The Best Wireless Earbuds, Recommended by Audio Experts

You get what you pay for. Sony’s spendy creation is an upgrade from its already-pretty-fantastic predecessor. Larger drivers take the exceptional, balanced sound up a notch while the reduced size (25% smaller and 20% lighter) makes for a more comfortable, ergonomic fit. And with six microphones, the active noise cancellation with automatic wind noise reduction remains one of the industry’s best.

A glossy finish gives the buds (offered in black, silver, and smoky pink) an undeniable it factor, but as with most things, it’s what’s inside that counts. These deliver with soft, polyurethane foam tips—now available in sizes extra small and up—that expand to truly seal off the ear and shut out extraneous sounds. Plus Sony said they homed in on the voice-call feature to ensure your voice cuts through the noise.

Read the full review: Sony WF-1000XM5 Review – Hear (or Not Hear) And Be Heard Just How You’d Like

The EarFun Air Pro 4 packs a lot of features into their modest price, including up to 45 hours of battery life (nine hours from the earbuds themselves and an additional 36 hours from the case), multipoint connectivity, customizable EQ for personalizing sound, and improved noise cancellation up to 50dB, which, says Greenberg, “filters out 95% of noises whether in-flight, city traffic, or office chatter.”

Among the reasons the brand insists its creation has “world-class noise cancellation” is its Acoustic Noise Canceling technology—microphones built into the buds that produce the opposite signal of environmental sounds to cancel out the noise. (A double-tap allows users to quickly switch to aware mode if they want to minimize loud sounds, but still be able to carry on conversations.)

The fit is rather bespoke as well, thanks to a silicone design that comes with three sizes of eartips and a coordinating stability band. Another fun feature is a “hey headphones” voice command to activate a voice assistant and a remote selfie tool that turns the buds into a camera shutter. And using the Bose Music app allows listeners to adjust to their preferred levels of bass, mid-range, and treble.

Meet the AirPods Pro’s sportier sibling. Apple took everything listeners love about their flagship earbuds—active noise-canceling, the surround sound of spatial audio—and repackaged it into a more workout-friendly design.

Their flexible wingtips (that come with three soft silicone ear tip options) were tested by various athletes to ensure they’ll stay put (and keep the beats bumping) through even the most vigorous of sweat sessions. Plus, if you’re the gym selfie sort, they come in your choice of seven saturated shades.

Ubiquitous for a reason, the latest version of the brand’s popular earbuds is chock-full of enhancements like improved sound—thanks to its proprietary H2 chip—and pro-level active noise cancellation. They also boast spatial audio, voice isolation, new swipe up volume control, improved Siri activations that can be controlled with just a nod of the head, and a speaker in the charging case if you need to activate Find My. 

And when the brand discovered that 1.5 billion people around the world are living with hearing loss they were, er, all ears about discovering a solution. The AirPods Pro 2 have a five-minute hearing test, active hearing protection, and a hearing aid feature that can be used when paired with an iPhone or iPad. 

Read the full review: Airpods Pro 2nd Generation Review

With perks like 360-degree audio, ambient mode, and auto device switching between the brand’s other products reserved solely for Galaxy phone owners, this might not be an ideal pick for, say, a committed iPhone user. But Android lovers will enjoy high-quality audio, top-notch water resistance, and a new earbuds-with-blades design that features pinch and swipe controls. Another upgrade: Built-in voice control allows you to skip songs or adjust the volume.

An upgrade from its predecessor, Google’s latest Pixel Buds offer enhanced sound quality, voice-calling performance and Tensor AI chip-powered active noise cancellation that uses what they call a silent seal to block out the bulk of outside noise. By shrinking down the size (they weigh in at 24% lighter and 27% smaller), Google also improved on comfort with sensors to measure and adapt to the pressure in your ears, and a twist-to-adjust stabilizer that helps cement everything in place. 

Other standout features include Conversation Detect—which will pause audio and switch buds to transparency mode when you start speaking—spatial audio, and a hands-free Google assistant, though those characteristics only work when paired with a Google device.

For some the appeal of these buds is clear, as in their translucent-looking frosted plastic shell. And at just 0.81 inches by 0.73 inches by 0.59 inches they’re definitely on the tinier side with silicone tips ranging from extra-small up to large for an optimal fit.

Of course, for some, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And these Beats buds boast powerful noise cancelation, better sound and improved voice calling thanks to larger, more sensitive microphones. Plus they offer perks for both Apple devotees (Siri, automatic software updates) and Android users (the option to seamlessly transition between Android devices).

Music enthusiasts take note: Reviews promise the fourth generation of the brand’s wireless earbuds hit all the right chords with a superb, detailed sound quality, adaptive noise cancelation, and a built-in equalizer for a listening experience that’s truly custom.

Users also sing the praises of the design, including the optional wing tips that help to really secure the earbuds. The brand’s latest iteration also provides a slightly increased battery life, an IP54 rating that makes them splash- and dust-proof, and Auracast, a Bluetooth feature that allows users to broadcast audio to an unlimited number of receivers.

As the name suggests, UE Fits has honed in on the feel of their earbuds, uncovering a way to offer a bespoke fit. Once placed inside your ear, the photopolymer gel of the tips molds to your unique shape in just 60 seconds, creating a custom, perfect seal. (If you’re not satisfied, they offer a 30-day risk-free return policy.)

Though the brand doesn’t boast the same flashy features as others, they’ll definitely get the job done with a full, warm sound quality and a snug fit that creates what they call a passive noise isolation.