The Best Wireless Earbuds, Tested For Months By Our Tech Editor

As the tech editor at Forbes Vetted, wireless earbuds need to tick a few boxes to earn my recommendation: They need to have great sound, stellar noise cancellation, a long battery life and intuitive controls. And since they always come with a carrying case, they should be portable and easy to locate if you happen to lose them around your home or office. The catch? After testing 19 pairs over several months, I found that there’s no one-size-fits-all best wireless earbud for everyone (more on that below). My personal top pick is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra wireless earbuds, which combine incredible audio quality and noise cancellation—by far the best of all the pairs I tested. But, they’re not going to be everyone’s favorite for a couple of reasons.

The Bose are pricey, and in addition to the almost-$300 cost, you have to pay an extra $49 if you want a wireless charging case. Further, the battery drains after just a few hours. So if you’re not keen on spending hundreds on a pair of earbuds or you value battery life as a top priority, there are plenty of other worthy options. My top budget pick, the OnePlus Buds 3, can get you pretty great sound for less than $80. Others, like the premium Denon PerL Pros, use AI to enhance audio based on your ear shape. Based on rigorous testing with 19 sets over several months, here are my picks for the best wireless earbuds for 2025.

Best for:

• Those who prioritize noise cancellation
• Its intuitive app, which offers flexibility without diving too much into the details

Skip if:

• You value battery life
• A high price tag makes you balk
• You don’t want to add the extra cost for wireless charging

The noise canceling of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is unparalleled. During my testing, there were multiple times that I didn’t hear my husband approach until he tapped my shoulder. Subway rides also were also muted and I could enjoy reading my Kindle Paperwhite in near silence, quite a feat considering how screechy New York City public transit can be.

While the equalizer adjustment controls aren’t too detailed (you can change the earbuds’ frequencies for bass, mids and trebles for up to six levels in either direction), they get the job done, and it’s not fully necessary to adjust them at all. I found myself only tweaking them a bit to enhance the bass, since the audio quality is so good out of the box. And if you find yourself swapping between your laptop and phone regularly, they support multipoint connectivity.

All said, there are a couple drawbacks that left me less than enthused. For one, the battery life is relatively short; I wore them on a transcontinental flight and used them in the airport, thinking I would get a full six hours with ANC on—but I heard the dreaded low battery notification mid-flight. It’s not the end of the world—a quick 15-minute charge gets you another two hours in a pinch—but it’s a big enough drawback that if you want long-lasting earbuds, look elsewhere. Secondly, the case is a bulky beast that does not offer wireless charging, and you need to pay an additional $49 for a wireless charging case. I personally find this insulting, considering the already-costly $299 sticker price.

Ultimately, I chose Bose’s QuietComfort Ultras as my top choice based solely on sound quality, and yes, it’s that good. Finally to clarify, the brand has wireless headphones with the same name, so keep this in mind when shopping to avoid confusion.

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Best for:

• Enjoying your music on the go without spending a fortune
• Wearing earbuds for hours in comfort

Skip if:

• You want a dedicated app to control the earbuds
• You are not a fan of touch controls

The OnePlus Buds 3 feel like a dark horse winner as my best budget pick, but after extensive testing, they’re truly the best if you’re mindful of your spending. The earbuds come with touch controls, which is mostly fine, though during testing I learned the hard way not to apply a lot of pressure. If you do, the earbuds shift in your ear canal. They won’t fall out–they were quite secure in my ear–but it can be annoying. A simple tap or gentle long press is all you need to control them.

If you’re not an iPhone or OnePlus phone user, then the app may also give you pause. The Hey Melody app for Android users doesn’t get as deep into the frequency weeds as other earbud apps, like the Denon PerL Pros. Still, it does a solid job of delivering the basics, including four listening profiles and the ability to create a custom profile via five different frequency settings.

Looking past the app, though, the price/value ratio on these earbuds wowed me. The audio felt detailed and rich, especially once I turned on OnePlus 3D Audio (the brand’s version of spatial audio). I also completed a sound test profile to help finesse my listening experience, which enhanced some areas that I felt were lacking. They simply have no right to sound as good as they do, with some of the details in the mids layering nicely compared with other competitors in this price range.

Could the audio be better? Absolutely—the bass in particular could be stronger. But at that point, you’re looking at spending three figures on the Bose or the Denons to get that high-quality deep bass. These earbuds cost around $70, and for the price, you get pretty darn good audio.

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The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro wireless earbuds don’t offer the single best audio quality, and the ANC isn’t the absolute best on the market. But when I’m heading into the subway, or when I’m about to hop on a plane, they’re the pair I always take with me. I’ve had them since July’s Samsung Unpacked, and after testing them for several months with my Android device, they’re my top pick for the category because they represent the best combination of ANC, audio quality and more for Android users.

Yes, they mimic the Apple AirPods’ design—that’s something the company caught flack for at the initial launch. But that design wears comfortably in my ears and I can keep them in for long hours without my ears feeling itchy, a problem I experience with most wireless earbuds.

Go to the app to adjust your ANC levels. There you’ll also find a few audio presets, including balanced, dynamic and bass boost. Personally, I found dynamic to be the most effective, but your mileage and preferences may vary. Other useful features include 360 audio which aims to place you in the middle of the action, and you can also turn on head-tracking if that suits you. Songs like Florence and the Machine’s “King” and “Cosmic Love” sounded rich and detailed. I typically test audio for the balance of the harp in the latter against the rest of the instrumentals. While further into the song, the harp was hard to distinguish, it’s still good enough for most needs.

With many earbuds offering touch controls, the physical buttons feel like a boon in a sea of accidental touches, something that I’ve had happen more times thanks to my bushy hair. I’ve also felt the advertised battery life—around 7 hours—is good. Because they pair best with Samsung phones and I use the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, I can open the settings and see the battery life at a glance from the Bluetooth display.

But that leads to another caveat: Android versus iOS. If you have an Android phone, particularly a Samsung device, these earbuds integrate just fine. If you have iOS, though, you may have a problem, as Apple users don’t have access some of the Wear app integrations—and to an extent, this affects Google Pixel users, too. But if you have an Android phone—and ideally a Samsung—these are the earbuds to get.

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Best for:

• Staying smack dab in middle of the Apple ecosystem
• Enjoying features like Conversation Awareness

Skip if:

• You want the absolute best of the best Apple earbuds
• You need silicone ear tips for stability and fit

While the AirPods Pro 2 provide high fidelity audio and the new Hearing Aid features, if you don’t want all the extras, the Apple AirPods 4 With ANC (active noise cancellation) should be at the top of your list. They feature Apple’s signature sleek design, but what you don’t get is the silicone ear tips (which tend to deliver a more secure fit). If you’re not a jogger or if you’re not worried about an adjustable fit, this won’t matter much since I found they stayed firmly in my ears during my testing, despite my initial fear that they would fall out.

One of my biggest surprises during testing was just how good the audio quality is despite the modest price tag. Could they sound better? Probably. But I pitted them against two earbuds—the Denon PerL Pros and the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s—and I struggled to hear any audio quality differences among the three. That speaks pretty well about the audio fidelity that these affordable AirPods can output. It wasn’t until I tested this pair on Florence and The Machine’s “Cosmic Love” that I spotted some subtle differences in the mids and basses. Even then, if you’re not actively listening for audio details, you’re probably not going to notice.

The ANC on them is also surprisingly good, but again, you’re not getting those silicone ear tips so don’t expect the best ANC that Apple has to offer. Apple’s ANC has a mode called Conversation Awareness that automatically adjusts so you can hear what’s going on around you when it detects that you’re talking to someone. It was great when I worked at home and wanted to tune out the schoolchildren in my neighborhood. But there were moments when I was listening to music and it registered my husband speaking with his parents in the same room and randomly subdued my audio when it registered that as a conversation.

As for its battery life, it’s on par with Apple’s claim of four hours with ANC on, based on my testing. It’s not the best by far, but if you’re a casual listener, odds are you won’t be using them for more than four hours at a time, anyway.

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Best for:

• Getting best-in-class audio quality
• Adjusting your music exactly the way you want it

Skip if:

• You don’t want giant discs in your ears
• You don’t want to spend hundreds on a pair of earbuds

I’ve tested countless earbuds, but it’s not every day that I find a pair whose sound sets a new bar for audio quality. That’s exactly what happened when I tried the Denon PerL Pro wireless earbuds. Yes, they look like giant discs and feel a little unwieldy in my ears. But in my estimation, the audio quality is comparable products in the $300 price range.

Interestingly, Denon refers to the earbuds’ ANC as the Immersion mode, and the earbuds “scan” your ears to customize the way it interacts with your ears. It sounds cool, and if you don’t want more control over your personalization, you can, but I don’t recommend it—the scan works just fine, and it’s designed for audiophiles that want to tinker with every single frequency.

Once I’d completed the scan and switched to this mode, my audio was something of a mixed bag. Ashnikko’s songs sounded bass-heavy, while Florence and the Machine’s catalogue sounded incredible. I could hear every layer with clarity, even with the bass feeling overpowered during “Dog Days Are Over.” I also cross-tested with two other Florence songs, “King” and “Cosmic Love,” and found that for once I could clearly hear the bass on the former and every pluck of the harp on the latter. It was simply delightful.

However, there are some minor caveats to consider before splurging on these. They look like giant discs stuffed into your ears, and for those who thrive on subtlety and sleekness, that may be off-putting. The other issue is the “Immersion” ANC mode: You can’t control it. I’ve found in my travels that the ANC could be improved, as it’s not the strongest compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultras or even the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

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Best for:

• Gaming on the go, be it on your phone, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck and more
• Enjoying a Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connection
• Getting spatial audio for gaming on the go

Skip if:

• You’re not a gamer
• You want multipoint connectivity

When the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds launched, I took them on two flights to test them for my full-length review. Even after returning home, I found myself skipping my SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wireless headset in favor of these earbuds. SteelSeries nailed the comfort level right off the bat, offering three ear tips sizes to suit most needs, and the design fits snugly in my ear. Another key feature I appreciate is the physical button controls. It may sound surprising considering the industry shift to touch controls, but it’s a huge factor on why I keep coming back to these as my main gaming headset. With them, there are no accidental touches if you brush your hair behind your ear during gaming.

SteelSeries products, including the Arctis GameBuds, offer a special EQ software called Sonar. Typically installed on a PC, in this case, it’s in the form of an app. This creates a caveat for gamers, though: no multipoint connectivity. Still, I appreciate that I can use either Bluetooth or 2.4GHz (with a dongle) to connect to my devices, including my beloved Nintendo Switch.

The Arctis’ audio for music is quite good, but its real claim to fame is its gaming audio. You get spatial audio for gaming in a compact, portable package. It’s good enough that when battling in Far Cry 6, I can still hear movements clearly on one earbud versus the other. I can also hear the direction enemies move from—that’s very important as a gamer, and props to SteelSeries for factoring it into this compact package.

As earbuds, this pick doesn’t quite rival the best gaming headsets if you want a truly immersive experience. Also, the battery life is underwhelming at 10 hours, as opposed to gaming headsets that can pack in 20 hours—and as much as 300 hours—of use before needing a recharge. But in the realm of wireless earbuds, 10 hours is impressive, especially since most of the picks on my list can only go up to six or eight hours before requiring a recharge. All in all, given their price and the audio quality, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are an incredible product that I find myself using almost daily.

A quick note: If you plan on using these with your PlayStation, you’ll want the PlayStation model. It’s an important distinction to help get the most out of the gaming features available on these earbuds.

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Best for:

• Listening to music while hearing the world around you
• Getting high-quality audio without sticking anything into your ear canal

Skip if:

• You absolutely must have ANC
• You don’t want to clip anything onto your ear

The Bose Ultra Open earbuds combine two features that are essential to runners: A comfortable, nonslip fit for hours of comfortable wear, and an open audio environment that lets you hear the world around you through your music. The earbuds clip onto your ear helix (you know, the outer, curved part of your ear) so you can wear them for hours in comfort. While I didn’t personally test this pair, they were (and continue to be) a top contender chosen by Forbes executive editor Dave Johnson, who has extensive experience testing, writing and editing in the tech world. “They are comfortable to wear for hours at a time, and they stay doggedly affixed to my ear no matter what I’m doing,” he says, adding that he uses them regularly in his workout routines. “Traditional earbuds, like the Apple AirPods Pro, tend to work themselves loose when I’m working out at the gym and I always need to fiddle with them to keep them from falling out while jogging on the treadmill. That’s no longer a problem with the Ultra Open.”

That said, the audio is where the Opens begin to lose some of their appeal, and for audiophiles, you’ll want to decide whether it’s worth that ever-so-slight downgrade. During testing, the earbuds held up really well against the competition. “The sound is rich and full, with excellent spatial audio, and I can still feel the bass even though a lot of it is just radiated away into the air around my ears,” shares Johnson. But, it’s important to note that the bass doesn’t quite hit the same as compared with other earbuds, especially when compared to its sibling, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras.

The battery life is also surprisingly stellar for a first-gen design, which wowed our testers. “I think Bose expects you to just leave these things clipped to your ears all day long, and the respectable battery life lets you do that,” says Johnson. He regularly enjoys more than 7 hours of continuous runtime with spatial audio off (it dropped to around 4.5 hours with spatial audio on). And, if you’re running low on battery, the accompanying case gets him an additional two full charges, too. Be sure to take a look at the new chilled lilac color, a Bose website exclusive; if I had to relive my life, I would have sprung for those pastel hues.

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Best for:

• Listening to music while hearing the world around you on a budget
• Getting a comfortable, affordable ear helix grip

Skip if:

• You absolutely must have ANC
• You don’t want to clip anything onto your ear
• You want the absolute best audio

This year at CES—an annual, world-renown tech exhibition—an Anker PR rep handed me this pair of Soundcore AeroClips, telling me they had just launched and to take them for a spin. An offshoot to Anker, Soundcore is a budget-friendly line that promises to deliver big sound for less. I tossed them on my ears and essentially wore them nonstop for a few days, wearing out the eight-hour battery life to get a sense of how they performed.

I was tickled pink by how delightful I found these open ear wireless earbuds. They’re comfortable to wear for long hours without feeling bogged down by their bulk, which was surprising; unlike the Bose Ultra Opens, which are my “best open ear” pick, the AeroClips “clip” onto your ear helix (although, I also felt they rested on my ears a bit). I did note that sometimes I needed to adjust them with my glasses on, but that wasn’t the end of the world. Bose still takes the cake in comfort, but I didn’t mind wearing these for many hours.

I was also very pleasantly surprised with the audio on these, but there’s a caveat: Soundcore offers a Soundcore Signature preset that I find abysmal at best. As a classically trained musician, I believe music should be balanced and clear so you feel like you’re smack dab in the action; too much bass, and it gets muddy, whereas an emphasis on treble frequencies can leave your audio sounding tinny. The Signature preset across a few Soundcore models varies greatly, and on the AeroClips, there was virtually no balance whatsoever. But, not all is lost here. I found the cinematic sound I sought with the Classical preset, which is the one I would recommend using.

Ultimately, open ear wireless earbuds at this price shouldn’t sound this good, but Soundcore pulled it off—and kudos to them, because I’m impressed. Soundcore put a lot of thought and consideration into the AeroClips, and it shows in these earbuds. You’ll have to wait a bit to get them as they begin shipping January 22, but if you’re looking for big sound on a small budget—specifically if you want buds to use while running in the park , letting you listen to audio while also hearing outside noises—this pair is hard to beat.

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Other Wireless Earbuds I Tested

While my top picks represent some of the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now, many others didn’t quite make the cut. Below are 11 more models I tested, plus reasons why they didn’t earn a spot on this list.

Anker Soundcore C40i ($90 at Amazon): I wanted to love the Soundcore C40i wireless earbuds, and if budget is your priority for open ear wireless earbuds, these are the pick for you. But I found the audio quality to be lacking. It’s good enough for runs and general gym activities, but if you spend an extra $30 for the AeroClips (which made it on this list), your ears will thank you.

OnePlus Buds 3 Pro ($99 at Amazon): The OnePlus Buds 3 Pros are pretty darn good, but they don’t fit into any specific category. Like my top budget pick, the OnePlus Buds 3, they use the Melody app if you’re not a OnePlus or iPhone user, but it’s still a worthwhile pick. That said, if you’re a OnePlus user, it’s worth the upgrade to the Buds 3 Pro over the Buds 3.

Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2 ($149 at Amazon): The ATH-CKS50TW2 earbuds excel at one thing: battery life. They can last up to 15 hours with ANC on, 25 without, and you get an extra 40 hours with the charging case. The audio, however, felt a little too muddy for my taste despite fiddling with the EQ. It’s still pretty darn good though, and most users will be happy with this pair. It’s also hard to argue with another huge boon to their build: physical buttons, which are quickly becoming a relic in earbud designs—I personally love this choice.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ($320 at Amazon): I wanted to love these earbuds—they were on par with the Denon PerL Pros during my testing. However, both managing editor Emmy Favilla and I both had connectivity issues with two separate review units during our testing. For the price—the highest of any I tested at $399—that’s unacceptable. If you can stomach that, you may have to put them back in the case once or twice before they work in your ears, then they’re a good choice.

Sony LinkBuds ($178 at Amazon): These were also a near miss. They feature a new, innovative design with ear tips shaped like a comma. However, I found them uncomfortable in my ears even after adjusting and swapping ear tips multiple times. Despite deep testing the audio features, I found the audio quality lacking, and I had concerns over the case’s longevity; it felt cheaply built. Simply put, while they’d be great for teens, as an audiophile, I wasn’t a fan.

JLab GoPop ANC ($30 at Walmart): I loved these earbuds. They’re comfortable to wear for long periods, and the charging case is tiny and features a built-in charging cable. My problem? At the loudest, they’re not very loud in my ears, and many of the songs I listened to lacked bass even with the bass boost turn on. Still, for the price, these would be a great choice for teens who want decent audio without a sky-high price tag.

JLab JBuds Mini ($40 at Amazon): For their tiny size, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the power behind the JLab JBuds Mini Wireless Earbuds. That said, I found that I needed the largest size for one of my ears, otherwise the earbud felt too loose; your mileage may vary, and they may not fit if you have larger ears. They also don’t come with ANC—only passive noise cancellation. I still had to turn the earbuds down to hear my husband during walks in the local park, so while not the strongest, it does reduce some sound. One thing to note: During testing, I noted that on windy days, the Bluetooth connectivity frequently cut out, which is why they didn’t make my best budget pick.

Baseus M2 (out of stock): The Baseus M2s are really comfortable in the ears and for the price, the ANC is surprisingly very effective. I found myself tossing these in my ears fairly often at my desk to tune out the school next door to my house over others due to how effective it was. However, the audio for music doesn’t quite match up to its competitors. It’s great for podcasts and audiobooks, though, and its price is very attractive.

Google Pixel Buds 2 Pro ($199 at Amazon): During testing, Favilla noted the Google Pixel Buds 2 Pro felt comfortable to wear over long periods of time, and taking calls felt seamless. The sound quality is on par with the previous generation, and they paired almost instantly with a Google Pixel 7 Pro. Google did a stellar job upgrading its ANC from the previous generation, too.

Marshall Motif II ANC ($150 at Amazon): The Motif II ANC earbuds sound pretty great, and packs punchy basses and high trebles for an enjoyable listening experience. But upon further testing, the noise canceling and construction could be improved.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 ($200 at Best Buy): The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds have some of the best ANC in the business, with a solid audio profile, to boot. They’re so good they nearly eliminate airplane engines in flight. Unfortunately, Jabra announced this generation is the last in its consumer line it will produce. More concerning, Jabra only guaranteed updates for two years. With most earbuds lasting much longer than that, I can’t fully recommend a short-lived product.

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How I Tested The Best Wireless Earbuds

To find the best wireless earbuds on the market, I put over a dozen pairs to the test, narrowing down options to top-rated brands like Bose, Sony and more. From there, I put my shortlist to the test.

Design

The best wireless earbuds should feel sturdily built, with a sleek design that feels comfortable in your ears. After all, if you’re wearing them for an extended period of time, you shouldn't feel any discomfort. I also evaluated the design based on wireless charging versus wired only, case bulk and more.

Audio Quality

No matter what genre you’re listening to, your audio quality should have a reasonable balance of base, mids and treble frequencies. None of these frequencies should sound muddled or distorted during listening sessions, and so I looked for crystal clear clarity and smoothness amongst the frequencies. I cross-checked audio quality in each pair of wireless earbuds across a variety of songs, and I considered whether ANC and spatial audio changed the overall sound quality.

Some of the genres that I listen to include alternative, rock, classical, audiobooks/podcasts and more. Specifically, some of the songs I tested each pair of wireless earbuds include:

• Florence and the Machine’s “King,” “Cosmic Love” and “Dog Days Are Over”
• Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherezade”
• Ashnikkos’ “Worms” and “Daisy”
• Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe” and “Red Wine Supernova”
• Ariana Grande’s “supernatural,” “bye” and “don’t wanna break up again”
• Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and “The Chain”
• The entire soundtracks to seasons one and two of the Netflix show Arcane

Battery Life

When you’re listening to your music, you want to be able to listen for hours without interruptions. I tested these earbuds for 30 minutes each, logging battery light percentage at the beginning and at the end. I also cross tested this with the ANC on versus off to get a sense of whether each pair lived up to its claims.

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My Expertise

I’ve been involved in tech journalism for over five years, including more than a year as the consumer tech and electronics editor at Forbes Vetted. In addition to working with home entertainment, such as testing the best gaming TVs and the best TVs for bright rooms, I have also tested most of the latest smart wearables currently on the market, from the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova GameBuds and more.

In my time testing wireless earbuds, I focus on aspects of interest to everyone, from casual folks who want a no-frills set of earbuds for occasional listening to serious audiophiles who want to enjoy every single guitar strum. For this story, I focused on various features each pair of wireless earbuds offered as they applied to work, travel and more everyday scenarios.

I evaluated a slew of features on each pair, including audio quality, software integrations, ANC and more. I also made sure to test each earbuds for a minimum of 10 hours to dive into the finer details each pair offered. I also carefully reviewed the software for each pair of wireless earbuds offered to determine which had the best balance of features and price.

When I’m not testing the latest audio equipment, I’ve spent plenty of time testing the newest mobile devices. I’ve deep-dived into the Apple ecosystem with the iPhone 16 Pro and reviewed plenty of Android devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8. Most recently, I tested the Google Pixel 9 Pro.