These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy at every price - Android

The best wireless earbuds are comfortable, sound great, and have long-lasting battery life. These tiny headphones from companies like Jabra, Samsung, Sennheiser, Sony, and others are almost as important as the phones we have in our pockets, and the market has become crowded over the years with options. We've reviewed a sizeable number of models available and rated the absolute leaders of the pack, helping you find the best fit and value for your ears and budget. Our buyer's guide will help you navigate this space and find the pair that suits your needs and tastes the best, no matter what you like listening to.

What are the best wireless earbuds you can buy today?

Like any pair of headphones, which wireless earbuds are right for you is subjective in a few key ways. They have to fit right, feel comfortable over longer periods, and produce sound that's pleasing to your ears. If audio fidelity is paramount for you, there are good options for that, just as there are options for being active or present great value without breaking the bank.

Topping our list for the best wireless earbuds are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro because they strike the right notes where it counts. We're talking about excellent sound quality, good fit, solid microphones, and accessibility — and all at a pretty reasonable price. Slightly bigger and more expensive, but better-sounding, are the newer Jabra Elite 85t, which also come with active noise cancelation (ANC).

If sound really matters — and money is no object — the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 are so good they could rival many over-ear headphones with their clarity. It won't matter what genre you like most, and with improved battery life to boot, these are premium earbuds worth a look.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are the best when noise cancelation is a priority, but they don't skimp out on sound quality, either. They are among the best available if audio clarity is on your must-have feature list. Google's Pixel Buds (2020) play nice with any Android phone or tablet, and you'll probably find them to be among the most comfortable to wear for long periods. The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are solid value for what they bring to the table, but even the tightest budget can find something within reach in this list.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

Best Wireless Earbuds Overall

Bottom line: It took a few attempts, but Samsung is finally in a groove with its wireless earbuds. While battery life takes a hit, the improvement in sound quality, ANC, spatial audio, microphone performance, and water resistance make the Galaxy Buds Pro the pair to beat.

Pros:

• Excellent sound
• Effective ANC
• Rugged water and sweat resistance
• Comfortable design
• Spatial 360 Audio
• Reliable microphone quality

Cons

• Lower battery life than before
• Finicky touch controls
• Needs custom EQ

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro take the best features from the previous Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds and make a stand for being one of the best available. It's a distinction the company has wanted from the start, but it took several attempts to get to this level of respectability.

There are various reasons why they're in the top spot. The design borrows heavily from the past, yet puts a different twist on these earbuds to accommodate all the extra tech inside. They're small and nimble, but they have more girth to pack in the active noise cancelation (ANC) and other sensors that bring in the new features. They also have larger drivers to pump out clearer and crisper sound by default, with the option to choose among six equalizer presets in the Galaxy Wearable app. It's just too bad there's no custom EQ to add your own presets to the list.

ANC has two settings (high and low) and four Ambient mode settings, but both can work together in unique ways. Voice Detect lowers the volume of the audio you're listening to and turns on Ambient once you start talking to make it easy to hear a conversation. The audio comes back when there are no voices for up to 10 seconds. Samsung claims the ANC can cut out up to 99% of background noise, but that's mostly accurate for low-frequency sounds. Higher pitches could still break through.

With 360 Audio inside using Dolby Head Tracking technology, the Galaxy Buds Pro are also great for watching content coded in 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound. It's a virtual spatial audio effect that enhances the reverb of a movie or show, though it's a shame you can't listen to music from streaming services with the same effect.

Samsung also managed to continue its steady improvement in call quality. We were impressed with how clear calls were, with those we spoke to not realizing we were using earbuds. The one caveat to handling these earbuds is the overly responsive touch controls, where accidental taps can often happen when adjusting them in your ears.

The good news is that they're more rugged than you might expect. With an IPX7 rating, the level of water and sweat resistance means the Galaxy Buds Pro are perfectly suited to a run or workout.

These features come at the expense of battery life, where you max out at up to five hours per charge when ANC is on. It goes up to eight hours if you keep ANC off, but either way, those numbers aren't as good as some competitors. The included case will get you an extra three charges, which you can charge via USB-C or wireless charging pads. A quick five-minute charge through USB can get you up to an hour of playback.

Best Overall Wireless Earbud

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Bluetooth Earbuds

$180 at Amazon $180 at Best Buy $180 at B&H

Samsung did a lot for the Galaxy Buds Pro, especially when it comes to the extra features that make them so easy to listen to.

Jabra Elite 75t

Best Value Earbuds

Bottom line: Jabra has been hard at work at the audio game for the last few years, and the Elite 75t are the result. They address some previous shortcomings, particularly related to size and battery life while maintaining an excellent audio soundstage.

Pros:

• Customizable sound
• Long battery life
• USB-C for charging
• Water and dust resistance
• Excellent comfort
• ANC through firmware

Cons:

• Lacks wireless charging case
• Mono mode only in right earbud

The Jabra Elite 75t have become great value wireless earbuds primarily because they are so comfortable. As an experienced hearing aid company, it shows. But comfort means nothing if they sound bad, and Jabra's aced that test, too. They feature a bass-heavy but enjoyable sound signature that can easily adjust in the excellent Sound+ app available for Android and iPhone. The Elite 75t also have a wide soundstage, a smooth mid-range, and treble frequencies that won't hurt your ears, even during piercing high notes.

Jabra was the first to add active noise cancelation (ANC) to a pair of earbuds through a firmware update, giving the Elite 75t a feature they didn't otherwise have from the start. There's excellent passive noise cancelation here, which helps, but given this is ANC driven more by software than hardware, the effect won't be as pronounced as others on this list.

As for battery life, you get around seven hours per charge, which is outstanding for a pair of true wireless earbuds, and the included case nets two and a half additional charges for an overall total over around 28 hours. The case itself is charged via USB-C and does so quickly. The lid opens and closes with a satisfying snap, too, and you may find yourself fidgeting with it from time to time.

The Elite 75t are also IP55 water and dust resistant, which means they'll have little issue with sweat, rain, snow, or other water-absorbing activities. If you do want a little extra protection, the Elite Active 75t are always an option, though you do pay more for the protection.

These earbuds are also incredible for making calls. In our tests, the receiver on the other end told us it was among the clearest phone calls they'd ever heard from a pair of headphones. There's also an included "transparency" mode available at the tap of a button — did we mention there are physical controls here? — that pumps in sound from the outside world through one of the three included microphones. That makes it easier to talk to people or hear the outside world without removing the earbuds.

The Elite 75t aren't perfect, though. You can only use the right earbud if you want to listen in mono mode, and the case lacks wireless charging. Jabra had noted it was looking to offer an optional wireless charging case for these earbuds, but that never materialized.

Best Value

Jabra Elite 75t

• $150 at Amazon $150 at Best Buy $150 at Walmart

The Jabra Elite 75t are the best wireless earbuds by far when it comes to sound quality, battery life, comfort, and portability.

Jabra Elite 85t

Best Upgrade Pick

Bottom line: Jabra followed up its excellent Elite 75t with a pair that sounds just as good, if not better, and also features active noise cancelation.

Pros:

• Hybrid ANC
• Great sound quality
• Better call quality than Elite 75t
• Comfortable fit
• Responsive controls
• Wireless charging case

Cons:

• Bigger size than before
• Mono still limited to right earbud
• More proprietary ear tips
• Taller and heavier case

Big things were expected of Jabra as they released the Elite 85t in taking on the competition and delivering key features that had otherwise been missing. Despite releasing a firmware update that gave the Elite 75t ANC, it was largely a software-based functional attempt. It was an impressive feat on its technical merits, given no one else had tried it before, but not the same as having the feature built-in. That's what these earbuds were for.

Except Jabra didn't just throw in two extra microphones and create a hybrid ANC setup that would rival all others. It gave the Elite 85t larger drivers for better sound, brought wireless charging to the case, and quietly removed Alexa from its feature set to focus more on the assistants people use most on their phones. All of those concessions to appease fans meant the company had to make the earbuds and case bigger, and that's partly why they're not in first place on this list. The Elite 85t eventually got their own firmware update that added a MyFit feature to the Sound+ app to improve the fit for a tighter seal and better ANC performance.

There are a couple of other considerations, too. Despite being the newest kid on the block, the Elite 85t are less water-resistant than the Elite 75t. And with ANC now onboard, battery life is more in flux than in previous models. And lastly, the ear tips on these are proprietary because of their oval shape.

While that might all seem like Jabra dropped the ball here, the reality is they did almost everything right. The larger drivers do a better job of cranking out big sound with less need to raise the volume. The sound profile will be familiar to previous Jabra owners but with better clarity this time around. Plus, you get to use the built-in equalizer in the Sound+ app to tweak it however your ears like it.

Adding the mics for ANC also means there's a nice boost in call quality. HearThrough mode, which lets ambient sound seep in, is as good as it's ever been. The Bluetooth connection is solid, and once you get a good seal, the passive isolation alone is fantastic. It's just unfortunate you can still only use the right earbud independently in mono.

If you're looking to upgrade from an older Jabra pair or even earbuds from another brand, the Elite 85t will sound great, whether you're blocking the outside world or not. They're also the only Jabra earbuds you can actually rename in the app.

Best Upgrade Pick

Jabra Elite 85t

$180 at Amazon $180 at Best Buy $230 at Newegg

The Elite 85t are Jabra's way of adding features they needed to add, and they get the performance just right.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Best Sound Quality

Bottom line: Putting on a pair of Sennheiser headphones comes with a bigger set of expectations, and these should be no exception. The Momentum True Wireless 2 are the best sounding in this category for the simple fact they offer the best soundstage, belying their diminutive size. They also have a much better battery life than their predecessors and include superb noise cancelation.

Pros:

• Great comfort
• Great audio quality
• Excellent ANC performance
• Improved battery life
• Companion iOS and Android app

Cons

• Onboard controls need work
• No official sweat resistance
• Expensive

Sennheiser got the sound part right with the first Momentum True Wireless, only to struggle in delivering adequate battery life. The Momentum TW2 does a much better job staying on for longer periods, and coupled with the excellent sound they pump out, it's hard to argue with them being the best for audio quality. Battery life is now up to seven hours per charge, with a total of 28 hours coming from the nifty charging case. It features USB-C for wired charging but lacks wireless charging, which is disappointing at this price.

Another big addition was including ANC support. While not necessarily the best in the business in that particular aspect, they are no slouches in keeping background noise to a minimum. The Momentum TW2 manages to punch above their relative weight in reducing ambient noise to a level that comes really close to the best ANC performance out there.

As for the sound, the bass-forward profile should acclimate well to any pair of ears. It has an elegant feel to it, matching the physical design. The bass is pronounced without feeling overbearing, even if it slightly overtakes the mids, while the high notes are clear, crisp, and warm throughout. If the default profile doesn't work for you, Sennheiser's Smart Control app lets you use the onboard equalizer to customize how you want them to sound.

The earbuds themselves are larger than others on this list, so not every pair of ears will feel like a natural fit. Thankfully, that's not a big problem considering how good they sound for their size, especially compared to on-ear or over-ear headphones.

Best Sound Quality

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

$248 at Amazon $250 at Best Buy $250 at B&H

Sennheiser's penchant for excellent sound isn't hamstrung by smaller size, and the Momentum True Wireless 2 are audible proof.

Creative Outlier Air V2

Great Sound Quality For Less

Bottom line: A pair of budget wireless earbuds that actually sound good? Creative's Outlier Air V2 earbuds will be a pleasant surprise when you try them. You lose out on some other features, and the case is on the fatter side, but you may accept that once you start listening.

Pros:

• Great audio quality
• Awesome bud battery life
• Comfortable fit
• Improved onboard control
• Affordable price

Cons:

• Touch controls aren't all great
• No ANC or transparency modes
• Bulky case

Creative is often underrated as an audio brand, but the original Outlier Air proved to do more with less. When we reviewed the Outlier Air V2, we found that Creative continued to avoid packing in bells and whistles, preferring to maintain a clearer focus on clearer sound quality. These budget earbuds impress with better overall fidelity, though they keep with a bass-friendly soundstage that makes almost everything sound good.

Creative had originally changed the ear tips and shaved some size with the Outlier Gold, and that's where the Outlier V2 gets its design inspiration. It results in a better fit — and better seal to preserve the best of the audio. You also get the same great codec support that includes aptX and AAC. While these earbuds aren't officially aptX LL (Low Latency), they should be decent when watching video on a phone or tablet with less lag. Perhaps not as sharp for gaming, though.

While Creative did include its excellent Super X-Fi technology in these earbuds, it only works with actual music and video files — not with anything you stream. Touch controls have replaced physical buttons, too. They're mostly okay, but not always great. You get no ANC or Transparency modes, either.

All that aside, battery life is one of the best you will find on any pair of earbuds. The Outlier Air V2 get better with up to 12 hours at default volume and add almost another two full charges from the case. If you like the sound and they fit right, that kind of juice can come in really handy for longer listening periods.

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