Other Earbuds We Like
Every month seems to bring new sets of earbuds with longer battery life, new features, and more compact designs. As such, we can’t list everything we like. But if you’re still hunting, here are some other recommendations.
Nothing Ear (a) for $59: It has taken a lot for me to recommend a pair of ostensible AirPods Pro clones as the best earbuds for most people, but that speaks to just how much I actually like the Nothing Ear (a). These stylish little yellow earbuds come in a sleek, clear charging case, and they have excellent sound and decent noise cancellation for under $100 retail. I liked how easily they paired with Android and iOS devices and that the lightweight, compact design helped them stay comfortable during longer listening sessions. The larger, more expensive Nothing Ear are also good, but they don’t quite match the Ear (a)’s svelte figure.
Status Audio Pro X for $239: The multi-driver array inside these cool-looking earbuds from little-known brand Status Audio helps them rise above the rest when it comes to audio quality. A dynamic driver down low pairs with a set of Knowles balanced armatures for upper mids and highs, providing a ton of musical separation between instruments, and offering some of the best detail down low that we’ve heard in a pair of buds so far. The warm EQ works well with pop music and acoustic music alike, and the Pro X support Sony’s LDAC Bluetooth codec for near-lossless streaming quality. We compared them with the best from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and Technics, and found that the Pro X hold their own valiantly, with only the call quality coming in a touch below what others have to offer.
Technics EAH-AZ80 for $165: Technics’ follow-up to the fantastic EAH-AZ80 provides trickle-down driver technology from the brand’s hi-fi in-ears, the EAH-TZ700. The result for the AZ100 is even richer and more detailed sound that digs deep into instrumental textures to reveal new dimensions in old songs. The buds add new features like Dolby-powered Spatial Audio and Bluetooth LE Audio support for futureproofing, along with old favorites like three-device multipoint pairing and mildly improved noise canceling. The slimmer design isn’t as ergonomic as the AZ80 to my ears, but they’re still comfy, and battery life of up to 10 hours per charge with ANC lets you listen long past Bose and Apple buds. —Ryan Waniata
Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 for $150: These premium earbuds from Beyerdynamic look nondescript and sound fantastic, but they lack any of the superlative qualities of the buds on the list above. If you’re after a clean-looking pair of headphones with fantastic vocal definition, they’re worth considering.
Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2 for $159: These buds from Audio Technica boast 15 hours of battery life with noise canceling on, which is the longest we’ve tested in a pair of earbuds. Despite a somewhat bulky appearance, they actually remain very ergonomic, with multiple pairs of included eartips to guarantee a good fit. A cool magnetic feature allows you to clip the buds together when they’re not in their wireless charging case to engage standby mode. These aren’t the best-sounding buds for the money, nor do they have the best noise reduction, but if you want a pair that will last you throughout multiple workdays (or one really long one), these are a great option. (Note: These have been in and out of stock on Amazon.)
Soundcore Space A40 for $45: While they’re no longer on our main list, the Space A40 are still some of my favorite buds for the money, providing good features, clear sound, and excellent noise canceling for their price class. They also look polished, with only their lack of auto-pause sensors betraying their low price.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for $100–$200: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are getting older, but they’re still among the best buds to pair with a Samsung phone. They don’t have the multi-device connectivity of our top pick for Android users, and their five-hour battery is looking pretty short these days, but they provide excellent sound quality, IPX7 waterproofing, and a distinctive design that doesn’t just ape the AirPods Pro. That makes them well worth considering on sale.
Sony Linkbuds Fit for $200: Sony’s Linkbuds Fit offer rich and punchy sound, naturalistic transparency mode, and a light and comfy fit, helping them live up to their intent as a “wear anywhere” solution. They provide some solid features, but skimp on battery life with just 5.5 hours per charge, and their noise canceling is just OK. Their oddly unresponsive touch controls and reliance on flimsy silicone sleeves further diminish their value, but they’re still Sony buds and could be worth nabbing on a good sale.
Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: These earbuds are priced out of reach for most buyers, but if you’ve got the cash, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc has called in some heavy hitters from the audio industry to design and voice these buds. The result is a small, comfortable, and quite flashy-looking pair of wireless earbuds that sound really impressive.
Raycon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-beloved earbuds are actually a decent cheap pair. They are small and light, and they come with an IPX6 rating, which makes them great for workouts.
Earbuds to Avoid
As a general rule, you should avoid earbuds that don’t support the Bluetooth 5.0 standard (or higher), or don’t offer at least five hours of battery life—more like six these days. Batteries in wireless headphones degrade over time, so the better your battery life is at first, the more tolerable it will be in two to three years.
Apple AirPods (Previous or Current Gen) for $119–$170: These headphones do some things well, we just don’t like them all that much. (Read our latest review.) They get OK battery life, come in a compact case, and work well for calls, but they don’t fit all ears well, and since they don’t have ear tips or wings, you’re out of luck if they’re loose. The priciest model adds noise canceling, which works about as well as you’d expect for a pair that doesn’t offer a proper seal. Want clear music, good noise canceling, and advanced features made for iPhones for less than the AirPods Pro 3? Get the AirPods Pro Gen 2, which sometimes cost more (and sometimes less) but are legitimately great.
Beats Solo Buds for $70: These are lackluster in virtually every possible way, especially when it comes to features for the money. Their best traits are their micro-size and big battery, but that’s about it. It’s odd, because we like other headphones from the brand, but these just don’t keep pace. The best we can say is they are cheap.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 for $170: A Cybertrucked pair of AirPods clones, the headphones in the new Galaxy Buds line work worse than they already look. With no eartips, these are uncomfortable to wear for long periods, and the noise canceling is all but useless.
How We Define Wireless Earbuds
We’ve seen this category go by many names: true wireless earbuds, truly wireless earbuds, completely wireless earbuds, fully wireless earbuds, wirefree earbuds, etc. These days, if a pair of earbuds connects to your phone/computer via Bluetooth and has no cord that connects the left bud to the right, we just call them wireless. Wireless sets typically come with two popcorn-sized buds, each with a battery inside, and a charging cradle that carries extra battery power and keeps them safe when you’re not wearing ’em. Some wireless earbuds have a cable or neckband that connects the two buds together, usually found on workout buds from brands like Shokz.
Ridding yourself of all cords can feel liberating, but these do come with issues, such as limited battery life (don’t buy any with less than five hours), confusing controls, and reliance on a charging case. They’re also easier to lose than traditional earbuds, and replacing one bud can be expensive. That said, this is one of the most innovative categories in tech, offering a flurry of new features from heart rate monitors to OTC hearing aid functionality, with more added in each new generation. These days features like noise canceling and transparency mode are standard, while the burgeoning open-ear category offers a more natural way to keep aware of your surrounding.
We test headphones and earbuds the way that we live. We take them to the gym, wear them around offices, travel with them, and generally try to use them as we anticipate potential buyers will use them. If a pair advertises dust or water resistance, we test that. We drop-test cases and test cables, charging times, and battery life, and we note everything we find exceptional to our readers.
While we do not typically use a set playlist of music to test each pair, we aim to test acoustic, rock, hip hop, pop, country, and a variety of other genres with every pair of headphones, ensuring offer a good perspective on sound signature across genres and volumes. For noise reduction, we test the headphones in real-world environments and note our findings. When possible, we attempt to have headphones worn by a variety of people with different head and ear shapes, to ensure we’re thinking about the widest audience possible.
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