The convenience, sound quality and comfort that modern-day wireless earbuds provide make them a must-own gadget.
Whether you’re an audiophile looking for something to complement your wireless headphones, want something sleek with a decent microphone for calls, or perhaps seeking a sweat-resistant pair for intense workouts, there’s now a wide range of options to choose from.
With this growth in popularity, however, the task of picking between top-tier Bluetooth earbuds has become harder and harder. Almost all big-name audio brands now have some kind of wireless buds for you to consider, with each pair offering a unique blend of design, features and sound profile.
Of course, not all are created equal. We know because we’ve tested, reviewed and rated a veritable truckload of them – and use this buyer’s guide to provide a summary of the pairs we believe are the very best right now.
In the picks here, we’ll give you an idea of which ones to consider. And for those who are new to wireless earbuds, learn how to choose the best earbuds for your needs with the help of our advice section.
Our top picks: Best wireless earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM4
1. Best overall
The total package
Absolutely brilliant earbuds that don’t come cheap but won’t disappoint.
- Great audio performance
- Superb ANC
- Well featured
- Comfortable
- Feel a little large in the ear
The Sony WF-1000XM4 have become the de facto recommendation for true wireless in-ears, such is the superb all-round proposition they provide. They’re almost two years old now, and still hold their own – but crucially at a cheaper price point than ever.
Quite simply, it comes down to their excellent audio performance and fantastic active noise-cancelling (ANC) talents that keep those recommendations coming. They’re a superb listen, with adaptive noise cancellation, customisable controls, LDAC support and a great companion app.
The design feels a little big in the ear for really long wears, but when that’s about our only complaint, you won’t be short of things to love in these headphones.
It’s fair to say that the competition is creeping up now, but that lower price point keeps the WF-1000XM4 looking very competitive indeed.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
2. Great for travelling
It’s oh so quiet
If you’re looking for a refined sound and best-in-class noise cancellation, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are a superb choice.
- Best-in-class noise cancellation
- Refined sound
- Secure fit
- No wireless charging
- No Bluetooth multipoint
The Bose QuietComfort EarBuds II improve on their predecessors in pretty much every way, refining their design, improving their fit and comfort and honing the sound.
With an RRP of £280/$299, they are undoubtedly expensive, even in the premium wireless market, but you will find them on offer on occasion, so do keep an eye out.
If the price tag doesn’t deter you, you certainly won’t be disappointed with your investment – they sound great, with a refined, relatively neutral sound that works well with all genres. Battery life is pretty good too, offering six hours in between charges and a total of 24 hours from the case.
However, the real wow factor here is the noise cancellation they are capable of. If you need, want or crave near silence while you’re listening to your music, these are the best true wireless earbuds for the job – without question.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
3. Great all rounders
Excellent earbuds
Excellent sound and a reasonable price tag – that’s a great combination.
- Great sound
- Comfortable fit
- Good design
Sennheiser’s Momentum line has been really reliable, and it hits the heights again with the third version, which is more comfortable than ever and looks really nice. The sound quality is excellent, and with adaptive noise-cancelling it’s pretty good value.
The case has a lovely textured finish that we think is as nice as any out there, while battery life is very solid, too. That makes the Momentum True Wireless 3 an extremely likeable set of earbuds with a really nice balanced sound.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
4. Great for Apple users
Apple’s best buds
$199.99 $249.99 Save $50
If you’re an Apple user, these buds offer a seamless experience and sound great too.
- Excellent performance
- Great noise cancellation
- Super-convenient features
Apple’s most premium earbuds are some of the very best out there, if you use iOS at least. They’ve got great active noise cancelling for that all-important isolation, and the sound quality is great too – not to mention even better than the originals in this second iteration.
Couple that with a really comfortable design and the AirPods Pro 2 are a joy to wear. Instant pairing with Apple devices and easy swapping between them is a cut above other earbuds if you’re invested in the ecosystem, and the overall experience is one of sheer convenience alongside premium touches. Apple users really can’t go wrong with investing their money here.
Beats Fit Pro
5. Great for exercise
Eye-catching design
A superb blend of comfort and sound quality, whether you want to exercise or use them for everyday listening.
- Spatial Audio
- Great sound and ANC
- Comfort for all occasions
- The case can’t wirelessly charge
- Android users miss out on some features
If you’re looking for a pair of earphones that suits pretty much every occasion – and perhaps want something slightly more exercise-ready than Apple’s AirPods – the Beats Fit Pro make a lot of sense.
The company has better options for those who are exclusively interested in something for workouts, but nothing else is quite the same jack of all trades as the Beats Fit Pro offers. And, even better, the trade-off by opting for them is minimal.
There’s a comfortable fit whether you’re listening casually or on a pavement-pounding run, very solid ANC for commuting, easy pairing for Apple users and even neat features like Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking. The colourways you can get are great fun too.
The only major gripe with have with this model is the lack of a wireless charging case, but, even still, they’re one to seriously consider.
Technics AZ80
6. Great for musicality
Bold performers
A confident and assured performance from these Technics buds, alongside decent noise cancelling makes them a real contender at this price.
- Confident, detailed sound
- Decent noise cancelling
- Nice design
- LDAC support
- Treble lacks some sparkle
There’s no two ways about it – Technics has done a great job with the tuning of the EAH-AZ80, and they present themselves as a real contender in this busy part of the market.
The earbuds towards the top of this list offer the very best when it comes to noise cancelling, but from a music perspective, there’s very little in it – in fact, these could just inch it for confidence and expression. Add in a decent battery life, great call quality and support for LDAC and these are quite the audiophile’s package at the price. There’s only a touch of treble sparkle missing to take a bit of shine from an otherwise assured, enjoyable performance.
Astell & Kern UW100
7. For working from home
Bring the noise
These earbuds prioritise sound over noise-cancelling, and it works a treat.
- Nice looks
- Astounding sound
- Good comfort
Taking the attitude that noise cancelling can compromise sheer audio quality, these earbuds from Astell & Kern do away with the feature to concentrate on the incredible impressive sound they deliver.
Music is simply sumptuous and matches far more expensive audio setups at times, even if we miss noise cancelling when it comes to hopping on a train or bus. The earbuds look nice and are pretty comfortable to wear, and for those who want the very best audio quality, and who perhaps don’t travel or commute too much, they’re a great option.
Nothing ear (2)
8. Great for style
Cool to be clear
The Ear (2)’s performance, feature set and unique design mean they demand the consideration of anyone looking for affordable true wireless buds.
- Clean, energetic sound
- Unique, comfortable design
- Decent noise cancellation
- Strong feature set
- Middling battery life
- Wear sensor is hit and miss
The Nothing Ear (2) are the first second-gen product from the company, and show just how open the company is to feedback and improvement. They fill in a lot of the gaps that the Ear (1) left from a features perspective, while also building on sound quality and noise cancellation too.
The battery life is really the only sticking point for us here. If we could get a couple more hours from these on a single charge, that would really make them the full package.
That said, for £129/$149 there is no doubt that these are a fantastic pair of headphones that may leave people wondering if they really need to spend any more.
Sony WF-C700N
9. Great on a budget
Basic buds, fantastic sound
For their price, the WF-C700N offer up an appealing balance of attractive design, good features and a well-judged sound, but miss out on build quality.
- Nice simple looks
- Comfortable and light
- Good ANC and sound
- Plasticky case and build
- Middling battery life
For under $120/£100, the WF-C700N strike us as really well-judged headphones. There’s a good amount of detail and insight, a decent handle on timing and level-headed approach to sound quality that you don’t uniformly hear in headphones at this level.
Add to that some good features and an attractive design, and they’re a pretty enticing package. It’s only that plastic build quality that holds them back from being truly eye-catching – if you can cope with their slightly lightweight plastic feel then you’ll find a lot to love here.
How to choose the right wireless earbuds
Scroll back five years or so and wireless earbuds were a fresh new look for the market, but now there are almost countless options to choose from. Here are some key questions that could help you narrow your options down.
What sort of design do you like?
While Apple’s AirPods initially dominated the look and feel of almost all earbuds, there’s now a real sense of diversity in the market, with earbuds coming in all shapes and sizes. You would be well advised to figure out what sort of look you prefer – whether it’s buds with stems, those without, in-ear options or ones that don’t have buds at all.
This will help you to narrow down your options drastically, and highlight a few that fit into your favoured style.
Do you want to work out with them?
While most top-end earbuds are now expected to launch with sweat resistance at minimum, some still don’t manage to. You should definitely think about whether you plan to do any exercise in your earbuds, or if you’re at risk of needing to use them in the rain – and if so, look out for their IP rating.
After all, nothing could be more annoying than your earbuds dying because they can’t withstand the elements. Of course, if you’re only going to use them at home or in public transport, you should be fine regardless.
How key is active noise cancelling?
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is a brilliant bit of technology that filters out background noise around you using microphones onboard the earbuds to determine what to cancel out. When it works well, it’s a game-changer that can make it was easier to concentrate on your audio on, for example, trains or planes.
That said, it’s also a feature that generally tends to push up the price of the device it’s in (although this is becoming less of an issue over time). So, while we think it’s a brilliant addition, you could save a chunk of cash by disregarding it.
What’s your budget?
Speaking of cash, it’s another huge variable in your search for the right earbuds. There are now earbuds out there at practically every price you could think to name, although we still think around £100/$100 is a safe place to start to have more confidence in what you’re buying.
If you’re happy spending £300/$300, you’ll be able to pick up a really superb piece of tech, but if your budget is different the most important thing is to make sure you know what it is!
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