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
- Sony WF-1000XM4
- Beats Fit Pro
- Jabra Elite 7 Pro
- Apple AirPods Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
- 1More True Wireless ANC
- OnePlus Buds Pro
- Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
- Apple AirPods (3rd Generation)
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. 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, 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.
3. Beats Fit Pro
Best Wireless Earbuds for Sports
If you’re looking for a solid pair of earbuds that you can sweat out at the gym with or take along on a jog, then the Beats Fit Pro are for you. These headphones are designed to stay in your ears no matter what you’re doing thanks to wingtips that tuck into your upper ear and three different ear tip options to ensure a snug fit. There’s no need to worry about accidentally knocking one into the dirt during a trail run or interrupting a lifting session to put the device back in your ear. Plus, the IPX4 rating means it’ll hold up great against sweat and rain, just maybe don’t bring the earbuds along for a swim.
Not only are the Beats Fit Pro designed to stay in your ear, but they also sound great, too. Spatial audio and active noise cancellation are supported, so you’ll be fully immersed in your music no matter the environment you find yourself in. And, the six hours of battery life with ANC on plus 18 additional hours with the compact charging case means these headphones are the perfect travel companion, as well. With on-device controls, you won’t need to worry about taking out your phone to change songs or answer calls, either. The earbuds even rock an Apple H1 chip for hands-free help from Siri.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 the combination, but there are always tradeoffs for greatness. The earbuds can run for up to five hours, and the charging case can extend that by 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Apple AirPods (3rd Generation)
Best Basic Wireless Earbuds for iPhones
Apple's AirPods are by far the easiest to use wireless earbud solution for iPhone users—they'll work with Android too. Your iPhone easily detects the AirPods making setup and listening a breeze. And with Apple’s latest third-gen iteration, you get a new design, better sound, and improved features. Plus, a bit more peace of mind comes with it thanks to the IPX4 rating, so the earbuds are ready to handle a little sweat or rain.
The newest AirPods feature shorter stems, similar to the AirPods Pro, though you don’t get the customizable ear tips like you do with its more expensive counterpart. Thus, these headphones fit loosely and lightly in your ear, which some love. This does mean you’re prone to outside noise distractions, but it also allows you to be more aware of your surroundings. Speaking of sound, the driver and amp have been redesigned, so you’ll find it has a richer more dynamic audio experience than its predecessors. Spatial audio and Adaptive EQ should further improve your listening experience. And, you get a little more listening time, with six hours of playback plus an additional 24 hours of juice from the case.
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
