Earbuds & AirPods
Earbuds go by many different names, including earphones, in-ear headphones, in-ear monitors or simply buds. They also come in all shapes and sizes and can be both wired or wireless, with some variations. Probably the most widely known (and worn) earbuds are the AirPods, which Apple launched in 2016.
Compared to over-ear and on-ear headphones, they offer a more compact, lightweight design that’s easier to set up and store. Earbuds are often cheaper too (usually), and have better stability. Being small does have its disadvantages - namely with sound quality, which can’t match wired headphones - but every music lover should own at least one pair all the same.
Explore Earbuds & Airpods
Latest about Earbuds & Airpods

Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: fantastic open earbuds with one major flaw
By Tom Bedford Published
The SoundPeats Pop Clip 2 sound and fit amazingly, but connection problems let them down.

I spent months with the only wireless earphones geared towards heavy metal music and this is what I learned
By Aleksha McLoughlin Published
Earbuds The Heavys H1E True Wireless Earbuds (largely) translate the metal-first sound of the company's H1H headphones, but glitchy software and off-kilter balancing make them hard to recommend wholesale

AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging are like a greatest hits rollout of AirPods Pro — just without the hearing health or heart-rate modules
By Becky Scarrott Published
It's like Apple execs went into a meeting and someone said, 'Let's just let them pick what they want to pay for'

Apple Event 2026 recap — foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and more
By Axel Metz Last updated
Apple's ‘Surprise and Shine’ event saw the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro, new AirPods, and more unveiled.

Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE review: affordable IEMs that hit most of the right notes
By Harry Padoan Published
Beyerdynamic’s affordable IEMs offer impressive bass at a tempting low price, but can they compete with rivals such as Sennheiser and Meze Audio?

JBL Live Buds 4 review: awesome-sounding earbuds with a feature-rich charging case to match
By Harry Padoan Published
I tested the JBL Live Buds 4, and they’re an excellent-sounding option with a cool charging case.

I tried these stylish, futuristic-looking open earbuds, and although they boast sound by Bose, they're not as harsh on your wallet — here's everything you need to know
By Harry Padoan Published
I tried Noise’s new open earbuds that pack in sound by Bose — here are my first impressions.

The best headphones and earbuds we saw at IFA 2026
By Becky Scarrott Published
Our 9 favorite headphone innovations from the huge annual IFA tech exhibition
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