, and Bose to newer brands like Sonos at the peak of their noise-canceling headphone game, it was just hard to imagine Dyson could create a product that competes in anything other than extruded plastic styling. But after a few weeks with my review unit, I think they’re some of the better headphones in the market.
These are visually customizable over-ear headphones with great sound, excellent noise reduction, and 55 hours of battery life. I am surprised to admit I like nearly everything about them.
Sucking Up
A large stately box accompanies the new OnTrac cans, but the hard case you use to protect the headphones between uses leaves a lot to be desired. Much like the case that comes with AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the one that comes with the Dyson cans is a slip-in situation with holes in the bottom and top of the case that allow dust and other dirt in when you throw them in your bag. It does little to protect the headphones from bumps and bruises, which is annoying when you’ve dropped this much on a pair of headphones.
Photograph: Parker Hall
The headphones themselves look a bit like Dyson vacuums: They’re maximalist, plastic, and full of color options. My review units came in a flashy metallic copper with navy blue accents, with the option to swap for different color earpads and earcup caps. Given the price, I actually like that you can swap things like this with such ease, because it means you can change them as they wear out.
Unlike recent competitors like the Sonos Ace (8/10, WIRED Recommends), they’re large and bulky, not sleek and light, with a weight of 451 grams compared to the Ace’s 311 grams and AirPods Max’s 385 grams. That said, a comfortable and well-padded headbands and thick cloth earpads give them a great seal around my ears for good passive noise isolation, and they don’t feel heavy on my head.
Bells and Whistles
When you want to turn the headphones on, press a small physical button on the bottom of the right earcup until you hear the noise and see a small light flashing to indicate they’re in pairing mode. From there you’ll control the headphones with either a joystick (another nod to Apple’s AirPods Max) on the right earcup or by touching the left earcup with your hand to toggle between transparency mode or noise canceling. This mix of touch controls and physical controls is perhaps the only annoying thing I found with the OnTrac; I kept accidentally brushing the earcup and turning off ANC when I was doing yard work. I wish that was just another button on one side or the other, rather than controlled by touch.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Apple’s AirPods Pro must be feeling pretty bigheaded these days. Every year we see dozens of new earbuds aiming to model Apple’s distinctive design, with even the latest revamp of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds joining the party.
Looks aside, most models that come across my desk don’t attempt to directly compete with the AirPods Pro’s high-end performance or breezy iOS usability. Instead, buds like OnePlus’s new Nord Buds 3 Pro go the other way, heavily undercutting Apple’s top buds on price while offering solid baseline performance and features.
There’s nothing like the real thing, especially if you want earbuds that cater to all things Apple. For those on a tighter budget, the latest Nord Buds Pro serve up a comfy fit, extras like multipoint connection and decent noise canceling, and clear, punchy sound for well under $100.
Familiar Form
The Nord Buds 3 Pro’s most stand-out trait may be their exorbitantly long yet unmemorable name. No joke, I’ve had to look up the order of this word salad nearly every time I write it.
Their design recalls the AirPods Pro and their many knockoffs, of course, but it’s particularly similar to a pair I recently reviewed from Soundpeats, the Air4 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends), right down to their rounded and speckled charging cases. Both pairs have a budget flair with large swaps of shiny plastic throughout, though the Nord Buds’ more compact stems make them marginally easier to wield and wear.
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Their weight of 4.4 grams per bud is slightly heavier than the Air4 Pro, but still nearly a gram lighter than the AirPods Pro, which combines with their ergonomic design to do a disappearing act in your ears. Like a lot of budget pairs, they only provide three ear tip sizes, but the default pair worked fine for me, providing a stable fit and multiple hours of comfort.
The buds offer snappy and stable device connection over Bluetooth 5.4, often pairing with my iPhone before I pulled it out of my pocket, and Android users get easy one-touch initial pairing with Google Fast Pair+. Multipoint connection is similarly seamless, letting you pair the buds to a phone and a laptop simultaneously to conveniently swap between the two. To initiate, simply hold down the button on the case’s bottom, no app required.
You will want to download the OnePlus app (bizarrely named “Hey Melody”) before getting too far along because the Nord 3 Pro’s play/pause command is turned off by default. I assume this is to prevent unwanted taps while adjusting the buds, but it’s still a baffling default setting. The buds do offer sensors to automatically pause or play audio when you pull one out, something even my favorite budget buds, Soundcore’s Space A40 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), omit. You can easily assign the play/pause control in the app, alongside volume, ambient audio, and song skip commands for a well-rounded experience via generally responsive touch sensors.
Sports cars tend to be less common, and more aspirational, than SUVs or people-carriers. Headphones with planar magnetic drivers tend to be less common, and more aspirational, than headphones with dynamic drivers. In some ways, the reasons for this are very similar. Planar magnetic drivers, which use thin pieces of metal held between magnets—are a bit like sports cars: They’re designed for uncompromised performance. Like sports cars, they’re also trickier, more expensive, and more time-consuming to produce. They tend to make the headphones that feature them bigger and bulkier than the dynamic driver alternative, which is the only place where my clever sports car/SUV analogy rolls into a wall.
The broad point still stands. Planar magnetic drivers tend to be the preserve of specialist brands and tend to be fitted to headphones costing a great deal more than those alternative designs that feature dynamic drivers. But no one, it seems, has mentioned any of this to Edifier.
Edifier was established in Beijing in 1996 and hit the ground running where loudspeakers and headphones are concerned. By 2012 it had wholly acquired the venerated Japanese headphone brand Stax, which, in terms of prestige, is a bit like the time Fiat acquired Ferrari. (I promise, this will be the last of my auto industry comparisons.) Now Edifier has launched a new pair of wireless over-ear planar magnetic headphones called the Stax Spirit S5 that are no bigger or more expensive than some of the leading dynamic driver designs. They’re fantastic headphones that bring music and films to life better than dynamic drivers can, and they are well worth considering for audiophiles who may otherwise have purchased wired headphones.
That’s the Spirit
The Stax Spirit S5 are not, it’s worth noting, Edifier’s first affordable planar magnetic headphones to go wireless. Where pricing and specs are concerned, with one notable exception, it’s hard to dispute that they’re the company’s most ambitious.
So yes, planar magnetic drivers: Unlike the far more common dynamic driver alternative, which produce sound via a conical diaphragm driven by a voice coil within a magnetic field, planar magnetic drivers use a tremendously thin, flat diaphragm with implanted wires. It’s suspended in a gap between two magnets that vibrate the diaphragm to produce sound. The magnets need to be big enough to cover the entire surface area of the diaphragm, which is why this type of design tends to be bigger and heavier than the dynamic alternative. It’s a more power-hungry arrangement too.
Photograph: Simon Lucas
In the case of the Stax Spirit S5, the diaphragm is a mere 2 microns thick and is embedded with the second generation of Edifier’s “EqualMass” wiring. By connecting different numbers of wires of the same width in a symmetrical structure, uniform driving force can be achieved; the diaphragm will move back and forth with the same momentum across its entire surface, keeping distortion to a bare minimum.
The esoteric nature of their drivers aside, the Edifier Stax Spirit S5 feature most of what the market tends to demand at the price. They use Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, and thanks to the Qualcomm QCC5181 SoC they have codec support up to and including LHDC, LDAC, and aptX Lossless. With an appropriate source of music, they can deliver a lossless 16-bit/44.1-kHz resolution, as well as “lossy” 24-bit/96-kHz. AptX Voice is onboard in an effort to deliver optimal call quality, and multipoint connectivity is available for the multitaskers among us.
Battery life is a very impressive 80 hours from a single charge, and if you’re negligent enough to run out of power, a 15-minute pit stop will hold you for another whopping 13 hours. If you’ve an Android device running Marshmallow or newer, Google Fast Pair is available.
The USB-C socket on the right ear cup can be used for data transfer as well as charging the battery, and there’s a 3.5-mm input on the left ear cup for the same hard-wired purpose. Edifier provides both cables in the S5 packaging.
New Bluetooth earbuds are arriving nearly every week nowadays, and while all of that variety can be good for your wallet, deciding which pair is best can also be tricky. After considering things like active noise cancellation (ANC), sound quality and design, the next deliberation is over unique features that big companies like Sony, Bose, Apple and Samsung put in their products. I test dozens of sets of earbuds a year for Engadget, constantly pitting new models against the previous best across all price ranges to keep this list of the best true wireless earbuds up to date. This guide explains why my current selections for the best wireless earbuds made the cut, and offers some shopping advice in terms of everything you need to know before choosing the best true wireless earbuds for your needs.
Battery life: 8 hours, up to 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
With the WF-1000XM5 flagship earbuds, 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, eight hours of battery life 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.
Battery life: 6 hours, up to 30 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are a huge improvement over the previous models. These buds have improved sound quality and active noise cancellation, while maintaining 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 now, a USB-C charging case that can also power up wirelessly will also come in handy.
Battery life: 11 hours, up to 31 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
Google has hit its stride when it comes to true wireless earbuds. Every new model the company introduces is an improvement after its first attempt failed to impress. With the Pixel Buds Pro, Google offers deep, punchy bass, solid ANC performance, reliable touch controls and wireless charging, all in an IPX4-rated package that will be great for Android users. Plus, there are added convenience features for Android and Pixel devices including Google Translate Conversation Mode.
Battery life: 6 hours, up to 26 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IP57 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro borrow heavily from Apple’s AirPods Pro in both looks and features. However, Samsung did well to make things like Adaptive ANC and voice commands work well. Some features like Voice Detect could still use some fine tuning, but there’s a lot to like here beyond the basic functionality.
The truly surprising thing about the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the sound quality. There is some thick, boomy bass when you need it with plenty of crisp detail to complement it. This model really shines when you pair it with a Samsung device to unlock 24-bit HiFi streaming. There’s also a natural-sounding transparency mode that keeps you from feeling shouty during calls.
Battery life: 10 hours, up to 50 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
The Anker Soundcore Space A40 offer the kind of features you’d expect from wireless earbuds that cost twice as much: ANC, multi-device pairing, wireless charging, IPX4 water resistance, a transparency mode, eight to ten hours of battery life and LDAC support. When we tested them, we found their warm sound to be pleasing right out of the box, but Anker’s companion app makes it easy to customize the EQ curve if needed. And while their ANC isn’t quite as effective at reducing background noise as our top picks, it’s still effective for a noisy office or long flight. For $80 or so, this is a superb value. – Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Writer
Battery life: 6 hours, up to 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
Since the company introduced the first model, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds have consistently provided the best noise cancellation out of all the wireless buds we’ve tested. 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 customization settings round out the spec sheet.
Pros
Stellar ANC
Spatial audio doesn’t require special content
Upgrades with no price increase
Cons
Earbuds are still big
Immersive Audio significantly impacts battery life
Battery life: 7 hours, up to 30 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IP54 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
Once again, Sennheiser has retained the top spot on this list in terms of pure sound quality. Sure, you’ll find better ANC performance from Bose and a longer list of features from Sony. But the Momentum True Wireless 4 has great detail and clarity. It delivers warm, inviting sound that is enjoyable to listen to for hours on end and even though the bass is boomy when it needs to be, it never overpowers. Those pairing to Android devices can enjoy high-res audio thanks to compatibility with Snapdragon Sound, while the iPhone faithful will get the best experience with Apple Music – especially on Dolby Atmos tracks.
Battery life: 6 hours, up to 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
Most of the best AirPods features in a set of workout earbuds? That’s the Beats Fit Pro. Thanks to Apple’s H1 chip, these buds offer one-touch quick pairing, hands-free Siri and Find My tools. They’ll also allow you to use Audio Sharing with an Apple device and another set of AirPods or Beats wireless headphones for tandem listening or viewing. Balanced and punchy bass will keep the energy up during workouts while good noise cancellation, an IPX4 rating and comfy silicone ear tips make these a solid option outside of the gym too. And there’s plenty of support for Android devices, so these aren’t just a good buy for iOS users either.
Pros
Comfortable design
Good ANC
H1 chip offers quick pairing and switching between Apple devices
Battery life: 6 hours, up to 20 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes
One of the biggest surprises this year wasn’t Sony’s unique open-wear LinkBuds, it was the more mainstream follow-up. With the LinkBuds S, the company debuted a more traditionally designed pair of earbuds akin to its premium WF-1000XM4, only this model is much smaller and lighter which leads to a much more comfy fit. These tiny wireless earbuds muster some punch when it comes to sound quality too and support for high-res listening (LDAC and DSEE Extreme) are both onboard. Capable ANC lends a hand with environmental noise and transparency mode can keep you tuned in when needed. What’s more, handy Speak-to-Chat is here and Adaptive Sound Control can automatically change settings based on activity or location. That’s a lot of premium features at a mid-range price.
When it comes to shopping for earbuds, the first thing to consider is design or wear style. Do you prefer a semi-open fit like AirPods or do you want something that completely closes off your ears? If you’re shopping for earbuds with active noise cancellation, you’ll want the latter, but a case can be made for the former if you want to wear them all day or frequent places where you need to be tuned in to the ambient sounds. The overall shape of earbuds can determine whether you get a comfortable fit, so can the size and weight, so you’ll want to consider all that before deciding. And remember: audio companies aren’t perfect, so despite lots of research, the earbud shape they decided on may not fit you well. Don’t be afraid to return ill-fitting earbuds for something that’s more comfortable.
As wireless earbuds have become the norm, they’re now more reliable for basic things like consistent Bluetooth connectivity. Companies are still in a race to pack as much as they can into increasingly smaller designs. This typically means a longer list of features on the more premium sets of earbuds with basic functionality on the cheapest models. Carefully consider what you can’t live without when selecting your next earbuds, and make sure key items like automatic pausing and multipoint connectivity are on the spec sheet. You’ll also want to investigate the volume controls as you’ll often have to sacrifice access to something else to make that adjustment via on-board taps or swipes.
When it comes to battery life, the average set of earbuds lasts about five hours on a single charge. You can find sets that last longer, but this is likely enough to get you through a work day if you’re docking the buds during lunch or the occasional meeting. You’ll want to check on how many extra charges are available via the case and if it supports wireless charging.
Companies will also make lofty claims about call quality on wireless earbuds. Despite lots of promises, the reality is most earbuds still leave you sounding like you’re on speakerphone. There are some sets that deliver, but don’t get your hopes up unless reviews confirm the claims.
Sound can be subjective, so we recommend trying before you buy if at all possible. We understand this isn’t easy at a time when we’re doing most of our shopping online. But trying on a set of earbuds and listening to them for a few minutes can save you from an expensive case of buyer’s remorse. If a store doesn’t allow a quick demo, most retailers have return policies that will let you take earbuds back you don’t like. Of course, you have to be willing to temporarily part with funds in order to do this.
We also recommend paying attention to things like Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio and other immersive formats. Not all earbuds support them, so you’ll want to make sure a perspective pair does if that sort of thing excites you.
How we test wireless Bluetooth earbuds
The primary way we test earbuds is to wear them as much as possible. We prefer to do this over a one- to two-week period, but sometimes embargoes don’t allow it. During this time, we listen to a mix of music and podcasts, while also using the earbuds to take both voice and video calls. Since battery life for earbuds is typically less than a full day, we drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent).
To judge audio quality, we listen to a range of genres, noting any differences in the sound profile across the styles. We also test at both low and high volumes to check for consistency in the tuning. To assess call quality, we’ll record audio samples with the earbuds’ microphones as well as have third parties call us.
When it comes to features, we do a thorough review of companion apps, testing each feature as we work through the software. Any holdovers from previous models are double checked for improvements or regression. If the earbuds we’re testing are an updated version of a previous model, we’ll spend time getting reacquainted with the older buds. Ditto for the closest competition for each new set of earbuds that we review.
Other wireless Bluetooth earbuds we tested
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3
The Galaxy Buds 3 combine ANC with an open-type design, which renders the noise-blocking abilities of the earbuds mostly useless. Still, there’s great low-end tone with ample bass when a track demands it. There are also lots of handy features, most of which require a Samsung phone. But at this price, there are better options from Google, Beats and Sony
Sennheiser Momentum Sport
I really like the overall shape of the Momentum Sport earbuds. They’re more comfortable than the Momentum True Wireless 4 and fit in my ears better. What’s more, the body temperature and heart rate sensors work well, sending those stats to a variety of apps. However, that sport-tracking feature works best with Polar’s app and devices, so there’s that consideration. Also, the audio quality and ANC performance isn’t as good as the MTW4, and these earbuds are pricey.
Beats Solo Buds
There’s a lot to like about the Solo Buds for $80. For me, the primary perk is they’re very comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to some thoughtful design considerations. You only get the basics here in terms of features and, as expected, the overall sound quality isn’t as good as the pricier models in the Beats lineup. You will get 18 hours of battery life though, since the company nixed the battery in the case and beefed up the listening time in the buds themselves.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
Bose created something very unique for this set of earbuds that allows you to stay in-tune with the world while listening to audio content. The clip-on design is very comfortable, but sound quality suffers due to the open-type fit, especially when it comes to bass and spatial audio.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7
These stick buds have a compact design that’s comfortable to wear and the warm sound profile is great at times. However, overall audio performance is inconsistent and there’s no automatic pausing.
Master & Dynamic MW09
Retooled audio, better ambient sound mode and reliable multipoint Bluetooth are the best things the MW09 has to offer. They’re expensive though, and you can find better ANC performance elsewhere.
Beats Studio Buds +
Updates to sound, ANC and battery life top the spec sheet here, and the new clear color option has some throwback energy I love. But there are some basic features missing, and Beats doesn’t come close to Apple’s natural audio quality in transparency mode.
JBL Tour Pro 2
These earbuds are feature-packed, including a touchscreen “smart case.” They aren’t the most consistent in terms of overall performance though, and I’m not convinced that case provides a lot of utility just yet.
Wireless earbud FAQs
What is considered good battery life for true wireless earbuds?
Most wireless earbuds will last five hours on a single charge, at the least. You can find some pairs that have even better battery life, lasting between six and eight hours before they need more juice. All of the best wireless earbuds come with a charging case, which will provide additional hours of battery life — but you’ll have to return each bud to the case in order to charge them up.
Is sound quality better on headphones or earbuds?
Comparing sound quality on earbuds and headphones is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. There are a lot of variables to consider and the differences in components make a direct comparison difficult. Personally, I prefer the audio quality from over-ear headphones, but I can tell you the sound from earbuds like Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 is also outstanding.
Which wireless earbuds have the longest battery life?
With new models coming out all the time, tracking the hours of battery life for each this can be difficult to keep tabs on. The longest-lasting earbuds we’ve reviewed are Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKS5TW. The company states they last 15 hours, but the app was still showing 40 percent at that mark during our tests. The only downside is these earbuds debuted in 2019 and both technology and features have improved since. In terms of current models, Master & Dynamic’s MW08 offers 12 hours of use on a charge with ANC off (10 with ANC on) and JBL has multiple options with 10-hour batteries.
What wireless earbuds are waterproof?
There are plenty of options these days when it comes to increased water resistance. To determine the level of protection, you’ll want to look for an IP (ingress protection) rating. The first number indicates intrusion protection from things like dust. The second number is the level of moisture protection and you’ll want to make sure that figure is 7 or higher. At this water-resistance rating, earbuds can withstand full immersion for up to 30 minutes in depths up to one meter (3.28 feet). If either of the IP numbers is an X, that means it doesn’t have any special protection. For example, a pair of wireless earbuds that are IPX7 wouldn’t be built to avoid dust intrusion, but they would be ok if you dropped them in shallow water.
Which earbuds stay in ears the best?
A secure fit can vary wildly from person to person. All of our ears are different, so audio companies are designing their products to fit the most people they can with a single shape. This is why AirPods will easily fall out for some but stay put for others. Design touches like wing tips or fins typically come on fitness models and those elements can help keep things in place. You’ll likely just have to try earbuds on, and if they don’t fit well return them.
What wireless earbuds work with PS5?
PlayStation 5 doesn’t support Bluetooth audio without an adapter or dongle. Even Sony’s own gaming headsets come with a transmitter that connects to the console. There are universal options that allow you to use any headphones, headset or earbuds with a PS5. Once you have one, plug it into a USB port on the console and pair your earbuds with it.
Recent updates
July 2024: Updated our list to include the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
I used tolove Samsung’s wireless earbuds. They came in all types of magical shapes and sizes, with designs that genuinely seemed to embrace the new frontier that totally portable listening devices offered. Why on earth the brand shifted course and began imitating Apple (badly) for its third generation of wireless buds, I honestly can’t say.
The new Galaxy Buds3 look (and mostly act) like a Cybertruck version of standard AirPods, rather than an updated version of the Buds2 that I gave a 9/10, WIRED Recommends badge a few years ago. They cost more than the AirPods, are even less comfortable, and sound worse.
What’s particularly baffling isn’t that Samsung is bobbing for Apple’s designs, it’s that it had perfectly excellent earbuds to begin with. The Galaxy Buds3 sound worse than their predecessors, work worse than their predecessors, and cost more than their predecessors. They aren’t very good at all, even when compared to AirPods (which also aren’t very good).
Back in the Box
It gets embarrassing as soon as you start unboxing them: The case is a rip-off of the rounded rectangular thing you get with the AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but with a clear plastic top that makes it look and feel cheaper. The case works fine, with wireless and USB-C charging so you can place them on a mat by your door so you don’t forget them when you head out.
The buds themselves look as though AirPods took a flight to Austin, Texas, with nearly identical rounded plastic upper ear tips that transform into silver triangles as you go toward the tip of the elephant trunk. (They also come in white, where they look so much like Apple’s product that you probably would mistake them if you saw someone wearing them.) There is a bright red accent on the right earbud (and inside the case) to tell you which bud is which, which is admittedly a nice addition over Apple’s drab white nothingness, but otherwise these look like Cybertrucked AirPods in every sense of the word.
Photograph: Parker Hall
They’re larger and more cumbersome to insert than standard AirPods, especially thanks to said triangular design: Gripping a triangle to adjust an ear tip is significantly harder than gripping a rounded cylinder, which makes putting them in and out of your ears a test of dexterity.
Same goes for the controls, which use the same squeeze and swipe controls that AirPods offer, except the shape of the buds means I always messed up the way they were sitting in my ears whenever I wanted to adjust volume or change tracks. What happened to the simple touch controls and shockingly comfortable design of the Buds2?
On the Go
The main feature Samsung is touting for these new buds is that they have AI onboard, so you can use voice controls to change songs, adjust volume, answer calls, and even do real-time translation. The voice controls work fine, but Samsung’s AI-based translation isn’t great; I asked my wife, who is fluent in Spanish (the most likely language to be used for this here in the United States), to speak a few sentences, and the app missed all context and translated poorly. Stick to Google Translate.
The app is full of all sorts of other unhelpful features too. The headphones will, for some reason, remind you if your neck has been bent over for too long. If you’re bent over for so long you’re getting neck pain, I’m not sure a pair of headphones cheerfully chirping at you will solve the problem.
Then there is the active noise canceling: Because the headphones have such a poor seal, it’s like putting an air conditioner next to an open window. Sure, the ANC does what it can to remove outside noise, but without a physical barrier (like ear tips) to seal out the world (or place it through some sort of venting like Apple does with the AirPods Pro and Samsung used to do with the older Galaxy Buds), its abilities are limited. All this to say: You won’t get silence wearing these buds, even with ANC cranked and your music blasting along with it.
This year’s Samsung Unpacked was a pretty loaded event. We saw the release of the Galaxy Fold 6, a successor to the best folding phone. The new Samsung Galaxy Ring reminded Flo of why she hates rings, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra impressed us to the point where we thought it was essentially like the Apple Watch Ultra but for Android users. Samsung also launched its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 3 series, which gave us serious deja vu.
The earbud series consists of a modest base model, the $180 Galaxy Buds 3, and its pricier counterpart, the $250 Galaxy Buds 3 Pros. Before we discuss the differences and determine which model is right for you, let’s first examine their similarities.
They are more alike than you think
You’re promised 24-bit hi-fi audio across the series, so that’s not something you should worry about. The predecessors, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, also offered 24-bit audio, which makes the Samsung Galaxy FE Buds, the company’s entry-level $99 Buds, the only current offering without hi-fi sound. While Samsung guarantees hi-def sound across the board, the catch is that you can only enjoy it with Samsung phones. Building a wall around your features to trap consumers inside your ecosystem isn’t new and is something we’ve been seeing on Samsung’s biggest rival for ages.
Fortunately, both new buds sport ANC. ANC is often omitted on budget earbuds, but the base model’s midrange $180 price tag merits the feature. Both buds offer a fully customizable EQ so you can get your music exactly how you like it.
Of course, the buds boast a bunch of AI stuff. With Galaxy AI powering both models, you can use the Interpreter feature in Listening mode on the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Flip 6 to translate a foreign language in real-time. Your Galaxy Buds 3 series will translate the words as they are being spoken. Voice Command is another AI feature that allows you to control playback on the buds simply by uttering a short voice prompt. This allows for easy, hands-free control and reminds me of using head gestures in iOS 18 to control AirPods.
In terms of design, the Apple AirPods-style stems, sorry “blades”, can be found on both the buds. I don’t know if this was done not to look like complete AirPod duplicates, but the blades sport a strange triangular design, which is the same across both models. The blades can be pinched or swiped up or down to control your device or adjust volume. An IP57 rating (on both the buds only, not the charging cases) ensures they can withstand light splashes and sweat. Both models support quick charging and wireless charging, too.
What kind of ears do you have?
If you have weird ears like me, who can’t accept in-ear buds, the Buds 3 host an on-ear design that sits right outside your ear canal, while the Pros feature an in-ear or canal design that goes inside your ears. I know many people apart from myself (my coworker Kyle, a bunch of friends, and some family members) whose ears just aren’t built for canal buds. I took the Pros out for a quick walk to test if these were any different and found myself manually pushing them in every few seconds, or they would plop out of my ears.
Deciding this also requires considering your lifestyle. The Buds 3 will be an excellent fit if you’re into running or other outdoor activities. Open earbuds are also known as running buds for that reason. They facilitate situational awareness and allow you to keep in touch with what’s happening around you. I haven’t gotten a chance to take them out for a run yet, but I commuted with them to work, which involves a lot of walking and a Subway ride, and it felt nice not having every ambient sound blocked out. I’ve missed important train announcements because of ANC, so I liked being mindful of my environment and music simultaneously.
Just a little note: the Pros do feature an Ambient Mode, which will offer the same experience as the Buds 3, but this way, you’re paying extra money for a mode that’s the default on the base model. So, if you’re sure about your lifestyle and priorities, it’s best to opt for a model based on that simple.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Go For The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Suppose you’re into those bells and whistles. The Pros, as they should be, are undeniably fancy owing to the stunning blade lights that amp up their overall look. The buds light up multiple times, such as when docking or taking them out of the case. As much as I’d hate to pay an extra $70 just for lights, I probably will if I decide between these two. That’s how pretty they are.
More importantly, go for the Buds 3 Pros if you’re an audiophile who can’t compromise on sound quality. Though both offer 24-bit, 96 KHz sound, the Pros feature a two-way speaker system with a planar tweeter and dual amplifiers. The tweeter helps with enhanced treble or high-end sound, and the amplifiers make your music sound richer and clearer.
Surprisingly, the difference was noticeable in my quick hands-on with both buds. I listened to a lot of Anjunadeep, which I turn to when I want to discern the details in music closely. The Pros offer clear highs that don’t sound excessively sharp at high volumes and mids that are balanced and sound full and rich. The low-end, I’ll admit, wasn’t as easily discernible on these despite the presence of a dedicated woofer. So, if you’re a hardcore bass fan, you might not be thrilled about these.
Though both buds do ANC, the Pros go a step ahead and feature Galaxy AI-powered Adaptive ANC. This means it can detect sharp, unexpected sirens, general ambient noise, or human voice to turn its level up or down accordingly. ANC-wise, I couldn’t feel a noticeable difference between the buds. As in, I couldn’t tell if the Pros considerably enhanced cancellation as soon as I entered the rather loud Kips Bay Trader Joe’s and decreased it as soon as I exited it. I felt like both the buds performed the same regarding ANC, but maybe that’s an opinion that will change when I get into deeper testing.
Another feature that I haven’t yet gotten a chance to test out is battery life. The base model sports 24 hours with ANC off and 30 with it on, and the Pros provide 26 hours with ANC off and 30 with ANC On. Since there isn’t much difference, I wouldn’t recommend battery life as one of the main reasons to invest an extra $70. But stay tuned to find out what the actual scores are.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Which are the Buds 3 for you?
Based on my quick testing, the early verdict is pretty clear. The Pros make more sense if sound matters a lot to you and you’re someone who’d notice the upgrade and make the extra investment worthwhile. The regular Buds 3 sound decent, too, so if you’re looking for a not-so-expensive pair of Buds for your daily commute or run, they will be more than enough to fulfill your needs. They sport ANC, too, so it’s not like you’ll always have to be subjected to ambient sound.
Again, the base model doesn’t feature many of the bells and whistles the Pros do, but it’s also $70 cheaper. Feel free to pass on the Pros if you think a strip of lights on the blades isn’t worth 70 bucks. Apart from the lights, the sleek, streamlined blade design is consistent across the series.
Looking at how other features such as battery life, water resistance, wireless charging, quick charging, some AI features, and custom EQ are also shared across both new buds. If anything, I see more similarities than differences. But ultimately, it also comes down to the weightage you attribute to a feature. If the most significant reason you’re paying extra for–upgraded sound–is something you’re not willing to compromise on, then you have your answer already. The Pro is the way to go.
