Wired earbuds were cool and all back in the day, but they were so easy to have yanked out of your ears by every doorknob you walked past. Enter Bluetooth. The wireless connectivity standard has begun to show up in some of the best headphones, and now there's no shortage of amazing wireless headphones. It took a little time for Bluetooth to work its way into compact earbuds, but now it's everywhere.
You can find almost too many options when it comes to Bluetooth earbuds, with some that still link each earbud with a tether. But, the snazziest options ditch cables altogether. All the options make it hard to be sure you're getting a good pair, though. You'll see mentions of noise-canceling thrown about even by devices that only passively isolate sound, and some earbuds can have unstable connections that will make you long for a wired set.
We're here to steer you in the right direction. We've picked out excellent, truly wireless earbuds that run the gamut from affordable and basic models to hi-fi gear with powerful noise-cancelling. So, if you want quality earbuds, you'll find them here.
TL;DR – These are the Best Wireless Earbuds:
- Jabra Elite 3
- Creative Outlier Air V3
- EarFun Air True
- OnePlus Buds Z
- Sony WF-1000XM4
- Jaybird Vista
- Jabra Elite 7 Pro
- Apple AirPods Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
- 1More True Wireless ANC
- OnePlus Buds Pro
- Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
- Apple AirPods
1. Jabra Elite 3
Best Wireless Earbuds
The Jabra Elite 3 offers everything you could want in a pair of wireless earbuds at a reasonable $80 price. They sound great with balanced audio you can further tweak in the custom equalizer. Although they don't feature noise-canceling, the sound isolation is so good you basically don't need it even when you're walking through a crowded city street. Thanks to running on the latest Bluetooth 5.2 connection, we hardly encountered any wireless interference or signal drops.
With 7 hours of battery life in each of the earbuds, you can easily get through a cross-country flight. You also get four additional charges in the case (an extra 28 hours total), so you'll rarely need to plug everything in every week unless you've been listening none stop. Lastly, the earbuds are rated for IP55 dust and water resistance, so they easily survive in almost every environment you take them to whether it be the gym or the great outdoors.
2. Creative Outlier Air V3
Best Wireless Earbuds
The Creative Outlier Air V3 comes in at a slightly lower price of $60 and while you might think they would offer dramatically less functionality, that couldn't be further from the truth. These earbuds offer a compelling sudio experience over a Bluetooth 5.2 connection and support for AAC and SBC codecs to let iPhone and Android users lower latency and less compressed Audio.
This latest pair from Creative also introduces Active Noise Reduction, which doesn't promise true and complete noise cancellation, but it's a step above the already fantastic sound isolation you get from these tight-fitting earbuds. On top of that Creative's Super X-Fi audio simulates a multi-speaker surround setup. Battery life is also surprisingly long with 10 hours on the earbuds and another 30 hours in the case, which also supports wireless Qi charging for your convenience.
3. OnePlus Buds Z
Best Ultra Cheap Earbuds
OnePlus has been a go-to brand for affordable quality, and though its phones have gotten more expensive, it still has affordable accessories. The OnePlus Buds Z are just such an option, delivering true wireless earbuds in a package with an easy to digest price tag.
These $50 earbuds pack in 10mm drivers for punchy sound with Bass Boost. And, though they're on the cheaper side, you'll get five hours of runtime out of the buds and an additional 15 hours of power from the charging case. You won't miss out on other handy features like water resistance or quick charging over USB-C. If you have a OnePlus 7 or newer flagship (sorry, OnePlus Nord owners) from OnePlus, you'll also get support for Dolby Atmos on these earbuds.
4. Sony WF-1000XM4
Best Noise-Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
Sony’s exceptional noise-cancelling technology has been on display with its WH-1000XM series of over-ear headphones, setting a high bar for the tech in recent years. And, with the Sony WF-1000XM4 (read our review), Sony’s latest know-how is getting the earbud treatment. These compact, true wireless earbuds take up far less space than Sony’s over-ear headphones, but they still bring some serious noise cancelling capabilities. The mics also support a passthrough mode when you need to hear your surroundings, which can activate automatically when you begin speaking.
The earbuds themselves offer up to eight hours of battery life even with noise cancelling running, and you can get an extra 16 hours of charge out of the carrying case. That’s a load of time to enjoy the audio you get out of these earbuds. With LDAC and AAC support, that can be higher-resolution audio than you might get out of basic earbuds. And, thanks to modest water resistance, you can use these earbuds to tune into your music while you’re working out and tune out everything else.
5. Jaybird Vista
Best Wireless Earbuds for Sports
The Jaybird Vista is the best pair of wireless earbuds for sports thanks to its higher than average IPX7 waterproof rating, which means they'll survive a dive into three feet of water for an hour. One of the main reasons these wireless earbuds can do this is because they're almost fully wrapped with a silicon jacket that extends from the ear tip and wings. Aside from being better able to survive the elements, users can pull the casing off and wash it to keep things hygienic.
Although the Jaybird Vista only use a tiny wing that clings onto one of the folds of your ear, it stays well in place during both running and swimming. Even when you have them in, you'll hardly notice that you're wearing anything since the Jaybird Vista earbuds are so light.
Sound quality isn't super noteworthy, but you won't hear any harsh tones or dulled notes either. Likewise, battery life is a bit average with six hours on each bud and another 10 hours in the case. But on the plus side, popping the earbuds into the case for just five minutes will buy you an hour of playtime and it has one of the most compact cases we've seen aside from Airpods.
6. Jabra Elite 7 Pro
Best Premium Wireless Earbuds
If you want a pair of wireless earbuds that offers it all – great sound, noise-cancellation, long battery life, and more – the Jabra Elite 7 Pro is it. These are some of the smallest earbuds on the market, but they pack an incredible audio punch you can tweak to your specific hearing profile. The noise-canceling is also excellent and they specifically do a fantastic job of drowning out the sound of engines or train wheels, making them perfect for commuters. On the flip side, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro has the most natural HearThrough mode we've ever heard, making it feel as if we weren't wearing earbuds at all and had naturally heightened hearing.
You get a decently long battery life of eight hours, but the real treat is the four extra charges in the case. Plus popping them into the case for five minutes gives you back an hour of charge. The case also works with Qi charging so juicing up the whole package is easy as plopping it onto a wireless charger. At $200, it's one of the more expensive wireless earbud options on your list, but it doesn't reach into the upper stratosphere of cost the way the Sony or Master & Dynamic options do.
7. Apple AirPods Pro
Best Wireless Earbuds for iPhones
The AirPods Pro might be best known for the first pair of Apple earbuds that actually go into your ears rather than just dangle off of them, but there's a lot more to these fancy wireless earbuds. For one thing, these higher-end AirPods have built in active noise cancellation that adapts to any external noise around you while an inward facing microphone helps silence any noise coming from your inner ear.
There plenty of other tech going on with these wireless earbuds including an Adaptive Equalizer that automatically tunes your music, an H1 chip designed to control listening levels and Siri. Plus there's a force sensor on the sides of the Airpods Pro that you can tap up to three times for three programmable functions. The AirPods also offer good battery life with up to 5 hours on the buds themselves—4.5 hours with ANC on—and another 19.5 hours in the case, which is Qi charging compatible too.
8. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Best Wireless Earbuds for Android Phones
Samsung has an upgrade for your ears with the Galaxy Buds 2. These step up from the Galaxy Buds+ and pull in some of the capabilities of the Galaxy Buds Pro. These are Samsung’s lightest-weight earbuds, making them extra comfortable for extended use. And you’ll certainly get extended use out of them, as the earbuds can run for 7.5 hours at a time or 5 hours with active noise cancelling on. With the battery case, you can get an extra 15 hours of runtime with ANC on.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 offer solid connectivity with your smartphone thanks to their use of Bluetooth 5.2. And, when you need to make a call, they can continue to use their microphones to cut down on background noise while using a dedicated Voice Pickup Unit to hear what you’re saying.
9. 1More True Wireless ANC
Best Audiophile-Grade Wireless Earbuds
The fact that they're small doesn't mean earbuds are doomed to have poor sound quality, and the 1More True Wireless ANC earbuds are a testament to that. These earbuds update an already particularly good pair of earbuds by adding in some active noise-cancelling goodness, so you can really drown out your surrounding and enjoy your audio. If you do need to hear the outside world, though, they also feature a handy audio pass-through mode.
The 1More True Wireless ANC earbuds offer up their solid sound using a combination of 10mm titanium composite drivers and support for higher quality audio codecs. The result is a slightly heavier earbud than much of he combination, but there are always tradeoffs for greatness. The earbuds can run for up to five hours, and the charging case can extend that with an extra 13 hours. And, if you have a wireless charging stand, it'll be easy to remember to keep the case topped up, as it supports Qi wireless charging.
10. OnePlus Buds Pro
Best AirPods Alternative
Picture Apple’s AirPods, but make them look and sound better. That’s what you’ll get with the OnePlus Buds Pro. These earbuds have a chic, minimalist aesthetic that’s classily accented with a metallic stem. And, where you’d have to upgrade to the Airpods Pro for many features, OnePlus offers them up at its $149 price.
The OnePlus Buds Pro feature 11mm dynamic drivers to pump out the audio coming in. And, with support for LHDC and AAC codec, you can get a high-quality audio signal, not to mention Dolby Atmos on top of that if you’re using a recent OnePlus flagship. The buds offer a seven-hour battery life with an extra 31 hours available in the charging case. That charging case also supports wireless charging, and the earbuds themselves support active noise cancellation.
11. Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
Best High-End Wireless Earbuds
If you don't mind a bigger pair of earbuds for the sake of quality, then the Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus are for you. They've upgraded the original model with some serious improvements. For one thing, they now offer up a 10-hour battery life for the earbuds, which will get you through a long work day. And, with 30 hours of charge in the case, they're ready for the whole week. If you need extra time, the case can fully recharge in 40 minutes, and the earbuds can get up to five hours of playtime in just 15 minutes.
Android users will get a little extra out of these earbuds, as they support the aptX codec for higher-quality audio transmission. That'll help the 10mm Beryllium drivers really sing. For all the features and upgrades, the case for these earbuds actually managed to get a little bit smaller than its predecessor, making them better and more portable at the same time.
12. Apple AirPods
Best Basic Wireless Earbuds for iPhones
Like it or not, Apple's AirPods are essentially what launched the truly wireless craze and though little has changed about them since they hit the scene in December 2016—aside from a new Siri Chip and the wireless charging case—they're still on top.
They're by far the easiest to use wireless earbud solution for iPhone users—they'll work with Android too. There's basically no other set that comes in a smaller, pocketable case either. That said, the sound quality you get out of the Airpods is serviceable at best and you get no isolation whatsoever due to their loose fit.
Although Apple's Airpods hang loose, they manage to say in your ears surprisingly well enough to go running with them. You can get a decent five-hour run without having to redeposit them into the charging case, which holds another 24 hours of juice and it's one of the few to be compatible with wireless charging pads. If you don't need such a fancy wireless charging case, you can save yourself $40 and get the regular Airpods too.
What to Look for In Wireless Earbuds
When shopping for a pair of wireless earbuds, there are a few things you should consider.
The first is in regards to Bluetooth. It has improved dramatically with every iteration, however, Bluetooth still can't carry a strong signal through objects such as walls, people, or your own pants, which in turn leads to interference and the signal being dropped. The Bluetooth signal can also be scrambled by intense areas wireless signals you might encounter in the city. If the music, podcast, or video you're listening to starts cutting in and out, simply move your source (likely a smartphone or tablet) closer to your earbuds, and that should clear things up in most cases.
The second thing you should look for in wireless earbuds is decent battery life, which in this case means six hours and above. Currently, eight hours or more is the high benchmark for the best battery life on wireless earbuds and 10 hours is the absolute best we've seen thus far. It might seem short, but unless you're flying on a cross-country or international flight, you probably won't be wearing your wireless earbuds for extremely long stretches.
Working out with your wireless earbuds? Be sure to find something with at least some level of water-resistance. You'll typically an IP rating attached to the specifications of any wireless earbuds you're looking at. Breaking down IP ratings, like IPX5 or IP55, is simple. The first number denotes how dust-resistant an object is while the later digit refers to how water-resistant a product is.
Most wireless earbuds aren't rated for dust-resistance, so they'll have an IPX rating where you only have to focus on the last number. For exercising, you'll want to find something with at least an IPX4 that certifies protection from water splashes for at least 5 minutes. IPX6 gives you even better protection from splashing and rain. Once you reach IPX7, it means your wireless earbuds are safe to submerge if you decide to go swimming with them, just know they'll only survive in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes. Also, if you're taking them under underwater, be sure that the charging port is fully sealed shut.
Feel like we missed anything? Throw down your own suggestions for the best wireless earbuds in the comments below. We'll check them out and consider nominating them in our list.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
