• AirPods with cameras are apparently still coming...
• ... but the next model, due in 2026, won't have them
• In truth, little is known about these new buds (which is how Apple likes it)

For some reason, Apple fans are clamoring for new AirPods with cameras built in, and we've been hearing plenty of rumors that they're on the way. But a new report suggests they won't actually be the next Apple earbuds we see.

According to stalwart Apple correspondent Mark Gurman (via his Power On newsletter), Apple has two AirPods models on the go.

The flagship ice-white buds we've been reporting on are set to have tiny AI cameras — and Gurman has now backed up rumors of their being slated for a 2027 release.

But some models are expected in 2026: Gurman mentions another pair of buds (with a lot less known about them) that are likely to come along the 2026 iPhones at the end of the year.

The coverage doesn't specify whether these are AirPods, AirPods Pro or even over-ears, but the latter seem unlikely, because the AirPods Max 2 are only a few months old.

Could it be a possible Beats release? TechRadar's Jacob Krol recently spent a few days at Apple's Beats HQ and pressed the highly successful Apple subsidiary brand on some much teased Beats headphones, spotted on various occasions at the World Cup recently, but the company remained tight-lipped on those.

For now, we'll have to wait and see.

Are cameras worth the wait?

Questions concerning whether AirPods with cameras would even work aside, Apple faces the question — given the recent backlash over glasses that see — over whether most buyers would even want that.

The point of the tech is, apparently, to let an AI assistant see what's going on around you. The hardware is part of a big AI push Apple is undergoing.

That's despite consumers' appetite for AI dropping as fast as companies' desperation for AI increases. I don't see many AirPods buyers opting for a new pair of earbuds without a genuine reason they'd be useful (and no, smarter Siri doesn't count), especially if their whole schtick is that they're always spying on you.

Often when we see a tech product delayed, it's because it's just not ready yet. But with the camera-toting AirPods, it's more likely that we're not ready yet... or maybe we just don't need them.

On the hunt for a pair of headphones that will deliver satisfying sound without clearing out your bank account? Good affordable headphones are tricky to come by, but they do exist — you just need to know where to look.

Here at TechRadar, we test dozens of pairs of headphones every year, and in amongst them we've unearthed some wallet-friendly wonders. I asked TechRadar's audio specialists which headphones they'd recommend to buyers on a budget, and rounded up their suggestions for this article.

If it's true wireless in-ears you're after, you'd struggle to do better than the Nothing Ear (a) buds, which Audio Editor Becky Scarrott awarded a perfect five stars, calling them "a resounding home run" for the British startup and praising the noise cancellation, sound quality and battery life in particular. In the over-ear arena, Becky loves the CMF Pro. In her tests, she was impressed with the "superb" sound quality, and pleasantly surprised to discover "the sort of... personal sound profile curation [we're] more used to seeing in headphones much higher up the food chain".

Read on for more budget-maximizing buys — and hit the 'View details' button for a summary of what we thought of them in our tests, plus links to the full reviews.

Top cheap earbuds and headphones

• Galaxy Unpacked 2026 was Buds-less
• A new report tips an end-of-year announcement
• Perhaps announced alongside tablets and FE (or 'Fan Edition') devices

Samsung's latest product launch event, Galaxy Unpacked 2026, was uneventful. Well, uneventful for audio fans; there were three foldable phones, two smartwatches and some all-seeing glasses... but where were the much-rumored Galaxy Buds Able?

This is a new pair of open earbuds, which we'd heard would be released alongside the foldables (it didn't). So where are they?

Well, shortly before Galaxy Unpacked, we may have heard our answer. According to a Korean publication called Electronic Times, which commonly reports on industry news, the Able are coming much later in the year.

The report states that the buds will release in 'Q4', though separately says September or October (September is Q3). Either way, expect them later in the year.

That could see the buds come alongside new tablets, or new FE smartphones or earbuds, all of which we're expecting to see before Santa's visit in December.

UnAble to launch?

According to the report, Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy Buds Able, implying they were originally meant to release alongside the Folds and Flips.

They're said to be delayed so that Samsung could evaluate "the product's quality and launch timing". The latter point is fair enough; the Galaxy Buds 4 haven't been on shelves for long.

The latter point also implies that Samsung doesn't think the Able is 'there' yet, and that's also fair enough; open earbuds — especially the even newer ear-cuff or clipping kind — aren't as easy as normal buds. The fit and audio architecture is a lot more important, and brands need to figure out a way to ensure audio quality isn't lost as the music is beamed from the buds to your ear.

To compete with big rivals from Shokz and Bose, the Galaxy Buds Able need to be top-quality, and I imagine Samsung won't launch anything until it can hit that bar.

So essentially, pencil in a rough 'September or October' date in your calendar for these new earbuds — and keep following our news coverage. As we know, so shall you.

• Someone used an AirPod to record flying disc throw statistics
• Tested with throws of up to 45mph and no damage
• Strava-friendly export for dedicated disc throwers

One of Apple's most famous adverts opened with "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." The text didn't explicitly say "here's to the ones sticking AirPods on frisbees", but I think Steve Jobs would have approved of the Redditor who's done exactly that.

Pavlo Sharhan, aka Disastrous-Body-297, has invented a use for AirPods that I'm pretty sure nobody at Apple ever considered. He used them to upgrade a standard frisbee and to stream real-time data. It can even export sessions to the Strava app.

Airpods can track frisbee throws from r/airpods

Why upgrading a frisbee with AirPods isn't completely crazy

As the intrepid inventor explains: "The AirPod streams motion data to the phone and detects/analyses throws in real time. With optional voice feedback into the second AirPod. It measures speed, revolutions, airborne time, throw count. It also measures heartrate (either with latest AirPods or external HR)."

You can try it for yourself: the app is the sports metrics app Kinapod, which the creator says is currently going through Apple's approval process. The AirPod is literally just put through a hole created in the dead center of the disc. Sharhan says "Just punch a hole in the center of the disc and that’s it! You’ll be surprised how reliable it is. The AirPod stem is not entirely cylindrical, it doesn’t slide out."

The result is a lot of data: average speed, maximum spin, total airborne time, and more.

There's a market for that kind of information: as one Redditor, lenfantsuave, joke posts, "Tech disc: I will never financially recover from this." Tech Disc is a company that makes a range of launch monitors for disc golf priced at $299.99, which track multiple metrics and flight paths in order to help players improve their game, and someone from the firm joined in the online conversation to praise Sharhan's ingenuity.

Sharhan's tracker is very much a "fun thing" rather than a serious setup, not least because expensive earbuds aren't the most cost-effective gyro sensors to attach to a frisbee; the risk of damage or destruction is clearly pretty high, although the AirPods have survived so far.

Sharhan is currently chatting with Redditors on forums such as r/discgolf about alternative and more affordable ways of collating data. And in the meantime, the AirPod/Frisbee combination made me and other Redditors happy: "This is very rad," says claybythebay9, while GrandMasterFlex reckons, and I'm including to agree, that "this is sick as hell".

As Apple's ad put it, "while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius." Or as SilverMelodyPrincess says in the Reddit thread: "Apple accidentally made the most over-engineered frisbee stat tracker and I'm here for it."

The original version of this story used Sharhan's old screen name rather than his real name, so we've updated it.

• The European Union is working on tech repairability rules...
• ... except some 'wet appliances' are now exempt now
• This puts 'devices that are worn on the body' in a very gray area…
• …and yes, that probably means AirPods

E-waste worriers (and warriors) like me have been watching the creation of EU regulations with glee, since a selection of them will require tech manufacturers to put replaceable or repairable batteries in their gadgets. But now, there are a few new key exceptions to the rule.

Some major new clarifications, listed on the European Commission's website, mute the positive impact of replaceable, upgradable tech. These exceptions mean that wearables including smartwatches and fitness trackers don't have to be repairable — and I think it's ironic that these are precisely the kinds of gadgets you're more likely to throw out and replace, rather than try to repair.

The EU has moved these products to its "wet appliances" category, for gadgets which can't be kept repairable for safety reasons (ie, because they deal with water). However, no reason was given for why wearables, especially ones not designed for wet use (based on IP ratings) are now exempt.

While the EU's rule change doesn't actually mention AirPods (or earbuds in general), what the wording essentially means is that wireless earbuds, Apple watches and smart glasses reportedly also fall into this specific wearable category. Smart glasses are, to hammer home the point, really not designed for wet use — but their wearer might get caught in a rainstorm by accident, say.

There are two key pieces of information regarding the classification of small devices exempt from adhering to the EU's battery rules, as published in the recent guidelines. The first is that "Wearable devices are portable electronic devices that are worn on the body and often have sensors and connectivity to collect and transmit data. Examples of wearables include smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses or other electronic devices integrated into clothing and other accessories".

The second? It's to do with those IP ratings for water- and dust ingress and whether the addition of a replaceable battery is "compromising safety". It states that if "there is evidence in the product documentation when placing the product on the market that battery replaceability and removability by end-users would compromise the safety of the user or the appliance", the product may be exempt.

So your AirPods 4 with ANC will likely no longer need to feature replaceable batteries because of the EU, including the case itself.

An Apple a day keeps the e-waste away

It's no secret that e-waste is a massive issue: according to the United Nations, the amount of discarded electronics we produce is rising five times faster than our ability to recycle it.

It's why the EU recently pushed through rules to ensure tech is repairable. A pair of headphones that break might just need a new battery; you don't need to buy a whole new pair.

Apple users have been begging for removable batteries in iOS devices, especially AirPods, as we argued back in 2024. AirPods are the best-selling earbuds in the world (and it's not even close), so at least some of them end up in landfill when they stop working, despite Apple's conviction to recycle any that get returned to its stores (Apple doesn't offer any trade-in value for AirPods, but dropping them in for recycling is free).

I believe it's important for all tech to be repairable (see B&O's long-running 'Cradle to Cradle' approach, even buying back and refurbing its own kit, to give it a new life), but doubly so for the ubiquitous kind.

Apple's way is of course a viable way to keep your eco credentials, while disposing of unwanted buds, but it's not the best way. That would be replaceable batteries, small and fiddly though it might be — and it is possible, because Fairphone has been doing it for a little while.

As per the mantra drilled into school kids: reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order. Reusing old earbuds, by repairing them, is much better for the environment than recycling them, and so it's a shame that the EU is giving out exemptions like candy.

If you have any broken tech, be it headphones, earbuds or something else entirely, a repair is always your first port of call before disposing of your existing ones. It's cheaper and quicker than buying new tech and, most importantly, is better for the planet. And if you do need to buy new tech, consider online or physical refurb shops such as Back Market, which repair others' gadgets.

• A new leak shows off the Nothing Ear 3(a)
• We see the earbuds in four colors, with the case
• The official unveiling is scheduled for tomorrow

If you can't wait until tomorrow for the official unveiling of the Nothing Ear 3(a), the budget wireless earbuds have now appeared in an extensive leak that reveals the design, colors, and features — so this is pretty much a full spoiler.

The early reveal comes courtesy of WinFuture, and is based on information from retailers who couldn't wait to get their listings live. We can see the earbuds in all four of the already announced colors: black, white, yellow, and pink.

There are a few interesting tidbits here, but when it comes to the aesthetics, there are no dramatic surprises: the look of these earbuds is very reminiscent of previous Nothing Ear models, with the semi-transparent stems and the transparent lid on the charging case.

What we do learn is that the Nothing Ear 3(a) are set to come with a 12-millimeter driver, as well as support for LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless — so while the price is affordable, it seems the audio quality won't be compromised too much.

Touch to record

The leak gives us a glimpse of what seems to be a special feature we haven't seen from Nothing products before: the ability to press the stem of the earbuds to record voice notes, which is something to look out for.

WinFuture also refers back to previous leaks that mentioned a retail price of €99, so it would appear that the upcoming wireless earbuds are going to stick to the $99 / £99 / AU$169 starting price of the excellent Nothing Ear (a).

In our Nothing Ear 3 review, we praised those earbuds for offering "zealous, customizable sound" — though we weren't quite sure about how much value for money they offered, which is something this new pair might move the dial on.

One of the quirks of the Nothing Ear 3 is the 'Super Mic' that's included in the charging case, which you can use for calls and voice notes instead of the microphones on the earbuds — but as yet it's not clear if the Nothing Ear 3(a) will offer the same feature.

• 'Galaxy Able' gets name-dropped in the Wearable app
• These are the oft-rumored first ever clip-style earbuds from the company
• Could launch later in July, alongside two new Galaxy smartwatches

We've been hearing rumors that Samsung is teeing up to release a novel kind of earbuds offering — or at least, the design was novel a few years ago. It's a form factor that's entirely new for the company (though not its sub-brands) and completely unlike the Galaxy Buds 4 series in shape and name. And now, it's all but confirmed.

As spotted by an eagle-eyed Twitter user, an update to Samsung's Galaxy Wearable app has spilled the beans on a slew of upcoming products.

This includes the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, two products which may not surprise you if you're gifted with numbers and know that 9 follows 8.

But slightly more interesting is word of the Galaxy Able (not Galaxy Buds Able, as we'd previously heard). This naming all but confirms what we'd already thought: Samsung has seen our list of the best open earbuds and wants in.

Galaxy Able? Next up Galaxy Cain?

The open earbuds market moves quickly; it has to, it's such a new product line that even flash-in-the-pan tech AI predates it. If you haven't heard of them, they're earbuds that let in surrounding sound, so you know what's going on around you.

When the form factor began a few years ago, we mainly saw sports hook-style options (they snake around the back of your ear), but nowadays most seem to be clip-style ones that, according to my partner, make you look like a pirate. I prefer '80s New Romantic', because they're like big ear cuffs, but you get the idea.

Anyway, they're big, with a lot of the heavy-hitters testing out the form factor. To name a few, there's the Shokz OpenDots One, Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, Sony LinkBuds Clip, JBL Soundgear Clips, Huawei FreeClip 2, and many, many more. Brands big and small have released options.

That is, except Samsung (and, notably, Apple). The Android-friendlier firm tends to let the audio experimentation play out with its sub-brands, including JBL, Harmon and AKG, releasing only its main series of earbuds under its own moniker. So its decision to release clip style earbuds under its own name suggests the form factor is huge now.

Samsung's traditional earbuds (see the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro) offer great-sounding audio, though you often need a Samsung phone to make the most of them. But open-ears are a different kettle of fish, requiring different tuning and a hardy fit to account for the open style, so I'm curious to see if the brand manages to adapt its strengths to the format.

We're expecting Samsung to announce plenty of new products at some point in July, including the aforementioned watches as well as its next wave of folding phones. So we might be able to bring you a review of the Galaxy Able sooner, rather than later.

My non-negotiable for any kind of trip is a good pair of headphones. Public transport without a way to zone out from my surroundings? Unthinkable. A good podcast, playlist or audiobook can make any tediously long journey pass in double-quick time.

Day-to-day, my over-ear cans are my playlist-deliverer of choice, and so far I've been lugging them around on my vacations too, but I've decided it's time to invest in some earbuds for travel. The main benefit of an in-ear option is that it's significantly more compact for packing, but in hotter climes, I've also been struggling with overheating ears (it's a privileged problem, but a problem nonetheless, okay?) — and I'm concerned about what the sweat and suncream is doing to my earcup padding.

Luckily, the talented TechRadar Audio team has been busy testing dozens of pairs of earbuds, and I have plenty of well-reviewed options to choose from — I've rounded up my top contenders below. All of these come highly recommended, but the top three are 5-star buys. Click the 'View details' button for more info about each one, and why I'm considering it. For more options, head to our general roundup of the very best headphones for travel.

Brilliant travel earbuds

Some of the most popular deals of Amazon Prime Day has been the discounts on AirPods, including AirPods 4 for $99 at Amazon (was $129), AirPods Pro 3 for $179 at Amazon (was $249) at Amazon, and AirPods Max 2 for $399 at Amazon (was $549).

However, Prime Day ends today, so these deals may end this evening as well.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

That's not confirmed — AirPods aren't labeled as Prime Day deals specifically, and they're also discounted at Walmart and Best Buy, so it's possible that all three retailers will keep these offers going past today. But what that means is that I don't know exactly when they'll end, and they definitely won't stick around for long, so my advice is to buy today if you want to buy a pair of AirPods.

Ah, but which pair? Surely the $99 pair is the most tempting? Well, I've tested them all, and I'm here to tell you to avoid the AirPods 4 today. $99 is now a pretty standard price for them, but last Black Friday, they fell to just $69. That's the price where they start to get tempting, because frankly they're just not very good value at $99 — the Nothing Ear (a) for $53.20 at Amazon (down from $79) are the better budget earbuds. They're half the price, but they sound better and have active noise cancellation.

So, maybe the AirPods 4 with ANC for $148 are a decent deal? Also no. These have fallen to $99 in the past, and that's a good price for them.

No, the only pair of earbuds here that are a stone-cold bargain are the AirPods Pro 3. Now, they fell to $169 recently, but Amazon's $179 deal is still a phenomenal price for earbuds this good — I wouldn't worry too much about the 10 bucks. If you can afford the extra $80 over the $99 AirPods 4, you'll get way more than that in extra value. If you can't stretch to that extra, that's totally fair — but again, I encourage you to get the Nothing buds and save yourself $45.

(I'm not really going to touch on the AirPods Max 2 here — they're their own thing, in their own price world, but $399 is their cheapest price to date, and is great value.)

In the UK? Scroll down for the best UK deals

Today's best AirPods deals in the US

Today's best AirPods deals in the UK

So why do I rate the AirPods Pro 3 so much better than the AirPods 4? They're better than the cheaper model in every way, offering massively better sound quality, active noise cancellation, and all the same features, plus a load of others that are genuinely useful, and complete game-changers in some cases.

Take the case, for example. AirPods Pro 3's case has a 'UWB' wireless chip, which means your iPhone can detect what direction it's in when it's lost, and can literally point you towards it, so you can see which jacket you left it in. And the case has a speaker in, which you can also trigger to help find it.

Or take the Live Translation of other languages in your ears, or the heart-rate tracking, so you can keep an eye on your fitness without a wearable.

Basically, AirPods 4 are a poor value for budget earbuds compared to the competition. AirPods Pro 3 are an excellent value for premium earbuds compared to the competition. Which means with just an $80 difference — which might easily pay for itself if the case stops you from losing them — the AirPods Pro 3 should be what everyone buys.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: up to 25% off SSDs & games
• Grand Theft Auto 6: pre-order now
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

I need to make something abundantly clear, gentle reader. I ought perhaps to mention that we're tracking every Amazon Prime Day deal worth noticing if that's what you're after (and that the event is ongoing as I type), but, probably because of this big sale thing, I've been getting the question a lot and wanted to pin my colours to the mast.

Right then: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and no other set of earbuds before or since these June 2025-issue buds still offer the best active noise cancellation on the market, provided your source device doesn't have a piece of fruit with a bite taken out of it etched on the back. I test earbuds as a full-time job and have done so since 2019 (I know, nice work, etc.), so it's my job to know these things.

Other buds can offer better sound; I might point you towards Technics or Bowers & Wilkins here. And there are further buds I'd nudge you towards if you want novel features (here it is impossible not to note Samsung's own sets with live translation, as well as the ubiquitous ice-white offerings from Tim Cook's behemoth, some of which can monitor your heart rate). But for solid ANC, with music present and correct? Bose wrote the book on the technology, and Bose's buds are emphatically still the best.

And although I'm contractually bound to tell you that right now, you can get the QCU Earbuds (2nd Gen) for a whopping £89 off, since they're now £209 rather than £299 at Amazon (and their lowest discount before today was to £249, so it's big), that's not why I'm here.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

No, I want to set the record straight once and for all. Until such time as a new set of earbuds swoops in and steals the spoils, this is the current, up-to-the-minute hierarchy.

Yes, AirPods Pro can cut out the noise, and I've got a roundup of the top AirPods Prime Day deals if you need 'em. But unless you own an iPhone, those won't serve you as well — which is how Apple wants to keep it. If you're on Android, I maintain that the earbuds you're reading about now are hands-down the best. And they don't care what file format or streaming service you're listening to when it comes to offering the excellent head-tracked spatial stuff, too…

Today's best Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) deal

My in-depth Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review is the place to go for my own even more detailed appraisal, but a cursory glance at the maximum five-star rating is perhaps all you need, along with this: They're just really, really good.

Also, for those with particular interest, the 'Sonic Sangria' finish pictured above is in the deal (hurrah!), and please believe me when I tell you they get plenty of compliments when I wear them. (All other finishes are included in the deal, though.)

I keep these buds beside my home desk, because the tree surgeons have been out in force recently (joy), and nothing cuts out chainsaw shrieks and the sound of falling timber quite like these. I also keep them here for when I'm testing the active noise cancellation efficacy of the competition. Yes, the Bose QCUE (2nd Gen) are essentially my reference product for ANC — a benchmark for what can be achieved in an in-ear design, if you've got a very special set of skills.

With this particular second-generation model, you get wireless charging from the box (which wasn't so with the originals) and multi-point connectivity that works seamlessly, something the original QCU Earbuds also bizarrely lacked on their release.

I also need to point out that I adore the Immersive audio profiles, which somehow mix device- and streaming service-agnostic spatial audio plus Bose's iconic noise-nixing to provide various vigorous, zealous, exciting soundstages for your movies or music.

Some of the best earbuds on the market? Oh absolutely. And one of the best Prime Day earbuds deals I've seen? Oh, OK then — 100% yes.

More Prime Day deals

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Sorry Sony (and Bose, and AirPods) I know the best earbuds I've ever tested — and they're a Technics product called the EAH-AZ100.

I know, try to see past the immediately forgettable name, because once you get past that alphabetty spaghetti, there's a seriously good set of earbuds in a great little offer here.

Do you like my lead image? I just went out into the full glare of the sun on the hottest recorded UK day in June — for a full three minutes — to get it, to prove I'm using them right now. I also snapped the photo above because the most-asked question I get when I tell people I'm TechRadar's Audio Editor is 'What are the best earbuds with noise cancelling?'

Take note of the subtle shift in phrasing there; not the best noise cancelling earbuds — no, the best current earbuds with noise cancelling. They're quite different things actually, because one can be read as 'I just want the closest thing to actively-generated silence I can get, in a small box please', whereas this specific question above prioritises sound quality, but adds ANC because it is a desirable extra. And I love that.

Anyway, people want a definitive answer and leave the complicated reasoning to Scarrott. Obviously I'm flattered, because it means they trust my judgement (well done there. I do know my stuff). But I've already spilled the answer above: it's these Technics buds, and has been for quite some time.

They came out in January 2025, and they're built on the original May 2023-issue EAH-AZ80, which were also excellent. And both products are somehow still the only earbuds on the market able to offer multipoint to three devices simultaneously, rather than two. Think it's a small perk? Try it for two weeks, then give them back to me. You won't be able to…

Today's best Technics EAH-AZ100 deal

Look, the Technics EAH-AZ100 are still sitting pretty at the top of my guide to the best earbuds for a reason. They're incredibly secure and comfortable to wear; Technics pioneered a 'concha fit' design (which initially looks a little deep for a top-plate, but works beautifully), and it's a trick several rivals soon adopted in a post-AirPods-stem market, whether they'd choose to admit it or not.

They also offer LDAC support, which is one of my favourite hi-res wireless codecs and a simple route to better-quality audio streaming for Samsung and Sony smartphone owners.

And did I mention the call handling? It's excellent. Technics deploys both its known Sidetone tech (to slightly amplify your own voice, so it's not muffled by the buds in your ears as you talk) plus its newer proprietary JustMyVoice technology here, which captures your speech while simultaneously suppressing background noise.

Noise cancelling is also very good, but best of all, though, is the sound. As we enthused in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review, the soundstage is neutral and natural, yet simultaneously expansive, engagingly dynamic, and energetic.

I've used the EAH-AZ100 earbuds practically every day since they launched. Before that, I'd used their older siblings every day, and let me tell you: they're the best. I say this as someone with much of the consumer earbuds oeuvre at their disposal (I'm not bragging, it's work — my job is to review earbuds and headphones), so I do know the best from the also-rans.

Yes, I typically prefer over-ears for sound quality, but when running around, earbuds are more portable — especially in a UK heatwave where those ear cups can get a little hot. And in an in-ear design, I love the sonic performance of these buds, especially when the Prime Day deal is this good.

I've been a hardcore headphones user for almost four years (thank you, Sony), but when I picked up the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100s a few months back, they restored my faith in earbuds.

Since introducing one of the best earbuds back into my life, I've been using them alongside my headphones interchangeably — headphones are better for certain things, and vice versa — but the performance exceeds the low price, and Amazon Prime Day just made them cheaper.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Your next audio upgrade is waiting for you for less than £80, and Amazon UK has dropped the A100s down to £79 from £119, saving you £40 on a solid pair of earbuds we awarded five stars.

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I stopped using earbuds years ago after going through a number of models and being let down each time. From there, I swore that earbuds would never give me what I needed quite like headphones do.

However, since I started using the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100s, all the things I enjoyed about earbuds suddenly came flooding back to me.

For starters, they're just far easier to carry around with you, and though over-ear headphones win in the comfort department, the convenience aspect wins by a landslide. However, that's not to say the Melomania A100s aren't comfortable. If anything, they fit quite pleasantly and come with different-sized sponges for you to swap out.

On the audio side of things, the Melomania A100s' noise cancelling is quite impressive for in-ear buds — I find they block out sounds just as well as headphones. That said, switching between noise-cancelling, normal, and transparency settings is very simple. All it takes is a small tap on the left earbud.

Because of their price, you're not going to get all the health tracking bells and whistles as you do with the AirPods Pro 3, but for earbuds that are centred on dynamic and well-defined audio offerings, these earbuds are really all you need.

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I’ve been reviewing gadgets at TechRadar for years now, and it’s pretty rare that something stops me in my tracks and so violently defies my expectations. But sometimes, a special product comes along and totally stuns me: and that was well and truly the case with the Sennheiser CX 80U.

Now you might be thinking: really? A pair of wired earbuds? But yes, they really were that impressive. See it all comes down to quality vs price, and these earbuds genuinely sound way, way better than I expected given their typical cost of $39.95 / £34.99. If you want rich, detailed sound at a highly-accessible price-point, the CX 80U are all you need.

I’ll drill into the beauty of this product more down below, but the bottom line is: the CX 80U are what I’d recommend to anyone looking to go back to wired earbuds in 2026.

Low risk, high reward

I’ve already touched on the Sennheiser CX 80U’s low price (and they’re occasionally discounted for even less), but let’s discuss what exactly makes them so special.

These buds use a USB-C connector with a built-in DAC, opening up lossless audio — something that’s not truly possible over Bluetooth, which is an inherently lossy technology. By using USB-C as a connectivity method, the CX 80U aren’t only optimized for modern smartphones, tablets, and laptops, but they also won’t need to be charged like their Bluetooth counterparts — and I often keep them with me in case I forget to juice up my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones or LG Tone Free T90S earbuds.

But as practical as the CX 80U are, the real highlight is their performance. They show impeccable attention to detail, and can easily illuminate elements such as subtle percussion or delicate vocal intricacies. However, they also nail the fundamentals, with well-balanced, agile bass, clear mids, and vivid treble.

Speaking of treble, I found this to be a real highlight on the CX 80U — highs have an impressive sense of space, and often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving percussion in particular plenty of space to express itself. But during my time testing the CX 80U, I was impressed with their quality right across the frequency range, and regardless of what genre I threw at them, they delivered an enjoyable and entertaining listen each time.

As well as sounding great, the CX 80U manage to provide surprisingly substantial passive noise cancellation, and they come with various-sized eartips, so you can find the perfect seal. Whenever I use them, I also find that cable noise is pretty muted, and they’re comfortable to wear, even for longer listening sessions.

One more thing I love about the CX 80U is their build quality. They look more premium than their price suggests, and I’m drawn to their rounded buds, slim wires, and enticing silver details. Classy.

So, if you’re on a budget but looking to get into the wired earbuds game, then it really doesn’t get much better than the Sennheiser CX 80U. Go on, give ‘em a go!

• AirPods are getting a universal custom EQ at last
• You'll be able to see the results live as a song plays
• It's set to come in iOS 27, as part of the AirPods' Settings screen

Apple just announced that one of the longest-requested features from AirPods users is finally coming as part of iOS 27: a custom EQ. Announced during the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple hasn't revealed full details of the feature, but we did get a first glimpse.

There will be a screen that looks like the image at the top of this page, and if you tap 'Custom' then a blue line is overlaid on the frequency graph. You appear to be able to move the blue line to increase or decrease the frequency bands.

There's a live waveform that plays, so it appears that you'll be able to see the result on the sound signature live, as well as hearing it, obviously.

In the past, it's been possible to make some changes to AirPods' sound using accessibility tools, but this really isn't designed for making subtle changes to your music profile, it's designed for the hard of hearing to boost frequencies they struggle with.

There's also been an EQ in Apple Music, but that doesn't help if you use another app for music, and doesn't preserve the EQ when you switch devices or other apps in general.

There are interesting differences in the sound of different AirPods models. The original AirPods Max are much more neutral than the AirPods Pro 3, for example, and I can easily see that some people might choose to give the over-ears a little extra poppy punch at times — or might want to just take a slight edge off the earbuds.

However! The obvious thing that's missing in the images we've seen so far is a clear option to save presets, so the scenario I've described above might not be that easy. This might be in the final version, of course, or there might be a way to create this using Shortcuts.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple keeps this pretty basic. The screen doesn't really encourage you to make changes: the description in the setting says, "AirPods are designed and engineered by Apple to faithfully represent music, TV shows and movies, and calls. If you prefer a different sound profile, you can customize how AirPods represent any audio played."

Still, given that the original AirPods model launched in December 2016, I'm just glad we're getting finally getting it as an option at all.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review

In 1976, Bob Marley & The Wailers released Smile Jamaica, an upbeat reggae tune bursting with soul and positivity. And the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C earbuds are aiming to replicate those qualities, boasting a vivid design, and apparently “vibrant sound”.

But just how good are these wired USB-C earbuds? Well, at $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95, I wasn’t expecting anything magical, but there are a lot of major positives to discuss. So, here’s what I made of my time with the Smile Jamaica USB-C.

To begin with, I have to talk about the design of these wired in-ears. As soon as I took the Smile Jamaica out of the box, I was struck by their unique, enticing build. They’re made of a few materials, including recyclable aluminum, renewed PeT, and bamboo. Not only does this blend look fantastic, but it’s a lot more sustainable than a huge proportion of the competition — even some of the best wired earbuds.

I really liked the Brass variant that I tested out, but you can also grab these in Copper, Signature Black, or even Rasta (a celebration of red, gold and green, with green ear tips, yellow branding and a cable that incorporates all three colors). Pretty cool.

The braided wires are pretty well-built, and I never experienced excessive cable noise when using the Smile Jamaica USB-C on the go. They’re also tangle-resistant, so I didn’t get a horrible wiry mess every time I retrieved the buds from my pocket. The inclusion of a USB-C connector also means you can connect these buds to your smart phone or just about any modern device, which is incredibly practical — no pairing, no charging, just plug and play.

If I was to be critical, I’d argue that there could’ve been more ear tip size options in the box — you only get one additional pair. This way there could’ve been more options for people with larger or smaller ears — although as someone with aggressively medium-sized ones, this wasn’t an issue for me. There’s also no carry case, but they should be safe in a pocket or small bag regardless.

The ear tips that do come in the box are fairly comfortable, though, and they passively block noise to decent effect. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to experience the noise-crushing effects that ANC will provide on the best wireless earbuds, but when listening to music in the office, sounds like typing and chatter were dulled relatively well.

One feature that’s missing, however, is volume controls. The in-line remote skips on these, meaning I had to remove my phone to alter loudness on the go, something that could be a tad inconvenient. According to the instructions booklet, some of the commands — bound to a single button on the controller — are also restricted to iPhone only, which was no good for a Samsung-owner like me.

Still, the in-line microphone is actually pretty decent, and when making phone calls, various people reported that my speech was clear and easy to decipher. When making a recording, I experienced a bit of feedback and a bit of sibilance, but I was pleased with the mic at this price-point.

Anyway, I know what you’re really here for. You want to know how these sound, right? Well then, I suppose I’ll indulge you.

It only feels right to start with a tune from Bob Marley & The Wailers, so I gave Jamming a spin, and the Smile Jamaica buds performed pretty well. Subtle percussive elements were well balanced in the mix, and had an impressive sense of space, and I never experienced any harshness or tinniness — even when listening at higher volumes. However, the bass sounded a little bloated at certain moments and Marley’s vocals lacked as much definition in the mix as I’d like, resulting in a fairly middling listening experience.

This proved to be a bit of a theme with these earbuds, as the low-end seemed as if it lacked refinement across a number of tracks. In Black Eye by Allie X, bass was a tad bloated once more, and was missing the agility I’ve heard from other budget in-ears. Given that bass is pretty prominent on these buds, I just wish it had a bit more punch and precision. Still, vocals remained clear enough in the mix, and energetic percussion came through with commendable expression. But if you’re expecting the most refined bass ever, you may find the Smile Jamaica to be a tad heavy-handed.

I was more impressed when tuning into Asama by Yuta Orisaka — a laid-back record that blends Japanese folk with reggae tones. Here, I found vocals to be pleasantly weighted alongside relaxed electric guitars and rhythmic percussion, and more subtle keys glided elegantly in the backdrop. Sure, you’re not going to get meticulous instrument separation or the most intricate detailing from a pair of ultra-cheap buds like this, but for the price, they do deliver a satisfying sound, all things considered.

At the end of it all, would I recommend the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C? Here’s the thing: it depends on your budget. If you want some extremely cheap wired buds that sound totally serviceable but won’t blow you away, then yes. On top of their adequate audio, they are well-built, have a decent mic, and tangle-free cable, ensuring good bang for your buck.

However, if you can spend a little more, then you can get big returns. A model like the Sennheiser CX 80U will deliver considerably better sound, with much-improved detailing and balance across the frequency range.

Want a bit more finesse and grace? Something like the Sennheiser is for you — but for stable and dependable sound on a budget, the Smile Jamaica USB-C aren’t a half-bad option.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: price & release date

• List price of $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95
• Released in September 2025

The House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C released in September 2025, about 13 years after the original 3.5mm version debuted. They have a list price of $19.99 / £14.99 / AU$24.95, landing them firmly in the budget category, and are available in a range of color options, including Copper, Signature Black, Brass, and Rasta. You can get them on sale in some regions fairly regularly — I even spotted them going for less than £10 in the UK when producing this review.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: specs

Should I buy the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C review: also consider

How I tested the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C

• Tested over the course of multiple days
• Mainly streamed music over Tidal
• Took with me to the office and on walks

I spent many days (rolling into weeks, actually) testing out the House of Marley Smile Jamaica USB-C earbuds, during which time I took them just about everywhere with me, to analyze passive noise isolation and convenience among other things.

When listening to music, I typically streamed tracks over Tidal using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. I started out by sifting through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide variety of genres, but I also made sure to listen to hours worth of songs from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve tested tons of audio gear during my time with TechRadar, including a whole host of wired and USB-C earbuds. I had a few rival models at hand to compare the Smile Jamaica USB-C against, including the Sennheiser and Apple rivals mentioned in the ‘Also consider’ section.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

An increasing number of wireless earbuds are landing in my inbox — and on my front porch — with touchscreens built into their charging cases. There are now enough to make it officially a growing and real trend rather than just a passing gimmick… but I'm not convinced.

Most recently, I tested Anker's feature-packed Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro series, which offer two different kinds of screen, but they're just the most recent. Earlier in the month, the JBL Live range was refreshed with plenty of screens, and I recently tested the open-ear Cleer Arc 5, which you can see at the top of this article complete with a sizeable display.

What's the point of these screens? Well, it varies by bud, but generally the premise is the same. The display lets you glean some instant information about your buds: battery life, noise cancellation status, volume, but also change features like EQ preset, Bluetooth codec, what you're song you're listening to, and so on.

This is all potentially useful, if the buds let you avoid using your smartphone and an app to change these features. That's all in theory, but in practice, it's not so.

Displays in earbuds generally bump up the price of the gadget, increase the case's footprint, and increase the risk of accidental pressing when you put the case in your pocket. So they really need to justify themselves, and I'm not sure they are right now.

Just use your phone

When I find an EQ preset I like, I generally stick to it, rarely changing. That's also true about other earbud settings; if I'm on anything but the highest ANC setting, someone should check me for a concussion.

So I don't need a carry case that lets me change these settings, because I rarely do. And when I do, I don't mind booting up the app; I need to justify downloading it in the first place, and changing EQ is much easier on the larger screen.

In theory, the music and volume controls of an earbud case are more useful, as these are things everyone uses. But on-bud touch controls exist — and if you're digging a gadget out of your pocket to change a track, it may as well be one you'll probably be using for other tasks too: your phone.

It doesn't help that, from my experience, charging case screens aren't hugely reliable. They remind me of cheap smartwatches and fitness trackers from years ago: they often need multiple taps, and seemingly some vocal coercing (well, I think it helps), to do anything. My phone isn't like that.

Finding a niche

I'm not going to make a blank ruling on earbud cases; in some situations they work.

Take Soundcore's Liberty 5 Pro series. In the base model, the display is a tiny window. You can use it to check some easy info, but it's not trying to replace your smartphone. Perfect.

In the top-end Liberty 5 Pro Max, the case is packed full of novel features, including a recorder-transcriber, and translation tool. It's not meant to replace your phone; it's its own thing.

That's where I see earbud charging case displays finding their niche: by offering features and functions to act as the earbuds' unique selling points, as an accessory that's useful to have separately to your phone.

This would generally be in top-end or professional-targeted buds, like how the Pro Max is ostensibly designed for business buyers.

But not every pair of the best earbuds needs a little LCD or OLED screen on the charging case. At the moment, it feels like they're becoming more prominent as a fad, but I think most us would rather just pay less or see that money go into battery innovations or other improvements — I only see them sticking around if makers find a way to justify them.

Anker's Soundcore brand is just going harder and harder on releasing new models. Not content with the Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds and Soundcore Space 2 headphones recently, the brand has unveiled two new pairs of earbuds based on the Liberty.

These are the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max, and they're new premium pairs of feature-packed earbuds that, unlike many other Pro-titled products, actually feel targeted towards professionals.

I’ve been using both the Pro and Pro Max for a week now, to try to understand both buds, how they’re different, and which I’d recommend people buy. That's not enough time to have completed two reviews, which is why you're not reading those right now — but I’ve definitely used the earbuds long enough to answer all of my questions.

So here’s what’s different between the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max and, crucially, which one I think most people should end up buying.

How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max compare on price?

It’s important that we establish the main difference between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max first: it’s the price.

The Pro is, as you’d imagine, the cheaper of the two earbuds. To buy it, you’re paying $169 / £149 (about AU$300). So it’s a lot pricier than the Liberty 5, which sold for $129 / £99 / AU$169.

But that cost is nothing compared to the Pro Max. These sell for $229 / £199 (about AU$400), which is only a hair under the AirPods Pro 3’s $249 / £219 / AU$429 asking price.

I’m not going to treat the Liberty 5 Pro like the budget option, given its price, but you’ll soon read about how it’s probably the best option based on budget.

How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max compare on sound quality?

If you only want to know about the differences between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max, you’ll want to keep scrolling. These two earbuds both have exactly the same audio performance, but it's important to address them.

What are their specs? Well, nowhere in Anker’s promotional material for the buds, press pre-briefing ahead of their release or the buds’ packaging, is that actually mentioned. You’ll have take my word for it then.

I’ve quite liked how the buds have sounded, in my testing time. The audio is detailed and sharp, with a real oomph when it’s needed. However, at least in the default sound profile, I’ve found the bass a little too prominent, yet not quite as precisely defined as I’d like.

It’d be fine in earbuds at the price of the Liberty 5, but when you’re picking up a 'Pro' or 'Pro Max' pair of earbuds — and paying the price for them — I’d like a little more controlled lower-end.

Anker’s been heavily advertising the listening test available in both of its new earbuds, and I’ve yet to try that or the equalizer, so perhaps these will give me the sound profile I'm looking for — I’ll let you know in my full review later.

What are the differences in Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max's design?

Likely due to their identical audio specs, the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. I could put the Pro Max earbuds in the Pro case, and vice versa.

The buds are certainly unique; they have a kidney-shaped body, not dissimilar to Samsung’s old bean buds, but with a tip to allow for the noise cancellation and give you a solid fit.

On that topic, these Liberty 5s both come with wings at the top of the bean, kind of like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen, and these are great for fit. I’ve been on multiple runs with them, and they’ve been a dream, even if they’re a little heavier than rivals at 7g each.

The real design difference between Anker’s new earbuds is the charging case. Actually, that’s the main difference full stop, at least it feels that way in my testing.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max have a pretty big charging case. It’s a squarish rectangle, with a lid that slides up to reveal the buds, and it weighs about 86g. What makes the case so large? That’ll be the screen, which takes up the entirety of the lid; it’s a big square that looks like the kind of panel you’d find on a squircle smartwatch.

You can use this screen to control music playback, change EQ presets, toggle between noise cancellation modes and activate a range of the buds’ features — more on that later.

The Liberty 5 Pro also have a touchscreen, but it’s smaller: a thin strip like the display on a fitness tracker. It’s much simpler, with battery indicators and small icons for a range of features. The case still has a slide-up lid to reveal the buds, like on the Max, and weighs a little less at 70g.

I’ve had some problems with the screen on both sets of earbuds. It’s a little less responsive than I’d like, often needing multiple swipes to change menu and repeated taps to enable a setting. It reminds me of fitness trackers of old, which needed coercing to work.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max features explained

It’s not the main selling point of the Anker earbuds, but I’ve been really appreciating the active noise cancellation on both the Pro and Pro Max. It’s among the best in any earbuds I’ve tested, proving effective at wiping out background sound in all conditions I've tried so far.

Likely to thank for this is a new chip Anker created, and debuted in these buds; it’s designed specifically for the Liberty 5 buds’ ANC and features, and adds support for Dolby Atmos audio.

The battery life is a little more average; both pairs of buds last for 6.5 hours of listening, with the charging case bringing that time up to 28 hours — both figures are with ANC turned on. My benchmark for the average battery life of earbuds is 8 hours with ANC off, which I imagine the Liberty will surpass by a little, but I’ll have to test it properly for my full review.

The new Soundcore app is the key to your kingdom of features here. It has a huge range of features including meditation and ambient noise playlists, a built-in AI chatbot, a fit test, a listening preference test to create custom EQ, a sound level meter and volume limiter, a sound-quality upscaling option, and the ability to customize the case screen.

That’s not counting all the usual earbud app tools you’ve come to expect, such as a standard equalizer, touch control customization, ANC modes and so on.

I’ve got to hand it to Soundcore: this is perhaps the biggest array of features I’ve ever seen in a pair of earbuds. They’re incredibly feature-packed, and browsing though the app, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Everything I’ve mentioned so far is available on both buds, but the pricier pair offers a little more: the Pro Max’s biggest unique feature is that it functions as a note-taker.

Thanks to the case having a built-in microphone, you can use it to record audio, and the app will create a transcript — naturally, the buds can do the same with their own mics. There’s also a live translation tool, which uses the same hardware to achieve its ends.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max: which one would I recommend?

So far, I’ve mostly been using the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max. I thought I’d rather test the expensive earbuds first, and based on the extra features, they're clearly the better buds in the simplest terms.

However for most buyers, I’m not sure these are the earbuds I’d actually recommend. While not cheap, the Pro are a little more affordable than their Max counterparts, and I think you’re getting better value for money.

The extra features the pricier model brings are neat, but I don’t see them being reliably useful for many people. Most of us don’t need a portable dictaphone on our earbuds.

Also worth bearing in mind is the charging case: on the Pro, it’s a little smaller and more streamlined, and that makes it better for toting around. Not good — it’s too bulky to disappear into a trouser pocket, unlike the AirPods Pro 3 case or similar — but it's still a little more convenient than the Pro Max’s.

Sure, its charging case screen is smaller, but in my week with the buds, I’ve barely used either display. I’ve tested a few different earbuds with charging case screens, and I’m still yet to be convinced that these are essential, making the screen's minimization in the Pro no bad thing.

• Anker launches Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds
• The earbuds are the same, but some of the features are different, including a touchscreen on the Max
• Also new app, bespoke chipset for the buds

Anker's Soundcore has just announced two new pairs of earbuds, which are its first products made with its new 'Thus' audio chipset. This little component promises to enable its speakers and headphones to enjoy better active noise cancellation, improved on-device audio AI, more accurate voice controls and, perhaps most usefully, better power efficiency.

Anker also unveiled VibeOS, which confusingly isn't an operating system despite the title, but is rather the name of its new and improved tie-in app, that you'll use to control your audio gadgets.

VibeOS is set to have a huge range of features, and if Anker delivers, its devices could be feature-packed gems. The best new picks include an EQ listening test, audio source restoration, sleep management, audio transcript creation and real-time environmental adaption for your music.

It's not quite clear when VibeOS will roll out, whether it'll come to existing Soundcore gadgets or will arrive alongside new ones. But we have some likely contenders from the brand in the shape of its two new buds.

Free up some time for the Liberty

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and the Liberty 5 Pro Max, are the bigger new releases from Anker, both bearing the Thus chip. They follow the 'normal' Soundcore Liberty 5, released a year prior, but when you read about them you'll understand why they're not the Liberty 6.

At a press briefing, Anker didn't describe the audio specs of the Liberty 5 Pro series, but they'll likely be similar to, or better than, the 9.2mm dynamic driver-toting original.

Anker sold the buds on their features: they're set to have eight microphones for improved call quality and noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, and an AI voice recorder function for note taking.

The main draw to these earbuds — and the distinction between them — is in the charging case. Both buds get a case with a touchscreen, with the Pro getting a little strip and the Pro Max's case bearing a large display.

This touchscreen can be used to monitor battery, change ANC modes, and toggle a variety of features. By the sounds of things, it can be used to toggle those aforementioned features too, perhaps such as setting up the voice recorder to record a meeting.

You can also point to the touchscreen cases for the prices: the Liberty 5 Pro costs £149.99 (about $200, AU$300, exact global pricing TBC) while the Liberty 5 Pro Max goes for £199.99 (around $280, AU$400, again global prices TBC).

So they're noticeably pricier than the original buds at $129 / £99 / AU$169. We've got the Liberty 5 Pro series in for testing now, to see if they justify that cost… watch this space.

• Chinese researchers have developed 'AccLock'
• This uses your heartbeat to verify your identity
• All it needs is earbuds with accelerometers

Researchers from several universities in China have developed a technology they called AccLock, and it's basically Ear ID. It's a way of verifying your identity using your heartbeat, as detected by your earbuds — even if your buds don't have the kind of built-in heart-rate sensors you get in AirPods Pro 3.

The idea is that your earbuds will be able to recognize your unique palpitations, to verify that you're you, and to unlock access to things like your PC or phone, or perhaps even a smart door lock.

According to the paper, earbuds were chosen because they "remain closely coupled with the wearer during everyday use," so if you're the kind of person who's constantly wearing your AirPods when out and about, you inspired this choice.

In testing AccLock, the researchers did in fact use AirPods, as well as their own custom-made earphones, and so it clearly could work within Apple's system. But it doesn't have to, because it only relies on motion-sensing tech rather than a dedicated heart tracker.

Open hearted

Instead of a dedicated heart-rate sensor, the tool simply uses a motion-sensing accelerometer, the kind of which plenty of earbuds already pack.

An accelerometer is used to measure things like acceleration, vibration and orientation. In earbuds, they can be used for different tools: gesture controls, head tracking or spatial audio, depending on the bud.

Some low-end earbuds may miss them, but generally, it's a common component. And so, in theory, AccLock could work on many earbuds, using the accelerometer to recognize your heartbeat.

Again, this is all hypothetical, but sometimes these studies can mirror what companies are actually considering. For example new research we reported on regarding AirPods with cameras is matched by some reports suggesting Apple is actually considering adding this tech to future AirPods.

• Campfire Audio unveils new Chimera in-ear monitors (IEMs)
• Nine-driver tech includes bone conduction woofer and electrotatic tweeters
• Premium design that makes each unit unique

Everyone's talking about ditching Bluetooth in headphones these days. Well if you're looking for the best wired earbuds around, then Campfire Audio has a very interesting proposition for you, but it'll cost you.

It'll cost you a lot.

The new Campfire Audio Chimera cost $7,500 / £6,999 (about AU$14,000). That's 30 times the $249 / £219 / AU$429 price of the AirPods Pro 3, which I use as a reference since they're the most popular model of buds on the planet. Suffice it to say, they're not for the average consumer — it's likely to be professionals and the most hardcore of head-fi enthusiasts who'll pick them up.

But boy, what you get for that money is hard to argue with. These IEMs look fantastic, made of carbon-fibre and brass, adorned in a magnesium shell. According to Campfire Audio, every single unit made will look slightly different, with the production method resulting in subtle differences.

You can see how good they look in images; apparently they're designed to catch the light, so will appear even better in person.

The cable included with the IEMs uses four copper conductors, and two 50/50 copper and silver ones. And you get a lot more in the box: loads of eartips (including silicone and foam options), a cleaning tool and cloth, and a carry bag.

But the real draw to the Chimera is the audio.

Driver? I barely know 'er

The Campfire Audio Chimera has not one, not two, not… okay, it has nine drivers. And there are some real surprises in that list.

You're getting a 10mm dynamic driver for low-end, dual-diaphragm balanced armature driver for midrange, two balanced armatures for clarity, four electrostatic "super-tweeters" for high-frequency sound, and a bone conduction driver too.

This latter sounds like one of the most interesting selling points of the Chimera: it'll let you feel, not just hear, low-end sounds, to add a little extra physicality to sub-bass.

That's a bold choice, but it could pay off big time. We've previously knocked the brand's IEMs for their bass, like the Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon, and maybe Campfire Audio has fixed that problem in style.

For those who don't care about bigger bass, the draw lies in the use of four electrostatic drivers per bud — it's not a tech that gets out much, so we love to see it.

To keep the show on the road, Campfire Audio has given the Chimera a pressure valve to keep the airflow correct, and a tuning damper to make sure sound quality is as good as it could be. Given the specs list, these could sound like some of the best IEMs out there (and you'd hope so, for that price).

• Xiaomi teases its first clip-style open earbuds
• Launch date unknown, presumed imminent
• Past Xiaomi open earbuds have had sound leakage prevention tech

In 2025, it felt like every tech company felt the need to release open earbuds, and recently brands have been tripping over themselves to release clip-style buds, ranging from Anker, Bose and through the alphabet to (now) Xiaomi.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has teased its first open earbuds, sharing on social media platform Weibo a graphic of a half-open case, with the slogan "Brand new form". You can see enough of the enclosed earbuds to suggest these are clip buds (and it's basically the only headphone form factor the brand hasn't tried out yet).

There's not much more to know about the buds just yet, but Xiaomi's expected to launch a new smartphone at some point in May called the Xiaomi 17 Max. It's likely the earbuds will get some screen time at the same launch event.

It's therefore impossible to say what Xiaomi has cooking; from my experience, the brand's audio products remain weaker than the competition, but clip buds are hard to get wrong. And Xiaomi has one piece of tech that could elevate these new buds over the competition…

No noise

Back in 2025, Xiaomi released the OpenWear Stereo Pro, hook-style open earbuds with a whopping five audio drivers. I tested them, and while I didn't love the fit, or audio quality, they had one feature that was unique and really useful.

One of the drivers wasn't for music, but was designed to reduce sound leakage. It basically worked as anti-noise-cancellation; it wouldn't stop you hearing people around you, but it'd stop those people around you hearing you.

Sound leakage is one of the big problems of open earbuds. Since the drivers aren't in your ear, and the sound has to travel across the void between the bud and your ear, audio will invariably be audible to those around you.

Don't expect your guilty pleasure playlist to stay secret, if you listen with open earbuds; my partner is constantly humming along to my music when I'm using them. This didn't happen with the Xiaomi, though, and the driver worked wonders in keeping my private playlists… well, private.

It's hard to say whether Xiaomi will resurrect this tech for its clip-style earbuds, and it's certainly not guaranteed — these kinds of buds have less space for drivers in the bud, compared to hook-style ones, since the driver sits in your ear.

Saying that, the Shokz OpenDots One had two drivers, so it's clear that there's space for a well-engineered clip bud to fit multiple. It's just about whether Xiaomi decides it's a good fit (so to speak).

JBL has launched its new Live 4 series of earbuds, with three new pairs available from 12 May 2026.

The new models include: the JBL Live Buds 4, which are a set of compact in-ears; the JBL Live Beam 4, a pair of stemmed in-ears; and the JBL Live Flex 4, which are stemmed semi-open earbuds. Each of these has arrived about two years after their predecessors from the Live 3 series.

JBL’s Live earbuds are known for one thing above all — their touchscreen-equipped charging cases. On previous models, this has enabled users to swiftly adapt ANC, EQ, volume, and more. And JBL has revamped its Smart Charging Case software, and packed the Live 4 models with more features, controls, and customization options than ever before.

But will this be enough to help JBL rival some of the best earbuds from heavy-hitters like Apple and Sony? Well, I’ve seen the new Live 4 series for myself, and I could see some of the additions being a big hit — here’s what you can expect from JBL’s new buds.

Building on success

When we tested out the JBL Live Beam 3 back in 2024, they left quite the impression on us. Thanks to their impressive sound quality, plentiful battery life, and fun feature-packed case, we awarded that model a high 4.5-star rating.

And it really seems that their successor, the Live Beam 4 — alongside the new Buds and Flex versions — are building on a lot of the things we already loved.

First of all, let’s go back to the touchscreen case. Although I’m yet to test the Live 4 series in depth, I was pleased to see that the Smart Charging Case comes with a brand new user interface (UI) alongside a larger screen on JBL’s newest earbuds.

Sure, some would argue that the screen is a little gimmicky, but it provides instant access to customization tools, whereas usually you’d have to withdraw your phone and root around for the JBL headphones app. As someone with way too many audio apps on my phone, I can certainly see the appeal.

JBL has also updated the sound of its Live series, with the new earbuds equipped with “new fidelity drivers” that the audio specialist claims to be “carefully tuned for deeper bass and clearer sound”. Although JBL has employed new drivers, they’re still 10mm and dynamic on the Buds and Beam, and 12mm dynamic on the Flex.

Another area that’s been improved is call quality. Live 4 series models utilize six microphones with new “Perfect Call 2.0” tech, combining a wind-proof design with an AI algorithm for clear quality. Some of the microphones are also used for noise cancelling, which has also been improved according to JBL.

Something that’s largely remained the same, though, is battery life. With the charging case, JBL claims the Buds 4 will provide up to 32 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with it off; that the Beam 4 can manage 40 hours with noise cancelling active and 48 hours without it; and that the Flex 4 will deliver 35 hours with ANC switched on and 50 hours without. That’s similar to what we saw on the previous generation, but remains impressive across the board, especially when you consider that rivals like Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 only deliver 24 hours with the charging case.

The Live 4 series is available in a range of colors, including Black, Blue, Silver, Champagne, Green, Purple, and Orange. They are priced at £179.99 / €199 (about $245 / AU$340). I’ll be reviewing each of the new models in the coming weeks to see if they’re truly worth the money, so keep your eyes peeled for my full thoughts.

• Sivga unveils M260 wired earbuds with huge 14.2mm driver
• They come in USB-C or 3.5mm versions
• The fit is like the old Apple Earbuds design from before AirPods

It's been 14 years since Apple discontinued its classic iPods earbuds, which had a circular speaker grille — ditching them for the still-sold EarPods — but other brands occasionally still release earbuds in this style, and the latest one takes advantage of the design to whack in a huge driver.

Audio company Sivga has unveiled a new pair of cheap buds which share a lot of design traits with the older earbuds, except their clean white design and the sheer size of the driver involved.

These are the Sivga M260, which are newly on sale in two iterations. There's a version with a 3.5mm plug, which costs $44 / £33 / AU$62, and one that connects via USB-C, which goes for $50 / £38 / AU$70.

We've mostly tested the brand's over-ears, like the classy wooden Sivga Oriole or Sivga Robin SV021 Pro, but it sells plenty of earbuds and in-ear monitors too.

Budget buds with a big driver

The Sivga M260 gets a 14.2mm driver, which is on the big side for in-ear buds like this. It uses a dynamic driver with neodymium magnet and copper composite diaphragm.

According to the brand, the tuning is aimed towards a smooth and natural sound, with controlled bass.

In the box, you get four different pairs of ear pads, so you can make sure the M260 lock in your ears, and to block out a little bit of surrounding sound.

The cable's another element that differentiates this from the cheapie earbuds that came in-box with your iPod. It's a 4N silver-plated, oxygen-free copper cable, and it's detachable from the buds so you can replace the cable or buds if one or the other is damaged (or if you make an upgrade).

There are some small differences between the two on-sale models. The USB-C version has a small control panel, with volume rocker and microphone, and it has a built-in DAC for hi-res audio.

Given how many products are losing the headphone jack nowadays, I imagine most people will opt for USB-C… unless you're one of the people still holding onto your iPod and you want these to bring back that classic feeling.

Listening to music or podcasts while you walk or exercise is a great way to pass the time. Right now, a top buy is these Bose QuietComfort Earbuds at Amazon for £129.95 (was £179.95), giving you superior sound for far less than usual.

The price drop returns the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds to their Black Friday price. In fact, they've been stuck at around the full price since the start of the year, so this is the first discount in a long time for the high-quality buds.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are ideal for anyone who wants strong noise cancellation without scrimping on excellent sound quality. They also boast fantastic battery life for everyday use, and you can easily tweak the audio via the Bose app if you want to get the audio just how you like it.

Today’s best earbuds deal

Our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds review gave them a strong 4.5 stars. They might be a couple of years old now, but they’re very good for the price. We described the sound quality as “really very good” and offering “superb clarity.” They’re also “incredibly comfortable and well balanced” despite being a little bulky.

With their “rich, clear sound”, these will rival the best wireless earbuds, with Bose featuring frequently among our picks for the best earbuds you can buy.

The best thing about good-quality earbuds is that you can easily take them in your bag or pocket, so they always provide entertainment wherever you might be. I use headphones at home, but I’d hate to be without earbuds when travelling.

If you’re more in the mood for something Apple flavoured, there are some great AirPods Pro deals around at the moment. If you want to keep costs down, read up on the best budget earbuds to see what you could get.

Remember the days when wireless earbuds cost a fortune? Those days are truly in the distant past. Right now, you can buy the JLab Go Air Pop at Amazon for £14.99 (was £24.99) — and they’re genuinely good earbuds for the price.

You can’t get much cheaper than the JLab Go Air Pop — they’re ideal as a backup pair of earbuds or if you’re simply on a very tight budget. They promise crystal clear audio and neat EQ modes that can be changed at the tap of the bud. They also work independently for those times you need them to.

Today’s best earbuds deal

Our JLab Go Air Pop review called them “ridiculously good wireless earbuds for under $25/£25,” so obviously they’re even better value right now. Admittedly, they aren’t “the last word in sonic brilliance,” but you still get "reliable Bluetooth connectivity, killer battery life, comfortable and light earpieces and solid music on the go.”

One of the top choices among the best budget earbuds, the JLab Go Air Pop are dependable. If you just want a cheap pair for the gym or for walks, they’ll do the job well. They may not be the truly best wireless earbuds, as you can’t expect premium sound quality or ANC at such a low price, but that’s not always needed.

These are the earbuds you can easily toss in your gym bag or your pocket, thanks to the case being smaller than a credit card, and you still get extensive battery life.

If your budget can stretch further, there are some good AirPods Pro deals happening. Buying the best earbuds will cost a lot more but if you want to invest, it’s worth taking a look.

• LibrePods improves the AirPods experience on Android
• The app is now available on the Google Play Store
• Use features like Conversational Awareness on selected phones

While AirPods have always worked with Android — they're essentially Bluetooth earbuds, at their core — users with Google-powered phones and tablets haven't been able to enjoy the full AirPods experience. That's now changing with a new update to an open-source app called LibrePods.

LibrePods has been around for a while, but previously required a jailbroken Android device to work properly. As Android Authority reports, LibrePods just became available on the Google Play Store, so anyone can make use of it — no jailbreak needed.

This has been made possible by a bug fix pushed out with the Android 16 QPR3 update, also known as the March Pixel Drop if you're using a Google Pixel phone. As LibrePods developer Kavish Devar explains, this opened up more Bluetooth functionality.

It means you get access to features like more precise battery level reporting, immediate ear detection, the ability to change listening modes, and Conversational Awareness (which lowers the AirPods volume when you're chatting to someone.

Going Ultra?

As this updated Bluetooth functionality has only just been added to Android, it's going to take a while to reach all phones and tablets. Right now, it should work with Google Pixel, OnePlus, and Oppo phones updated to the latest software versions.

In the future, the improved Bluetooth features should be kept in Android 17, which will be One UI 9 on Samsung phones. Over the next few months, LibrePods should become compatible with more and more handsets as these updates roll out.

Once you've got LibrePods installed on a compatible phone, you'll find a host of options available in the menus — including the option to set up head gesture controls (provided you've got a pair of AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3).

If you're an Android user, your choice in terms of the best headphones and best wireless earbuds just got bigger, and could expand further soon. There are rumors from Macworld that Apple is planning to introduce some AirPods Ultra headphones in the near future, while also applying the 'Ultra' branding to other high-profile products.

EarFun Clip 2: Two minute review

The Earfun Clip 2 buds are the latest entry in the wave of clip-style options among the best open earbuds. They're Earfun's second go at this form factor after the original Earfun Clip, following the brand's OpenJump ear hook design.

And the big pitch of the Earfun Clip 2 is price, because they cost $79 / £69 / AU$120 at launch. With early discounts already appearing on the Earfun website, they undercut much of the competition.

Now, that budget positioning does come through in places. The plastic build feels a little cheap in the hand. The sound profile, though energetic and punchy for workouts, has some limitations at volume that I'll get to, which means you’ll want to tweak the EQ.

There are some notable features here that I really rated, including an impressive 11 hours of battery life, Hi-Res Audio and LDAC support, multipoint connectivity, and a smart AI translation tool, which could just be a nice-to-have for some or genuinely useful for others. For cheap open-ears, there’s a lot here.

Open-ear designs are a bit of a gamble when it comes to comfort. Do you go with a neckband, ear hooks, or clip-on? Well, I’m firmly in the clip-on camp, and I found the Clip 2 buds mostly secure, light, comfortable and easy to forget about once they're in. I did notice some slight slippage, but only on sweaty runs when I pushed their grip to the limit.

However, after a lot of time testing audio gear, I've learned that ears are subjective little things. Some people love the clip-on feel and others find it irritating. That subjectivity runs through the whole experience here, from fit to sound to whether you mind the build quality at this price.

Overall, the Earfun Clip 2 aren't trying to compete with similarly style buds, like the Bose Ultra Open or the Shokz OpenDots One, on refinement. Instead, they’re asking: hey, do you want a decent pair of open earbuds without spending very much?

If the fit works for you and you're willing to play with the settings, the answer could well be yes — I've tested a load of clip-style buds, and these are the cheapest option I'd happily tell people to buy.

EarFun Clip 2 review: Price and availability

• Price at launch: $79.99 / £69.99 (about AU$120)
• Launched April 2026
• Already discounted at launch

The Earfun Clip 2 buds launched at $79.99 / £69.99 (about AU$120), but there's already an early bird discount on the Earfun website bringing them down to $55.99 / £49.99, which probably tells you what price you can expect to see them fall to in any sales events.

The headline here is they significantly undercut much of the competition. The two clip-on open earbuds we'd most readily recommend right now are the Shokz OpenDots One at $199 / £179 / AU$339 and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at $299 / £299 / AU$449.95.

The Earfun Clip 2 cost less than half of the Shokz and roughly a quarter of the Bose. Even the Edifier LolliClip, which does pack in extras such as noise cancellation, heart rate and blood oxygen tracking, come in at $129.99.

Which means that if you've been curious about the clip-on design but reluctant to spend big on an experiment, the Earfun Clip 2 make a very compelling entry point on price alone.

That said, they're not the only budget option in this increasingly crowded space. For example, the Soundpeats Clip1 are currently our top pick for open buds in a clip-on design for under $100 costing only $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99 and we gave them a solid 4 out of 5 star rating.

What’s more, the JLab Flex Open earbuds come in at $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$129.95. We haven't reviewed those, so can't speak to quality, but it's worth knowing that cheap clip-on open earbuds exist beyond the Earfun. Granted, not all of them will be worth your time and money, and as we'll get to, the Clip 2 do pack in some great features to back up that low price.

EarFun Clip 2 review: Specifications

EarFun Clip 2 review: Features

• 11 hours battery life (40 hours with the case)
• AI translation across 100+ languages
• Solid app to tweak settings

The Earfun Clip 2 buds were easy to set up: just open the case and they connect, with Google Fast Pair support speeding things along if you’ve got an Android phone. Multipoint connectivity worked reliably throughout testing too. I spent a full working day moving between my laptop and phone across cafes and a coworking space, and the switch took under five seconds each time.

Battery life is a strong point. With LDAC off, you get up to 11 hours from the buds and 40 hours total with the charging case, and during testing I got close to 10 hours, which tracks enough for me. Switch LDAC on and that drops to six hours (22 hours in total), which is still reasonable. The case supports wireless charging, and the buds fully recharge inside it in about an hour.

For context, the Bose Ultra Open manage 7.5 hours (27 total), the Shokz OpenDots One offer 10 hours (40 hours in total), and the similarly-priced Soundpeats Clip1, offer eight hours from the buds (32 hours in total). so the Clip 2 hold their own against pricier rivals.

The standout feature here is AI translation, covering more than 100 languages. There are two modes: face to face, which translates in chunks after each person speaks, and real-time, which handles continuous one-way speech with a slight delay. Both worked well in my testing.

AI translation is appearing in other earbuds too, but finding it in a pair this affordable and in an open design feels like genuine added value.

There's Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification and LDAC support too, which is rare at this price, though the drivers and open design don't fully capitalize on that extra bandwidth.

The Earfun app is clean and easy to navigate. The 10-band custom EQ works well, alongside presets like bass boost, treble boost, vocal enhancement and genre options like rock, pop and classical. As we'll get to, I needed to tweak the EQ to get the most from the Clip 2, so this was welcome.

You'll also find a game mode for reduced latency, a theater mode that widens the soundstage, and a privacy mode that drops volume and reduces sound leakage.

Other extras include hearing health settings with volume limits and left/right balance, auto-shutdown timers, and a 'find my earbuds' function that worked reliably every time for me.

Connectivity was solid around the house, though I noticed occasional brief drops in the left earbud when I was walking through the city, where there could be more interference. They reconnected within a second or two, but it’s worth noting, since not all earbuds have this issue in the city when I use them.

There's no active noise cancellation here, and you're not getting heart-rate sensors or a personalized hearing test, or anything like that — and that's absolutely fine, given the price.

• Features score: 4/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Sound quality

• Punchy bass for open earbuds
• Treble turns a little harsh and fatiguing at high volumes
• Mid-range can get buried

As you'd expect from the open design, you can still hear your surroundings with the Clip 2, whether that’s conversations, alarm or traffic. Not as much as buds that sit further from your ear, such as a bone conduction pair, but enough for situational awareness.

That said, don't mistake open-ear for transparent. You're still listening to something, and I found myself distracted enough by the audio that I wasn't hearing everything around me, even with my ear canal relatively free.

As with any open earbuds, you're trading fidelity for that awareness of your surroundings here. The question isn't whether the Earfun Clip 2 sound as good as in-ears (they don't). It's whether they make the most of the form factor at this price.

At lower volumes, the answer is yes. There's separation, a sense of space, and a brightness that keeps things lively without feeling thin. Listening to Tame Impala's Dracula at a comfortable level, the bass came through with some presence, which is not always the case in open earbuds.

Budget open options like the Huawei FreeArc, our current top pick at this end of the market, have never really satisfied fully on the low end. The Clip 2 have noticeably more punch.

However, push the volume and things can start to unravel depending on what you’re listening to. Treble takes over, cymbals and hi-hats become sharp, vocals and guitars turn brittle, and the midrange almost gets buried underneath.

I put on Death From Above 1979's Turn It Out, a track I've listened to hundreds of times, and at first the crashing drums and heavy low end landed brilliantly. But the moment guitars and vocals came in, it became harsh enough that I didn't want to keep listening. That's a problem when it's one of your favorite tracks.

So there’s a bit of tension with the Clip 2. These are earbuds mostly designed for outdoor use, like running, walking and commuting — ie, environments where you might really need to push the volume to hear them. But they sound their best when kept a little lower.

Now, I’m happy to report that the custom EQ helps a little. A treble reduction preset warmed things up, and pulling back the highs further with the 10-band EQ created a smoother, flatter listen. But even with adjustments, that midrange muddiness didn't fully clear up.

Podcasts sounded decent, with enough vocal clarity to follow speech comfortably. That same treble harshness crept in at higher volumes here, though in noisier environments the extra edge actually helped voices cut through in busy environments.

As you’d expect from open buds, there was some detectable sound leakage, but not that much. Unless you're listening at volume in a very quiet office or train carriage, I'd say you'll be fine.

They're not a great-sounding pair of earbuds in the grand scheme of things. But for the form factor and the price, they are more capable than much of the competition, as long as you don’t need to pump up the volume too often.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Design

• Clip-on design that's surprisingly secure
• Comfortable for long sessions, though fit is subjective
• Plastic build feels budget compared to rivals

The Earfun Clip 2 use a clip-on design that hooks over the cartilage at the side of your ear. The chunkier rectangular section housing the controls and battery then rests behind the ear and the spherical driver unit sits in your concha. Each bud weighs just 5.5g, and a Ni-Ti (nickel-titanium) alloy frame helps the clip hold its shape over time.

After reviewing plenty of open earbuds, I've come to accept that fit preferences are deeply personal. Some people swear by hooks behind the ears, others prefer neckband-style fits.

For me, the clip-on is actually my favorite form factor, partly because I have thick hair and sometimes wear glasses, both of which can make hooks and neckbands less comfortable and secure. But your experience may really differ, all of our ears are unique after all!

That said, the first day or two I spent convinced they were about to fall off. They didn't, and once I'd stopped second-guessing them, I found the Clip 2 surprisingly secure and comfortable for long listening sessions.

The only time they shifted around to the point I wanted to take them off was during sprint intervals in a sweaty HIIT session, and I'd expect that from most earbuds.

There's IP55 dust and water resistance, so they'll handle sweat, rain and the odd splash without any trouble, just don't submerge them. Combined with the (mostly) secure fit and light weight, they make a solid workout companion.

Looks-wise, I've always found the clip-on design quite cool, like something out of Star Trek. But the Clip 2 are simple, black and plastic, and some might find them a little cheap-looking compared to shinier rivals with more colour options, like the Bose Ultra Open or the Shokz OpenDots One.

Controls are handled by a physical button on the back of each bud rather than touch surfaces, which I preferred. It's easy to find by feel when you're moving, responsive enough that I never had to fumble, and you can customize single, double-, triple- and long-press actions in the app.

The charging case tells a similar story to the buds themselves. It’s pill-shaped, black, plastic, but with a solid hinge and matte finish that make it look plain and purposeful if I’m being polite, a bit cheap if I’m not.

• Design score: 4/5

EarFun Clip 2 review: Value

For the price, the Earfun Clip 2 deliver, and they’re the clip-on open earbuds I'll be recommending if anyone needs a budget pick.

The value here is strongest when you look up the price ladder. The Shokz OpenDots One offer a similar experience for more than double the price. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds do justify their premium with noticeably better sound, but they cost almost five times as much.

This means that if you're curious about the clip-on design and don't want to gamble serious money on finding out whether it suits your ears, the Earfun make that experiment much easier to stomach.

Yes, the price shows at times. The plastic build feels budget, and the sound has limitations at higher volumes that the pricier rivals handle better. But you're not buying these expecting premium. You're buying them because you want open earbuds with a clip-on fit, decent bass and a whole shopping list of useful features without spending much. On all of those terms, they deliver.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Earfun Clip 2?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Earfun Clip 2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Earfun Clip 2

I tested the Earfun Clip 2 for two weeks to write this review. I mostly had them paired with my iPhone 16 Pro, but also used them with my MacBook to test the multipoint connectivity.

I used them mostly to listen to music and podcasts while I was working out of the house or exercising. But I also tried listening to TV shows and movies with them to see how the different modes sounded.

I’ve been testing and writing about tech for nearly 15 years. I’ve reviewed wearables, health tech and smart home products. But I’ve recently been focusing on fitness audio and open earbuds, especially headphones and buds on the more affordable end of the spectrum.

I’m especially interested in how tech actually feels to use day to day, rather than how it performs against a spec sheet.

• First reviewed: April 2026
• Read more about how we test

• Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 get global release
• Clip-style open earbuds with handy feature
• Sound leakage may be thing of the past

Since I started testing the best open earbuds several years ago, the form factor has advanced leaps and bounds. No longer do these anti-noise-cancelling earbuds struggle with poor sound transmission, unreliable fits or huge carry cases. But a few problems linger.

Because each earbud is held outside of your ear canal, this kind of bud has natural sound leakage, so people around you can hear your music if it's quiet, such as in an office. But Honor's new earbuds promise a solution to the problem.

The Honor Choice Earbuds Clip 2 Pro were announced at the end of 2025 in China, but have finally received a global release as of April 2026. They're priced equivalent to around $125 / £100 / AU$200, but we're waiting on availability and prices around the world.

Beyond that essay of a name, they come with a few specs which make them seem competitive as clip-style open-ears. Their 12mm driver is bigger than many we see in this style of bud, and the 10-hour battery life again is competitive.

The case charges wirelessly, the arch is designed to survive bends, and the buds automatically detect which ear they're in, so you don't have to think about it. All very handy features.

But beyond that list of useful but familiar specs, there's one tool that stands out.

Goodbye, sound leakage

As I mentioned, there's natural sound leakage with open earbuds, so people around you can easily hear what you're listening to. The pair I'm testing currently are easy to make out if you're within several meters of the listener. It's pretty embarrassing that everyone at Parkrun can hear all the Backstreet Boys I'm listening to.

We did see the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro come with a driver designed to mitigate this problem, but those were on hook-style open buds, not clip-style like the Honor. Oh, and as my 3-star review (linked above) attests, they weren't especially good.

The Earbuds Clip 2 Pro, however, have a driver on the back of the bud, which emits sound to cancel out the music you're listening to, working basically the reverse of how noise-cancelling headphones operate.

In theory, these solve open earbuds' remaining major pain point, and I'm really curious to test them out and see how well it works (or, more accurately, let my partner discover how well they work, as I'll no longer be annoying her with my music… in theory).

Clip-style earbuds are quickly proving themselves more popular than hook-style ones, at least judging by how many new pairs are released, and I've previously been impressed by the company's offerings, such as the Honor Earbuds Open.

So I'm holding out hope that, if this clippy problem-solver works as well as I think, the Clip 2 Pro could be the best open earbuds yet — at least, for those who share a workspace.

Activo Scoop review

The Activo Scoop in-ear monitors are designed to be as smooth as a pebble, in just about every way possible. Physically, they’re light, rounded, and sculpted. Sonically, Astell & Kern’s sub-brand Activo has attempted to craft IEMs with “smooth resonance,” and supply a sound that’s as natural and “gentle” as possible.

If we’re talking about design, I’d argue that Activo has just about nailed the audio-equipped pebble. The Scoop IEMs are sleek, have a polished feel and with an attractive white finish. They are a little bit chunky in the ear, and the attached cable is on the thick side, but I found the IEMs to be pretty comfortable for longer listening sessions, and I never had to deal with over-zealous cable noise or any connectivity issues.

But I want to focus more on the Scoop’s sound, and how well it adheres to the pebble theme. As you’d expect from a pair of IEMs, the overall sound profile is fairly balanced, and the Scoop are largely focused on an “organic” presentation that steers clear of harshness, according to Activo. But how good do they really sound? And can they really compete with some of the best wired earbuds on the market?

Well, I’m pleased to report that they’re pretty strong performers, especially given their budget-friendly pricing. Their five-driver setup — which features one 8mm dynamic, two 6mm dynamic, and two balanced armature drivers — supplies clean, articulate sound, with subtle detailing and a genuinely impressive soundstage.

In This Is All I Have for You by Makoto Matsushita, I was struck by the Scoop’s revealing sound. In the introduction, rhythm guitar was beautifully balanced in the mix, almost occupying its own unique pocket. However, it never sounded incoherent with other instruments in the mix — it danced beautifully alongside rapid and responsive percussion and full-sounding, funky bass.

Even after vocals entered the fray, the Scoop maintained a disciplined and balanced approach. And as subtle strings and percussive elements reared their heads, the Scoop ensured that they were clear, but never over-emphasized.

When I compared the Scoop against my trusty Sennheiser IE 200, I found that the former had less of a ‘warm’ sound profile, opting for more of an agile and snappy bass response. Sure, that may be a bit less exciting for some listeners, but for professional users — or those who simply prefer a more neutral sound — that could be a positive.

All in all, I did feel as if the Scoop took a more natural approach than the IE 200, although I did realize that they went a bit more aggressive on the highs.

In Entertainer by Ruze, higher-pitched percussion sounded more forward in the Scoop. That’s not to say that treble sounds were tinny or harsh — but they were noticeably more subdued using Sennheiser’s in-ears. In other tracks, like Tale of Two Cities by Darren Rahn, claps in the build-up again sounded pretty eager on the Scoop, and I do think that some may prefer how the IE 200 stayed their hand up top.

To be clear, I did still enjoy the Scoop’s expressive treble overall, and although I think some may prefer a bit more emphasis in the low-end for casual listening, I commend their rich, detailed sound. You get capable and solid instrument separation, with just about every part of the frequency range celebrated and with room to express itself, as well as controlled audio, even at higher volumes.

Beyond their admirable audio, the Activo Scoop supply quite a few positives. The most obvious is their broad selection of connectivity options: 3.5mm, 4.4mm, and USB-C. If you want to switch from 3.5mm to USB-C, for instance, all you have to do is unscrew the 3.5mm connector, plug the USB-C alternative in, twist that on…and hey presto — you’re away.

Having so much variety makes the Scoop ideal for using while mixing or mastering in a professional setting, or using on your modern smartphone for casual listening sessions. There’s no in-line controller, which is pretty common for IEMs, but otherwise they’re very well-equipped.

For instance, you get a bunch of different-sized eartips, and picking the right size will be crucial. A perfect seal won’t only deliver optimal audio quality, but it will improve passive noise isolation — crucial for blocking out pesky external sounds in your environment.

I went for the medium size as usual, and getting a comfortable feel was fairly straightforward. I found the foam eartips to be a little fiddly, although they did work very nicely — especially when it came to noise isolation. The clear silicone alternative was my go-to, however, both for ease-of-use and for its clear look, which was a better match for the white IEMs, visually speaking.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention the included case, which is very similar to that of the Activo Volcano. It offers plenty of room for your IEMs, different connectors, and eartips, it’s fairly compact, and it only boosts the Scoop’s value-for-money score.

Speaking of value, I have to say, the Activo Scoop are priced very generously indeed. They come in at $99 / £99 (about AU$140), and they feel worth every penny. With well-refined audio, wide compatibility, good passive noise isolation, high build quality, and even a case thrown in, it’s hard to knock these IEMs, value-wise. The buds themselves are even detachable, meaning you can add your own cable if you’d prefer, making them a versatile option.

Downsides? OK, I do find the Scoop quite chunky in-ear, and their bulky cable and connectors can’t compare to the diminutive Sennheiser IE line. And yes, you would be able to get IEMs with a bit more space for vocals and even better detail at a higher price point. On a personal note, I’d probably prefer the slightly bassier and sexier Meze Audio Alba, but they’re about $60 / £40 (about AU$100) more than Activo’s IEMs, making the latter a seriously tempting proposition.

All in all, the Activo Scoop are a great pair of in-ear monitors that — in spite of their low price — don’t skimp on quality. Their versatile connectivity and natural sound signature makes them a swell choice for both personal and professional use, they offer solid customizability, and they’re pretty comfortable to boot.

They’re not the most compact, and those with smaller ears may be better off with a model like the Sennheiser IE 200. Sennheiser’s rival IEMs also produce a bassier sound, with more subdued treble, which fans of certain genres may prefer. In the end, though, the Scoop seem like an improvement on Activo’s previous lower-priced effort, the Volcano, and I can’t help but admire their sonic and physical fidelity to the humble, water-sculpted pebble.

Activo Scoop review: price & release date

• Priced at $99 / £99 (about AU$140)
• Released in March 2026

In March 2026, Astell & Kern revealed that the Activo Scoop were coming to the UK market. They are typically priced at £99, placing them heavily on the budget end of the spectrum. The Scoop will cost $99 when they’re available in the US, which we're told is a certainty, although we’re not aware of a specific release date just yet.

Activo Scoop review: specs

Should I buy the Activo Scoop?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Activo Scoop review: also consider

How I tested the Activo Scoop

• Test over the course of several weeks
• Mainly tested using Tidal
• Tried using various connectivity modes

I tested the Actio Scoop IEMs over the course of multiple weeks, and used their various connectivity methods along the way — predominantly listening via 3.5mm with my Windows laptop and USB-C alongside the Nothing Phone 4(a).

When listening to music, I started — as usual — with the TechRadar testing playlist, which includes tracks from a wide variety of genres. However, I also listened to tunes from my personal library. For the most part, I used Tidal to stream music, however I also dipped into Spotify from time to time.

In the past, I’ve tested the Activo Volcano, so I had clear expectations in mind for Activo’s budget friendly IEMs, but I’ve also tested other budget models from the likes of Meze, and have tested more premium monitors like the Sennheiser IE 600 and Shure Aonic 3.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: April 2026

Shokz OpenFit Pro: Two-minute review

Shokz knows its way around a pair of open earbuds. At the time of writing, the brand has three entries in our best open earbuds with good reason — it is one of the few companies out there dedicated to the fitness headphone/bone conduction market.

With the OpenFit Pro, though, Shokz seems to be courting new customers. Whereas the OpenRun Pro 2, clip-on OpenDots One and our market leader the OpenFit 2+ were targeted at a sports-specific market where audio accompaniment of any kind saves us from the monotony of a freezing early-morning January run or a rain-lashed cycle commute, the OpenFit Pro are different.

Sure, they're still tailor-made for runners, cyclists and general sporty types — including tennis, in my case — but the OpenFit Pro are pushing the barriers of what open earbuds can be for dyed-in-the-wool audiophiles. Want Dolby Atmos with head-tracking tehcnology? They've got it. Want customizable EQ profiles, in addition to the five provided by the Shokz app? They've got them. Want support accessories for an even more secure fit? Yep, them too.

Even want active noise cancellation? OK, they've not quite got that — these are still open earbuds, after all — but they do have what Shokz calls 'noise reduction', courtesy of a synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and triple-mic system with the Shokz ear-adaptive algorithm. This is incredibly rare in open earbuds and the results are mightily impressive. Sure, they can't block out everything in the way a pair of in-ears with active noise cancellation can, but in 'noise reduction mode' they do a damn good job if you need to keep regular life at bay and concentrate.

With Bass Boost selected from one of the five EQ presets, they deliver a punchy, nuanced sound that is impressively clear and detailed. The Dolby Atmos with head tracking is a welcome addition, especially in an office environment when turning your head from side to side to speak to colleagues, and delivers responsive sound to the ear that is closest to the source device.

Design-wise, the carry case is small enough to fit into your pocket, battery life is superb-to-relentless and the comfort akin to wearing air. On more than one occasion, I'd forgotten I was wearing them. While exercising, I never felt like they would slip, let alone fall out, especially after I fitted the rubber o-ring for extra stability.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro, then, are audiophile-friendly open earbuds that fully warrant their place in the best we've tested. They may be a little on the expensive side compared to the competition, but when you consider the aural additions these feature that almost no other open ears possess, they're worth it.

Open earbuds used to be the sole preserve of runners or cyclists who wanted to listen to background music without getting mown down by traffic. Not any more.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Specifications

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Price and availability

• Released January 2026
• Priced at $249.95 / £219 / AU$399

The Shokz OpenFit Pro launched at CES in January 2026 and went on sale immediately. You can pick up the OpenFit Pro for $249.95 / £219 / AU$399 RRP, though there are some discounts available already via some retailers.

That makes them a fairly hefty chunk more expensive than our class-leading Shokz OpenFit 2+ ($179.95 / £169 / AU$350), but still (just about) cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at launch. So the big questions are what bang do you get for your extra buck(s), and are they worth the expense?

In order: lots, and yes.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Features

• 12-hour battery life, 50 hours with case
• Noise reduction, not cancellation, is excellent
• Bluetooth 6.1; IP55 for water- and dust-resistance

The biggest criticism usually laid at any open earbuds' door is their lack of versatility. Sure, they're great if you want to listen to something while working out — that's why a sporty type, like me, is doing this review while TechRadar's brilliant audio editor Becky Scarrott, who did the initial experiential, is indisposed with a frozen shoulder — but you would want something much punchier and full-blooded for everyday listening. They're a second pair, nothing more.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro want to be more, and we'll come on to that, but first let's deal with their fitness side. I hate anything jammed into my earhole, so their open-ear design is perfect for me, and allowing external ambient sounds through is essential for the running and cycling I mostly did while wearing them during a month-long stint working at the recent 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

While cycling, your ears are your mirrors and the balance between listening to Only God Knows by Young Fathers and hearing traffic behind me was about perfect. When running, especially the 3.5km between hotel and office at the Winter Olympics, I could at all times hear the maniacal Milanese drivers who would otherwise have mown me down without a second's thought had I been too zoned in on Fontaines D.C.'s Romance LP.

Connection, that includes multi-point pairing, was never a problem thanks to the Shokz' uber-stable Bluetooth 6.1 technology and nor was getting extra sweaty with their IP55 rating good for water and dust resistance.

In my (windowless) office in Milan, I also used the OpenFit Pro to transcribe athlete flash quotes and take reliably crystal-clear calls from reporters despite the high-pressure, higher-noise newsroom environment surrounding me. The same was true when calling my fiancée — your aforementioned Techradar audio editor, no less — from a packed pizzeria and an evening watching figure skating from opposite ends of the arena (it's a long story).

The battery life is more than above average and borders on the relentless. Shokz promise 12 hours of listening from a single charge, plus another 50 hours from the slimline and lightweight case, which I found to be about bang on. On a couple of occasions I ran into the office with only the earbuds, used them regularly to listen to and transcribe interviews on a 10-hour shift and ran back to the hotel. They lasted all day and even got me back into the office the following morning (this time with the charging case in my back pocket).

In a bit of rush? No problem, 10 minutes of fast charging will give you four hours' listening. Wireless charging is also an option, albeit at a slower pace. Sure these figures come down a bit when you turn on 'noise reduction' mode — six hours from a charge, another 24 from the case — but we're still talking about listening periods firmly in the 'every day' territory.

Time to talk about why you'd want to. That 'noise reduction' mode really is excellent for a pair of open earbuds. It's basically impossible for the Shokz to have ANC but the noise reduction technology, helped by the brand's SuperBoost technology, ear adaptive algorithm and synchronized dual-diaphragm driver, does a great job of blocking out more of the world.

The companion Shokz app is also a boon. It's home to five EQ presets, plus two options to create your own sound profiles, and is also the destination to turn on 'noise reduction' (touch control toggles are also available), Dolby Atmos and head tracking technology. You can also customize those multi-point connections and use the very useful 'Find My Earbuds' function.

The overall impression is very positive. Sure, closed earbuds have a bigger feature set in general — but the fact that all this exists in a set of open earbuds, is pretty impressive indeed.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Sound quality

• Noise reduction excellent for open-ear design
• Dolby Atmos and head-tracking technology
• Treble can overwhelm

The difference in price between the Shokz OpenFit Pro and the vast majority of their competitors can be explained in how they sound, or at least, how they try to sound. Remember, at a price touching $250, Shokz are going after an audiophile market here.

For the most part, they succeed. The detail at the low end — especially with EQ preset Bass Boost turned on in the Shokz app — is impressively dynamic, and weighty enough to almost make you forget that these are open earbuds. Wet Leg's Chaise Longue loses none of its lustrous early bass power thanks to that synchronized dual-diaphragm driver, while Age of Consent by New Order enhances the propulsive force of Peter Hook's four-string.

If treble is your bag, you're also in luck, but you've really got to love it. Treble Boost brings forward guitars and vocals — only accentuated further if you switch on the Vocal setting in the app – which sound at their best for semi-spoken word songs like Go! by Public Service Broadcasting but for my money it's to the detriment of the overall sound profile.

Bass gets lost and the treble overwhelms to the point it sounds a little tinny, rendering a song as good as The Concept by Teenage Fanclub almost unlistenable — so much Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley rhythm guitar and almost no Gerard Love woozy bass.

You can also create your own EQ in the app, which, though a little fiddly, does do a good job in establishing a Goldilocks setting just for you. In the end, though, I listened almost exclusively in Bass Boost mode and felt all the happier for having done so.

The OpenFit Pro's aforementioned noise reduction mode does as good a job as can be expected from a set of open earbuds. Helped by a triple-mic system (up from two in the OpenFit 2), Shokz's ear-adaptive algorithm can predict external noise and delivers a solid reduction in what you hear. In the app, you can also select how much noise reduction you actually want with a toggle, although I didn't notice much difference. You will, though, have to crank up the volume to a Spinal Tap 11 if you want to block out the world around you — in doing so, I had a notification on my phone telling me I had "exceeded the recommended limit for audio exposure" over the previous seven days. This has never happened to me before.

I tended to use noise reduction only when in an office environment and needed to focus — I'm not the biggest fan of ANC in general and found the noise reduction here too manufactured to the point of slight nausea — but it's easy to turn on and off with either the buds themselves or using the Shokz app. On my flight home, it also made an appreciable difference to both aircraft and wailing baby noise, albeit nothing compared with my Cambridge Audio Melomania P100s, which combine an over-ear seal with ANC.

Elsewhere, the combination of Dolby Atmos and head-tracked spatial audio is a winner. It upscales TV on the Radio's Wolf Like Me without sounding too muddy, while listening again to Tidal's Dolby Atmos version of Wet Leg's Chaise Longue was a transformative experience. With both Dolby Atmos and head-tracking switched on, the bass-heavy intro is punchier, with extra clarity, and you feel 'in the mix' much more throughout.

When a breathy 'what?' halfway through the first verse appeared from apparently behind my right ear, I genuinely turned around, certain a prank was being played on me by a sleep-deprived Olympics colleague. Only when the same happened moments later in my left ear, having turned my head, was I finally assuaged that it was vocalist Rhian Teasdale with some Dolby Atmos help. You might think it's a gimmick, but it genuinely felt like she was in the room.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Design

• Super-comfortable and endlessly tactile
• Portable charging case
• Sound leakage at upper volume a problem

The best thing to be said about the OpenFit Pro's design is that on numerous occasions after pausing a track to deal with a work enquiry, I simply forgot I was wearing them. They really are that comfortable, especially over long periods. They sit snugly around your ear, too, with a handy demonstration from the Shokz app of how to fit them if you're a luddite like me.

Weighing 12.3g, each bud may be a little heavier than our current open-ear market leaders the OpenFit 2+ (9.4g) but, typical of the Shokz oeuvre, the OpenFit Pro's general silicone stylings are supremely tactile. The driver housing is made from an 'aerospace-grade aluminium PMI dome cap' which adds security and a well-positioned nub that sits perfectly to direct sound straight into the ear. It's the same with the charging case, which feels premium and is small enough to fit in your pocket — whether jeans or even running shorts, as I found.

Thanks to the OpenFit Pro, for the first time in my 30 years' playing competitive tennis (yes, my name really is Andy Murray), I listened to music during match training. How your opponent hits the ball is your biggest clue to their shot — its pace, its spin and even its trajectory — and despite listening to Queens of the Stone Age banger The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret, while warming up I could still hear and track the ball in the way I always have. I wouldn't wear the Shokz for anything more than a 15-minute warm up — my addled brain can only cope with doing so many things at once — but they brought a new way of interacting with a sport I love.

Unlike running and cycling's repetitive movements, tennis' reactive twisting and turning really gave the OpenFit Pro a stability workout to stay on my ears. And they managed it. In tougher rallies, I found my right earbud feeling slightly unstable, but attaching the supplied ultra-soft silicone o-rings to the inside of earpiece sorted that in a heartbeat. I always wear a baseball cap when playing tennis, as well as a helmet while cycling, and neither interfered with the Shokz sitting snugly around my ears.

I regularly put on and took off jumpers, T-shirts and sportswear without having to take out the buds. As if to prove a point, I just put on a hoodie while writing this sentence. The fit really is excellent. The buds, that is. The hoodie has probably seen better days.

Whether in white or the review sample black I tested, the OpenFit Pro look sleek, smart and unobtrusive — numerous colleagues in Milan were surprised when asking me a question and I'd respond by either taking off the Shokz or using the buds' touch controls to pause.

Those touch controls are great, by the way. Each bud has an easily accessible nub, which does everything. One quick press on either bud for pause, and answer and end call; double click for skip track; triple click for previous track; a quick press followed by a continuous hold does volume up (right) and down (left); and press and hold to toggle noise reduction. These are all customizable in the Shokz app, too. Listening to Fontaines D.C.'s Starburster over and over with that triple click saw me through a couple of 3.5km PBs.

Only in one design area does the OpenFit Pro suffer, and it's one familiar to any regular open earbuds wearer. Despite the clever noise reduction mode, to really block out the world around you'll need to crank the volume, making sound leakage a problem. At 50% volume in a silent room it's barely audible, but start to push things further to drown out external stimuli and it's immediately obvious.

On the morning commute this shouldn't be a problem if you don't want your neighbor to know you're getting your groove on to Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club, but while my fiancée was watching TV, she could hear my dirty secret from across the room when I tried to drown out her weekend Homes Under the Hammer catchup. Nor does the 'Private' EQ setting particularly help – there's only a negligible improvement for your companion and the bass suffers significantly for you. I wouldn't bother.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: Value

In the general scheme of things, the Shokz OpenFit Pro aren't that expensive, it's just that for nearly $250 they come in at the north end of the open earbud market, albeit not quite as pricy as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. With noise reduction, Dolby Atmos and head-tracking technology, though, Shokz seem to be targeting these as the only buds you need in your listening arsenal.

So, are they worth it? In audio terms, absolutely. You quite simply won't find a better-sounding set of open earbuds with this feature set, and as sturdy a battery life. I wouldn't necessarily throw out your regular over-ears or ANC in-ears just yet, though. There are times when you need to zone in and hear nothing of the outside world.

That being said, as a pair of sports-specific open earbuds, I don't think you'll find better.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: scorecard

Shokz OpenFit Pro: Should I buy them?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Also consider

How I tested

I tested the Shokz OpenFit Pro for well over a month, which is longer than our regular testing period at TechRadar.

The buds were paired to an iPhone for the entirety of the testing, using Tidal's high-res and Dolby Atmos audio outputs. I used them at home at work and also on runs, while cycling and even playing tennis, at which I've competed at a high level for 30 years.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: April 2026

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 have arrived, and Three has slashed the price of the predecessors in an attempt to clear stock. That means you can own the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 for just £59 (was £159).

That's a massive £100 discount, but it's only available when you enter the code 'BUDS100APR' at the checkout. If you've been waiting for a super-cheap deal on a pair of quality earbuds, then this might just be it.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 boast immersive sound, an open-type design, and built-in Galaxy AI. Having tested several of the best earbuds, I can highly recommend Samsung's offering, especially at this bonkers low price.

Today's best Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 deal

We've not reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3, but we were big fans of the Pro version, which we gave four out of five stars and called "great earbuds." We'd expect similar performance across both models, but with the Buds 3 losing out on a few of the more premium features. A worthwhile compromise for this super-low price, I think.

The Galaxy Buds 3 are an open type of earbud that boasts a snug, angled fit, which means you don't have to worry about all that glorious sound escaping. The seamless codec compresses and encodes up to 24-bit/96 kHz high-fidelity sound, which lends itself to delivering highly detailed sound.

These buds are fantastic all-rounders with EQ and ANC settings dialled in automatically. They're also dust and water-resistant, so you don't have to be too protective over them.

At this price you'll be hard-pressed to find anything better, but you could check out our guide to the best budget earbuds for other similarly priced options. And if budget isn't too much of a consideration, then one of the best earbuds will suit you well.

It’s been a long five years of waiting, but Apple has finally unveiled the AirPods Max 2. In a similar surprise drop to the original AirPods Max, there was no event for the second version — just a press release announcing the AirPods Max 2, with shipping beginning in "early April".

Ahead of their launch, I’ve spent a few days putting AirPods Max 2 through their paces — while the images above and below might have you thinking I'm wearing the AirPods Max (or the USB-C refresh), these are, indeed, the new model.

The AirPods Max 2 retain the look that's become a modern icon (just look at how many knock-offs are around for evidence), but under the hood they use Apple's most up-to-date H2 chip to power their features, plus a new high dynamic range amplifier modeled on the one in AirPods Pro 3. That's paired with 40mm drivers in each earcup.

The biggest upgrades come in the form of the new features enabled by the H2 chip, with Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and improved Voice Isolation making the move from Apple's earbuds over to its headphones.

Familiar looks with a new chip under the hood

Maybe most importantly, Apple is sticking with the $549 price in the US, the same as the original. In the UK, the price has actually been reduced to £499 from the original's £599. In Australia, the price has risen, though, to AU$999 instead of AU$899 for the original.

The premium design is the same — aluminum earcups, stainless steel frame, and that satisfying heft — and still feels thoughtfully engineered. The telescoping arms glide smoothly, making it easy to find a comfortable fit.

The headband — or “canopy” as Apple calls it — still uses a breathable mesh that distributes weight well without creating pressure points. The memory foam ear cushions remain plush, and I appreciate that they’re magnetically attached for easy swapping.

Plenty of folks wear their AirPods Max for walks or even workouts, but it’s worth noting there’s still no official sweat resistance here.

The controls are unchanged, and that’s mostly a good thing. You get a supersized Digital Crown for volume and playback control, alongside the 'Listening Mode button' to toggle between Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio.

One slight letdown is that there are no new colors. Apple is sticking with the same five introduced with the USB-C refresh — Blue, Orange, Purple, Midnight, and Starlight. My test sample is Blue, which feels a bit more muted than the equivalent color original AirPods Max came, in but still looks sharp.

The Smart Case is also unchanged. It still doesn’t look especially protective, but in my experience with the first-generation it does protect the premium headphones well. It also triggers the low-power sleep mode when the headphones are inside. A USB-C to USB-C cable comes in the box.

So visually, not much has changed — but the differences become clear once you start listening.

Bold sound with a wider soundstage, and Spatial Audio still impresses

Just like the previous generation, the AirPods Max 2 sound excellent across pretty much any genre, and Spatial Audio only raises the bar here. The soundstage feels wider, and each element comes through with impressive clarity and separation.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Down On the Corner is a great example — maracas sit distinctly to one side, cymbals and drums to the other, with John Fogerty’s vocals locked-in center stage. Even as the track fills out, it never feels crowded — it’s a personal favorite of mine for testing Spatial Audio.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen absolutely springs to life. The AirPods Max 2 deliver that signature wave of sound with real energy, but crucially without losing detail. You can still pick out the drums, piano, and guitar as they build, and even the final crescendo — in which the elements can blur together on lesser headphones — stays defined and driving.

For a pop track, Miley Cyrus’ Younger You is a strong test for higher-frequency vocals. The AirPods Max 2 present a detailed, slightly brighter profile, with vocals sitting cleanly front and center before the instrumentation builds around them.

Pretty much any genre sounds great here — and more importantly, everything sounds consistent.

Noise cancellation is improved as well — Apple claims it's up to 1.5x better — and I could hear a difference over the (still impressive) original model. Loud sounds are reduced even further, whether it’s city noise, a crowded cafe, or the hum of an air conditioning system.

It’s not dramatically different at first, but over time you notice just how much quieter your environment becomes. I even tried simulating airplane noise on my speakers at home, and AirPods Max 2 brought it down to a low, manageable hum.

The AirPods Max 2's Transparency mode remains among the best, and now sounds slightly more natural. You don't get the artificial hiss you sometimes hear on other headphones, and it does a convincing job of letting the outside world in.

Adaptive Audio is the real game-changer here

That sets the stage for Adaptive Audio, which blends active noise cancellation and Transparency modes into one smarter option, and it's really the standout addition here. Instead of manually switching modes, Adaptive Audio dynamically balances noise cancellation and audio pass-through in real time.

I wore the AirPods Max 2 out to grab coffee, and they blocked out most background noise while letting in nearby voices just enough to let me stay aware. It feels less like you're toggling settings, and more like the headphones are actively adjusting to your environment. In my testing, Adaptive Audio performs just as well here as it does on the AirPods Pro.

After a quick setup — I just had to hold the AirPods Max 2 near my iPhone — they quickly paired with my Apple Account. From there, it was seamless hopping between devices: iPhone for music and calls, MacBook Pro for meetings, iPad for streaming, then over to Apple TV 4K for late-night watching.

That fast switching feels faster than the old model — nearly instant at times — likely thanks to the H2 chip. It’s a small but meaningful upgrade that makes the whole experience feel more fluid.

Call quality also gets a noticeable boost. Voice Isolation, powered by the H2 chip and working across your connected devices — like an iPhone or Mac — does a better job of keeping your voice clear while reducing background noise. In testing, it made a clear difference, especially in busier environments.

Battery life is unchanged on paper at up to 20 hour. I was able to get through a full workday of meetings, calls, and music or podcast playback, then keep the AirPods Max 2 on for a few TV episodes at night — or while walking the dog — before needing to recharge. Of course, we’ll need to put the Max 2 through more long-term testing.

The AirPods Max 2 might look nearly identical to their predecessor, but after spending a few days with them it’s clear this is the update they needed. The H2 chip unlocks meaningful improvements across sound, noise control, and everyday usability, while Adaptive Audio helps them feel noticeably smarter.

And given Apple’s track record of adding features to AirPods with newer chips, there’s a good chance the Max 2 will continue to evolve over time — just as we’ve seen with Adaptive Audio and other software-driven upgrades like Hearing Health on the AirPods Pro.

If you’ve held onto your original AirPods Max since the launch in 2020, I think the new model makes a strong case for upgrading — especially if you’ve been waiting for better noise control and smarter features. And if you’re jumping in fresh, these are some of the best over-ear headphones I've heard, now with a feature set that better matches the high price.

Over five years since Apple entered the over-ear headphones market, admittedly with a pair that stood out from the rest for a premium build with a hefty price tag, the Cupertino-based tech giant is now ushering in the second generation.

At first glance, you might have a hard time telling the difference, and that's kind of the point. AirPods Max 2 stick with the original iconic design — aluminum and stainless steel parts give these headphones some heft, and they're connected at the top not with a headband but with a mesh canopy that helps distribute weight.

The over-ear form factor is pretty much identical, and the colors are very familiar — it's the same five that debuted when Apple swapped Lightning for USB-C in 2024.

What's changed is everything you can't see: dual H2 chips replacing the original H1s, a new digital amplifier carried over from AirPods Pro 3, and a processing architecture that Apple's own engineers describe as carrying headroom well beyond what ships on day one.

To understand exactly what that means five years on, TechRadar sat down with Apple VP of Platform Architecture Tim Millet and Director of Audio Product Marketing Eric Treski to unpack how AirPods Max 2 is finally catching up to its own ambitions.

Built for the product, not the market

"When we build chips at Apple, it's always about the product. We don't sell chips out in the open market, and this gives our team really the luxury of knowing exactly what they're building for," says Millet.

That's the philosophy that defines AirPods Max 2 — and it's what makes the H2 upgrade more than a spec bump. Rather than dropping in an off-the-shelf component, Apple created a purpose-built audio streaming processor co-designed from the ground up with its acoustics and firmware teams. The goal, as Millet puts it, is to make sure they're "only limited by the physics."

The processing capability that unlocks is significant. Millet relays that his team's view is that "some of the processing we do here is exceeding the kind of compute that you get in a general sense in the Mac — but because we've made it so specific for audio, it's actually deliverable in these tiny form factors."

"We've got giga-operations of floating point implemented in the most energy-efficient possible way," he adds. And crucially, all of it feeds into a single constraint that Millet returns to repeatedly: "It's all about latency. It's hard to trick the human mind when it comes to audio."

ANC without touching the hardware

One of the boldest claims Apple makes for AirPods Max 2 is a 1.5x improvement in active noise cancellation — achieved without changing a single physical component. "Getting those improvements to ANC and especially that 1.5 times more powerful ANC, which of course is a feat in itself, considering we didn't change the actual design of the headphone at all from a form factor or material standpoint," says Treski.

That improvement isn't limited to a specific frequency band either. "We take that average at 1.5 times across an average of all frequencies. We're not cherry-picking individual frequencies or a certain range," he adds. That means AirPods Max 2 should perform better whether it's blocking louder, booming sounds or higher-pitched ones — and that's a high bar, given that the original AirPods Max were no slouches when it came to blocking out sound.

On AirPods Max 2, that gain comes entirely from processing speed and improved algorithms, all running on the H2. "ANC — getting those improvements to 1.5 times without changing the hardware — is incredibly difficult to do. That's all thanks to the compute power and the improved algorithms with H2," says Treski.

The arrival of Apple's newer silicon also brings a breadth of new features to second-generation AirPods Max. Leading that pack is Adaptive Audio, which blends ANC and Transparency together to intelligently block out unimportant sounds while letting important ones through. Think blocking out the background noise of a coffee shop while still hearing someone speak to you, or cutting the roar of an airplane cabin while catching an announcement. It's been one of the standout features on AirPods Pro, and it's a welcome addition to AirPods Max.

Apple needed the headroom and processing power of H2 to make that happen — and it does raise the question of what future software updates might unlock, even if Apple didn't touch on that in our conversation.

Audio quality and the case for personalization

Alongside the H2 upgrade, Apple is bringing over the digital amplifier from AirPods Pro 3 — a quieter change with significant downstream effects.

Treski frames it around distortion and reference accuracy: "It's really about bringing it back to a target — ensuring that we have it with the best fidelity possible with the lower THD. So we have a lot more headroom to sort of play with and gain a lot more clarity."

That headroom feeds directly into Adaptive EQ, which runs continuously and cannot be switched off. "There's no ability to turn off Adaptive EQ essentially... using that microphone and being able to determine what you're supposed to be listening to on that air-correcting mic — a reference mic — and then being able to use Adaptive EQ at 48,000 times a second with the higher range up in the higher frequency. That's really important, especially with ANC, to be able to do this all in real time," says Treski.

The result is a more consistent listening experience across different head shapes, ear fits, and seal quality — effectively standardizing sound for every user rather than relying on a fixed tuning curve.

Personalized Spatial Audio benefits from that consistency, too. Previously, Apple had to tune conservatively because it couldn't account for individual differences. On previous AirPods Max without Personalized Spatial Audio, Apple "had to make one profile for everyone, so we were way more conservative... now we know that we can take more liberties to expand those instruments out more," says Treski.

A platform, not a product cycle

The H2 upgrade also unlocks a raft of features carried over from AirPods Pro 3 — among them Live Translation, which Treski singles out as a personal favorite. It uses beam-forming microphones to isolate a voice directly in front of the wearer rather than the wearer's own: "so challenging to do," he says, "without changing the physical architecture of the microphones."

That same capability should push call quality forward, too, with AirPods Max 2 better able to isolate your voice from surrounding noise. The broader additions — Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Camera Remote, and 5GHz support with Game Mode — all run through the same underlying architecture. The point isn't any single feature. It's that the system can now carry all of them simultaneously.

For Millet, that's the deeper story. "H2 is this platform that continues to demonstrate that it has continued headroom," he says. What AirPods Max 2 ships with today may not be the ceiling of what it eventually does — and that's been a hallmark of AirPods broadly. AirPods Pro have repeatedly expanded their capabilities over time, from Adaptive Audio to the Hearing Health suite to Live Translation.

AirPods Max 2 doesn't try to look like a new generation of headphones. It reflects Apple's broader hardware philosophy: keep the physical design stable — especially one that's well-regarded — and expand the internal system's capabilities to deliver new features.

It's not a redesign. It's a recalibration of what the same shape can now do. And for most people wearing them, that difference will be the point — even if they never see it.

• Panasonic unveils new version of very affordable ErgoFit in-ear buds
• New model ditches 3.5mm for USB-C
• Otherwise, same buds

Panasonic has just announced a new model of its low-priced ErgoFit In-Ear wired earbuds, affordable and colorful in-ears that have been on the market for a few years now, and are design for everything from working out to commuting. The new offerings seem to retain the same drivers and design, but make one crucial change.

Now, the Panasonic ErgoFit can be bought with a USB-C connector, not just with the 3.5mm flavor that the 'original' version used. You can tell the new model by its suffix "(USB-C Compatible)", but otherwise, online listings look similar.

The new earbuds cost $24.99 (about £20, AU$40), a slight increase over the past models which are listed online between $8 and $20. At the moment, they sell in white, black and blue; no bright orange or red or any of the other vibrant colorways which the 3.5mm options come in.

They have a 3.6-foot cable, three in-box ear tip sizes, and playback buttons on the cable.

Who has a headphone jack any more?

This isn't Panasonic's first pair of wired USB-C in-ears, but the reason it's announcing the spin on its popular buds is likely due to the slight comeback wired earbuds seem to be making (in the public eye, at least — I've yet to see any sales figures make such an argument).

While 3.5mm jacks are the traditional connector of personal audio, there's a problem: how many phones have headphone jacks any more? A brief handful each year, and rarely from the big brands. If you want wired audio, you generally need to buy an an adapter, or go USB-C in the first place.

That's why USB-C headphones make sense: you can actually use them on your smartphone (and tablet, laptop, PC; whatever has a USB-C port). It's a sad sign of the times, but USB-C is replacing 4.4mm as the connector of choice for non-audiophiles (and audiophiles probably aren't buying $25 earbuds anyway).

I like my wired audio, but I'll admit that I barely use 3.5mm. Most of the tech I test is Bluetooth, my keyboard/guitar/amp set-up is 6.3mm, and my PC and bookshelf speakers are both (gasp) USB-C. The only 3.5mm device I use with any regularity is a lapel mic, which requires an adapter to use on anything.

Panasonic is, of course, still selling its 3.5mm ErgoFits, and there are still plenty of people still using this kind of connector. Laptops and the best portable music players still use them, and not all laptops and PCs have USB-C (or, at least, ports to spare). But increasingly, we'll see new releases among the best wired earbuds using USB-C, at least as an option.

Just over three years ago, I decided to switch to one of the best headphones and close the book on my time with earbuds — and it was one of the best things I’ve done.

Since then, I have been married to my Sony WH1000XM5 headphones; they’re a comfy and reliable way to get my audio fix for when I’m sitting at my desk, commuting, at the gym, or just lying in bed making a new Spotify playlist. But despite my love for them, I started to miss the convenience of the best earbuds, so out of my own curiosity, I made the switch.

I opted for the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless earbuds and the Meze Audio Alba wired earbuds, and overall, it was as though I never stopped using them. There are quite a few things I’ve missed about using earbuds, mainly the convenience factor, but my experience also reminded me why I swapped to headphones all those years ago.

3 Things I’ve missed:

Portability and size

While headphones are great for the comfort factor, lugging them around requires effort and takes up a lot of space. Though models like the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have folding ear pads to make them more travel-friendly, they can still take up a lot of room. But regardless, my Sony WH-1000XM5s don’t have this perk, making it even more difficult.

Using both wired and wireless earbuds removed this setback, and it was arguably my favorite part about switching back. I forgot how nice and easy it is to keep your charging case in your pocket — a simple pleasure I didn’t know I missed.

Not constantly charging them

Although both wireless earbuds and headphones require charging, I found that earbuds didn’t need as much juice as headphones, and having a charging case on hand is a lot easier than carrying around a plug and lead to charge your headphones.

Also, leaving the house with my headphones on low battery is one of the worst things, especially if you have a long train journey ahead of you. Earbuds are simpler; if they’re dying on you, all you have to do is pop them in the charging case for a bit, and they’ll be good to use. Even if the case is starting to run low, you can still get one last kick out of it before you need to put the whole thing back on to charge. Plus, wired earbuds don't need any charging at all.

The nostalgia of wired earbuds

It’s more of an aesthetic feature rather than a technical feature, but wired earbuds are just cool to look at and make any outfit look better. That aside, wired earbuds take me back to the days when I first started using analog music devices. My first Apple product was the iPod Nano 5, and using wired earbuds is desperately making me want to resurrect it.

3 Things I haven’t missed:

Sensitivity issues

This mainly applies to wireless earbuds. More often than not, I found myself having to keep pushing the earbuds back in, which in itself was another downside, but it also triggered a lot of unwanted pausing and audio setting alterations. I experienced this quite a bit with my old pair of AirPods, too, which was one of the reasons I wanted to make the switch to headphones.

Discomfort after long periods of time

For the most part, both types of earbuds felt comfortable whether I was commuting, using them at the gym, or even sitting still. But this would wear off after longer periods of time, causing quite the discomfort in my ear canal. This was when I found myself reverting to the soft, pillowy support of headphones, which fit perfectly over my ears.

Taking my phone with me everywhere

This one is for wired earbuds, and while they’re a better option for reaping the benefits of things like Spotify Lossless, it means you must have your phone on you at all times when using them. With wireless earbuds and headphones, I like being able to walk around freely — and I kept having to remind myself that I couldn’t do this with wired earbuds.

I watch quite a bit of YouTube when I cook, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I nearly yanked my phone off the kitchen counter when waltzing between the stove, fridge, and sink.

Wired earbuds are trending again. Almost every time I’m out and about, I see more people rocking wires and keeping it old school. Is this a result of the matcha-drinking, tote bag-carrying, vintage shoe-wearing individuals — often referred to as performative males — bringing wired earbuds back into the mainstream? Is it because people long for the days before lossy Bluetooth audio? Is it because we're finally tiring of wireless device-specific ecosystems? Who knows.

But one thing I do know is that wired earbuds can offer amazing compression-free sound and top-tier reliability — often for a smaller cost than their Bluetooth-equipped counterparts. And recently, I managed to test a pair of wired buds that really blew me away.

I’m talking here about the Sennheiser CX 80U. Released in 2026, they're a pair of USB-C earbuds that you can easily slot into your phone’s charging port for lossless audio on the go. They’re cheap, but seriously talented, and I couldn’t recommend them enough — they’re probably the best value earbuds on the market right now, if we’re talking about the best wired earbuds. So here’s why I’d choose the CX 80U over the competition.

A whole lot of bang, and for not many bucks

I’ve tested a whole lot of wired earbuds and IEMs, but few have felt like a better value buy than the Sennheiser CX 80U. They come in at just $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), meaning they’re firmly in the budget category with rivals like the Skullcandy Set USB-C and SoundMagic E80D. And they offer much more than you’d usually expect at that price point.

When testing these buds, I was primarily surprised by just how good they sounded. They handled just about every genre I threw at them with ease, offering balanced, detailed, and well-rounded sound at all times. For instance, when tuning into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was impressed by the intent-filled, clean bass, which was fantastically weighted against vibrant yet controlled high-pitched percussion. At the same time, mid-range sounds — including piano and vocal chops — were tonally accurate, clear, and never got muddied in the mix.

As talented as they are across the frequency range, the CX 80U’s handling of treble sounds was a real standout, though. Whether its rapid hi-hats or dramatic strings, treble sounds are almost given a defined pocket to operate in — and that added space gives them a highly expressive quality that I couldn’t get enough of.

OK, as these are budget buds, you’re not going to get the vocal separation of more premium models, like the Sennheiser IE 200, and you won’t get the rippling sub-bass of their even pricier sibling, the Sennheiser IE 600, but you’re still getting awesome audio for the price.

Bottom line: if you want punchy bass, rich mids, and vibrant treble, but you don’t want to splash all too much cash, then the Sennheiser CX 80U have you covered.

But wait... there's more?

The Sennheiser CX 80U may have won me over with their sound, but I found a whole lot more to love about them.

For instance, the buds come with a range of different-sized eartips, which you can swap out to find your perfect fit. I went with the medium size, and found that the in-ear seal provided genuinely strong passive noise isolation. When colleagues started chatting in my office, I could barely hear a word they were saying at 70% volume. What’s more, sounds of keyboards clacking and doors closing were subdued to great effect.

Of course, you’re not going to get the noise-crushing abilities of ANC — found on earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen or Apple AirPods Pro 3 — but passive noise isolation remains impressive on Sennheiser’s buds.

On top of this, I’m a big fan of the CX 80U’s design. They have a classy, almost premium look, with small rounded buds, metallic detailing, and slim wires. They also come with a lightweight feel, a built-in mic, and playback controls. Not bad for less than $40 / £35, is it?

• Spigen has designed a new case for Apple’s AirPods Pro 3
• It’s inspired by the classic Macintosh mouse from the 1980s
• It comes as Apple prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary

April 1 isn’t just April Fool’s Day – it also marks 50 years since Apple was founded. The company is planning its own slate of celebrations, but case maker Spigen just provided an ingenious way for hardcore Apple fans to mark the occasion, without having to spend a fortune.

Spigen is best known for making cases for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and other Apple products. Its latest effort is way out of left field, however, as it takes the form of an AirPods Pro 3 case that’s shaped almost exactly like the mouse that came with classic Macintosh computers made in the 1980s.

Dubbed the Classic LS (available for $25 / £26 from Amazon), Spigen’s AirPods Pro 3 case uses the familiar beige color scheme – known as “Platinum” – that Apple products adopted during the 1980s and 1990s. What appears to be a mouse button is actually a latch that keeps the case’s lid secured, while a lanyard gives the appearance of a mouse cord.

It uses the chunky, ridged design of old-school Apple pointers, while there’s a charging indicator light on the top and a cutout for the AirPods Pro case’s charging port and speaker on the bottom. It’s also compatible with wireless chargers and features protective bumpers on the inside.

All in all, it looks like a pretty convincing replica of a classic Apple peripheral from way back when, with Spigen saying it’s designed to bring “a touch of computing history to your everyday carry.” Spigen has even designed some retro-flavored marketing materials to go alongside the device, completing the look.

If that's all a bit too over-engineered for your tastes, Spigen also launched the Classic LS Card Holder (above). It has a strong magnet to help it attach to MagSafe devices (it's compatible with the iPhone 12 onwards) and has space for three cards.

As you can see, it was inspired by the Macintosh 128K and has a floppy disk-style flourish, plus some vintage keyboard details. It also has more than a touch of Severance about it. You can buy it now for $30 / £23 from Amazon.

Apple’s celebrations

With Apple’s 50th anniversary just around the corner, Tim Cook’s firm is gearing up to celebrate.

The company has already announced that it will “celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, recognizing the creativity, innovation, and impact that people around the world have made possible with Apple technology.” One way that’s happened so far is through a concert performed by Alicia Keys at the Apple Grand Central store in New York City on March 13.

Events like this are ephemeral, of course, and while Spigen’s AirPods Pro 3 case is not specifically designed for Apple’s 50th anniversary, it is a more permanent product that can remind users of Apple’s history and stick around a lot longer than a concert.

The Spigen Classic LS case can be bought on Spigen’s website or on Amazon. With Apple seemingly going all out to commemorate its 50th birthday, don’t be surprised to see other accessory makers release their own products in time for the occasion.

The thing with big sales events is, they never last. But don't fret because right now, you've got precisely one afternoon/evening left to snap up a deal!

• View the full Amazon Spring Deal Days sale

And the best snap up now, no-brainer deal I've seen as TechRadar's audio editor? That would be the excellent, five-star, June 2025-issue stemmed earbuds from Cambridge. They're excellent, they're barely eight months old and they sound so good for this money, it shouldn't be allowed.

They're called the Melomania A100 and right now, their £119 asking fee has been utterly slashed to just £78.99 at Amazon.

What I'm saying is, audiophiles on a tight budget need these. You won't regret it; honestly, you have my word. If you've wanted to dip into affordable wireless listening but don't want to spend loads or sacrifice too much sound quality, this is the way.

Not looking for earbuds but do want to sniff out a last-minute Spring Deal Days saving? That's OK, we know time is of the essence — head to our Amazon Spring Deal Days live hub for all the best last-minute deals.

Today's best cheap audiophile-grade earbuds deal

Our glowing, five-star Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds review reads thus, as a verdict:

"It’s not every day that a product priced to compete squarely in the mainstream arrives with so few apparent compromises — but today’s that day and the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 is that product. In every respect (build quality, specification and, especially, performance) these earbuds outperform their asking price to a remarkable degree. Highly recommended."

When you consider that the aforementioned asking price has now dropped to just £78.99 (from a £119 RRP) you can see why I'm trying so hard not to let these buds pass you by.

Yes, they're fairly subdued in terms of looks; positively demure, even. But the sound quality and stellar battery life — you get up to 11 hours from the buds, or 29 from the case, which beats almost any rival you can think of including those ice-white options — plus the effective noise cancellation make the A100 so easy to recommend.

You're also getting high specification (Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC and aptX Lossless codec compatibility, Class AB amplification, 10mm Neodymium dynamic drivers) that you’d be glad to see on a product costing three times as much.

Did I mention the slick companion app, ergonomic secure fit, and the six-mic array for solid call-handling as well as cocoon-like ANC?

I'm sure you get it now — for £78.99, I love these earbuds.

While I'm here, I'll also mention the Nothing Ear (a) which are even cheaper (see the deal below). However, if sound quality really is your top priority and you've got the money for the slightly more expensive set, the Cambridge Melomania A100 are still the buds I'll nudge you towards…

An even cheaper Spring Deal Days last-minute earbuds deal… 

More of today's best Amazon Spring Deal Days deals

• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Blink & Echo from £13.99
• Apple: AirPods & Apple Watch from £139
• Appliances: up to 30% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Clothing: up to 50% off Sketchers & Crocs
• Essentials: from £5
• Gaming: up to 50% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Sony & Shokz from £59
• Health & Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Laptops: from £149.99
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• Smartwatches: Apple, Samsung & Huawei from £99
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• Toys: up to 30% off Lego
• TVs: from £139.99
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• Cleer Arc 5 have been unveiled
• Premium open earbuds with sports loop
• Offer Dolby Atmos and THX Spatial Audio

I was under the impression that the best open earbuds were designed for sports users, but I must have missed a memo. The Cleer Arc 5 have just been unveiled, and they're aimed at a very different market.

These new earbuds, unveiled only four months after the Arc 4, are undoubtedly premium buds; they cost $219.99 (about £170, AU$340), and to my mind only the $299 / £299 / AU$449.95 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds cost more — although the 2026-launch Shokz OpenFit Pro are roughly the same price as these new Cleer buds (and also offer spatial audio support, albeit not the THX-certified kind).

From a glance at the specs list, there's a lot to like from Cleer here. The buds have 16.2mm drivers, up to 12 hours of stamina in the buds (up to 60 with the case), support for a wide range of wireless codecs — LDAC, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless —and a case with a built-in touch screen. But it doesn't seem like that's all.

The name of the Cleer Arc 5 game is, according to the company, that special kind of spatial audio. Not only are the earbuds optimized for Dolby Atmos, but they're certified for THX Spatial Audio too, using head tracking. As far as I can recall, that's brand-new for open earbuds (the aforementioned Shokz set can do head-tracked immersive audio, but they don't come with the THX badge of approval).

Traces of spatial audio

Spatial audio tools like Dolby Atmos and THX aren't just useful for movies or gaming; they help build on the soundstage of your music. It's a feature popular with some (though not all) audiophiles, since it can bridge the gap between affordable and high-end kit.

But you know what's not so popular among audiophiles? Open earbuds. This form factor is useful for safety when you're in busy public areas, but the nature of the beast is typically that the audio quality suffers.

In this kind of earbud, the driver is held a little further away from your ear — there is no seal created betwixt ear canal and ear-tip to maximise the sound wave's journey from driver to ear drum. Surrounding sound gets in, and detail, definition and impact (particularly through the bass) are lost as a result. Even the best open earbuds usually struggle with audio quality, compared to budget in-ears.

So it feels like an odd choice for Cleer to be offering fancy codec support and features within open earbuds, since you may not really get to appreciate them owing to their physical design.

Despite features like Dynamic Bass Enhancement, which could go some way toward fixing this problem, I'd still be surprised if you can really appreciate spatial audio when noisy traffic is zooming and honking all around you.

I bet they'll sound fantastic when you're somewhere quiet, though: the specs list puts them above and beyond most alternatives I've tested recently.

I've been proven wrong about open earbuds in the past, and hopefully I will be again. Otherwise, it's going to be hard to justify the meaty price tag on open earbuds you can't appreciate…

• Skullcandy announces Push 540 Open
• Open earbuds with detachable neckband
• On sale now for $99.99 / £79.99 (about AU$160).

I've long been a fan of Skullcandy's workout headphones — I trained for my first half marathon with a pair of the company's wired sports earbuds and my old iPod Classic, and recently tested the Skullcandy Crusher 540 over-ears. So it's natural that my eyes would be drawn to a new pair from the likeable audio firm.

The brand has announced the new Push 540 Open, which are on sale already for $99.99 / £79.99 (about AU$160). They join its Push line of hook-toting fitness buds, including the Push ANC Active or Push Play Active (getting 'Live, Laugh, Love' vibes with that model name).

They're ostensibly open earbuds, but with a catch: the box includes an optional neckband, which clips to the earbuds and goes around your neck. This is to add some extra stability if you're stomping up or down muddy mountains, or doing some dirt biking.

Honest-to-goodness neckband earbuds! It's been ages since I've seen buds like this; it feels like tech advances all but killed them off, and I haven't used a pair since the Huawei FreeLace in 2019. Presumably, though, there's still an audience for this kind of gadget — especially with the wired revival and the continuing digital detox in audio especially.

Your new workout bud-dy

So what else are we looking at with the Skullcandy Push 540 Open?

The battery life is promising, at 10 hours per bud and 42 hours in the case, with naturally no ANC to sap that juice.

The driver is a 12mm guy, possibly the same as we saw in the recent Skullcandy Method 540, which marked an odd departure for the bass-loving brand. I think a reverse-face would do well in the Push 540: this kind of headphone often struggles with bass, and if anyone can make open earbuds work, it'd be Skullcandy.

Not a 'spec' per se, but the design clearly shows a two-part body of the bud, with a separate driver hanging down. It's hard to say for sure, but I imagine this is pretty good for in-ear stability.

On the cons side? The case looks pretty big. That used to be a given for open earbuds, but we've seen some brands make slim ones recently — and if you need that, the Honor Earbuds Open tote one of the most svelte charging boxes yet.

We haven't tested the Push 540 Open, so it's impossible to say just how good they are. I don't imagine they'll compete with our top-tier Shokz OpenFit 2+, because they're half the price, but they could be a great budget option for sports fans who need something open and bassy to get through their next big outdoor challenge.

I'll come straight to the point: even at their launch price of £99, I knew the Nothing Ear (a) earbuds were a five-star product. Testing headphones and earbuds is literally my job, and this set knocked it out the park.

And this Amazon Spring Deal Days price drop makes them an absolute no-brainer — because it makes them available at half that asking fee!

Right now they're only £49.99 in the UK (was £99) at Amazon, and I've never seen their asking fee dip below £59 before now, so this is huge.

• Shop Amazon's full Spring Deal Days sale

And the good news keeps on rolling, because the deal applies to the black, white and even my favourite yellow finish, and that's not something I usually see – hurrah!

Why pick them up today? Because despite the arrival of the newer Nothing Ear (3), these much cheaper earbuds are still where the smart money goes, in my opinion. They launched in April 2024, which is the only reason they've recently been knocked off the top spot in my guide to the best budget earbuds you can buy. But you can always read my full Nothing Ear (a) review for my more comprehensive verdict on why they're still a great set of earbuds.

Not after earbuds today? That's OK, see our regularly-updated Spring Deal Days live blog for every deal worthy of your attention.

Today's best Amazon Spring Deal Days cheap earbuds deal

If you're not too familiar with the Ear (a) or just can't make sense of Nothing's confusing naming strategies, the Ear (a) are a more affordable version of the firm's impressive Nothing Ear wireless earbuds (which launched at the same time, in summer 2024) and have since been superseded by the still-great-but-much-more-expensive Nothing Ear (3).

Nothing recently told me that the '(a)' suffix denotes a product from its mid-range lineup in 2026 (rather than something 'Pro' or from its budget CMF by Nothing sub-brand), but the current pricing of the Nothing Ear (a) is hardly mid-range money… 

And while Nothing's newer flagship buds are good, I still think the Ear (a) are the better buy in 2026: to prove it, I gave Ear (3) four stars under intense review but awarded the Ear (a) buds the full five stars.

While I'm here, there are a few other cheap earbuds deals I spotted while having a looksie, in case they'd suit you more. Enjoy — and happy shopping!

More Amazon Spring Deal Days earbuds savings

More of today's best Amazon Spring Deal Days deals

• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Blink & Echo from £13.99
• Apple: AirPods & Apple Watch from £139
• Appliances: up to 30% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Clothing: up to 50% off Sketchers & Crocs
• Essentials: from £5
• Gaming: up to 50% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Sony & Shokz from £59
• Health & Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Smart home: up to 50% off cameras & doorbells
• Smartwatches: Apple, Samsung & Huawei from £99
• Tablets: Fire & Galaxy Tabs from £59.99
• Toys: up to 30% off Lego
• TVs: from £139.99
• Vacuums: up to 30% off Shark & Vax

It's time, friend. You know your music could sound better, in fact you've known for a while — maybe you even treated yourself to a better streaming service plan for 2026? Now, you just need the right hardware.

• Shop Amazon's full Spring Deal Days sale

And the good news is, thanks to Amazon's Spring Sales I'm seeing a lot of audiophile-grade products slashed in price, including the lowest ever price on the Activo Volcano in-ear monitors – was £99, now £69 (Save £30 / 30%) and Astell&Kern's superb CA1000T digital audio player system — was £2,299, now just £599. Yes, a massive 74% off and a new lowest-seen price there too.

If you want more on the products listed here, our in-depth Activo Volcano review can help, as can our Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon verdict (note that these are now half-price in the deals extravaganza).

Then, there's our five-star review of the Activo P1 hi-res audio player. The DAP is usually £399 on its own, but is now in not one but two bundle deals that effectively make the excellent Activo Q1 IEMs free if you got for the premium bundle, (or £100 cheaper than the RRP even with IEMs if you go for the starter pack!) — and it's impossible to know for sure how long these savings will last.

Want open-back over ears? Philips Fidelio X2HR are now a huge 53% off, which brings their sale price right down to just £67.39 (from a suggested retail price of £143.99) which is a deal not seen since they dipped to this fee ever so briefly over Black Friday, late last year. And that's hardly audiophile money, is it?

The best portable hi-fi deals I've seen in Amazon's Spring Sales

More of today's best Amazon Spring Deal Days deals

• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Blink & Echo from £13.99
• Apple: AirPods & Apple Watch from £139
• Appliances: up to 30% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Clothing: up to 50% off Sketchers & Crocs
• Essentials: from £5
• Gaming: up to 50% off PS5 & Switch games
• Headphones: Sony & Shokz from £59
• Health & Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Smart home: up to 50% off cameras & doorbells
• Smartwatches: Apple, Samsung & Huawei from £99
• Tablets: Fire & Galaxy Tabs from £59.99
• Toys: up to 30% off Lego
• TVs: from £139.99
• Vacuums: up to 30% off Shark & Vax

Sennheiser CX 80U: review

Recently, one of my esteemed colleagues shared a brand new term with me: “friction-maxxing”. The term – coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton – concerns the practice of rejecting modern digital conveniences, and building tolerance for discomfort while resisting the temptations of technological ease. I assure you, all of this is relevant to my verdict on the retro-feel Sennheiser CX-80U wired earbuds — just stay with me a little longer.

So, all of this friction-maxxing talk got me thinking about tech and its role in our lives. Previously, we’d head to a Blockbuster or a local library to hunt down a movie we want to see, whereas we now bear witness to an unending wall of films on Netflix. Once we would have gone to a record store or entertainment outlet, and purchased a new vinyl pressing or CD, but now we just stream tunes via Spotify. And we used to queue up outside video game stores eagerly awaiting a new release, while now, you can pre-order a title from a digital store instantaneously.

We’ve taken so many inconveniences away, but has it come at the expense of the human experiences that stick with us forever? Maybe. But all is not lost. We can still bring some friction back into our lives. For instance, Sennheiser is here, and it’s plugging the wires back into your earbuds, and transporting you away from the ultra-convenient Bluetooth earbuds that dominate today’s market. Yes, I present to you, the Sennheiser CX 80U – a budget-friendly pair of USB-C in-ear headphones, aiming to compete with the best wired earbuds in their price bracket.

The Sennheiser CX 80U are a USB-C adaption of 2021’s Sennheiser CX 80S – essentially the same buds, but ones that use a 3.5mm connector. Like the CX 80S, Sennheiser’s new earbuds use 9.7mm dynamic drivers, with a frequency range of 17Hz-20kHz. The result? Clear full range sound, with powerful bass, clean mids, and vibrant treble. Given that they’re on sale for less than $40 / £35, I was really impressed with the sonic capabilities of these buds and, after two weeks of testing, I’d argue that they’re among the best I’ve tried in the budget category.

When I tuned into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was treated to full-sounding, impactful bass and exciting yet controlled percussion in the treble range. Piano and vocal chops came through with plenty of clarity in the mids too, and as the track built, the individual layers never got muddied or convoluted.

I was especially pleased with the sense of space that treble sounds have. Highs often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving them plenty of room to express themselves. For me, this created a great sense of immersion in my tunes, something that many budget rivals fail to offer. Even at peak volumes, the CX 80U’s treble never sounded harsh or tinny, and solid dynamics were maintained at all times.

As a regular user of the Sennheiser IE 200, I like the way that Sennheiser approaches the low-end on its more budget-friendly products. It never feels like bass is bloated or over-emphasized for an attention grabbing, but unbalanced sound. Instead, products like the IE 200 favor an agile, clear interpretation of low-end sounds – a punchy sound, rather than an untamed one. And it’s a very similar story on the CX 80U.

These wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges. For instance, when I tuned into Fascinator by Max Dean, although the sub-bass was a little subdued, mid-bass sounds were rapid and full-sounding, never sounding lethargic or ‘boomy’.

It would be rude not to give the mids a bit of airtime too, so let’s discuss them for a bit. Now, I’ll be upfront, I don’t think you’re getting the most nuanced or detail-oriented mids around with these earbuds. However, they certainly sound clear, and well balanced and very robust for buds in this price-range.

For instance, when I listened to Ventura Highway by America, acoustic guitars in the intro came through with beautiful tonal accuracy, and sounded surprisingly expressive too. But as vocals entered the mix, I couldn’t help but realize that they didn’t sound perfectly separated from those guitars, and lacked the definition in the mix supplied by pricier rivals. This really is a nitpick, though. These budget-friendly buds sound absolutely fantastic, and I’d never expect them to compete with $100 / £100 models.

I’ve spoken about sound pretty extensively now, so let’s talk about something else that will affect your enjoyment of these buds – their comfort. Now, I have to say that I found the CX 80U to feel very pleasant in-ear. I happily engaged in multi-hour listening sessions, and never experienced discomfort or irritation. For reference, I used the medium-sized eartips, although small and large alternatives are included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.

And getting that ideal seal will be pretty important if you want to enjoy the CX 80U at their best. With the right fit, I didn’t only unlock high-level comfort, but surprisingly strong passive noise isolation. When people were chattering away in my office, I genuinely couldn’t hear a word they were saying at around 70% listening volume. On top of that, typing sounds and doors closing barely broke through at all.

That’s pretty amazing when you consider that the CX 80U don’t use fancy foam eartips or any particularly advanced technologies to keep noise out. Sure, they won’t stop you from hearing surrounding traffic or the rumble of a jet engine if you’re taking a flight, but they’ll still dampen surrounding clamors nicely, and that in itself is a major plus.

Sennheiser’s in-ears are well designed in just about every other way too. For instance, I love their classy look, which is marked by rounded buds, attractive silver details, and slim wires. There’s an in-line controller here too, which isn’t too close to the face or too far down, and is attached to the right bud, so you know which side is which.

But unfortunately, the controller seems to house just about every issue I have with the Sennheiser CX 80U – even though my critiques are few and far between. First of all, I was puzzled by the lack of volume controls. There’s a single button that can be used to pause or play tracks or take calls, but that’s all. That meant that whenever I wanted to change volume, I had to pull my phone out – not ideal when you’re on the go.

My second point of criticism – which is admittedly pretty minor – concerns the controller’s built-in mic. I tried recording a voice note, and realized that there was noticeable background static in the recording throughout. My voice was decently clear, in fairness, and the mic isn’t bad overall, but it won’t provide the best call quality around.

But that’s about where my complaints end. Sure, it would be nice if the CX 80U had an IPX4 rating for some protection against raindrops, for instance, but it’s pretty common for buds in this price range to leave waterproofing out.

Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about the Sennheiser CX 80U. They sound spectacular for their sub-$40 / £35 price-tag, they’ve got a classy look, and their adoption of USB-C makes them a great fit for modern smartphones and laptops. If you want to bring some friction back into your life with a budget-friendly pair of wired buds, the CX 80U would be my top recommendation.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: price and release date

• $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57)
• Launched in January 2026

The Sennheiser CX 80U were announced in January 2026, alongside the Sennheiser HD 400U USB-C wired headphones. They have a list price of $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$57), planting them firmly in the budget category. They’re available in a single black and silver colorway.

Sennheiser CX 80U review: specs

Should I buy the Sennheiser CX 80U?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Sennheiser CX 80U review: also consider

How I tested the Sennheiser CX 80U

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in the office and while out and about
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I spent two weeks testing the Sennheiser CX 80U, and took them with me just about everywhere I went. I tested them at home, at the office, and even on walks, to really grasp their noise isolation capabilities.

Although I used them for streaming the odd bit of video, I predominantly used the CX 80U for music listening. When playing tunes, I predominantly used Tidal, and had them connected up to the Nothing Phone (4a). To begin with, I made sure to run through our TechRadar testing playlist, which features tunes from a wide array of genres. However, I also made sure to tap into some tracks from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent two years reviewing gadgets here at TechRadar, and audio gear is a key focus of mine. I’ve reviewed a lot of wired earbuds like the Master & Dynamic ME05 and the JBL Tune 310C, but I’ve also tested IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 200 and IE 600. On top of that, I’ve gone hands on with some of the best noise cancelling headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q800F, and Bluetooth speakers like the Marshall Kilburn III.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: March 2026

• Asus has launched the ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds
• They cost $229.99 / £174.99 and boast an open design
• The brand advertises them as "perfect" for gaming and fitness

Asus has launched a new pair of gaming earbuds, the ROG Cetra Open Wireless. They're the first open gaming earbuds from a major hardware brand and are billed as "perfect for gaming, music, and active lifestyles."

Open (or open-ear) earbuds are a relatively recent creation that have become increasingly popular in the last few years thanks to popular models from big audio brands like Bose and JBL. They hook around your ears with drivers that sit a few millimetres further away than regular in-ear earbuds, which usually fully seal the ear canal using a silicone tip.

This leaves your ear open, allowing for almost complete situational awareness and massively reducing fatigue. They're very comfortable to wear, and the ability to hear outside sounds like traffic makes them a good pick for outdoor sport and fitness.

They're not without some compromises though. The lack of a seal inevitably means that the ability to produce bass takes a massive hit and (although a few models like the Honor Earbuds Open do offer some form of active noise cancellation) the fact they let in so much sound can be a double edged sword if you want an immersive listening experience in a loud environment.

That's why it's so surprising to see a model geared towards gaming, a market where strong noise cancellation is the norm.

A good fit?

The Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless boast 14.2mm diamond-like carbon coated drivers and support for the brand's 2.4GHz ROG SpeedNova technology via an included wireless dongle.

Bluetooth is offered as well, with dual-mode connectivity for seamless platform switching. Each earbud has a physical button on it, which Asus says will keep them fully responsive in the rain or "intense workouts." An included detachable neck strap even helps keep them in place while you're running.

The idea of a product that's geared towards both gaming and fitness is certainly unusual, and there don't actually seem to be that many gaming-specific features here.

Four microphones are built-in for chatting and there's customizable RGB lighting, of course, with an illuminated ROG logo on each bud. New browser-based Gear Link software that allows you to up the bass via a Phantom Bass setting or enable a more immersive sound mode but that seems to be your lot.

With battery life of roughly 16 hours, with an additional 48 hours in the charging case, you do at least get much more listening time than cheap non-gaming alternatives like the Huawei FreeArc.

The $229.99 / £174.99 asking price, right up there with the cost of some of the best wireless gaming headsets and substantially more than most of the best gaming earbuds, is definitely a tall order and I'm curious to see whether the benefits of an open design are enough to convince gamers to splash out.

Ever since I tested the OneOdio Studio Max 1 in early 2025, they've filled a useful niche in my headphone line-up, as they've become my go-to pair for when I'm using my guitar amp or keyboard to practise music. They're easy-to-use, cheap and versatile.

• Shop more headphones deals in Amazon's early deals

But an even cheaper option is here: the OneOdio Studio Wireless Pro C are currently on sale down to just £35.69 (was £41.99), a very limited-time saving of 15% from their usual cost. Just note, the discount is only on the black option — and at the time of writing the price cut will only be live on the site for 11 more hours. Quick!

Today's best OneOdio Studio Wireless Pro C deal

The OneOdio Studio Wireless Pro C appear like quite bulky, "Leave me alone I'm wearing cans" headphones, but they also hide a 110-hour battery life and large 50mm driver, so I'm not judging. For this money, those are serious specs.

They also allow for a wired 3.5mm connection, not something all budget headphones offer, and like the Studio Max this connection has a locking mechanism so it's less likely to fall out... even if you're wandering around your room and strumming along to Feeder, as I frequently am.

I like the OneOdio Studio Max not just because of the connection, but because of the fit: they're nice and comfy, so my fingers tend to get achey before my head does. They fold up well too, so I can easily store them behind my amp or on my keyboard's frame. And the battery life is always great, so I'm incredibly rarely plugging 'em in for charging.

OneOdio is quite good at these affordable headphones for music-makers. They fit a small but handy niche, so it's easy to recommend the Wireless Pro C if, like me, you're something of a muso. I personally like the more premium options for their 6.35mm port, missing in the Pro C, but I don't imagine everyone needs this chunkier jack.

A few members from the company's standard range are discounted, with the OneOdio A10 also down to £69.99, as are some other Studio options like the £27.99 wired options (which has a 6.35mm port as well as a 3.5mm one). I'll list the best deals I've seen below this.

Happy deals shopping — and don't forget to practise!

Samsung unveiled both its entry-level and flagship earbuds, namely the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro, at its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2026. So what’s new — I mean, aside from the price difference of $179 / £159 / AU$299 for the Buds4 Pro, versus $249 / £199 / AU$399 for the Buds4?

That's what we're here to get to the bottom of.

As luck would have it, we got an early hands-on with the Buds4 Pro, and straight away, the new clamshell case is a winner over the older model (although one of the team found it a little slippery to grasp), as is the updated ‘blade’ stem on the buds. Blade light? No more. Color-coded buds so you can tell at a glance which side of the case to put ‘em back in? Also gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system that prevents you from using third-party tips and makes them extremely hard to remove? Sadly, not gone…

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?

Galaxy Buds 4 Pro versus Galaxy Buds 4: what you need to know

It's important to say right from the get-go that this is a specs, stats, prices, and features versus, not an in-depth appraisal of the sound-per-pound value. That is because at the time of writing, we're only one day post-launch and we've yet to publish full reviews of the Galaxy Buds 4 or the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro — although those are coming.

But without further ado, these are the stats you need…

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 vs Buds 4 Pro, key early takeaways

From the table above, a few key pieces of information stand out to me. While the Buds 4 Pro earpiece is slightly heavier than the Buds 4, that's likely down to the ear-tip you'll need to use (Samsung tells us the weight was taken using medium-sized ear-tips). The Buds 4 are an open-fit style bud, which doesn't require a tip.

And while my colleague Tom Bedford liked the design of the Buds 4 Pro, he was dismayed to see that the issue he experienced with the tips of the Buds 3 Pro — namely that they're very hard to change, and easy to break when you try — hasn't been fixed.

The Buds 4 Pro's case is slightly lighter, but your quoted battery (life in terms of what you can expect from the buds and juice in the case) improves by one hour if you opt for the Pro set. Personally, that's a key stat for me – 5 hours with ANC on isn't long at all in 2026, so I'll pay the surcharge for an extra hour in the Buds 4 Pro. Still, when Apple's AirPods Pro 3 can offer up to 8 hours of listening time (with ANC enabled) on a single charge, a 2-hour improvement over the Pro 2, it's still not a great figure to see on the Buds 4 Pro's spec sheet.

Interestingly, your connectivity, codec support, and sensor are the same across both models, but the dual-driver array in the Buds 4 Pro is a solid step up from the solo driver in the Buds 4.

Also, you get special "Voice" and "Siren" tech in the flagship Buds Pro 4 set. The former means the earbuds can automatically recognize your voice and boost the ambient sound to enhance clarity when your conversation begins, then increase ANC to block out background noise when your quick chat ends. The latter? This perk boosts ambient sound to ensure users can hear crucial alerts such as alarms, emergency vehicles' sirens, and the like.

Again, check back for our full reviews soon, but as we said in our early appraisal, my colleague Hamish Hector thinks you really only need to be considering the Buds 4 Pro.

Just like that, Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026 is over and done – and the first big smartphone launch of the year was a pretty substantial one for the classic candy-bar Galaxy S lineup. In fact, it's arguably now 'advantage, Samsung' in its great battle with Apple and Google.

As rumors and reports had predicted, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26. The star, as many guessed, was the S26 Ultra, featuring a new and unique Privacy Display that can intelligently block sections of — or the entire — display from off-angle viewing. I have a feeling this will make folks with an iPhone, and really any other phone, pretty jealous.

There’s a new Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, specially designed for Galaxy devices across the board, promising fast, snappy performance and plenty of runway for complex AI tasks. Galaxy AI was a big topic, with Samsung taking a broad approach as it continues partnering with Google for many features – for example, Circle to Search and new Gemini integrations – while also working more closely with Perplexity.

So, to catch you up on all the major news from Samsung’s February 25, 2026, Galaxy Unpacked, here are the top headlines from the event.

1. Samsung’s Privacy Display is very neat, but exclusive to the S26 Ultra

Sure, you can add a privacy screen protector from the likes of Zagg, Belkin, or OtterBox to almost any popular smartphone, but Samsung has essentially eliminated the need for the accessory on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Baked into the AMOLED display is a new way to block off-angle viewing down to the individual pixel, effectively acting like an on-demand privacy screen when you need it — whether for the entire display or specific areas.

You can also set it to activate automatically for certain apps, like banking or messaging. What I really like, though, is how useful it is when you’re tightly packed on a train or in an elevator — you can get your privacy back in a really simple way.

2. Bixby is getting a bit smarter thanks to Perplexity AI

Now, Samsung has taken a not-walled-garden approach to Galaxy AI across its smartphones. There are some experiences built in-house, like Now Brief, but the company has also worked with behemoths like Google to integrate and launch features – at times even before Pixel devices got them – on Galaxy first. Circle to Search is a good example, and it has proven helpful for Galaxy owners.

For 2026 and the Galaxy S26 lineup, though, Samsung is working with Perplexity and has actually built its Sonar API into the framework level of the software powering these three smartphones. Bixby has been alright, but it should become far more useful beyond simply changing device settings, as Perplexity will power the topical question-answering portion.

Either way, this speaks to Samsung continuing to work with partners to offer a full suite of AI features for its Galaxy smartphones, while giving you the power of choice over which ones you want to enable.

3. Galaxy S26 Ultra — iterative but great

Roland Moore-Colyer went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and while he felt it was probably the most iterative phone Samsung has made in some time, it’s still building on a winning formula.

There are slightly brighter cameras, a more rounded design, better AI integration, a smarter Bixby, a new, powerful chip, and the aforementioned Privacy Display.

All this adds up to make a phone that’s kinda boring – for example, there's still no silicon carbon battery upgrade – but will also probably be brilliant. We’ll need to put it to the test, but so far, the S26 Ultra looks like a class-leading phone.

4. Galaxy S26 phones — a suite of small upgrades

There’s not a huge amount to write home about with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. You’ll struggle to notice much difference in the look of the S26 from its predecessor, but there are some changes under the hood.

Specifically, both phones get new chips: an Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 for the Galaxy chip if you’re in the US, China, or Japan. This promises to deliver a performance boost that might not be noticeable in everyday use, but should speed up AI features. Both the S26 and S26 Plus also get bigger batteries — 4,300mAh and 4,900mAh, respectively.

Storage now starts at 256GB, with a 512GB option for people who don’t like cloud storage. But this comes with a catch: the Galaxy S26 starts at $899 / £879 / AU$1,549 and the S26 Plus comes in at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849. That’s some punchy pricing for phones that aren’t all that much different than their predecessors.

5. Samsung Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro — great audio and design upgrades, but one huge issue remains

Samsung has updated both its entry-level and flagship earbuds, namely the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro. So what’s new, aside from the price difference of $179 / £159 / AU$299 for the Buds4, versus $249 / £219 / AU$399 for the Buds4 Pro?

Well, we got an early hands-on with the Buds4 Pro, and straight away, the new clamshell case is a winner, as is the updated ‘blade’ stem on the buds. Blade light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you can tell at a glance which side of the case to put ‘em back in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system that prevents you from using third-party tips and makes them extremely hard to remove? Sadly, not gone…

Despite this fiddly system that caused so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro, the earbuds were delayed (many people need to switch the tips when they first fit their earbuds, and users quickly became fearful of doing so, given how easily they could break said tips). So has it been fixed, this time around? Sadly, not, and it’s hard to understand why Samsung has left this big problem unsolved.

6. Doubling down on Armor Aluminum

While a highlight of the Galaxy S25 Ultra was its titanium build – it was even in the color names – Samsung is pushing that material aside and doubling down on Armor Aluminum. That means the S26 Ultra is opting for aluminum instead of titanium, as are the S26 and S26 Plus. It’s a similar move to what Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, though the iPhone Air still uses titanium.

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung notes that it uses a stronger, more rigid aluminum than the standard S26 or S26 Plus. The Ultra is also thinner and lighter year over year, while all three phones now boast a more unified look. We’re keen to see how Samsung’s switch back to aluminum feels in the hand as we test it, as well as how it holds up in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

7. RAM woes?

As mentioned earlier, Samsung has increased the prices of the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus over their predecessors. Senior Staff Writer Hamish Hector did a bit of digging, and while he couldn't get Samsung to confirm that the RAM shortage driven by AI’s hungry appetite for speedy memory is the culprit, there’s a sneaking suspicion that the price hikes could have some link to this ‘crisis’.

Either way, it could mean the end for $799 flagship Android phones. That would be a sad situation given that some Android phones offered a nice balance of tech and specs for that price bracket. Hopefully, the RAM shortage will ease as 2026 pushes onward, but don’t hold your breath.

8. Gemini gets a new exclusive S26 feature

Akin to Google partnering with Samsung to bring Circle to Search to Galaxy devices before Pixels, Android’s Sameer Samat took to the stage to show off a new Gemini feature that’s exclusive to the S26 lineup — at least for now.

Essentially, it’s our first taste of Gemini running in an agentic form for select tasks – like ordering a pizza or calling an Uber – as the AI can open its own virtual window and use its multimodal tools to handle actions in the background for you.

It’s pretty neat, and definitely one we’re keen to put to the test — both to see how it expands to other Android devices (likely in beta form at Google I/O) and how it compares with whatever Apple eventually ships as its AI-infused Siri, expected at some point in 2026.

9. Is the Edge gone?

We learned that the Galaxy S25 Edge (and a potential S26 Edge) isn’t as central to Samsung’s future plans as previously thought. There was no mention of the product that joined the lineup less than a year ago, and while that might mean Samsung is waiting until May for a major update, a tease would certainly have been in order.

For now, the focus – at least from a design standpoint – is likely on the more unified look of the S26 lineup and the S26 Ultra, which is thinner and lighter year over year. This could suggest that Samsung is taking lessons from the Galaxy S25 Edge and once again applying them to its core flagship devices.

Remember, the S25 Edge came first, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 followed with an ultra-thin design.

While the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has the phones world abuzz, it’s the unveiling of the company’s new audio products which is turning earbuds fans’ heads. The flagship new 'Buds' vying to feature in our best earbuds guide are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which have just been released alongside their non-Pro counterparts. They are, depending on your persuasion, the follow-up to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, or the latest rival to the AirPods Pro 3.

As early leaks all-but confirmed, these buds have seen a design change, using a new version of what Samsung calls its ‘blade’ design to create a sleek and understated-looking model. I don’t know how much Marvel’s sword-wielding vampire-fighter had to do with the change, but it’s just the most readily-apparent of the several changes and upgrades coming to this new iteration.

At an early event I got to test the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, as well as their non-Pro sibling, and since then I’ve been listening to them non-stop for the past week. That’s not enough time to write a full review (though rest assured one is coming), but below you’ll find my early impressions on this new pair of premium earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Price and availability

• Announced on February 25, 2026
• Selling for $249 / £219 / AU$399
• Matches AirPods Pro 3 in price — which is likely deliberate

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were unveiled on February 25, 2026, and they’re due to go on sale at the beginning of March.

To buy the new buds, you’ll have to shell out $249 / £219 / AU$399. That’s certainly a high price for earbuds, marking them as premium options, though it’s worth noting that this is the same launch price as the previous model.

Let’s put that in context: the latest AirPods Pro 3 cost $249 / £219 / AU$429 so it’s a similar price in most places, but Samsung undercuts Apple in Australia. The standard Galaxy Buds 4 go for $197 / £159 / AU$299, so they’re naturally cheaper, but you’re getting an open-style bud for that price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Design

• New 'blade' look, old 'blade' traits gone
• Feel solid in the ear
• Annoying eartip problem returns

Changes to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are evident from the outset: they come in a clamshell-style charging case which is transparent in its lid, so you can admire the buds at will – it’s much easier to slot the buds into than the 3 Pro’s case was. It feels a little smaller but thicker, from my recollection of the last buds, though I can’t confirm that – either way, it was easy to slot into my trouser pockets.

The buds themselves have seen a redesign, and now have a brushed-metal edge which is lovely and understated. I’m personally a big fan of earbuds that aren’t bedecked in the company’s logo, and could proudly walk around without feeling like a Samsung billboard.

Some more changes: Blade Light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you know at a glance which side of the case to put them in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system which stops you using third-party tips, and makes them incredibly hard to remove? Sadly not gone, despite this finickity system causing so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro that they were delayed. I needed to switch the tips when I first received the buds, and was fearful of doing so given how easily I could have accidentally broken them. I can't understand why Samsung has left this big problem in place.

I switched out the tip because the buds’ fit didn’t feel solid, and changing to the biggest option didn’t remedy that. However, the only times they've actually fallen out is when I took them on a run; I'd say they're fine for everyday use, then, but aren't runners' buds.

Other than that, they’ve felt pretty reliable, even when I walked around with the buds at weird and irregular angles to test out one of their features (don’t tell my editor, who threatened to write a column calling out all the people who wear earbuds wrong). I was surprised by how much much I liked the on-stem touch controls too: swipe for volume, pinch for play/pause. Nice and convenient, and with a responsive ‘click’ for the latter too, reminding me of the Nothing Ear (a) which have a gold star in this department.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Features

• Solid ANC
• App is chock-full of features
• New live translation and head gestures

I remember being blown away by the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ANC, and from early tests, it’s just as strong here. I’ve mostly been listening on the standard ANC mode, at full power, but there’s an Adaptive mode that I’m getting ready to try next. If there’s a flaw, it’s that Ambient mode seems weaker than on other buds I’ve tested, in that it lets through too much.

Like any good premium earbuds, there are plenty of app features in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. I spent a good long while playing around with tools like an earbud fit test, a 5-band equalizer with various presets, an Ultra High-Quality mode, 360 audio and setting up neck stretch reminders.

The app also offers an adaptive sound mode, which offers a hearing test to create a bespoke sound profile – it’s simpler than the alternative offered by many rivals, and didn’t have an audible impact on my music. I must say, I’m not convinced by this one.

New features to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro include head gestures to answer or reject calls, however I didn’t get to test this, due to no-one calling me in the test week (it’s 2026 – I don’t get many calls full stop). AirPods Pro-style Live Translation is also here, and thanks to an upcoming trip, it’s something I hope to test soon for the full review.

There's also the feature I referred to earlier in the article: adaptive casting, so the buds will recognize how you're wearing them and adapt playback accordingly. In short, if you're wearing the buds wrong, they'll play music slightly differently to atone for it. Perfect for all those people you see on the train who have the stems vertical (or horizontal).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Sound performance

• Driver improvements offer better-defined bass
• Support for high-quality music
• Sounds great, with refined V-shaped audio

There's an audible change afoot in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; they have a slightly bigger driver, and according to Samsung this brings bass boosts. In my testing, this doesn’t mean more bass, but better bass.

Lower-frequency instruments don't dominate the other tracks as much as in rivals, but sit better alongside them, with better definition and timbre. It feels more natural, and less like a filter slapped over music.

Beyond that, these sound similar to the previous-gen model: really, really good, with a gentle V-shaped sound. Sharp treble, wide sound stage, high quality of tracks supported. Expect a more detailed and nuanced analysis when the novelty has worn off, but to praise them simply: I used them for hours on my return trip from covering the Bristol Hi-Fi show, and didn’t find them as much of a sad comedown as I expect any other earbuds would be (to clarify, I'd spent the days listening to speakers and hi-fi systems that cost hundreds of thousands, in any currency you like).

I should note, I did much of my listening on a Samsung phone, which allows for the company’s Ultra High Quality Sound feature – it compresses then decodes music up to 24-bit/96kHz. This made music sound distinctly better than it might on another device, as illustrated by the fact I also tested alongside a different Android phone which also sounded great, but not quite as high-quality.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Value

The big question for expensive earbuds like these, is how well they justify that high price tag. I can't deny that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sound great, but the earbuds world is a competitive one, and you can get a great pick without paying much.

I think it's the feature department that'll sway me either way: it's what set many buds apart, and if the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro tools prove useful over the coming weeks, it'll help make the price make sense.

How I tested

So far, I've been listening to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for the best part of a week, mainly using it for music streaming. I tested it for a time on my Realme phone, listening to Spotify as I would any other pair of headphones. I also spent a few days with it paired to a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, listening to high-res music and testing its various features. I will repeat this split for the remainder of the testing process, to see how well the buds work for Samsung and non-Samsung users.

I've tested plenty of other earbuds in the past, including options from Samsung and its companies including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, original Galaxy Buds and some picks from AKG, Bowers & Wilkin and JBL (yes, all owned by Samsung).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: February 2026

If you’ve read a single thing I’ve written on TechRadar, you won’t be surprised to discover I’m a bit of an audio nerd. Not only have I got hands-on experience testing many of the hottest wireless speakers on the market but I’m low-key obsessed with getting the best audio quality and features out of my headphones and earbuds. That’s why, when I was given the chance to check out Sony’s brand new WF1000-XM6 earbuds, you better believe I jumped at the chance.

I’ve been seriously impressed. First off, they sound fantastic for the price, offering juicy levels of bass and a tight, well-integrated sound that shows a lot of genres off in a very good light. While they don’t quite have the laser-etched precision of the similarly priced Technics EAH-AZ100 I’ve recently been listening to, they sound a touch more playful and dynamic.

But what’s grabbed my attention even more is just how absolutely crammed full of features the XM6 are. Without a doubt, they’re among the best earbuds on the market when it comes to features, going far deeper than the adaptive noise-cancelling and spatial audio box-ticking most buds offer these days.

Don’t get me wrong. Not every feature is executed flawlessly. For example, the noise-cancelling has proven divisive. While we found it a little underwhelming in our Sony WF-1000XM6 review – I too found it was utterly unable to nix traffic noise in central London – others have praised its ability to diminish background dim.

Equally, while the XM6’s IPX4 rating will see off a sprinkling of sweat, I’d personally like to see a lot more premium buds go a bit further. I go bouldering on a regular basis and live in Britain’s notoriously rainy West Country, so an ability to keep out chalk dust and shrug off the October - April showers would be a definite plus in my book.

That aside though, these earbuds have the broadest feature set I’ve ever experienced from a pair of earbuds. So much so that I genuinely think you could miss a whole heap of this innovative functionality when you first get hands on with your buds. I could wax lyrical about every function in their repertoire but, honestly, listing every feature here would be exhausting for the both of us. That’s why I’ve limited myself to just the top three.

So, without further ado, here’s a hat trick of features I don’t think you should sleep on when buying the Sony WF-1000XM6.

1. Scene-based Listening

One way in which the WF-1000XM6 can make your interactions with your earbuds more seamless is scene-based listening.

Essentially, it can use context clues like the route you’re taking, your location or your pace to determine what situation you’re using your buds in: whether you’re commuting to or from work, walking, running or hitting the gym. You can then setup preset behavior for each of these scenes, whether that’s resuming whatever you were last listening to, making a ‘scene-based recommendation’ or playing a pre-existing playlist on your preferred streaming app.

Right off the bat, I’ve found quite a few uses for this. Whether I’m pushing for those gains in the gym or going for a run outside, having the buds immediately play my drum and bass playlist is a huge time saver. And I love the idea of being able to trigger specific media on my commute to and from work – again it’s a neat way your buds can reduce your cognitive load and work with you in key contexts.

However, I do think Sony could go even further with this. For example, I don’t really listen to music on the way to or from work – what I’d like to see is the ability to hook up my podcast app and resume whatever was previously playing.

And there are obvious gaps in the scenes available. While the Adaptive Sound Control can detect when you’re sitting or GPS data shows you’re in certain locations, there are no scenes for when you’re sat in your workplace or chilling at home. Being able to trigger a Focus playlist for specific times while you’re in the office or sleep sounds when you’re lying in bed at home would be neat options and would be trivial for Sony to intuit based on the data its app is already collecting.

Still though, scene-based listening is a fun feature to play with, even if I hope to see Sony expand the functionality further as time goes on.

2. Head Gestures

OK, so this is the most millennial-coded thing I’ve ever said. But I do not like speaking on the phone. At all. Telephone conversations are intrusive, rarely timed when you’re actually free and, 90% of the time, could have been a text. And yet, despite this, large swathes of society don’t seem to have cottoned on to the fact that, unless you’re my mother, I won’t be answering your calls.

While it’s not the only reason, part of my irritation stems from the fact that every time a random company calls, I have to take out my phone to discover it’s from an unknown number and reject it. Even headphones that enable you to answer or reject calls largely require you to press a physical button to make the call go away. Using their greasy hand sausages to hang up on telemarketers is something a Neanderthal would do, not a sophisticated, upwardly mobile Cro-Magnon male like myself.

Fortunately, the Sony WF-1000XM6 offer a novel solution to this problem. Rather than fish around in your pocket, you can reject or accept a call hands-free. And unlike voice assistant-based systems that still require me to talk in public, Sony’s solution can be utilized with a shake or a nod of the head, something that feels far more immediate than using digits or speech ever could. The speed with which I can hang up on calls is now nigh-on Pavlovian: the second I hear that ring, my head’s already shaking like a contrary nodding dog.

If you’re using the scene-based listening I mentioned above, you can also shake your head to cancel playback when triggered. But I also think these gestures could be used more widely. Off the top of my head – if you’ll excuse the pun – being able to respond to functions on my phone would be useful, for example cancelling timers. The gestures themselves are pretty versatile, so I could easily see Apple adopting something similar for its ecosystem if Sony doesn’t get in there first.

3. Quick Attention

But, for me, the standout has to be the Sony WF-1000XM6’s Quick Attention feature. Rather than having to fumble around with tap controls or pull out an earbud to switch off both your music and noise cancelling, you can simply hold your finger to the left bud and quickly engage transparency mode.

As my colleague Harry Padoan remarked in his feature on the similarly hidden feature on the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, Quick Attention is a game-changing feature. Whether I’m tuning in with a member of my team in the office or just approaching the checkout desk in a store, this mode significantly lowers the cognitive effort in those quick everyday conversations you need to engage in.

In fact, the more I’ve used it, the more the gesture has come to be second nature and the more elegant it seems. Isn’t this clean, digital solution the kind of Jetsonian future we were promised, rather than having to fumble physical buds out of my grungy headholes every time I want a conversation? Honestly, it’s the kind of feature that makes other earbud brands feel a little behind the times and I wish they’d hurry up with their equivalent.

I’ll admit the gesture is a little less fluid than with the XM6’s over-ear sibling though. While the larger headphones use a gesture of a full hand placed over the cup to trigger Quick Attention, the WF1000XM6 have far less surface area, meaning Sony has had to assign this function to a held tap.

That’s still easy enough to trigger. But because it has to differentiate between this and shorter taps, there is a good second before Quick Attention is enabled – not a significant delay I’ll admit but still long enough you could easily miss a little of a conversation’s opening salvo.

Still though, it’s an elegant feature that makes using your buds easier and a real reason to pick up a pair of Sony’s buds.

• More Galaxy Buds 4/Galaxy Buds 4 Pro images have leaked ahead of Unpacked
• Images show the new earbuds design and charging case
• …and there's no getting past the striking similarity to Apple's AirPods

Samsung’s 2026 Galaxy Unpacked event is imminent, and while the company hasn't officially confirmed that the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro will arrive on February 25, I think we can all agree it's highly likely.

The tech giant recently shared a teaser to Amazon India’s site with the Galaxy Unpacked event details, as well as an outlined image of the upcoming Galaxy Buds series, hinting that the company will be unveiling them alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and Galaxy Z Trifold. In the build-up to the event we’ve run into a number of leaks teasing design upgrades and new features, but nothing is set in stone when it comes to rumors.

Based on the diagram shared to Amazon India (see below), we can venture a guess that Samsung is most definitely dropping the prismatic stem design from the Galaxy Buds 3, but the company never reveals anything until it’s ready to. However, recently-leaked images of dummy models might have already done that on its behalf — and the comparisons to AirPods are flying in.

The images of the Galaxy Buds 4 dummy models come from the X account TechTalkTV, who shared a post featuring four images of the final version of the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro models. According to the leaker, the dummy models are non-functional units that Samsung sends to retailers for display purposes.

Seeing the Galaxy Buds 4 in all their glory, and not in diagram form, makes it all seem real now, and it’s also reassuring to see that most of our expectations have been met.

Shall I compare thee to a set of AirPods?

One of the more recent leaks we’ve come across pointed to a new more horizontal charging case with a clear lid which, looking at TechTalkTV’s leaks, seems to have been confirmed. That said, the images don’t show whether or not the case will have a speaker grille like the AirPods 4, say, which would emit sound to help you find your lost earbuds. It seems we’ll have to wait until February 25 to find that out.

You might not also be too over the moon to hear that Samsung is abandoning the Galaxy Bud 3’s blade lights — a valuable design factor for visibility. However, we were always expecting the new flat stem design, which actually might be one of Samsung’s most sensible redesign choices given the struggles users face with using audio controls on the angular Galaxy Buds 3. But this is where people are drawing the AirPods comparisons.

Take the non-tipped Buds 4 and silicone-tipped Buds 4 Pro, paired with its new flat stem: it’s difficult to ignore the very obvious visual similarities between Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds series and Apple’s classic AirPods design that we’ve known and loved since its inception 10 years ago.

Samsung knows exactly what it’s doing though — why else would the company add a silver metal strip to the stem? Perhaps it’s as simple as a new design choice on Samsung’s part, but it could be a smart tactic to minimize the comparisons to Apple.