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2024's top wireless earphones
These are our top choices for wireless earbuds that we’ve reviewed and are available for all price ranges.
Comfort, a snug fit, excellent sound quality, and dependable Bluetooth connectivity are all features that the best wireless earbuds offer in a small package. We know exactly what you can get for your money and which earbuds are the best value because our reviewers have evaluated hundreds of earbuds, ranging from wired models to the best truly wireless models.
We take into account factors like comfort, active noise cancellation, music quality, and battery life while evaluating the best wireless earbuds. There’s a pair of headphones here for everyone, and every choice on our list below is worthy of your time—many of them are even included in our definitive guide to the best headphones. We’re not saying we haven’t tried them or even that we don’t like them at all; rather, it just means that we believe one of these possibilities is superior, and our goal is to separate the wheat from the chaff. You may be familiar with other brands or models that we haven’t mentioned here.
True wireless earbuds are by far the most popular type of headphones available today, and they make up the whole list of items on our list. These are the best AirPods alternatives based on our research; while AirPods are the best-selling type, they’re not so fantastic if you don’t have an iPhone. If money is tight, have a look at our list of the top wireless earbuds under $20. Otherwise, we’ll cover a range of prices below, including the finest noise-canceling earbuds.
1. Sony WF-1000XM4
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These wireless earbuds have amazing sound quality and provide rich audio throughout. Their specifically made 6mm drivers, which generate a dynamic sound despite their diminutive size, are partially to blame for this. The WF-1000XM4 surprised us right away in our tests with its exceptional rhythmic handling and wealth of detail.
Although the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which are ranked lower on our list, provide better noise cancellation than most others, most people who want to block out background noise will find them suitable. Furthermore, second-best noise cancelling is not a significant concern when the WF-1000XM4 earbuds sound as excellent as they do.
The superb music quality and superior call quality of Sony’s earbuds make them a wonderful option for a variety of situations, including work calls, commutes, and everything in between. In terms of design, we discovered that these earbuds are more comfortable to use for extended periods of time because they are lighter and smaller than Sony’s earlier models, such as the WF-1000XM3. However, the Sony WF-C700N are even lighter and smaller.
Since then, Sony has released the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which replace the WF-1000XM4s. There are several noticeable upgrades in these most recent genuine wireless earphones. They have better ANC and are lighter and smaller. They are a better pair of friends in some respects. However, we believe the older buds are still a better deal and are almost as good as the new ones, so they continue to rank first in our list despite the price reductions on the XM4.
2. JLab Go Air Pop
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The JLab Go Air Pop is extremely inexpensive—it would have been unheard of only a few years ago—costing only about $25 / £25 / AU$49.95. In the present day, JLab is releasing robust audio equipment at incredibly low costs. The crucial query is: are these inexpensive earphones truly capable of performing well?
In our testing, we discovered that the JLab Go Air Pop are genuinely pretty decent overall and are unquestionably the best option for the money.
Given the cost, they sound fantastic. As we said in our review: “The various guitars and Let Her Cry by Hootie & the Blowfish reveal themselves to each ear in a relatively spacious, wide soundscape as well. When you listen to Prince’s Kiss, the artist’s signature singing comes out as a touch harsh, even if the entrance is full of bass funk.” It is difficult to praise the sound without qualification due to the treble’s relative ease of distortion, but given the price, we’re shocked by how nice they are and are willing to overlook it.Â
Furthermore, we found the charging case’s design to be unimpressive. Instead of the casing only providing a connector, the charging cord is integrated into the design. While there are undoubtedly benefits to that—you won’t ever lose your cable—it also restricts the type of cable you may use and the locations in which you can charge it.
Therefore, even though the JLab Go Air Pop lacks noise cancellation, top-tier features, or world-class sound, we were nonetheless rather satisfied with its “reliable Bluetooth connectivity, killer battery life, comfortable and light earpieces and solid music on the go” throughout our evaluation. The statement at the time was, “It would be churlish to expect more.”