The best pair of wireless earbuds does more than sound great. They’re supposed to be comfortable, offer intuitive controls that are easy to navigate, sport an efficient mic, and have a battery that lasts sufficiently long. This is just the bare minimum. Features like water and dust resistance, noise cancelation, multi-point connectivity, wireless charging, and mono-listening are also expected on most midrange to high-end buds these days.
Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot to look out for. We’ve compiled a list of the best true wireless earbuds on the market, including something for every user. Whether you’re looking for something for gaming or running, we’ve got you covered.
The editorial staff of Gizmodo independently tests and reviews each product found in our Buyer’s Guides. If you purchase something using our affiliate links, Gizmodo USA may earn a commission. Affiliate linking does not influence our editorial content.
Best Overall True Wireless Earbuds — Sony WF-1000XM5
Sony’s $300 flagship earbuds, the WF-1000XM5, are some of the best-sounding wireless earbuds we’ve ever tested. Using a new 8.4-millimeter Dynamic Driver X in each bud (the drivers on its predecessors, the WF-1000XM4s, were 6 millimeters in size), the new WF-1000XM5s are a very noticeable step-up in performance, giving your music more presence and oomph, without sounding like the earbuds are being overdriven or pushing the limits of what they’re capable of. Bass hits land harder with more thump in your ear, drums have a more satisfying snap, and all without vocals getting lost in the mix. They also offer industry-leading active noise cancellation and impressive adjustable EQ settings. Compared to the WF-1000XM4s, these are “25% smaller and 20% lighter,” which might not sound like much, but at the scale of wireless earbuds, that amount of shrinkage makes a world of difference. Read More — Andrew Liszewski
See Sony WF-1000XM5 at Best Buy
Best True Wireless Earbuds for Bass — Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are excellent buds offering everything you want. The size and weight have been dramatically reduced compared to their predecessors, so they’re comfortable sitting in your ears all day. The twist-to-adjust stabilizer is far from a gimmick. It gives the buds their snug, ear-hugging fit. Navigation has been done so intuitively that it makes me wonder why more earbud companies don’t take a similar, straightforward approach, especially with volume. The sound profile is impressive, with the deep, punchy bass being the star of the show. And the noise-canceling is so powerful that you feel transported into a private vacuum.
Just don’t expect too much from the Gemini integration. It’s far from being as ‘hands-free’ as advertised since you can’t really ask follow-up questions without getting your hands involved. Plus, you can’t interrupt it with your voice regardless of how long its response is, which is fairly annoying. — Dua Rashid
See Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 at Best Buy
See Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 at Amazon
Best Running True Wireless Earbuds — Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
The OpenRun Pro headphones launched two years ago were already a hit, but Shokz upgraded them and released the OpenRun Pro 2 for $180. Designed to be worn when you’re training, running a marathon, hiking, biking, or even during busy commutes, these headphones have one overarching purpose: to keep you in touch with your surroundings.
They utilize Shokz’s new proprietary tech, DualPitch, which uses a pair of separate, dedicated drivers instead of a single driver doing all the work on the company’s past offerings. The two drivers—bone conduction and air conduction—are decoupled, which means they work independently. This offers two major benefits: reduced vibrations and improved bass.
I’m pleased about the switch to Type-C charging on the second-gen OpenRun Pros. Most Shokz sports headphones have featured magnetic charging so far, including the first-gen OpenRun Pros. Other charging-related upgrades include better battery life (12 hours compared to 10 hours on the Gen 1s) and a five-minute quick charge, providing an additional hour (a total of 2.5 hours) on the flagship. The charging time is still one hour, and the dust and water resistance is still IP55. I prefer higher water resistance, at least IP57, for headphones designed for rough adventures. However, I’m glad the Type-C charging port has a rubberized flap covering to prevent dust particles or water from getting through. — Dua Rashid
See Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 at Best Buy
See Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 at Amazon
Best Budget True Wireless Earbuds — Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
These are Samsung’s entry-level $100 buds that I’d recommend for their secure fit, simple controls, powerful ANC, and long battery life. They come docked in a small, inconspicuous 40-gram charging case. With a glossy exterior, the case is thankfully not a magnet for fingerprints. The Galaxy Buds FE fit pretty snugly. I wore these buds outside for quite a while, and despite all the movement I put them through while doing my laundry and groceries, they stayed glued to my ears throughout. Closely related to their snug fit, and probably a consequence, is their great passive noise isolation with the tight seal they form with your ears.
I used these buds in the noisiest settings I could think of and was pleasantly surprised. They did a fantastic job of muting Laundromat’s dryers and washers, and I could enjoy my music without tolerating the constant, annoying buzz and banging of the machines. The buds did a scarily good job canceling the deafening traffic during my commute. Read More — Dua Rashid
Another Great Budget True Wireless Earbuds — OnePlus Buds 3
The OnePlus Buds 3, at $100, check almost all boxes. They’re intuitively designed in terms of controls, offer a battery that lasts longer than a week of typical usage, feature excellent detailed, rich, airy audio, and have the kind of noise cancellation that silences everyone on the subway. You also get both multi-point connectivity and mono-listening. OnePlus’ newest buds are also IP55 rated against water and dust. This means they are almost completely dustproof and can be exposed to a light shower of water or rain from any angle.
Don’t expect any bells and whistles in terms of design, though. The modest case features a plain (boring), fully matte body. The buds are thankfully slightly flashier with a gleaming metallic exterior and long Airpods-style stems. Read More — Dua Rashid
Best Premium True Wireless Earbuds — Master & Dynamic MW09
MW09 are Master & Dynamic’s flagship premium buds that cost $349 for the aluminum case and $399 if you opt for the Kevlar fiber case. These buds are so beautiful it hurts. The sapphire glass and aluminum earbud body is well-crafted and robust, offering excellent attention to detail. Navigating the MW09 is also fairly simple, with a big volume rocker on the left bud and a multi-function button on the right that handles everything from playback to calls. The ANC on these buds works well for my daily Subway commute. The loud sound of the engine and the hum of people chit-chatting were all successfully muted. My colleagues chatting next to me at my workplace were utterly silenced, too.
M&D considerably bumped up the battery life on these buds. We saw 42 hours on the last two models and an impressive 48 hours on these. These are the kind of buds that you get if you have a long commute, travel a lot, or hate being tethered to a socket. For around three to four hours of usage daily, which is pretty standard for most of us, you can easily charge these once every two weeks. You also get wireless charging (yay), which wasn’t offered in its predecessors. Read More — Dua Rashid
Best True Wireless Earbuds for Apple Users — AirPods Pro 2
These buds are a long overdue follow-up to Apple’s original AirPods Pro that carries forward the same design but improves sound quality and battery life. The ANC has also received a massive upgrade and is astoundingly good on these. For the AirPods Pro 2nd Gen, Apple has also updated its stem with touch controls, which finally allows you to adjust the volume by simply sliding a finger up and down said stem. The seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem has been further improved with the new H2 chip, making connectivity between these and the iPhone rock solid. Switching between devices, like a MacBook, is also automatic, and even sharing music with a friend’s AirPods is pretty easy, which makes these the best wireless earbuds for iPhone users. Read More — Andrew Liszewski
Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds — Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Apart from the overly done bass, it’s hard to find many flaws in the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The design, which looked weird initially, is pretty comfortable to navigate; the fit is snug, the sound rich and clear, and the ANC extremely powerful. I also have a minor gripe with the volume control, but I wouldn’t call that a deal breaker. If you’re upgrading only for improved bass, know that you might have to compromise on sound quality, especially at higher volumes. You will enjoy these if you only care about dramatic bass and nothing else.
These are also some of the best Subway buds I have encountered in a long time, and that’s a huge compliment. The subway station is my ultimate litmus test of ANC, and these passed the test pretty well. I certainly believe the $250 price tag on these makes sense. The extra bells, whistles, and noticeably richer sound on the Buds 3 Pro make the $70 bump in price (compared to the base model) understandable. — Dua Rashid
See Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at Samsung
See Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at Amazon
Best Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds for Running — Bose Ultra Open
Bose goes off the beaten path with the Ultra Open Earbuds, pushing an innovative, futuristic design and a full, airy soundscape. The buds offer slight durability with nearly 30 hours of battery life (with the charging case) and are incredibly comfortable even after hours of wear. And in terms of design, nothing on the market looks like the Ultra Open. The only catch is that they don’t offer ANC, which is a crime considering their steep $300 price. If you’re looking for a great pair of earbuds that serve clean, powerful audio and don’t need active noise canceling, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are for you. Read More — Sherri Smith
See Bose Ultra Open at Best Buy
This list is updated regularly with new recommendations and product forecasts.
Want more of Gizmodo’s consumer electronics picks? Check out our guides to the best laptops, best TVs, and best headphones.
