The list in brief ↴
1. Best overall
2. Best mid-range
3. Best budget
4. Best for ANC
5. Best for cheap ANC
6. Best for Apple fans
7. Best for Samsung fans
8. Best for sound
9. Best workout buds
10. Other buds to consider
The best wireless earbuds promise comfort, a secure fit, great sound quality and reliable Bluetooth connectivity all packaged in a compact design. Our reviewers have tested hundreds of earbuds – from wired earbuds to the best true wireless earbuds models – so we know exactly what you can get for your money, and which are the best value.
When looking at the best wireless earbuds, we consider audio quality, battery life, comfort, and extra smart features, including active noise cancellation. Every pick in our list below is worth your time – many even feature in our ultimate best headphones guide – and we think there's a pair to suit everyone here, no matter whether you're looking for the best earbuds for Android or iPhone.
The most popular style of headphones today by a long way is true wireless earbuds, and our list consists entirely of these products. AirPods are the best-selling model of them, but they're not so great if you don't have an iPhone, so you'll find the best AirPods alternatives based on our testing in this list. There may be models you have in mind that aren't on this list – it doesn't mean we haven't tested them, or we hate them, it just means we think these are better.
The quick list
Want to cut to the chase and find out which wireless earbuds are the best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of every pick, along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.
The best wireless earbuds overall
There's something incredibly special about the sound that these buds can achieve, and with premium features like triple-point connectivity and next-gen Bluetooth, they're very smart, too.
The best mid-priced wireless earbuds
Nothing delivers fun and expansive audio, high-quality active noise cancellation, good app-based features, and the company's signature cool design, all for a great price.
The best super-cheap wireless earbuds
If you just need a pair of wireless earbuds that work well and sound good, the Go Air Pop fit the bill perfectly. They're also stunningly cheap – nothing beats them for this price.
The best wireless earbuds for noise blocking
Arguably, the ANC of the new Bose Ultra buds is better than the noise cancellation here… but nothing else is, and those cost lots more. Great sound, supreme silence and a solid fit.
The best low-price noise cancellation
These modestly priced buds are packed full of features that will surprise you, including solid ANC and next-gen Bluetooth. The Nothing Ear (a) are better, but these are cheaper.
The best wireless earbuds for Apple fans
These work seamlessly with Apple products for auto-switching between devices, using Find My if they're lost, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and more. The sound and ANC are superb, too.
Load the next products...
The best wireless earbuds for Samsung users
Want a pair of buds with spatial audio and awesome 24-bit hi-res sound from Galaxy phones, plus more unique features? These are seriously impressive, and incredibly affordable now.
The best for supreme sonic clarity
Absolutely exquisite audio quality that's a clear level above other premium earbuds – but battery life isn't great, they're large, and they lack some smart features.
The best wireless earbuds for working out
Packing most high-end AirPods features inside a sporty design that's sweatproof, these solidly-fitting buds tick all the boxes if you're looking for the ideal workout or sports companion.
I've reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. My love of music ties it all together.
Recent updates
April 23, 2024
Swapped Sony WF-C700N for Nothing Ear (a) based on our reviewer's experience with both products. Updated the 'Also Consider' section with information about other recent earbuds that didn't make the list.
The best wireless earbuds of 2024
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The best wireless earbuds overall
✅ You like a neutral, natural sound: These impressively coherent, organized and true-to-life earbuds, that will really suit those who want to hear all the detail in their tracks.
✅ You want to switch between devices easily: The triple-point connectivity is the first time we've seen it, and makes it seamless to move between phone, tablet and laptop without re-pairing.
❌ You want huge battery life: The longevity here isn't as impressive as some options – it's fine, it's just not above average.
❌ You need the best noise cancellation: Again, they don't do this badly at all, but the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at #4 on the list clearly do it better.
The Technics EAH-AZ80 obviously have incredibly tough competition in the form of the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, or Apple AirPods Pro. But the famous audio brand stands out as our general favorite among all those, thanks to the rich combination of features, audio quality and design.
The sound these earbuds make is also highly accomplished – it's both swift and accurate, as well as balanced and detailed. There’s nothing artificial about the way the Technics EAH-AZ80 sound, they offer convincingly realistic and coherent listening in all circumstances. It perhaps could be more energetic and fun, but that's a minor complaint.
In terms of features, their triple-point connectivity is a first in a product of this type, and means you can seamlessly move between three different devices without repairing. It proved stable and useful in testing, too. And thanks to ‘Just My Voice’ technology, we found these earbuds to be far less prone to wind-noise interference than any number of rivals. The active noise cancellation overall is behind the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at #4 on the list, but they're still strong compared to almost everything else.
They're well-designed, too. They come with a broad range of silicone ear tips to make sure they have a secure fit. We said in our review that "the EAH-AZ80 should stay comfortable no matter the size or shape of your ears".
The battery life is average rather than great, but as a total package, they're incredibly impressive and future-proof, with support for next-gen Bluetooth on top of their great app control and rich, involving sound. We rate them as the ultimate all-rounder, though this does all come at a fairly premium price – though still a very competitive one compared to other equivalent earbuds.
Read our full Technics EAH-AZ80 review
The best mid-range wireless earbuds
✅ You want great ANC for less: These offer maybe the best noise-stopping power we've heard for their price.
✅ You want serious sound quality: The Ear (a) are a seriously fun and zealous listen, aided by their support for LDAC higher-res wireless tech.
❌ You want spatial audio support: The similar priced Sony WF-C700N offer this, but you won't find it here.
❌ You want long battery life: 5.5 hours with noise cancellation on is distinctly average – again, the Sony buds mentioned above offer 7.5 hours.
Nothing's latest affordable earbuds are a seriously impressive bit of audio power. In our Nothing Ear (a) review, when tested in direct competition with the Sony WF-C700N, which we previously recommended as our favorite buds at around the $100/$100 price, we said "the Nothing earbuds look more premium and feel more foxy. Their noise cancellation is a touch more robust and the sound is every bit as energetic, detailed and zealous, and (dare we say it?) a tad more expansive to boot."
The sound quality is the star here (though it doesn't have all the limelight to itself). Our review called the sound "meaty and arresting", focused less on a delicate hi-fi listen and more on "fun and energy", and we're very happy with that. Naturally, spending more on the Technics at #1 on the list will get you a clear improvement in sound but, as our review said, "for the money, Nothing has tweaked its recipe to near perfection here."
On top of that, we were seriously impressed with the active noise cancellation, which clamped basically all standard droning noise, with only louder and more chaotic sounds breaking through. And with features such as wear detection (so they auto-pause when you take the out), LDAC hi-res audio support, multi-point pairing, and the Nothing app for tweaking the EQ and other features, they're about as well-specced as anything you can get for this price. The 5.5-hour battery life with ANC on is nothing special, but we're happy to forgive it – and it's the same with the lack of spatial audio support. We don't mind at all, not when you're getting such good value in the essentials, as well as other nice features.
Read our full Nothing Ear (a) review
The best budget wireless earbuds
✅ Your budget is about $30 / £30 / AU$50: No other earbuds deliver such a good combination of spec and audio quality at this price.
✅ You want a long battery life: The 32 hours of playtime here are impressive for any earbuds, let alone such an affordable pair. Even AirPods Pro 2 only offer 30 hours…
❌ You want noise cancellation: It's not exactly a complaint given their price, but if you need ANC, stretch your budget a little further to the Earfun at #5 on this list.
❌ You want USB-C charging: The built-in cable means you're stuck using old-school USB for charging – everything else here uses USB-C. Much more efficient.
The JLab Go Air Pop only cost around $25 / £25 / AU$49.95, which is incredibly cheap and would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Fast-forward to now, and JLab is bringing out durable listening gear at rock-bottom prices. The big question is: can earbuds this budget-conscious actually do a good job?
We found that the JLab Go Air Pop are actually pretty good generally in our testing – and are emphatically unbeatable for the money.
They sound great for the price. As we detailed in our review: "Stream Hootie & the Blowfish's Let Her Cry and the different guitars present themselves to each ear in a relatively expansive, open soundstage too. Listen to Prince's Kiss and while you'll get all of the bass funk in the intro, the artist's inimitable vocal comes off a little harsh." The relatively easy-to-distort treble makes it hard to rave about the sound unqualified, but at this price, we're amazed they're as good as they are – we can easily forgive it.
We also weren't impressed with the design of the charging case. The charging cable is built in, rather than the case just offering you a port. That obviously does have advantages – you won't forget your cable, ever – but it also limits what kind of cable you use, and where you can charge it.
So although you won't get world-class sound with the JLab Go Air Pop, or noise cancelling or other high-end features, in our review we were so impressed by the "reliable Bluetooth connectivity, killer battery life, comfortable and light earpieces and solid music on the go." As we said then: "It would be churlish to expect more."
If your budget maxes out quickly for non-essentials (let's face it, true wireless earbuds are a luxury), then you'll find a reliable product here. For another cheap option, but with active noise cancellation, take a look at the Earfun Air Pro 3 further down in our list.
Read our full JLab Go Air Pop review
The best wireless earbuds for ANC
✅ Noise cancellation is vital: These offer simply the best noise stopping power for the price (the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds maybe do it even better, but they cost a load more).
✅ You like a finely balanced sound: Whatever Bose's CustomTune does inside your ear, it works really well. The sound is very well balanced.
❌ You want a slim, light bud: These are about as bulky as mainstream earbuds get in this day and age, and their case is pretty large. AirPods Pro 2 (#6 on this list) or Sony LinkBuds S are much slimmer and lighter.
❌ You’d want higher-quality Bluetooth: No LDAC, no aptX – you're on average-quality streaming only here.
If your number one priority is active noise cancellation, then these are our top pick. There's an argument that the newer Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are actually better for ANC, but they're significantly more expensive (especially since these buds have had some great price drops) and the difference isn't so large that we think it's necessary to go for the 2023 model – the ones we're recommending are still ahead of everything else here.
The best news is that this excellent noise cancellation isn't at the expense of sound quality. In our review, we wrote: "We can’t stress this enough – the sound is very well balanced, with a heck of a lot of details and textures coming through. And if you still find you need to tweak it, you can via the EQ in the app."
The buds are quite bulky, which will not suit everyone, though they do feel quite secure in ear. Too secure, some might feel, especially those with smaller ears. The six hours of battery from the buds with 18 more from the case is also pretty average – not bad, not great. There's also no high-res audio option, spatial audio or multi-point pairing, but the Ultra model does offer those if you want them.
Not everyone needs all mod cons. Some people want one in particular, and if blocking as much outside sound as possible at a reasonable price is your goal, these are you new best friends.
Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review
The best wireless earbuds for cheap ANC
✅ You want affordable all-rounder earbuds: A comfortable fit, reasonable ANC, decent sound quality, future-proof Bluetooth and great battery life – all under $100/£100.
✅ You want a long battery life: There's a lot to like here, but the battery life is near the top of the list. High-end buds don't even get this much life usually.
❌ You expect total silence from the ANC: Being cheaper means they're not as noise-blocking as more expensive buds. It helps, but if you spend more, you get more.
❌ You want audio fidelity: The sound quality is fine, but stepping up to the Nothing earbuds at #2 on the list is like night and day.
If you're looking for a solid pair of wireless earbuds on a budget with noise cancelling baked in and some future-proofing, then we highly recommend the Earfun Air Pro 3.
These earbuds are only $79.99 / £79.99 officially, which makes them excellent value considering they're such all-rounders, and they're the cheapest in our guide with ANC on board – but actually, you'll pay more like $60 / £60, if that, thanks to regular price cuts.
You get active noise cancellation, good sound, a comfy fit, a whole 45 hours of battery life, and these buds also boast support for the new Bluetooth wireless standard, Bluetooth LE Audio. Right now that doesn't mean much, as few other devices support it – e.g. major smartphones – but that means your buds are ready for when more phones catch up. We can't think of any earbuds that are currently as cheap as this and yet offer such a range of features.
As well as features, the design also has no business looking so elegant and minimal at this price. Although it is worth mentioning they have a long stem design. We found them comfortable to wear with a good seal – vital for ANC – but did knock them out a few times due to the stem, including a problem with them tangling in long hair (which haven't found with most stem designs).
The sound is not the last word in quality in general – you'll get much better fidelity from stepping up to the Nothing Ear (a) at #2 on our list – but in our review we said we "liked their punchy sound and found them fun to listen to". Similarly, the noise cancellation is notably weaker than more expensive models, but does its job of softening background noise so you can actually hear what's going on.
Read the full Earfun Air Pro 3 review
The best wireless earbuds for Apple fans
✅ You want superb sound and noise cancellation: The audio quality is extremely strong, and the noise cancellation is nearly as good as you can right now.
✅ You're in the Apple ecosystem: They've got lots of extra features for iPhone users, including Spatial Audio and Find My support – and they switch seamlessly between all your devices.
❌ You want good battery life: These are distinctly average when it comes to the battery – most buds match or beat them, even with similar features.
❌ You don't have an iPhone: If you're an Android user, you'll miss out on features if you get these compared to other earbuds that have app control on Android.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer rich, detailed and powerful audio performance plus stunning ANC in design that's much smaller and more lightweight than most of the premium earbuds competition. In our testing of both the original model and the new USB-C version, we've found the active noise cancellation to be better than the vast majority of earbuds, blocking out almost all external sounds – though the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 (#4 on this list) have them beat.
Battery life in the buds is distinctly average compared to the other options in this guide, but they're good for a long listening period at six hours – and the 30 hours from the charging case as well is actually quite high compared to other options.
As always with Apple products, these buds are best suited to iPhone users thanks to unique features such as head-tracked Dolby Atmos spatial audio that's extremely impressive, Find My support including ultra-wideband precision location tracking (so you can find them down the side of the sofa), and auto-switching between your Apple devices seamlessly, giving the equivalent of multipoint connectivity on more devices than most. Of course, you need an Apple device to enjoy all of this – ideally all Apple devices.
The price is relatively low compared to premium options such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Technics EAH-AZ80, which is why we think Apple users should be seriously considering them as their pick for a premium pair of buds – but if you're not heavily in on Apple, something more platform-neutral may be better overall.
Read our full Apple AirPods Pro 2 review
The best wireless earbuds for Samsung fans
✅ You have a Samsung Galaxy phone: The Buds 2 Pro offer smarter pairing and features with Galaxy, and even seriously high-quality audio streaming.
✅ You want Samsung's best audio quality: Samsung's immersive, expressive, head-tracked, 24-bit audio is far better than we ever expected.
❌ You want good battery life: Five hours with ANC deployed is below average these days – everything else here lasts longer.
❌ You use an iPhone: They work fine as basic earbuds with iPhone, but AirPods give you so many more features.
These are effectively Samsung's equivalent of AirPods, and not just in the sense that they're true wireless earbuds. They come with features that work only with the company's own phones, with two really stand-out features for audio fans. The first is spatial audio with optional head-tracking, giving better immersion in your sound. The second is really for audiophiles, and it's the new 24-bit high-res audio – this is arguably the best high-res audio option of all the earbuds here, even if these aren't necessarily the best-sounding.
These relatively svelte and light earbuds are comfortable to wear, yet are packed full of useful perks such as great active noise cancellation, voice detection to active a transparency mode when you need it, and customizable on-ear controls – all of which work very well indeed – plus IPX7 water ingress protection.
It's nearly a home run from Samsung, marred by the disappointing five-hour battery life. And these are beaten in certain areas by other buds here – the Technics at #1 on the list are better for sound, for example, and the Bose at #4 are better for noise cancellation. But they're both also much more expensive; much like the AirPods Pro, these are a superb-value package if you have the phone that fully takes advantage of them.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review
The best wireless earbuds for sound quality
✅ You want the most elite sound: For a price similar to the best earbuds from Sony and Bose, you get a whole new level of music quality than those offer.
✅ You want to really enjoy higher-res audio: With aptX and Snapdragon Sound support, you can make the most of high-quality streaming with the awesome audio here.
❌ You like your earbuds to be subtle: There's a big bar on the outside of these, extending up as well as down. It's a statement, and may not be one you want to make.
❌ You want lots of battery life: The five hours you get from the buds is low by today's standards – six is average.
Final’s second stab at true wireless earbuds aren’t the most easy to pocket (the earpieces and case are positively chunky by today’s standards) and the battery stamina is also beaten by almost everything else here. Oh, and the app won’t wow you for extra features or slick usability. The thing is, you’ll forgive it all when you put them in your ears and fire up some music.
Final’s dedication to its hi-res terminology will also make audiophiles bristle, because it involves the term ‘8K Sound+’ – but again, once you’re listening to them all is forgiven. Why? because whatever Final wants to call it, we called the ZE8000 MK2 “honestly joyous” for sound in our review, enthusing that “each musical passage is given ample due diligence; dynamics are spot on; sonic articles come through with pinpoint accuracy and a three-dimensional quality scarcely heard – at any level”.
Also, Final’s active noise cancellation really works here, partly due to the seal achieved with the company’s new 'Shield Fin' eartips (there are little flaps on the bit coving the driver housing, before the neck of the earbud) which have the added benefit of making them feel super secure.
Can you take a hit on the battery life – ie. earbuds that’ll only last for five hours (or possibly closer to four when you’re playing them slightly louder on the commute)? If you can, and you’ll forgive the dearth of fit tests, hearing profiles and other whistles and bells offered by similarly priced rivals, the audio quality here sets a new bar in wireless audio. And that is not a statement we make lightly.
Read our full Final ZE8000 MK2 review
The best wireless earbuds for working out
✅ You need a secure, sporty fit: The shape and wing-tip fit of these buds means they're rock solid in your ears for gym-going or running.
✅ You want high-end features: Going sporty doesn't mean missing out on noise-cancellation, Spatial Audio and other smart features – with many on both iOS and Android.
❌ You want total audio fidelity: Like many gym buds, these want to motivate you with driving beats. A neutral sound is not the game here.
❌ You want really good ANC: These do clamp down on outside sound, but not at the same level as other premium earbuds, such as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II at #4 on the list, or AirPods Pro 2 (#6 on the list).
The Beats Fit Pro have a simple (and fantastic) pitch: they deliver most of the iPhone-friendly features of AirPods Pro, but in a more secure-fitting, sweatproof design… and they have great features for Android too.
These features in question include Apple's head-tracked spatial audio support, auto-switching between Apple devices, and audio sharing with other AirPods/Beats. On Android, you've got instant pairing, on-ear control customization, and more.
But the main features here are the wing-tip fit, which we found to be extremely comfortable, and the bold music presentation, which is designed really get you in the groove. Yes, it's bassy, as workout headphones should be – but it's also bright enough at the high end to feel like you're getting a good balance from your tracks.
They don’t support wireless charging like the AirPods Pro 2, and the battery isn't spectacular at six hours per charge with 18 hours in the charging case with the ANC on. The case is also larger than most of our options here (except maybe the Bose) – more for throwing in a gym bag than slipping into a jeans pocket. And the ANC isn't best-in-class either – but they have more stability in the ear than anything else here, and that's the crucial thing.
Read our full Beats Fit Pro review
Other wireless earbuds to consider
You may notice that two big and relatively new earbuds aren't on this list: the Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The reason is that, while both are extremely good products, they're not quite better than the options already here. We said in our Sony WF-1000XM5 review that its noise cancellation was weaker than we expected, and its sound is bettered by the Technics EAH-AZ80 at number 3 on this list, so we recommend the Technics instead. And in our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review, we noted that the noise cancellation might be best-in-class, but it's barely any better than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, which are now easy to find for much cheaper than the Ultra, so we recommend the (slightly) older model for most people.
Nothing, the new-ish tech brand from a founder of OnePlus, has launched a few earbuds recently, and we've reviewed both the Nothing Ear (a) and the CMF by Nothing Buds. Both impressed us with their affordable audio thrills, though at different prices to each other.
In our CMF by Nothing Buds review, we enjoyed their stylish design for the price, and when combined with the low price, they're very tempting. But with middling sound quality and features, they're not quite a knockout, and so haven't pushed their way onto this list – but if you want something cheap and super-funky, definitely give them a look.
Our Nothing Ear (a) review, on the other hand, called these mid-range buds "a resounding home run", and praised the fun and expansive sound, and the impressive active noise cancellation, all coming at a very good price. The fun yellow color doesn't hurt either, but it's the features and audio quality that set them apart, and pushed the (still-excellent) Sony WF-C700N out of our list).
We also took a look at the Jabra Elite 10, which are premium buds from a fan-favorite company, and jump on the spatial audio bandwagon by offering Dolby Atmos support. Between that, a very comfortable fit, and excellent call quality, they could easily find favor with people – but the world of earbuds is crowded and cut-throat, and when it comes to sound quality and features, they're behind the similarly priced Technics EAH-AZ80 in general, or the AirPods Pro 2 if you have Apple gear. Read our full Jabra Elite 10 review if you're a fan of the company's products, because it might still be worth your time.
We also reviewed the JLab Epic Buds, which we had high hopes for – the company's cheap buds make it onto this list – but this foray into the world of premium buds came out a little too average. A lack of weight to the sound and hit-and-miss noise cancellation mean they won't be pushing the Technics
How to choose the best wireless earbuds
With so many wireless earbuds to pick from, how do you know which are right for you? There are a few key considerations you need to bear in mind.
The first is price. How much can you afford? You can get a good pair of wireless earbuds for under £100/$100. But often you do get what you pay for in terms of connectivity, build and noise cancellation.
Next up is form. Do you intend to hit the gym, bike or pavement with your earbuds? Then you'll need a design that'll stay put. Or maybe small and minimal is what you're after, so opt for a pair of discrete true wireless buds.
The best sounding earbuds are exactly that – our pick of the wireless earbuds that sound fantastic. These are far from the best cheap earbuds out there, but if you're passionate about hearing music with clarity, richness and powerful bass, these are the ones you need to consider.
It's still important to pick earbuds that feel good in your ears, but the models in our guide above have been picked for sound quality first and foremost, with those that excel in extra features such as noise cancellation or workout-friendly designs noted separately.
All the wireless earbuds in our guide produce their sound using dynamic drivers, so that's one tech element you don't have to thing about. This is the most common kind of speaker technology in everything from big loudspeakers to over-ear headphones to earbuds. To explain how dynamic drivers work, and why they’re so dominant in wireless earbuds, we spoke to Andy Kerr, Director of Product Marketing and Communications at Bowers & Wilkins, which has over 60 years of experience creating these kinds of drivers in both headphones and loudspeakers.
“Dynamic drivers use a magnet, a voice coil (typically made from winds of copper wire wound around a circular form), and a diaphragm/drive unit (a thin cone of material that makes the sound). The narrow end of the diaphragm's cone is attached to the voice coil; the wide end of the diaphragm is held in place by a rubber surround, also called ‘suspension’. When electrical current is supplied to the voice coil, it becomes electromagnetic. This creates a push-pull interaction between the coil and the magnet, which it is coiled around, causing the coil to move up and down over the magnet rapidly. Since the coil is attached to the bottom of the drive unit, its movement pushes the drive unit up and down in response, creating sound pressure waves that your ears and brain translate into sound,” explains Kerr.
“A single dynamic driver can be made very compact, is light, and is highly efficient in terms of battery life, which is of course hugely relevant in the age of wireless earbuds. Dynamic drivers are also very popular in headphone designs essentially because they give companies like Bowers & Wilkins a way to use our knowledge and experience from designing and manufacturing them – for both loudspeakers and headphones – while customizing and continually improving the technology over time. For example, our approach to drive unit design combines stiffness in the material (for accuracy and fast response) plus good excursion (meaning how far the diaphragm is capable of moving, for deeper bass performance) that's equally important for both earbuds and loudspeakers."
Dynamic drivers are not the only earbuds driver technology available: planar magnetic is the most common other type, and we’re about to see the launch of more earbuds using a new solid-state driver. Some earbuds also combine a dynamic driver with a smaller solid-state driver to create a wider sound range, which is often known as dual-driver technology. It’s possible to have more than two drivers in earbuds, but it’s very uncommon in wireless earbuds.
Wireless vs true wireless: what's the difference?
Wireless earbuds have existed for a while now, basically since Bluetooth was invented. Though battery-powered and not physically connected to your phone, they have a cord connecting both buds – and sometimes a band around the neck too.
True wireless earbuds have no cord whatsoever. While wireless allows us to wear headphones a few feet away from our music players, True Wireless cuts the cord between the earbuds, giving us true freedom. If you're looking to go full wireless, we also have a round-up of the best true wireless headphones, but you'll find our top picks here, too.
Wireless headphones are traditional over-ear or on-ear headphones without the wire – the two earcups are connected by a headband. Check out the best wireless headphones for more.
Which brand of wireless earbuds is best?
In this guide we've included all of the best audio tech and earbuds brands on the market today. But the question of which brand is best depends on what you're looking for.
Sony is certainly one of the best wireless earbuds brands, and one of the best audio brands generally. It consistently brings out great-sounding products and has led the way with fantastic true wireless earbuds year-on-year. The Sony WF-1000XM5 didn't make it into this list for reasons given a little above, but we still gave them a very positive review! You really can't go wrong at any budget with Sony's range right now.
If you're looking for a pair of premium wireless earbuds and have a high budget for a new pair, then check out high-end brands like Bose – though Technics is a great audio name that's currently having a fantastic product run. Otherwise, if you're looking for a budget pair of earbuds, Earfun and JLab make some of our favourite cheaper wireless earbuds.
Which wireless earbuds are best?
Right now, we currently rate the Technics EAH-AZ80 as our favorite, balancing price, sound quality and features. They're not cheap, but they're worth every penny.
However, if you have more specific priorities you might want to consider other buds in our list. Like the JLab Go Air Pop if you're on a budget. Or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 if you want the best ANC buds you can buy.
What are the best value for money wireless earbuds?
All of the options in our best wireless earbuds guide are good value for money. However, if you're looking for a budget pair of buds we've got some of those too.
The JLab Go Air Pop are incredibly cheap at under £20/$20. They sound great for the price and are light, small and comfy. If you want a pair of budget buds that also pack in ANC, take a look at the Earfun Air Pro 3, which are discounted at the time of writing to $79 / £79.
Which is better: Bose or Beats?
In the battle between Bose and Beats, it depends what you're looking for. In our opinion, Bose is the better option for sheer audio performance and noise cancelling tech. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 can't be beaten in terms of ANC.
However, Beats earbuds offer a great fit and excellent sound. Particularly the Beats Fit Pro, which we highly recommend if you're looking for a pair of earbuds for working out. They're also a little more affordable than Bose options and have a more stylish design.
Which wireless earbuds are just as good as Apple AirPods?
The most recent AirPods Pro 2 are excellent if you want a comfy fit, quality audio and have an iPhone as there are some feature only iOS users can access. They're even a little cheaper than a lot of the competition, which is not something we get to say about Apple a ton… However, the Technics EAH-AZ80 have them beaten for cross-platform support and sound quality. In terms of ANC, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are a little better than AirPods Pro 2.
When it comes to the cheaper AirPods models, we think there are lots of better option, especially for value. The Nothing Ear (a) are the big alternative we'd point you towards if you're looking at non-pro AirPods.
What are the best wireless earbuds for Android?
Our top three picks in this guide are all a perfect match for Android phones, and cover a broad range of budgets: we think the Technics EAH-AZ80 are the best overall, but at a premium price; the Nothing Ear (a) are an incredible option that's more affordable but still has premium features; and the JLab Go Air Pop are the best super-cheap option.
However, if you have a Samsung phone in particular, you should strongly consider the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. They're incredibly affordable now, and have special features that specifically work with Samsung phones, including great spatial audio and higher-quality audio support.
How we test the best wireless earbuds
☑️ More than 3,000 headphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
We're looking (listening?) for earbuds that sound good first and foremost – we want to hear clear, rich audio that does justice to every genre. We listen to both high-quality source music, as well as lower-quality streams, as well as movies and videos.
Voices should be natural, instruments should stand out from each other, and there should be a good sound balance overall between bass, mid-range and treble.
Of course, this is then balanced against lots of other factors, not the least of which is price. We know that a pair of cheap earbuds won't sound as good as premium ones – so we're judging them against competition at the same kind of price, not against something wildly different.
In terms of noise cancellation, we want to find buds that work well to drown out ambient noise day-to-day in a variety of environments. We test them in our pretty typical office environment, out walking in city traffic, and on public transport.
We also consider battery life, ensuring that most of the buds we pick will last long enough to not be annoying. And then we look at extra features, such as sound personalization and other app support – this can make a big difference to the overall value of two earbuds that are the same price.
We're in the process of implementing a new system for testing earbuds that will enable us to add more information to this buying guide about how we rate the earbuds in different categories. We will re-test the earbuds in this guides with the new system, and we'll use it for new earbuds reviews. You can read all about it in our article on how we test earbuds, but the key additions are some new repeatable and consistent tests that make it easier for our reviewers to make direct comparisons between the earbuds when it comes to sound quality overall, and microphone quality for calls.
We'll have our reviewers use a particular playlist of songs from a particular playback devices as their first port of call for listening to the sound quality of the earbuds. We'll listen to these songs with active noise cancellation turned both on and off, to see if there are any differences in the detail or balance. The playlist is available for anyone to copy on your streaming service of choice, if you'd like to try it.
This isn't the only music our reviewers will listen to, obviously – but by using these songs as the starting point, we can make specific and direct comparisons between earbuds, while will make it easier for you to follow the subtlety of their differences, we hope. Then our reviewers can use other tracks to explore the nuances of each pair of earbuds.
We will also introduce a microphone test where we'll read a particular passage, and record it to embed in our reviews and in our guides, so you can simply play back the recordings and see what you think.
These will be in addition to the reviewing mentioned above – we'll still test all the features in real-world settings, including pitting active noise cancellation against actual public transport and traffic.
Latest updates to the best wireless earbuds
April 23, 2024
Swapped Sony WF-C700N for Nothing Ear (a) based on our reviewer's experience with both products. Updated the 'Also Consider' section with information about other recent earbuds that didn't make the list.
March 21, 2024
Removed Sony WH-1000XM4 due to stock running extremely low. Moved Technics EAH-AZ80 as our new #1, and reordered other products to round out our selections.
Read more updates
February 29, 2024
Checked all products against latest reviews and pricing. Updated the 'Also consider' section with new products, and added more information to our 'How to choose' section'.
January 29, 2024
Added the Final ZE8000 as the best option for excellent sound quality. Checked all other products against out current reviews, and added a new 'Other wireless earbuds to consider' section to help provide context to our choices.
December 20, 2023
Updated the list to remove the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, which is no longer available to buy. Rewrote some entries to add more comparisons between products on our list.
November 10, 2023
Checked all products against our latest review. Added more at-a-glance buying advice for all earbuds in the list.
October 5, 2023
Updated the order of rankings and completely refreshed the format of the guide to include a new quick menu to make it easier to find right buds to suit your needs.
