The perfect wi-fi earbuds for 2025

Wi-fi earbuds have turn out to be the go-to selection for listening on the transfer. Whether or not you’re on the fitness center, commuting or enjoyable at residence, one of the best wi-fi earbuds offer you consolation, freedom and stable sound high quality with out tangled cables. They’re light-weight, slip simply into your pocket and join rapidly to your cellphone, pill or laptop computer.

The difficult half is choosing the proper pair. Some fashions concentrate on highly effective noise cancellation whereas others put battery life or affordability first. Then you definately’ve bought options like water resistance for exercises or contact controls for fast monitor modifications. With so many decisions, discovering one of the best wi-fi earbuds will depend on what issues most to you, and that’s precisely what this information will assist you determine.

Desk of contents

Finest wi-fi earbuds of 2025

Sony

Learn our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review

With the WF-1000XM5 flagship earbuds, Sony improves its already formidable mixture of nice sound, efficient ANC and useful options. These earbuds are undoubtedly the corporate’s greatest and most snug design of its 1000X fashions to date, which was one of many few remaining riddles Sony wanted to unravel. Sony nonetheless manages to pack in additional options than anybody else too, together with trademark ones like adaptive sound and Converse-to-Chat. Add in upgraded drivers, new chips, eight hours of battery life and important enhancements to sound high quality and these are Sony’s greatest earbuds but. However all the developments come at a value: these are additionally Sony’s most costly set of wi-fi earbuds within the 1000X lineup.

Professionals

Wonderful sound high quality
Improved design
Extra snug match
A great deal of useful options

Cons

Costlier
No battery life enchancment
Head monitoring is Android solely
Some options nonetheless want fine-tuning

$228 at Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Learn our full Apple AirPods Pro 3 review

Apple’s newest AirPods Pro supply the corporate’s most sturdy set of options ever. Stay Translation and hear-rate sensing get prime billing, however enhancements to ANC and sound high quality are important as nicely. Plus, Apple’s current listening to well being and different superior earbuds options can be found right here as nicely. And the corporate managed to do all of this with out elevating the worth.

Professionals

Spectacular ANC updates
Improved sound high quality
Stay Translation lastly arrives
Prolonged battery life on a single cost

Cons

New match takes some getting used to
Whole battery life is definitely lower than earlier than
Stay Translation languages are restricted at launch

$249 at Amazon

Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget

Learn our full Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review

The Pixel Buds Professional 2 could also be Google’s priciest earbuds, however they’re additionally its greatest. A whole redesign resulted in considerably smaller earbuds that match extra comfortably and securely. The corporate has additionally packed in a Tensor chip for the primary time to deal with audio and ANC sign processing. As you may count on, these earbuds supply a hands-free channel to Gemini AI, though they’re not required to make use of the voice assistant.

Google additionally revised the acoustics and drivers on the Pixel Buds Professional 2, delivering ample low-end tone when it’s wanted. There are many useful options too, like Dialog Detection, Listening to Wellness and Discover My Machine. Spatial Audio is on the market at launch this time, however you’ll be able to solely use it with appropriate video streaming apps.

Professionals

Tiny, cozy design
Punchy bass, full mids, crisp highs
Barely longer battery life than predecessor

Cons

Worth went up once more
Spatial audio is proscribed to video apps
Smaller contact panel requires precision

$229 at Amazon

Samsung

Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review

Max battery life: 6 hours, as much as 26 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IP57 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IP68) | Driver measurement: Twin drivers (woofer and tweeter); particular sizes not disclosed

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro borrow closely from Apple’s AirPods Professional in each seems to be and options, and construct upon the inspiration of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Professional. Nevertheless, Samsung did nicely to make issues like Adaptive ANC and voice instructions work nicely. Some options like Voice Detect may nonetheless use some high-quality tuning, however there’s loads to love right here past the fundamental performance.

The really stunning factor concerning the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional is the sound high quality. There’s some thick, boomy bass whenever you want it with loads of crisp element to enrich it. This mannequin actually shines whenever you pair it with a Samsung machine to unlock 24-bit HiFi streaming. There’s additionally a natural-sounding transparency mode that retains you from feeling shouty throughout calls.

Professionals

Nice sound high quality
A great deal of useful options
Comfortable match
Pure ambient sound

Cons

Battery life is shorter than some rivals
The perfect options require a latest Samsung machine
Copycat design
Blade lights are a gimmick

$250 at Amazon

Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 supply the type of options you’d count on from wi-fi earbuds that price twice as a lot: ANC, multi-device pairing, wi-fi charging, IPX4 water resistance, a transparency mode, eight to 10 hours of battery life and LDAC help. Once we examined them, we discovered their heat sound to be pleasing proper out of the field, however Anker’s companion app makes it simple to customise the EQ curve if wanted. And whereas their ANC isn’t fairly as efficient at decreasing background noise as our prime picks, it’s nonetheless efficient for a loud workplace or lengthy flight. For $80 or so, this can be a excellent worth. – Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Author

Professionals

Inexpensive
Good battery life
Multipoint connectivity
Transparency Mode

Cons

ANC is not as robust as opponents

$43 at Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Learn our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) review

Bose’s Immersive Audio characteristic often is the headline grabber on its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, however these additionally include the corporate’s stellar noise-canceling talents. This mannequin is particularly adept at battling airplane noise throughout a flight, a job I usually depend on over-ear headphones for. The second-gen QC Extremely Earbuds are efficient with human voices too, blocking that distraction higher than a lot of the competitors. However with any type of fixed roar, and plenty of irregular sounds, these earbuds will serve you nicely. Plus, Bose’s CustomTune instrument analyzes the form of your ears and personalizes each sound and ANC.

Whereas the QC Extremely Earbuds supply one of the best pure noise-blocking efficiency on this record, the additional audio options imply they’ve much less battery life than the remainder of our picks. It lasts six hours with ANC on and Immersive Audio off, however activate the latter and that quantity dips to 4 hours. And though Bose’s tackle spatial audio yields combined outcomes at instances, the inventory tuning is an enchancment over the corporate’s final flagship mannequin. Because of small tuning tweaks, the general sound profile is extra balanced on the second-gen model as nicely.

Professionals

Stronger ANC filters out extra distractions
Enhanced name high quality

Cons

Battery life isn’t improved
Cumbersome design is unchanged

$299 at Bose

Bose

Learn our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) review

Prior to now, you needed to pay round $300 should you needed Bose-quality ANC on a set of earbuds. With the brand new QuietComfort Earbuds, the corporate packs in a number of its greatest options for much less cash. You’ll get efficient ANC, good sound high quality, and options like voice controls.

The earbuds are smaller than typical Bose fare, which suggests they’re extra snug and match higher. You’ll additionally get pleasure from nicely over eight hours of battery life with ANC on and an IPX4 ranking that might be adequate for exercises. And if the product web page is to be trusted, you may also stay up for Bose’s distinctive spatial audio (Immersive Audio) coming quickly.

Professionals

Nice sound high quality
Efficient ANC
Plenty of useful options
Reliable battery life

Cons

No Immersive Audio (but)
Audio and ANC sacrifices in comparison with the QC Extremely Earbuds
No CustomTune characteristic
Poor name high quality

$129 at Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Learn our full Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 review

If you’d like one of the best sound high quality, you’ll should pay for it. The FoKus Rex5 are an eyewatering $449, and simply the costliest wi-fi earbuds I’ve examined. Nevertheless, Noble Audio’s five-driver setup is extra sturdy than the competitors the place one or two drivers is often the norm.

There’s a degree of pristine element and sonic separation I haven’t heard on different earbuds. For instance, traits of the guitars, together with the person nuances of a number of gamers on a monitor, contribute to a wider soundstage and extra immersion than you’ll encounter elsewhere. These are removed from a whole package deal by way of options, however the audio prowess is unmatched.

Professionals

Detailed, immersive sound
Customized audio profiles are saved on the buds
Comfy match

Cons

Very costly
Only one coloration and it’s not for everybody
Subpar ANC efficiency

$449 at Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Learn our full Technics AZ100 review

For a protracted whereas Bowers & Wilkins was my choose for greatest total sound high quality. However, as Dylan sang, “the instances they’re a-changin’.”

Technics borrowed magnetic fluid driver tech from its in-ear displays (IEMs) to enhance the sound high quality on the AZ100. The result’s deeper, extra immersive bass that’s complemented by detailed highs and ample mid-range tone.

There are additionally a number of options on the AZ100, together with multipoint Bluetooth for as much as three units. Sony’s LDAC codec can be supported, as are Dolby Atmos and Dolby’s dynamic head monitoring.

Professionals

Wonderful sound high quality
Tons of choices within the app
Small measurement means cozy match
Three-device multipoint Bluetooth

Cons

ANC lags behind one of the best
None of as we speak’s “good” options
Spatial audio doesn’t enhance default tuning

$223 at Amazon

Beats

Learn our full Beats Powerbeats Fit review

With just a few key tweaks, Beats make a extra polished model of the Match Professional earbuds within the Powerbeats Match. The corporate did not reinvent the wheel right here, however this is likely one of the uncommon cases the place that was for one of the best. The brand new buds have 20 p.c extra versatile wingtips and the charging case is 17 p.c extra compact than that of the Beats Match Professional. Each of these changes make for a extra snug, extra transportable pair of buds. When you choose from the 4 eartips included within the field, you’ll be able to just about pop the Powerbeats Slot in your ears and get going — no fixed readjustments wanted. And, blessedly, the charging case extra simply slips right into a again pocket now (it was a little bit of a chonkster earlier than).

Sound high quality and energetic noise cancellation (ANC) are simply pretty much as good as they have been on the Beats Match Professional. You will get that signature, bass-heavy sound you count on from a pair of Beats earbuds, and ANC that is robust sufficient to dam out most ambient noise. Transparency mode stays a spotlight right here, and might be particularly helpful should you use these buds all day lengthy and wish to leap out and in of conversations whereas carrying them. Whereas an IPX4-rated design is not probably the most sturdy, it is lots to resist sweaty exercises and even an unintended splash in water. Battery life is simply common, however the charging case supplies as much as a complete of 30 hours of use earlier than you may have to recharge. That is lots if these buds are solely your exercise companions, and greater than sufficient to get you thru a few days of fixed use.

Professionals

Improved design with extra versatile wingtips
Smaller charging case

Cons

IPX4 sturdiness could possibly be higher
Six-hour battery with ANC could possibly be improved

$200 at Amazon

Sony

One of many greatest surprises final yr wasn’t Sony’s distinctive open-wear LinkBuds, it was the extra mainstream follow-up. With the LinkBuds S, the corporate debuted a extra historically designed pair of earbuds akin to its premium WF-1000XM4, solely this mannequin is way smaller and lighter which ends up in a way more cozy match. These tiny wi-fi earbuds muster some punch relating to sound high quality too and help for high-res listening (LDAC and DSEE Excessive) are each onboard. Succesful ANC lends a hand with environmental noise and transparency mode can hold you tuned in when wanted. What’s extra, useful Converse-to-Chat is right here and Adaptive Sound Management can mechanically change settings primarily based on exercise or location. That’s a number of premium options at a mid-range value.

Professionals

Comfy design
Good sound high quality
Converse-to-Chat
Adaptive Sound Management

$158 at Amazon

What to search for in one of the best wi-fi earbuds

Relating to purchasing for earphones, the very first thing to think about is design or put on fashion. Do you favor a semi-open match like AirPods or would you like one thing that fully closes off your ears? In case you’re purchasing for earbuds with energetic noise cancellation, you may need the latter, however a case might be made for the previous if you wish to put on all of them day or frequent locations the place you’ll want to be tuned in to the ambient sounds. The general form of earbuds can decide whether or not you get a snug match, so can the scale and weight, so that you’ll wish to take into account all that earlier than deciding. And bear in mind: audio corporations aren’t excellent, so regardless of a number of analysis, the earbud form they selected could not suit you nicely. Don’t be afraid to return ill-fitting earbuds for one thing that’s extra snug.

As wi-fi earbuds have turn out to be the norm, they’re now extra dependable for staple items like constant Bluetooth connectivity. Firms are nonetheless in a race to pack as a lot as they’ll into more and more smaller designs. This usually means an extended record of options on the extra premium units of earbuds with fundamental performance on the most cost effective fashions. Rigorously take into account what you’ll be able to’t stay with out when deciding on your subsequent earbuds, and ensure key objects like automated pausing and multipoint connectivity are on the spec sheet. You’ll additionally wish to examine the quantity and contact controls as you’ll usually should sacrifice entry to one thing else to make that adjustment by way of on-board faucets or swipes. Some earbuds even supply app settings to tweak the audio profiles or firmware updates to enhance efficiency over time.

For these within the Apple ecosystem, options like auto-pairing with units, particularly with AirPods Professional 3, might be an added benefit, whereas Android customers could wish to search for fashions that supply comparable cross-device performance.

Relating to battery life, the typical set of earbuds lasts about 5 hours on a single cost. You will discover units that last more, however that is possible sufficient to get you thru a piece day should you’re docking the buds throughout lunch or the occasional assembly. You’ll wish to examine on what number of further expenses can be found by way of the case and if it helps wi-fi charging.

Firms may also make lofty claims about name high quality on wi-fi earbuds. Regardless of a number of guarantees, the truth is most earbuds nonetheless depart you sounding such as you’re on speakerphone. There are some units that ship, however don’t get your hopes up except evaluations affirm the claims.

Sound might be subjective, so we suggest attempting before you purchase if in any respect potential. That is very true should you’re an audiophile. We perceive this isn’t simple when most of us do a number of buying on-line, however attempting on a set of earbuds and listening to them for a couple of minutes can prevent from an costly case of purchaser’s regret. If a retailer doesn’t permit a fast demo, most retailers have return insurance policies that can allow you to take earbuds again you don’t like. After all, you must be prepared to briefly half with funds in an effort to do that.

We additionally suggest being attentive to issues like Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Actuality Audio and different immersive codecs. Not all earbuds help them, so that you’ll wish to be certain that a perspective pair does if that kind of factor excites you, particularly should you plan to make use of them for playback of high-quality audio.

How we check wi-fi earbuds

The first approach we check earbuds is to put on them as a lot as potential. We want to do that over a one- to two-week interval, however generally embargoes don’t permit it. Throughout this time, we take heed to a mixture of music and podcasts, whereas additionally utilizing the earbuds to take each voice and video calls. Since battery life for earbuds is often lower than a full day, we drain the battery with looping music and the quantity set at a snug degree (normally round 75 p.c).

To guage audio high quality, we take heed to a variety of genres, noting any variations within the sound profile throughout the kinds. We additionally check at each high and low volumes to examine for consistency within the tuning. To evaluate name high quality, we’ll report audio samples with the earbuds’ microphones in addition to have third events name us.

Relating to options, we do an intensive assessment of companion apps, testing every characteristic as we work by the software program. Any holdovers from earlier fashions are double checked for enhancements or regression. If the earbuds we’re testing are an up to date model of a earlier mannequin, we’ll spend time getting reacquainted with the older buds. Ditto for the closest competitors for every new set of earbuds that we assessment.

Different wi-fi Bluetooth earbuds we examined

Sony WF-C710N

The WF-C710N is a set of compact and comfortable earbuds that supply a number of of Sony’s greatest options. Whereas the ANC efficiency is above common for this value ($120), sound high quality isn’t pretty much as good as the corporate’s barely costlier choices. Battery life fell beneath said figures and name efficiency isn’t adequate to make use of these buds for work.

Beats Powerbeats Professional 2

The most recent model of the Powerbeats Pro have an improved, snug design, balanced bass and new H2 chips and a coronary heart fee sensor inside. However coronary heart fee help is at present restricted on iOS.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3

The Galaxy Buds 3 mix ANC with an open-type design, which renders the noise-blocking talents of the earbuds largely ineffective. Nonetheless, there’s nice low-end tone with ample bass when a monitor calls for it. There are additionally a number of useful options, most of which require a Samsung cellphone. However at this value, there are higher choices from Google, Beats and Sony

Sennheiser Momentum Sport

I actually like the general form of the Momentum Sport earbuds. They’re extra snug than the Momentum True Wi-fi 4 and slot in my ears higher. What’s extra, the physique temperature and coronary heart fee sensors work nicely, sending these stats to a wide range of apps. Nevertheless, that sport-tracking characteristic works greatest with Polar’s app and units, so there’s that consideration. Additionally, the audio high quality and ANC efficiency isn’t pretty much as good because the MTW4, and these earbuds are expensive.

Beats Solo Buds

There’s loads to love concerning the Solo Buds for $80. For me, the first perk is that they’re very snug to put on for lengthy intervals of time because of some considerate design concerns. You solely get the fundamentals right here by way of options and, as anticipated, the general sound high quality isn’t pretty much as good because the pricier fashions within the Beats lineup. You’re going to get 18 hours of battery life although, for the reason that firm nixed the battery within the case and beefed up the listening time within the buds themselves.

Bose Extremely Open Earbuds

Bose created one thing very distinctive for this set of earbuds that lets you keep in-tune with the world whereas listening to audio content material. The clip-on design may be very snug, however sound high quality suffers because of the open-type match, particularly relating to bass and spatial audio.

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7

These stick buds have a compact design that’s snug to put on and the nice and cozy sound profile is nice at instances. Nevertheless, total audio efficiency is inconsistent and there’s no automated pausing.

Grasp & Dynamic MW09

Retooled audio, higher ambient sound mode and dependable multipoint Bluetooth are one of the best issues the MW09 has to supply. They’re costly although, and you’ll find higher ANC efficiency elsewhere.

Wi-fi earbud FAQs

What is taken into account good battery life for true wi-fi earbuds?

Most wi-fi earbuds will final 5 hours on a single cost, at least. You will discover some pairs which have even higher battery life, lasting between six and eight hours earlier than they want extra juice. The entire greatest wi-fi earbuds include a charging case, which is able to present further hours of battery life — however you may should return every bud to the case in an effort to cost them up.

Is sound high quality higher on headphones or earbuds?

Evaluating sound high quality on earbuds and headphones is a bit like evaluating apples and oranges. There are a number of variables to think about and the variations in elements make a direct comparability troublesome. Personally, I want the audio high quality from over-ear headphones, however I can inform you the sound from earbuds like Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 can be excellent.

Which wi-fi earbuds have the longest battery life?

With new fashions popping out on a regular basis, monitoring the hours of battery life for every this may be troublesome to maintain tabs on. The longest-lasting earbuds we’ve reviewed are Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKS5TW. The corporate states they final 15 hours, however the app was nonetheless exhibiting 40 p.c at that mark throughout our checks. The one draw back is these earbuds debuted in 2019 and each know-how and options have improved since. By way of present fashions, Master & Dynamic’s MW08 provides 12 hours of use on a cost with ANC off (10 with ANC on) and JBL has a number of choices with 10-hour batteries.

What wi-fi earbuds are waterproof?

There are many choices nowadays relating to elevated water resistance. To find out the extent of safety, you’ll wish to search for an IP (ingress safety) ranking. The primary quantity signifies intrusion safety from issues like mud. The second quantity is the extent of moisture safety and also you’ll wish to be sure that determine is 7 or increased. At this water-resistance ranking, earbuds can stand up to full immersion for as much as half-hour in depths as much as one meter (3.28 toes). If both of the IP numbers is an X, meaning it doesn’t have any particular safety. For instance, a pair of wi-fi earbuds which are IPX7 wouldn’t be constructed to keep away from mud intrusion, however they might be okay should you dropped them in shallow water.

Which earbuds keep in ears one of the best?

A safe match can range wildly from individual to individual. All of our ears are totally different, so audio corporations are designing their merchandise to suit the most individuals they’ll with a single form. For this reason AirPods will simply fall out for some however keep put for others. Design touches like wing ideas or fins usually come on health fashions and people components may help hold issues in place. You’ll possible simply should strive earbuds on, and in the event that they don’t match nicely return them.

What wi-fi earbuds work with PS5?

PlayStation 5 doesn’t help Bluetooth audio with out an adapter or dongle. Even Sony’s own gaming headsets include a transmitter that connects to the console. There are common choices that mean you can use any headphones, headset or earbuds with a PS5. After getting one, plug it right into a USB port on the console and pair your earbuds with it.