News

Oct 16, 2024

Best Wireless Earbuds of 2024 - CNET

Article updated on October 15, 2024 at 1:52 PM PDT CNET has tested and reviewed the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds on the market, including top models from Apple, Beats, Bose, Samsung and others.

Article updated on October 15, 2024 at 1:52 PM PDT

CNET has tested and reviewed the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds on the market, including top models from Apple, Beats, Bose, Samsung and others.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

Determine how much you're willing to spend on wireless earbuds and how that lines up with quality and functionality.

Fit

Your earbuds should offer a comfortable, secure fit. The seal will determine how noise-isolating they are, so keep an eye out for how tight of a seal they provide.

Return policy

In case the earbuds aren't a great fit for your ears, it's important that the retailer offers a good return policy.

Durability

You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.

Features

Premium wireless earbuds should offer best-in-class noise cancelling as well as have great microphones for phone calls.

vs

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

Determine how much you're willing to spend on wireless earbuds and how that lines up with quality and functionality.

Fit

Your earbuds should offer a comfortable, secure fit. The seal will determine how noise-isolating they are, so keep an eye out for how tight of a seal they provide.

Return policy

In case the earbuds aren't a great fit for your ears, it's important that the retailer offers a good return policy.

Durability

You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.

Features

Premium wireless earbuds should offer best-in-class noise cancelling as well as have great microphones for phone calls.

I've been testing earbuds for almost 20 years and have reviewed hundreds of wired and wireless buds with a variety of designs. Today the category is dominated by true wireless earbuds, many of which have active noise canceling -- or "noise cancelling" (with a double L), as Bose and Google like to spell it. With so many great buds on the market, it's difficult to declare one single model the best overall. A few models do stand out, which is why they're at the top of this list. These include the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, Apple AirPods Pro 2 USB-C and Sony WF-1000XM5. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the latest additions to the list along with the Earfun Air Pro 4, our current top earbuds value pick. A pair of wireless earbuds would also make a great gift for the music lover on your holiday shopping list.

These Bluetooth earbuds offer not only excellent sound quality and music experience and a comfortable fit but also strong noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. Those are the key factors I evaluate when determining which products end up with "best" status. Pricing is also a consideration for value picks, and when it comes to open earbuds -- like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds -- design and sound quality (compared with competing products) are crucial factors, with strong battery life a plus.

I've fully reviewed or done hands-on testing with all the earbuds on this list, which gets updated regularly as new top earbuds are released.

SCORE

When Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds came out in 2021, we awarded them a CNET Editors' Choice. And while they're excellent, we had some quibbles: They're on the large side and aren't a good match for certain ears. Clearly, Sony took those gripes to heart when it set out to design its next-generation WF-1000XM5 flagship noise-cancelling earbuds. Not only are the XM5s smaller, but they also offer improved performance pretty much across the board, with better noise cancelling, sound and voice calling. Are the XM5s perfect? Not quite. And at $300 — $20 more than their predecessor — they're costly, too. But overall they're really impressive, easily among the very top earbuds on the market.

SCORE

Apple not only swapped in USB-C for Lightning connectivity in its new iPhone 15 models, but it made the switch with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation). The new AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe (USB-C) are nearly identical to their Lightning predecessor, delivering the same excellent sound, noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. That said, they offer some other small upgrades, including additional dust resistance and a new acoustic architecture that allows for Lossless Audio with the Vision Pro.

Nevertheless, the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) are easy to recommend to Apple users despite their high price. Pro tip: Don't pay more than $190 for these, which is the online sale price at which they're now frequently available. Also, check out all the Airpods from Apple on sale this Amazon Prime Day.

SCORE

If you're able to get a tight seal with one of the three sizes of included ear tips, there's little to complain about with Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (read our full review). Yes, the noise cancellation might be a touch better, but the earbuds' excellent sound quality is clearly a step-up from that of the Buds 2 Pro. Plus, they have a robust feature set, and their voice-calling performance is truly top-notch.

SCORE

While the QC Ultra Earbuds aren't a major upgrade over Bose's excellent QC Earbuds 2 that were released in 2022, they're definitely a little better. They should fit most ears very well, and they feature superb noise canceling, arguably the best out there. And a natural-sounding transparency mode with a new ActiveSense feature kicks in some ANC should the sound get too loud around you (it's sort of similar to the AirPods Pro's Adaptive Audio feature). They also sound slightly better overall, with a touch more clarity, and their new Immersive Audio feature opens up the sound a bit.

SCORE

If you're looking for basic AirPods, the standard AirPods 4 ($129) certainly have their appeal and should cost closer to $100 during flash sales. They may not be quite as cheap or as small as the AirPods 2, but they sound a lot better and have a lot more features.

Ultimately, however, the AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation are simply more special. They're the first open buds I've tried to have active noise canceling that actually works. That makes them the first noise-canceling earbuds for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears. That's pretty cool and worth the extra $50 if you can afford it.

Earfun is one of our go-to brands for value earbuds. Its Air Pro 4 buds aren't a major upgrade over the earlier Air Pro 3s, but they do have a few enhancements that make them slightly better earbuds. (Note: Input code EAP4CNET at checkout on Amazon to get an extra 10% off).

Earfun has moved from Qualcomm's QCC3071 to the newer QCC3091 that supports aptX Lossless Audio for a select few Android devices. The buds also support Sony's LDAC audio codec, which is available with more Android smartphones, and the AAC and SBC codecs.

Like their predecessor, the Air 4 Pro are lightweight and comfortable to wear -- I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size -- and they feature slightly improved noise canceling and sound quality along with better battery life (up to 11 hours with noise canceling off and 7.5 hours with it on, according to Earfun). While the default sound leans slightly warm with a touch of bass push, you can tweak the sound in Earfun's companion app for iOS and Android, and I did think the sound measures up well to earbuds that cost twice as much.

As I said, these aren't a big upgrade over the Earfun Air 3 Pro, but once again Earfun has delivered a set of earbuds that deliver strong performance for their modest price. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and multipoint Bluetooth pairing (they're equipped with Bluetooth 4 and LE Audio). I do think the voice-calling performance is slightly improved, but the background noise reduction during calls isn't as good as what you get with higher-end earbuds like Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, as well as Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I also thought their touch controls could work a little better than they do.

Google's redesigned its Pixel Buds Pro 2 to fit more ears better. Not only are the Pixel Buds Pro 2 smaller than their predecessor but Google's equipped them with its new Tensor A1 chip, which offers more processing power and enables its new "hands-free, eyes-free" Gemini virtual AI assistant. So long as you get a snug fit and tight seal (yes, that's critical for sound quality and noise-canceling performance), these buds deliver excellent sound, strong noise-muffling capabilities and a robust feature set, particularly for Android and Google Pixel phone users. Read our full review.

Simply put, the Pi8s are fantastic-sounding earbuds that also benefit from having a clearly improved design from the Pi7 S2 and Pi5 S2. It's debatable whether the Pi8s sound $150 better than the step-down Pi6s (they're also new for 2024), but there's no doubt these are some of the best-sounding earbuds on the market, if not the best (everybody's sound tastes vary so it's hard to declare one set of buds the best-sounding overall).

Like with the Pi7 S2, sound quality is the highlight here, along with the charging case's ability to transform into a Bluetooth transceiver. Noise cancellation seems improved, and noise reduction during calls seems better, but the voice-calling performance wasn't as good as what I got with Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

SCORE

The concept behind the Fit Pro is pretty simple. Take Beats iconic Powerbeats Pro sport earbuds with its big ear hook and shrink it down. I can't say I ever loved the Powerbeats Pro's design but a lot of people do because the ear hook gives you a feeling of security that your buds aren't going to fall off your head. I personally prefer my sport earbuds to have a wingtip that fits into the inside of your ear rather than wrap around the outside of it. And that's what we have here.

Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and 2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple's H1 chip and have most of the AirPods Pro's features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted.

SCORE

Jabra bills the Elite 8 Active as the "world's toughest earbuds," and based on our tests (they survived several drops without a scratch), that may very well be true. While there are two new color options, the Gen 2 model doesn't look any different from the original, but it includes an LE Audio smart case, allowing wireless streaming from any device with USB-C or 3.5mm port (I tested it with an inflight entertainment and it worked well, with no audio lag). The Elite 8 Active Gen 2 also feature enhanced spatial sound powered by Dolby Audio "for a better music experience," enhanced Natural HearThrough for better awareness when outdoors, and improved noise-cancelling performance that make for great sport earbuds.

With this Gen 2 upgrade to its Elite 8 Active and its semi-open Elite 10 buds, Jabra seems to have once again hit its stride with its earbuds line. Alas, Jabra's parent company, GN, recently announced that it's decided to gradually wind down the Jabra Elite product line. While Jabra will continue to support its Elite buds for the foreseeable future, buyers should be aware of this development. Until then, make sure you enjoy some of the best true wireless earbuds on the market.

SCORE

Whenever a new pair of Momentum True Wireless earbuds drops, I always find myself saying, "Wow, these sound good." Sound quality has always been the MTW's biggest strength, and that remains the case with the fourth-gen version.

There's been some modest improvements in other areas, particularly with the noise cancellation performance and the reliable, hiccup-free Bluetooth connection I had with my phone. At the same time, the voice-calling performance could be better, and I'm a little disappointed that these aren't even more of an upgrade over their predecessor. Still, the Momentum True Wireless 4 are excellent true wireless earbuds that I have no problem recommending.

SCORE

Nothing has changed with Nothing's latest $149 Ear noise-canceling earbuds. At least, not at first glance. You'd be forgiven if you thought the buds had taken a step back; while they're the successor to Nothing's Ear (2) earbuds they don't have a 3 anywhere in their name. Nor do they employ Apple's generational naming scheme. They're just the Nothing Ear, and they look the same as the Ear (2). Some changes on the inside deliver legitimate improvements, particularly to sound quality, noise canceling and battery life.

If you can't quite afford this model, Nothing also has the new $99 Ear (a), which comes in a new yellow color as well as white and black. It has different drivers and includes a smaller charging case (it has a lower IPX2 water-resistance rating and leaves off wireless charging), but otherwise has very similar features and may be a slightly better value. But the flagship Ear does sound slightly better.

There's been some hype recently around solid-state semiconductor Micro-Electromechanical Systems, aka MEMS, speakers and you can find xMEMS drivers in Creative Labs' Aurvana Ace ($130) and Ace 2 earbuds ($150). The newer Ace 2 has support for Qualcomm's AptX Lossless for the limited number of devices that support that audio codec but otherwise the two models seem nearly identical, except for their color schemes. While the Ace 2 is missing features like ear-detection sensors that are often found in buds in this price range, they do sound quite impressive (if you get a tight seal), with nicely detailed, accurate sound and well-defined bass that has some warmth to it (it does help to play around with the companion app's equalizer settings to optimize the sound to your liking). I found their adaptive noise canceling good, though not necessarily great. The same was true for the voice-calling performance.

Overall the true wireless earbuds are well-designed and have some eye-catching design elements that help them stand out from other earbuds with stems. They're IPX5 splash-resistant, are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels and offer wireless charging. For their price, they deliver good bang for your buck, particularly when it comes to sound quality.

SCORE

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I've tested over the last several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you. They're still true wireless earbuds, and at $299, they're somewhat overpriced, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.

Released in 2023, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds carry a lower list price than 2022's Liberty 4 buds and are arguably better. They have improved noise cancellation and better sound quality, along with support for the LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. (Many Android smartphones do, and in theory it offers slightly improved sound quality when paired with a music streaming service that offers high-res tracks.) They're lightweight buds that should fit most ears comfortably with four sizes of ear tips to choose from.

The Liberty 4 NC buds have single custom drivers compared to the Liberty 4's dynamic dual drivers -- and a completely different case design -- but I thought they delivered more pleasant sound than the Liberty 4s. Their treble is a little smoother and they feature strong bass performance. They came across as fairly open, with a reasonably wide soundstage. You can tweak the sound profile in the companion app for iOS and Android.

The buds come in several color options and are IPX4 splash-proof, so they're suitable for running and gym use. They feature excellent battery life -- up to 10 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels -- and there's also a transparency mode that lets ambient sound in and sounds pretty natural with only a very faint audible hiss. While the noise canceling is an improvement over the Liberty 4's and is effective, it falls a bit short of what you get from Bose's and Sony's premium ANC earbuds.

Like the Liberty 4, the earbuds have six integrated mics for noise cancellation and making calls, and callers said they thought the buds did a pretty good job of reducing background noise, with my voice coming through relatively clearly. They're an all-around good performing set of buds for the money, and they offer a strong feature set, including ear-detection sensors and wireless charging. There are no discounts on these headphones right now, but the Anker Soundcore C30i clip-on headphones cost $70.

SCORE

Alas, for those of you who bought the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market for now, I'm sorry to report that these new Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver top-notch voice-calling performance.

The transparent version is getting a lot of attention (who doesn't like transparent electronics?), but the big changes are on the inside. Beats says 95% of the components are new and improved, and the buds' "acoustic architecture" has been revised. The speaker drivers remain the same, but the Studio Buds Plus are powered by a new, more powerful custom chipset and have three new microphones in each bud, which are three times larger and more sensitive than the ones found in the Beats Studio Buds.

SCORE

You should expect a lot from earbuds that cost $300 -- and yes, that's still a lot to pay for headphones, even if plenty of people seem to be willing to pay upwards of $450 for the likes of Apple's AirPods Max headphones. Overall, Panasonic has done a nice job of creating an all-around top-performing set of buds that offer an improved fit with terrific sound, very good noise canceling and a robust feature set.

Voice-calling capabilities are decent but don't quite live up to their billing (yet). Hopefully, we'll see some firmware upgrades that improve the voice-calling experience in noisier environments. Despite that caveat, as long as they fit your ears well, the Technics EAH-AZ80 are right up there with the best wireless earbuds on the market right now.

What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds -- they're pretty close to what you get from Apple's AirPods 3 for sound (they're a little more behind the AirPods 4, which offer improved sound from the AirPods 3). On top of that, they support Sony's LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They're also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.

Apply the code WINGS2AI at checkout to get an additional 13% off.

Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new true wireless earbuds. Budget-friendly earbuds continue to improve, so you can find good "cheap" buds for not too much money (less than $60). If you're looking for premium buds from Sony, Apple or Bose, be prepared to spend a lot more.

It's key that the earbuds you buy fit your ears well. They should offer a comfortable, secure fit. If you don't get a tight seal with noise-isolating earbuds, sound quality and noise cancelling can be dramatically impacted for the worse. Open earbuds don't have that issue, but they should be comfortable to wear and sit securely in your ears.

You want earbuds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. This is especially important with true wireless earbuds, which are more susceptible to loss or damage due to their size.

You want the best-sounding headphones with the best sound modes, , call quality and features for whatever you're able to spend.

Because the fit of your earbuds is so important, it's critical to buy your buds at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case the buds aren't a good match for your ears.

We test true wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.

Our reviewer David Carnoy testing voice-calling performance on the noisy streets of New York.

Master & Dynamic MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds have always featured unique, eye-catching designs that include premium materials like aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. Its latest MW09 flagship true wireless earbuds ($349) look pretty similar to its earlier MW08 buds but have some upgrades on the inside that deliver better performance, particularly when it comes to noise cancellation. The earbuds sound great but are mysteriously out of stock everywhere, so we dropped them from the best list. If they come back in stock, we'll add them back to this list.

Sennheiser CX: If you can't afford Sennheiser's flagship Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, the CX are a good alternative. They feature very good sound, plus decent noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. The only issue is they stick out of your ears a bit and may not fit some smaller ears. This model, which often sells for less than $100 on Amazon, doesn't feature active noise cancellation but the step-up CX Plus does (the CX Plus is also a good value, particularly when it goes on sale).

Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio Buds look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods some people have been waiting for. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they are missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there's no H1 or W1 chip), but they're small, lightweight true wireless earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer really good sound. Their noise cancellation isn't as good as the AirPods Pro's, but they do have a transparency mode and they're decent for making calls. Read our Beats Studio Buds review.

JBL Live Free 2: Like the Live Pro 2, JBL's new Live Free 2 buds are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips, they combine a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance. Features include multipoint Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and they're rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 water resistance (splash-proof).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise cancellation along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you're a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. Their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. Read our full review.

JBL Tour Pro 2: JBL's Tour Pro 2 earbuds have received a lot of attention for bringing something new to true wireless earbuds: a full color touchscreen display embedded in the case that allows you to access the earbuds' key features and control playback as well as adjust volume levels. It's a bit of a gimmick but also useful. While the buds could sound slightly better for their list price, overall the JBL Tour Pro 2s are very good earbuds that offer a good fit, a robust feature set, strong battery life, plus solid noise cancellation and voice-calling performance.

Sony LinkBuds S: Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating true wireless earbuds with tips that jam in your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's former flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise cancellation don't quite measure up to either XM4 or XM5's, they're still quite good. They're the Sony buds for people who can't afford Sony's flagship earbuds but want 80% of those buds' features and performance for significantly less. Read more about them in our hands-on review of the Sony LinkBuds S.

Sony WF-1000XM4: Released in 2021, Sony's WF-1000XM4 earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award. They're still excellent earbuds, but Sony has now released the next-gen WF-1000XM5. They may be a good option if you find them at a good discount.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true wireless earbuds of 2022. They're still among the best truly wireless earbuds, but Sennheiser has released the upgraded Momentum True Wireless 4. Also, the newer AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they're significantly discounted.

Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but it's finally introduced its first true wireless earbuds, which feature active noise cancellation, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise cancelling off) and impressive sound quality. Read our Beyerdynamic Free Byrd review.

Master & Dynamic MW08: These buds may not fit everyone's ear equally well, but they certainly have a distinct look, as well as excellent sound and a great listening experience if you can get a tight seal (I was able to get a secure fit with the largest tip). They deliver more of an audiophile sound profile, with smooth, well-balanced sound and well-defined bass.

Status Between 3ANC: Status earbuds aren't exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don't mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent-sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company's first noise cancelling true wireless earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, although they aren't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise cancelling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX: Bang & Olufsen's $399 Beoplay EX buds are the company's best true wireless earbuds. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise cancellation and improved voice-calling performance over B&O's EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. They're out of most people's price range, but they're arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer slightly superior sound to the AirPods Pro 2 with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound.

JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That's finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand's new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds -- the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design -- offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.

Sony Linkbuds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony's answer to Apple's standard AirPods. While they don't sound as good as Sony's flagship WF-1000XM4 or the Linkbuds S noise-isolating earbuds, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as decent sound and very good voice-calling performance. Like the third-gen AirPods, their open design allows you to hear the outside world -- that's what the ring is all about. Read our Sony Linkbuds review.

Amazon Echo Buds 2023: The 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn't expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears. Their sound falls short of that of Apple's AirPods 3, which deliver fuller bass and overall fuller, smoother sound (they're better at handling more complicated music tracks with a lot of instruments playing at the same time). The AirPods 3 cost around $150 and offer only about 15% to 20% better audio. In short, if you're looking for open earbuds -- or "semi-open" as these types of earbuds are sometimes called -- the Echo Buds are good value at their $50 list price and even easier to recommend when they go on sale for $35.

With true wireless earbuds, you should get the right fit so they not only stay in your ears but so they sound and perform at their best (a tight seal is crucial for optimal sound and noise cancellation if the earbuds have active noise cancelling). If the buds come with silicone ear tips, you should use a bud that's a little bigger rather than too small for your ear. Also, in some cases, like with the AirPods Pro, you can buy third-party foam ear tips that grip the inside of your ear better and keep your buds from falling out. Note that sometimes people have one ear shaped differently than the other, so you might use a medium tip in one ear and a large tip in the other.

AirPods have never fit all ears equally well, and a lot of people complain that they won't stay securely in their ears. You can buy third-party wingtips -- sometimes called sport fins -- that lock the buds in your ears. You have to take them off every time you use your buds because they won't fit in the case.

If you have trouble keeping true wireless earbuds in your ears, your best bet is to look for a sport earbuds model that includes wingtips or actually integrates them into the buds' design. You can also get earbuds that have ear hooks that wrap around the top of your ears. Several sports buds feature this design. It can be particularly appealing to bikers who can't afford to have their earbuds drop out of their ears while riding at high speed.

Before earbuds like the AirPods came along, wireless earbuds had a cord between the buds. They were wireless because they offered wireless Bluetooth streaming and didn't have a headphone cable that plugged into your device. Some companies still make those types of wireless earbuds -- the Beats Flex is one example -- and some people like having a cord that allows the buds to dangle from your neck when not in use.

True wireless earbuds, like the AirPods, have no cord between them. They are entirely cord-free and link wirelessly to create a stereo pair. They are sometimes referred to by the acronym TWS, which stands for true wireless stereo.

We have an article on how to clean your AirPods that also applies to other earbuds. If you don't want to read that, the condensed version is this:

Wipe down both the buds themselves and ear tips with a slightly dampened soft, dry, lint-free cloth (like the kind you use to clean glasses or your phone's screen) and avoid using any soap or harsh cleaning liquids. A 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or a Clorox disinfecting wipe is OK but avoid getting too much moisture in any ports or inside the buds themself. You can also use a toothpick for any little crevices or a Q-tip with a bit of alcohol on it. Avoid saturating the Q-tip with alcohol. Finally, wait a few minutes until any moisture evaporates before using the buds.

If you have true wireless earbuds, you can stop here. However, those with regular wireless earbuds should be sure to wipe down any other parts of the earbuds, including the cords or neck strap.

In recent months there have been a bunch of articles about how Gen Z is making the "humble" wired headphones cool again, particularly Apple EarPods (you know, the headphones that used to be included in the box when bought an iPhone but no longer are). That's fine -- and we have nothing against wired headphones -- but a cord can be a nuisance. When you're working out or running, going totally wireless with sport earbuds feels liberating. Also, most new phones these days don't have a headphone jack so you need to go wireless unless you get a Lightning or USB-C headphone or use an adapter for a standard headphone with a 3.5mm plug.

You can get wireless headphones with a cord between the buds. Neckband-style earbuds are still a thing and some people like that style because you can let the cord dangle around your neck when you don't have the buds in your ears. However, true wireless earbuds ultimately offer more freedom and are stored in a compact charging case that's convenient to carry. Both the sound quality and reliability of their true wireless connection have improved considerably over the last couple of years.

As far as prices go, while you can certainly find plenty of premium true wireless earbuds, there are also lots of decent affordable models, some of which cost less than $50.

A battery life rating of five hours is considered adequate but many of the latest true wireless earbuds offer six hours or more of battery life with noise cancelling on. Battery life increases if you don't use noise cancellation. Some true wireless earbuds now deliver over 10 hours of battery life with noise cancelling off.