Other earbuds we like
It seems like every month comes a new set of earbuds with longer battery life, new features, and a more compact design. Thus, we cannot list everything we like. But if you’re still on the hunt, here are some other recommendations.
Nothing Ear (A) for $59.: It’s taken me a long time to recommend a pair of direct AirPods Pro clones as the best earbuds for most people, but that goes to show how much I really like the Nothing Ear(s). These stylish little yellow earbuds come in a sleek, clear charging case, and have excellent sound and good noise cancellation for under $100. I liked how easily they paired with Android and iOS devices and the lightweight, compact design helped them stay comfortable during long listening periods. Larger, more expensive nothing ears are also nice, but they don’t quite match the slim shape of ear (A).
Technics EAH-AZ80 for $165: Technics’ follow-up to the excellent EAH-AZ80 offers trickle-down driver technology from the brand’s hi-fi in-ears, the EAH-TZ700. The result with the AZ100 is an even richer and more detailed sound that dives deeper into instrumental textures to reveal new dimensions in older songs. The buds add old favorites like three-device multipoint pairing and mildly improved noise canceling, along with new features like Dolby-powered spatial audio and Bluetooth LE audio support for futureproofing. The slim design isn’t as ergonomic to my ears as the AZ80, but they’re still comfortable, and up to 10 hours of battery life per charge with ANC lets you listen to Bose and Apple buds for long periods of time. -Ryan Vaniata
Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 for $150: These premium earbuds from Beyerdynamic look simple and sound great, but they lack any of the standout qualities of the buds listed above. If you’re looking for a pair of neat-looking headphones with great sound definition, they’re worth considering.
Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2 for $159: These buds from Audio Technica boast 15 hours of battery life with noise cancellation, which is the longest battery life we’ve tested in a pair of earbuds. Despite looking somewhat bulky, they actually remain very ergonomic, with multiple pairs of eartips included to guarantee a good fit. A brilliant 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 canceling capabilities, but if you want a pair that will last you through many workdays (or indeed longer), these are a great choice. (Comment: These have been in and out of stock on Amazon.)
Soundcore Space A40 for $45: Although they’re no longer on our main list, the Space A40 are still some of my favorite buds for the money, offering good features, clear sound, and excellent noise cancellation for their price class. They also look polished, with only the lack of an auto-pause sensor betraying their low price.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for $100-$200: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro may be getting old, but they’re still one of the best buds to pair with a Samsung phone. They don’t have the multi-device connectivity of our top choice for Android users, and their five-hour battery seems pretty low these days, but they offer excellent sound quality, IPX7 waterproofing, and a distinctive design that just can’t be matched by the AirPods Pro. This makes them worth considering for sale.
Sony LinkBuds Fit for $200: Sony’s LinkBuds Fit offer rich and powerful sound, a natural transparency mode, and a light and comfortable fit, helping them live up to their intent as a “wear anywhere” solution. They offer some solid features, but save on battery life with only 5.5 hours per charge, and their noise cancellation is decent. Their strangely unresponsive touch controls and reliance on flimsy silicone sleeves further reduce their value, but they’re still Sony Buds and may be worth a good sale.
Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: The price of these earbuds is out of reach for most buyers, but if you have the cash, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc has called on some stalwarts from the audio industry to design and sound these buds. The result is a small, comfortable and quite attractive looking pair of wireless earbuds that sound really impressive.
Recon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-favorite earbuds are a really nice affordable pair. They’re small and lightweight, and they come with an IPX6 rating, making 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 hours these days. Wireless headphone batteries 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 generation) for $119-$170: These headphones do a few things well, we just don’t like them all that much. (Read our latest review.) They have decent battery life, come in a compact case, and work well for calls, but they don’t fit well in all ears, and since they don’t have ear tips or wings, you’re out of luck if they’re loose. The priciest models include noise cancellation, which works about as well as you’d expect for a pair that doesn’t offer a proper seal. Do you want clear music, good noise cancellation, and advanced features made for the iPhone 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 the Solo Buds for $70: These are lackluster in almost every possible way, especially when it comes to features for the money. Their best features are their micro size and big batteries, but that’s about it. It’s strange, because we like other headphones from the brand, but these don’t keep pace. The best thing we can say is that they are affordable.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 for $170: A Cybertruck pair of AirPods clones, the headphones in the new Galaxy Buds line do a worse job than they look. Without eartips, these are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, and the noise canceling is almost useless.
How do we define wireless earbuds
We have seen this category under many names: True Wireless Earbuds, True Wireless Earbuds, Completely Wireless Earbuds, Completely Wireless Earbuds, Wirefree Earbuds etc.. These days, if a pair of earbuds connect to your phone/computer via Bluetooth and don’t have a cord connecting the left bud to the right, we call them wireless. Wireless sets usually come with two popcorn-sized buds, each with a battery inside, and a charging cradle that holds extra battery power and keeps them secure when you’re not wearing them. Some wireless earbuds have a cable or neckband that connects the two buds together, commonly found on workout buds from brands like Shox.
Freeing yourself of all cords can feel liberating, but it also comes with problems, like limited battery life (don’t buy anything with less than five hours), confusing controls, and reliance on a charging case. They’re also easier to lose than traditional earbuds, and replacing a bud can be expensive. That said, this is one of the most innovative ranges in technology, offering new features ranging from heart rate monitors to OTC hearing aid functionality, with more added in each new generation. Features like noise cancellation and transparency mode are standard these days, while the growing open-ear category offers a more natural way to stay aware of your surroundings.
We test headphones and earbuds just like we do live. We take them to the gym, wear them to offices, travel with them, and generally try to use them as we hope potential buyers will use them. If a pair advertises dust or water resistance, we test it. We test cases and test cables, charging times, and battery life, and we note down anything extraordinary we find for our readers.
While we don’t typically use a set playlist of music to test each pair, our goal is to test acoustic, rock, hip hop, pop, country, and many other genres with each pair of headphones, making sure to provide a good perspective on the sound signature across genres and volumes. As for noise reduction, we test the headphones in real-world environments and note our findings. Whenever possible, we try to have the headphones worn by a variety of people with different head and ear sizes, to make sure we’re thinking about the widest possible audience.
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