Best wireless earbuds 2024: top earbud options for all budgets

The best wireless earbuds for audio, battery life and comfort perspectives – whatever your budget

The best wireless earbuds are truly amazing bits of tech. Not so long ago wireless meant compromising, but today's models deliver incredible sound and excellent battery life, often for a very reasonable price. Most include passive or active noise cancelling to insulate you from the world and keep you in a bubble of pure Taylor Swi - I mean Metallica. 

Although this is a guide to the best wireless earbuds, we've been a little flexible with our definition: by wireless we mean that there isn't a cable between the headphones and your phone or other audio source. Some models do still have one wire connecting the two earbuds together, although it's often reserved for certain sports headphones, mainly for running. 

Best wireless earbuds 2024: The top 3

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The best wireless earbuds for most people are the Sony WF-1000XM4. These have the best overall balance of any wireless earphones, both in terms of sound, price and build.

The best budget wireless earbuds are the Sony WF-C500. No noise cancelling here, but no big price either. And the sound at this asking price is super.

The best wireless earbuds for Apple's ecosystem are the AirPods Pro. They're popular for a reason: they sound great, the ANC is great, and the controls are great too. Work best with Apple, but don't rule out Android either. 

Sony WF-1000XM4 on white backgroundT3 Awards 2021 winner badges

(Image credit: Sony)
Best wireless buds for most people

Specifications

Battery life: 8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Active noise cancellation: Yes
Weight: 8g per bud, 41g charging case

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent sound
+
Brilliant build
+
Tremendous noise cancellation

Reasons to avoid

-
A little bulky

Sony's top-end true wireless buds are, with all factors considered, the best wireless earbuds you can buy today. They're like a master of all trades, jack of none: while you'll find very microscopically better sound quality elsewhere and others may be able to squeeze out a few joules more battery, no other manufacturer has managed to generate a combination as winning as this.

Sure, they're not the cheapest, but if you want a significant advancement on their ANC you need to throw a whole stack more cash at the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 (further down in this list). 

As we concluded in our Sony WH-1000XM4 review: "by keeping the sound as good as it always was to satisfy music lovers and adding some extra features tech heads wanted, Sony manages to keep its nose in front of Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Beats. There's nothing better in the world of in-ear headphones right now."

Sony WF-C500 in ice green on a white backgroundT3 Awards 2022 Highly Commended logo

(Image credit: Sony)
Best cheap wireless earbuds (without ANC)

Specifications

Battery life: 10 hours (buds), 10 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Active noise cancellation: No
Weight: 5g per bud, 35g charging case

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent sound quality
+
Manual equaliser settings
+
Comfortable fit 

Reasons to avoid

-
No noise-cancelling
-
Average battery life

If even the affordable options on this list seem a little steep to you, the Sony WF-C500 might be more your style. They're seriously cheap but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on sound. 

Not only will your music sound fantastic but you'll be able to adjust it to exactly how you like it as well thanks to the preset sound modes and manual equaliser in the app. What's more, connecting to them is instantaneous thanks to Google Fast Pairing on Android and Swift Pair with Windows PCs. 

Whatever you plan to use these for, they're comfortable and secure. Perfect for commuters and for your workouts! Although admittedly there's no ANC so you might have to deal with a small amount of noise from the world around you. Find out more in our Sony WF-C500 review

Apple AirPods Pro 2 reviewT3 Award

(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Best noise-cancelling earbuds for iPhone features

Specifications

Listening time per charge: 5.5 hours, 30 hours with case
Type: In-ear
Weight: 5.3g per earbud

Reasons to buy

+
Supreme sound quality
+
Excellent adaptive noise cancelling
+
Longer battery life than predecessor

Reasons to avoid

-
Fairly large headphone body
-
Android users miss out on some features

The AirPods Pro 2 remain massively popular because they also remain massively impressive. The noise cancelling remains solid (and is still at the very top of the class for wind reduction), the sound is detailed and full, and Apple has updated them with new features over time, including Spatial Audio 3D sound.

As we said in our AirPods Pro 2 review: "Apple learned from the mistakes of the past and improved their top-performing true wireless earbuds to not only match the competition but, on occasion, surpass it. The sound is brilliant as is the fit, without a price increase generation on generation".

Contrary to what some people think, all AirPods work perfectly well with Android phones and other equipment. But you get lots of extra features when you use them within Apple's ecosystem, including fast-pairing, auto-switching between your Apple products, 3D Spatial Audio support (which is very cool), and Find My support for locating them when they seem lost. Very nice.

Best wireless earbuds: The best of the rest

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds in whiteT3 Approved badge

(Image credit: Future / Emily Pursel)
Best noise-cancelling earbuds

Specifications

Weight : 7.7g per earbud
ANC listening time per charge: 6hrs
Total ANC listening time with case: 24hrs

Reasons to buy

+
 Incredible noise cancellation 
+
 Comfortable 

Reasons to avoid

-
 Average battery life  

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are, as their name suggests, the 'ultimate' noise-cancelling earbuds. They're pricier than many of their competitors, but if blocking out extraneous noise to the extreme is your goal then these are the market leaders. 

As we say in our Bose QC Ultra Earbuds review: "if you're in the market for one of the best-sounding pairs of earbuds, these sit in scarce company. Complete with a top-notch app you'll even find exceptional noise cancelling properties and a listening experience which doesn't fatigue on long sessions."

So why aren't these 'buds in the number one slot? Well, it's down to the overall package. While stupendous in many ways, it's the balance of features to price. But if ANC is your everything and you have the cash available then look no further than these, you won't regret it.

The Nothing Ear (2) in white finish, on a black backgroundT3 Awards 2023 Logo

(Image credit: Future / Sam Cross)
The best budget noise-cancelling earbuds

Specifications

Weight: 60.9g (case & buds)
ANC listening time per charge: 4hrs
Total ANC listening time with case: 22.5hrs

Reasons to buy

+
Great battery life
+
Clear mic quality

Reasons to avoid

-
Slightly bass heavy
-
No voice assistant support

The second-gen of Nothing's earbuds, the Ear (2), knocked the T3 team's socks off (well, ears off really). Described in our review as "everything you need and nothing you don't", these affordable in-ears "build on the brand's position as a fashionable start-up offer[ing] a genuine knockout product with excellent sound quality, a top-notch app interface, and great battery life."

Indeed it's hard to find fault with these affordable ANC in-ears, unless you don't particularly enjoy the transparent design and motifs. But come on, they're much more fun to look at than pretty much everything else out there – and for all the right reasons in our view. Best of all, though, they're very keenly priced.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 on white backgroundT3 Awards 2021 winner badges

(Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins)
Best premium wireless earbuds with incredible sound quality

Specifications

Battery life: 4 hours (buds), 16 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, aptX
Active noise cancellation: Yes
Weight: 8g buds, 52g charging case

Reasons to buy

+
Astounding sound quality
+
Slimline case
+
Active noise cancellation

Reasons to avoid

-
Low battery life
-
Bulky design

If it's ANC you're after, the PI7s have it in spades: arguably the best of best, which is why our 2021 T3 Award winners for both Best Headphones and Best True Wireless Earbuds were bestowed upon these earbuds. 

They do have their slight issues, in that the battery is bettered by most competitors and the price is enough to make you weep. And if you're small-eared, their somewhat bulky design (which packs in some serious drivers) may be more than you can handle in terms of fit. 

But outside that, and even considering that, the PI7 are the best luxury wireless ear buds out there – read our full Bowers & Wilkins PI7 review for more gushing about the audio quality.

Philips Fidelio T1 on white backgroundT3 Approved badge

(Image credit: Philips)
The best wireless earbuds for noise cancellation with long battery life

Specifications

Battery life: 9 hours (buds), 25 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, aptX, LDAC
Active noise cancellation: Yes
Weight: 109g buds plus case

Reasons to buy

+
Superb audio quality
+
Excellent battery life 
+
Very effective noise cancelling

Reasons to avoid

-
Huge case and chunky buds 
-
Small amount of sound leakage 

If you want a combination of good sound, effective noise-cancelling and incredible battery life, the Philips Fidelio T1 are about as good as things get. 

You'll rarely have to plug these in because with ANC switched on you'll get a total of 34 hours of juice with the charging case, which goes up to a massive 48 hours without noise-cancelling. And when you do need to recharge the case, it'll only take about two hours! 

Elsewhere, these are just as impressive, even though they are a little bulky. The sound is phenomenal and the noise-cancelling is about as good as it gets. It'd be hard not to recommend these wireless earbuds. 

Want to find out more? Take a look at the Philips Fidelio T1 review

Powerbeats Pro on white backgroundT3 Approved badge

(Image credit: Beats by Dre)
Best true wireless buds for workouts

Specifications

Battery life: 9 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Active noise cancellation: No
Weight: 11g per bud, 80g charging case

Reasons to buy

+
Totally secure fit for gym or running
+
Remarkably good audio for 'workout buds'
+
Useful extra features on iPhone

Reasons to avoid

-
Humungous case
-
Not the most discreet appearance

For workouts, you won't find wireless earbuds better than the Beats Powerbeats Pro. Comfortable and secure, they won't budge when you're exercising because they push upwards and in to the ear, while the hooks support them from above. 

You can buy them in a few cool colours, and naturally they are water-resistant so will survive intense training sessions as well as a bit of rain. 

These pack plenty of battery life too. The earbuds last about 9 hours per charge, and the case offers 24 hours of music in total. If you do run out, a quick 15 minutes will top you up by a few hours. 

In the Beats Powerbeats Pro review, we thought that they 'sound massive and epic with rock, hip-hop, pop and electronic music – classic 'workout angry' music – but there is enough subtlety to carry off jazz, classical and acoustic sounds.' 

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) on white backgroundT3 Approved badge

(Image credit: Amazon)

9. Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

Best wireless earbuds for Alexa fans

Specifications

Battery life: 5 hours (buds), 15 hours (case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Active noise cancellation: Yes
Weight: 6g per bud, 44g charging case

Reasons to buy

+
Alexa built-in
+
Four sizes of ear tips included
+
Good sound for this price

Reasons to avoid

-
Short battery life
-
Noise-cancelling is just ok

Anyone who already owns anything Alexa will like these wireless earbuds. The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) connect up to your Alexa app and give you all of the benefits of the voice assistant. You’ll just need to use the wake word ‘Alexa’. You’ll be able to switch songs, control your smart home or ask for the weather forecast without needing to touch a thing. 

Granted the battery life isn’t amazing, you’ll only get about 5 hours from a single charge and 15 hours provided by the case which is easily beaten by other options on this list, but in saying that you probably won’t actually need more. 

The sound quality is good for a pair of cheap headphones, audiophiles steer clear but everyone else will get on fine with the audio. Whether you listen to podcasts or punk rock, it’s clear and punchy although it does lack detail slightly. Want to know more? Here’s the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) review

The best wireless earbuds: what you need to know

In much the same way as the first nascent Bluetooth headphones were tragically poor, the initial wave of wireless earbuds was, to put it mildly, utterly rubbish. They weren't comfortable, they didn't connect reliably, they sounded pretty terrible. But as Bluetooth has grown, Bluetooth headphones have grown with it, taking advantage of the lower latency, higher bandwidth and better connectivity options now available.

Now that Bluetooth 5.0 is with us, and codecs like aptX and AAC are improving audio all over the show, those disadvantages are simply melting away. Phone manufacturers know this, hence the rapidly diminishing presence of 3.5mm connectors on modern handsets; buying the best set of wireless earphones you can find may not simply be a case of removing that cable out of convenience, it could be a necessity. If not now, then at your next upgrade.

You may find that connected wireless earbuds offer you a slightly better experience, in certain circumstances. Although true wireless buds are getting lighter all the time, connected buds tend to put a little less strain on your ears and offer marginally better battery life, albeit without the safety of a charging case to fall back on. They may also come in at a somewhat cheaper price - though the bottom end of the true wireless earbud market is growing apace. Latency tends to be a little lower outside of the true wireless space, though as most devices manage to compensate for this automatically it's not something you'll notice while watching video; gaming, though? You'll notice that.

True wireless buds, on the other hand, have their own advantages. Want to use just one earbud, in the style of your grandad sneakily listening to the cricket on a transistor radio during Sunday lunch? You got it. Want to avoid a bulky neckband, or indeed anything irritating your neck? That too - they're great for running, provided they fit well enough, and they usually do. Want the ultimate in cool? Let's face it: someone with no wires flapping around their face has the edge, and any element of pretentiousness presented by true wireless buds is quickly disappearing.

Mike Lowe
Tech Editor

Mike is the Tech Editor and AV Editor at T3.com. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 and, as a phones expert, has seen hundreds of handsets over the years – swathes of Android devices, a smattering of iPhones, and a batch of Windows Phone products (remember those?). But that's not all, as a tech aficionado his beat for T3 also covers tablets, laptops, gaming, home cinema, TVs, speakers and more – there's barely a stone unturned that he's not had a hand on. Previously the Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for a 10 years, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more. In addition to his tech knowledge, Mike is also a flights and travel expert, having travelled the globe extensively. You'll likely find him setting up a new mobile phone, critiquing the next MacBook, all while planning his next getaway... or cycling somewhere.

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