Discovering one of the best wi-fi earbuds could make an enormous distinction in your day-to-day life, whether or not you’re commuting, figuring out, touring or simply zoning out along with your favourite playlist. In the present day’s earbuds aren’t nearly slicing the twine — they’re smarter, extra snug and full of options like lively noise cancellation, customizable sound profiles and even spatial audio help.
With so many choices on the market, there’s really a pair of wi-fi earbuds for everybody. Whether or not you need one thing that is good for working, constructed for all-day put on on the workplace or tuned for critical audiophiles, the alternatives have by no means been higher. Some fashions prioritize battery life, others ship premium sound high quality and some one way or the other handle to do all of it with out blowing your funds. It doesn’t matter what you’re on the lookout for, we’re right here that will help you discover the suitable set of wi-fi earbuds to match your way of life.
Desk of contents
Finest wi-fi earbuds of 2025
Sony
Learn our full Sony WF-1000XM5 evaluation
Max battery life: 8 hours, as much as 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: 8.4mm
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 thus far, 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 Communicate-to-Chat. Add in upgraded drivers, new chips, eight hours of battery life and vital enhancements to sound high quality and these are Sony’s greatest earbuds but. However all the developments come at a price: these are additionally Sony’s most costly set of wi-fi earbuds within the 1000X lineup.
- Wonderful sound high quality
- Improved design
- Extra snug match
- A great deal of useful options
- Costlier
- No battery life enchancment
- Head monitoring is Android solely
- Some options nonetheless want fine-tuning
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Apple AirPods Professional (2nd Technology) evaluation
Max battery life: 6 hours, as much as 30 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: Not specified
Apple’s second-generation AirPods Professional are an enormous enchancment over the earlier fashions. These buds have improved sound high quality and lively noise cancellation, whereas sustaining all the conveniences that make AirPods one of the best earbud possibility for iPhone, iOS and Mac. After we reviewed them, we discovered probably the most spectacular characteristic to be transparency mode, which is extra pure sounding than another earbuds by a mile. You may depart these in throughout a dialog and it’s such as you’re not even sporting them. In fact, quick pairing, hands-free Siri, spatial audio, good battery life, and now, a USB-C charging case that may additionally energy up wirelessly can even come in useful.
- Improved sound
- Stellar transparency mode
- Strong ANC
- Seamless switching between Apple units
- Identical design
- New contact gesture takes follow
- Common battery life
- Customized Spatial Audio outcomes fluctuate
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Google Pixel Buds Professional 2 evaluation
Max battery life: 8 hours, as much as 30 hours with charging case (ANC on) | Water resistance: IP54 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4 for earbuds, IPX2 for case) | Driver dimension: 11mm
The Pixel Buds Professional 2 could also be Google’s priciest earbuds, however they’re additionally its greatest. An entire 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 anticipate, 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 System. Spatial Audio is offered at launch this time, however you possibly can solely use it with suitable video streaming apps.
- Tiny, cozy design
- Punchy bass, full mids, crisp highs
- Barely longer battery life than predecessor
- Value went up once more
- Spatial audio is proscribed to video apps
- Smaller contact panel requires precision
Samsung
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional evaluation
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 dimension: Twin drivers (woofer and tweeter); particular sizes not disclosed
The Galaxy Buds 3 Professional borrow closely from Apple’s AirPods Professional in each appears 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 nice tuning, however there’s loads to love right here past the essential performance.
The really shocking factor concerning the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional is the sound high quality. There may be some thick, boomy bass while you want it with loads of crisp element to enrich it. This mannequin actually shines while you pair it with a Samsung gadget to unlock 24-bit HiFi streaming. There’s additionally a natural-sounding transparency mode that retains you from feeling shouty throughout calls.
- Nice sound high quality
- A great deal of useful options
- Cozy match
- Pure ambient sound
- Battery life is shorter than some rivals
- The most effective options require a current Samsung gadget
- Copycat design
- Blade lights are a gimmick
Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Max battery life: 10 hours, as much as 50 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Not specified | Driver dimension: Not specified
The Anker Soundcore House A40 supply the type of options you’d anticipate from wi-fi earbuds that value 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. After we examined them, we discovered their heat sound to be pleasing proper out of the field, however Anker’s companion app makes it straightforward to customise the EQ curve if wanted. And whereas their ANC isn’t fairly as efficient at decreasing background noise as our high picks, it’s nonetheless efficient for a loud workplace or lengthy flight. For $80 or so, it is a very good worth. – Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Author
- Reasonably priced
- Good battery life
- Multipoint connectivity
- Transparency Mode
- ANC is not as robust as rivals
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Bose QuietComfort Extremely earbuds evaluation
Max battery life: 6 hours, as much as 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: Not specified
For the reason that firm launched the primary mannequin, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds have constantly supplied one of the best noise cancellation out of all of the wi-fi buds we have examined. It’s not shocking that its most-recent model, the QC Extremely Earbuds, solely improved in ANC efficiency. Nevertheless, the larger story right here is that Bose lastly has the audio chops to compete with one of the best earbuds because of its new Immersive Audio tech. The characteristic brings spatial audio to all by not requiring specially-made content material to make use of it. Relatively than make use of music and flicks the place the sound is coming from all instructions, QC Extremely Earbuds put you in the course of the acoustic “candy spot” by relying closely on virtualization. A devoted gesture for quantity controls, better-than-advertised battery life and customization settings spherical out the spec sheet.
- Stellar ANC
- Spatial audio does not require particular content material
- Upgrades with no worth enhance
- Earbuds are nonetheless large
- Immersive Audio considerably impacts battery life
- Wi-fi charging prices additional
Bose
Learn our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) evaluation
Max battery life: 8.5 hours, as much as 31.5 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: Not specified
Prior to now, you needed to pay round $300 when you wished 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 score that will probably be ok for exercises. And if the product web page is to be trusted, it’s also possible to stay up for Bose’s distinctive spatial audio (Immersive Audio) coming quickly.
- Nice sound high quality
- Efficient ANC
- Plenty of useful options
- Reliable battery life
- No Immersive Audio (but)
- Audio and ANC sacrifices in comparison with the QC Extremely Earbuds
- No CustomTune characteristic
- Poor name high quality
Billy Steele for Engadget
Learn our full Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 evaluation
Max battery life: 5 hours (ANC on), as much as 45 hours with charging case | Water resistance: N/A | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Not specified | Driver dimension: Not specified
If you need one of the best sound high quality, you’ll need to pay for it. The FoKus Rex5 are an eyewatering $449, and simply the most costly 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 usually the norm.
There’s a stage 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.
- Detailed, immersive sound
- Customized audio profiles are saved on the buds
- Snug match
- Very costly
- Only one colour and it’s not for everybody
- Subpar ANC efficiency
Billy Steele for Engadget
Learn our full Technics AZ100 evaluation
Max battery life: 12 hours, as much as 29 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: 10mm
For an extended whereas Bowers & Wilkins was my decide 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 screens (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 also be supported, as are Dolby Atmos and Dolby’s dynamic head monitoring.
- Wonderful sound high quality
- Tons of choices within the app
- Small dimension means cozy match
- Three-device multipoint Bluetooth
- ANC lags behind one of the best
- None of right now’s “sensible” options
- Spatial audio doesn’t enhance default tuning
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Beats Match Professional evaluation
Max battery life: 6 hours, as much as 24 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: Not specified
A lot of the greatest AirPods options in a set of exercise earbuds? That’s the Beats Match Professional. Due to Apple’s H1 chip, these buds supply one-touch fast pairing, hands-free Siri and Discover My instruments. They’ll additionally let you use Audio Sharing with an Apple gadget and one other set of AirPods or Beats wi-fi headphones for tandem listening or viewing. Balanced and punchy bass will maintain the vitality up throughout exercises whereas good noise cancellation, an IPX4 score and cozy silicone ear suggestions make these a strong possibility exterior of the gymnasium too. And there’s loads of help for Android units, so these aren’t only a good purchase for iOS customers both.
- Snug design
- Good ANC
- H1 chip provides fast pairing and switching between Apple units
- Loads of Android help
- Name high quality may very well be higher
Sony
Max battery life: 6 hours, as much as 20 hours with charging case | Water resistance: IPX4 | Noise cancellation: Sure | Multipoint: Sure | Included charging case: Sure | Waterproof: Sure (IPX4) | Driver dimension: Not specified
One of many largest surprises final 12 months 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 results 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 maintain you tuned in when wanted. What’s extra, useful Communicate-to-Chat is right here and Adaptive Sound Management can robotically change settings based mostly on exercise or location. That’s a number of premium options at a mid-range worth.
- Snug design
- Good sound high quality
- Communicate-to-Chat
- Adaptive Sound Management
What to search for in one of the best wi-fi earbuds
With regards to purchasing for earphones, the very first thing to contemplate is design or put on model. Do you favor a semi-open match like AirPods or would you like one thing that utterly closes off your ears? For those who’re purchasing for earbuds with lively 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 it’s essential 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 think about all that earlier than deciding. And keep in mind: audio corporations aren’t good, so regardless of numerous analysis, the earbud form they selected could not fit your needs nicely. Don’t be afraid to return ill-fitting earbuds for one thing that’s extra snug.
As wi-fi earbuds have grow 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 will 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 think about what you possibly can’t dwell with out when choosing your subsequent earbuds, and ensure key gadgets 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 typically need to 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 2, might be an added benefit, whereas Android customers could wish to search for fashions that provide related cross-device performance.
With regards to battery life, the typical set of earbuds lasts about 5 hours on a single cost. You’ll find units that last more, however that is seemingly sufficient to get you thru a piece day when you’re docking the buds throughout lunch or the occasional assembly. You’ll wish to verify on what number of additional expenses can be found by way of the case and if it helps wi-fi charging.
Firms can even make lofty claims about name high quality on wi-fi earbuds. Regardless of numerous guarantees, the fact 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 doable. That is very true when you’re an audiophile. We perceive this isn’t straightforward when most of us do a number of procuring 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. In fact, you must be prepared to quickly half with funds to be able to do that.
We additionally suggest taking note of issues like Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Actuality Audio and different immersive codecs. Not all earbuds help them, so that you’ll wish to make sure that a perspective pair does if that form of factor excites you, particularly when you plan to make use of them for playback of high-quality audio.
How we take a look at wi-fi Bluetooth earbuds
The first means we take a look at earbuds is to put on them as a lot as doable. We want to do that over a one- to two-week interval, however typically 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 usually lower than a full day, we drain the battery with looping music and the quantity set at a snug stage (normally round 75 %).
To guage audio high quality, we take heed to a variety of genres, noting any variations within the sound profile throughout the types. We additionally take a look at at each high and low volumes to verify for consistency within the tuning. To evaluate name high quality, we’ll file audio samples with the earbuds’ microphones in addition to have third events name us.
With regards to options, we do a radical evaluation of companion apps, testing every characteristic as we work by means of 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 evaluation.
Different wi-fi Bluetooth earbuds we examined
Beats Powerbeats Professional 2
The latest model of the Powerbeats Professional have an improved, snug design, balanced bass and new H2 chips and a coronary heart charge sensor inside. However coronary heart charge help is presently restricted on iOS, and there is a risk these capabilities make it onto the following AirPods Professional fashions.
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 numerous useful options, most of which require a Samsung telephone. However at this worth, 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 charge sensors work nicely, sending these stats to quite a lot 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 durations of time because of some considerate design issues. 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 permits you to 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 will discover 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’ll find 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 extra hours of battery life — however you may need to return every bud to the case to be able 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 contemplate and the variations in parts make a direct comparability tough. 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 Wi-fi 3 can also 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 tough 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 % at that mark throughout our checks. The one draw back is these earbuds debuted in 2019 and each expertise and options have improved since. By way of present fashions, Grasp & 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 today relating to elevated water resistance. To find out the extent of safety, you’ll wish to search for an IP (ingress safety) score. 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 ensure that determine is 7 or larger. At this water-resistance score, 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 might be IPX7 wouldn’t be constructed to keep away from mud intrusion, however they’d be okay when you dropped them in shallow water.
Which earbuds keep in ears one of the best?
A safe match can fluctuate 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 will with a single form. This is the reason AirPods will simply fall out for some however keep put for others. Design touches like wing suggestions or fins usually come on health fashions and people components will help maintain issues in place. You’ll seemingly simply need to 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 personal gaming headsets include a transmitter that connects to the console. There are common choices that let you use any headphones, headset or earbuds with a PS5. After you have one, plug it right into a USB port on the console and pair your earbuds with it.
Current updates
Might 2025: Up to date to make sure high picks and shopping for recommendation stay correct.
March 2025: Up to date the highest decide for one of the best sounding wi-fi earbuds – runner up.
January 2025: Up to date the highest decide for greatest sounding wi-fi earbuds.
July 2024: Up to date our record to incorporate the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional.
