SkyWatchMesh – UAP Intelligence Network

UAP Intelligence Network – Real-time monitoring of official UAP reports from government agencies and scientific institutions worldwide

Best Wireless Earbuds (2025): Apple, Sony, Bose, and More

GearOct 14, 2025 9:00 AM

The Best Wireless Earbuds We've Tested

Ready to cut the cord? These are our favorite headphones that will never, ever get tangled.

CommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this story

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Learn more.

Featured in this article

The Best Earbuds for Most PeopleNothing Ear (a)Read more$89

Amazon

A Close SecondSoundpeats Capsule3 Pro+Read more$100

Amazon

Best Earbuds for iPhonesApple AirPods Pro (Gen 3)Read more$249

Apple

Best Earbuds for AndroidGoogle Pixel Buds Pro 2Read more$229

Amazon

Wireless earbuds are one of those ideas that sounded like a dream at first. Pop a little headphone into each ear and listen to music or take calls untethered from everything. The first wireless buds were gigantic, died after a few hours, and had a bunch of other problems. Times have changed. There are now tons of new models that sound fabulous and work perfectly, including plenty for well under $100. After testing hundreds of pairs of wireless earbuds over several years, these are our favorites in a wide range of styles and prices.

For more top picks, check out our other audio guides, like the Best Wireless Headphones, Best Noise-Canceling Headphones, Best Cheap Headphones, Best Workout Headphones, and Best Wired Headphones.

Updated October 2025: We've added the AirPods Pro 3.

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.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 for $180: 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.

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.

Soundpeats Air4 for $90: Soundpeats’ Air4 may be obvious AirPods Pro knockoffs, but they're very good knockoffs for the money. You won't get top-flight performance, let alone Apple exclusives like Find My support or iCloud sharing, but you will get good sound and features, including decent noise canceling, at a massive discount. While these aren't a top choice, they're a great budget buy, especially on sale.

Sony Linkbuds Fit for $175: 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.

Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport for $399: The Sport are a great option that come with active noise canceling and a striking design, but the high price keeps them out of the reach of most people.

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, and 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 $155: 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

AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron

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.

How We Test Headphones

AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron

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, test cables, charging times, and battery life, and 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.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.

Comments

Back to topTriangle

You Might Also Like …

Parker Hall is a senior editor of product reviews at WIRED. He focuses on audiovisual and entertainment products. Hall is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied jazz percussion. After hours, he remains a professional musician in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. … Read MoreWriter and Reviewer

TopicsShoppingbuying guideswireless earbudsearbudsHeadphonesaudioRead MoreThe Best Noise-Canceling Headphones to Escape RealityTune out (or rock out) with our favorite over-ears and earbuds.These Are the Best Wireless Headphones in 2025From workout-ready earbuds to gaming over-ears, these WIRED-tested picks sound like a million bucks.Our Favorite Qi2 and MagSafe Accessories for Your PhoneThe weird, wonderful world of MagSafe accessories (Qi2 included) can make your phone feel modular. These are our favorites.Need a New Laptop? These Are the Very BestOur expert team of laptop testers stand behind these Windows laptops, MacBooks, Chromebooks, and Linux portables.The Best Wi-Fi Routers to Reach Every Corner of Your HomeDon’t suffer the buffer. These WIRED-tested home routers will deliver reliable internet across your home, whatever your needs or budget.The Best Stand Mixers for Cakes, Cookies, and All the CarbsTasty bakes are easy to make with the help of the latest statement stand mixers—as are homemade pretzels, tender pasta, and artisan breads.Breathe Easy—We Found the Best Air PurifiersProtect your home against dust, pets, allergies, and more with air purifiers tested firsthand by WIRED.The Best 11 Coffee Subscriptions to Keep You WiredThese services deliver freshly roasted, delicious coffee picks right to your door—each with its own twist.The Best 3-in-1 Apple Wireless ChargersKeep your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods topped up with these WIRED-tested docking systems.The Best Cheap Laptops to Get Your Money's WorthFrom surprisingly good $300 Chromebooks to excellent $650 Windows laptops, these are the best budget laptops we’ve tested.The Best USB-C Cables for Your Phone, Tablet, or LaptopUnravel the tangled world of cords and find the ones you need to charge your gadgets and transfer data.The Best Humidifiers for Every Kind of RoomFrom models for traveling to humidifiers that double as planters or air purifiers, we've tested a dozen of them.

Wired Coupons

Squarespace Promo Code

Exclusive 10% Off Squarespace Promo Code

Dell Coupon Code

10% off Dell Coupon Code for New Customers

Samsung Promo Code

Samsung Promo Code: 10% off TVs

Canon Promo Code

10% off Canon promo code with upgrade

NordVPN Coupon

Exclusive NordVPN Coupon: 76% off

LG Promo Code

LG Promo Code: 20% Off Your First Order


🛸 Recommended Intelligence Resource

As UAP researchers and tech enthusiasts, we’re always seeking tools and resources to enhance our investigations and stay ahead of emerging technologies. Check out this resource that fellow researchers have found valuable.

→ HomeFi

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *