Top 5 compared
The best wireless earbuds
Music, podcasts and calls with nothing to untangle, on the commute, at the gym or around the house.
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The top 5 at a glance
Wireless earbuds sit in the ear with no cord at all and live in a pocket-sized case that charges them between listens. Open earbuds rest in the ear without a seal and sit lightly; others have soft ear tips that seal the ear and stay put during a workout. Noise canceling quiets steady sound, such as the hum of a train or a plane.
AirPods and Galaxy Buds keep their extras for their own brand’s phones, while the soundcore pairs work with any phone. Noise canceling comes on most of these, but it costs battery: it takes an hour or two off a charge, on the pairs that give both figures.
What matters
- Battery hours with noise canceling on, in the buds and the case.
- An IPX4 water rating or higher, for sweaty workouts and rain.
#1Apple AirPods 5 with Active Noise Cancellation and Wireless Charging Case
$100–$150
Apple’s open-fit earbuds, with improved noise canceling and an IP57 rating that stands up to rain and hard workouts. With no ear tips to fit they sit lightly through a long day, Adaptive Audio blends noise canceling with Transparency as the surroundings change, and a swipe on the stem sets the volume.
What owners say: Sound quality, noise canceling and value earn the praise. Battery life and comfort split opinion, with some reporting charging problems and others finding they hurt their ears, and the connection and the volume swipe get mixed reactions too.
Heads up: The open design rests in the ear rather than sealing it, so the fit doesn’t suit every ear shape, and they’re at their best with an iPhone, which runs Live Translation and the new Siri.
A closer look: Start talking and Conversation Awareness turns the music down by itself, useful when someone at the next desk asks a question. The case charges on an Apple Watch charger or any Qi pad as well as over USB-C, so a charger already on the nightstand will do.
- Open fit, no ear tips
- Lowers music when you talk
- Swipe the stem for volume
- Charges on Apple Watch charger
- Personalized Spatial Audio
Best for: iPhone owners, all-day wear
- Noise canceling
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- 7 hrs (5 with noise canceling)
- Total with case
- 22 hrs (with noise canceling)
- Water resistance
- Sweat and water (IP57)
- Works best with
- iPhone
#2soundcore P20i by Anker True Wireless Earbuds
$20–$30
Oversized drivers tuned for bass, 10 hours from a charge and a pocket-sized case with a lanyard. The soundcore app adds 22 EQ presets and can make a lost earbud beep.
What owners say: Owners like the sound and find them fairly priced. Fit and comfort vary from ear to ear, though, and some lose the connection now and then or have a bud give up over time.
Heads up: There’s no noise canceling on this pair.
A closer look: Ten minutes in the case gives about two hours of listening, handy when they’ve run down just before a commute. The lanyard clips the case to a bag or a set of keys, and the soundcore app lets each earbud’s touch controls be changed to suit.
- Big drivers tuned for bass
- 22 sound presets in app
- Case clips on a lanyard
- Lost-bud alert in the app
- Custom touch controls
Best for: A spare pair clipped to the keys
- Noise canceling
- No
- Battery per charge
- 10 hrs
- Total with case
- 30 hrs
- Water resistance
- Sweat and rain (IPX5)
- Works best with
- Any phone
#3Apple AirPods Pro 3
$150–$200
Apple’s strongest noise canceling yet, removing up to twice as much noise as AirPods Pro 2 by Apple’s own measure, with ear tips in five sizes for a sealed fit. Heart rate sensing tracks workouts, and Live Translation and a hearing test are built in for iPhone owners.
What owners say: The noise canceling and the sound win owners over most. Fit doesn’t suit every ear, a few call them overpriced, and some report charging faults or a bud that quit.
A closer look: Try each ear tip size in the first few days: with five to choose from, the right seal makes the biggest difference to noise canceling and bass. Heart rate sensing during a workout trims a charge to about 6.5 hours by Apple’s figures, still plenty for a long run or a gym session.
- Ear tips in five sizes
- Heart rate sensing for workouts
- Live Translation
- Built-in hearing test
- Hearing Aid feature
Best for: Loud commutes and gym sessions
- Noise canceling
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- 8 hrs (with noise canceling)
- Total with case
- 24 hrs (with noise canceling)
- Water resistance
- Sweat and water (IP57)
- Works best with
- iPhone
#4soundcore by Anker P31i Noise Canceling Earbuds
$30–$50
Noise canceling that adapts to the surroundings by itself, LDAC hi-res sound and up to 40 hours with the case even with noise canceling on, from soundcore, Anker’s audio brand.
What owners say: Strong noise canceling and a long, fast-charging battery top owners’ lists, and the buds stay comfortable for hours; one owner even sleeps in them. Fit and pairing are less dependable, and voices on calls can be hard to make out.
A closer look: A 10-minute charge before heading out buys about three and a half hours of listening, and the translation feature covers more than 100 languages for a trip abroad. The hi-res sound relies on LDAC, which many Android phones support and iPhones don’t, so on an iPhone they play at standard Bluetooth quality.
- Hi-res sound on many Androids
- Adapts canceling to surroundings
- Translation in 100+ languages
- Six mics for calls
- Bluetooth 6.1
Best for: Android phones and long trips
- Noise canceling
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- 10 hrs (8 with noise canceling)
- Total with case
- 50 hrs (40 with noise canceling)
- Water resistance
- Sweat and rain (IP55)
- Works best with
- Any phone
#5Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro
$150–$200
Samsung’s top earbuds, with a woofer and a tweeter in each bud, Adaptive ANC 2.0 and a 24-bit hi-res codec on Galaxy phones. Paired with a recent Galaxy, they also handle hands-free AI help and Live Translate.
What owners say: Noise canceling is the standout for owners, and the sound wins praise too. Fit splits them; some pair them with a Samsung phone in seconds while others fight connection problems, and not everyone is sold on the price.
A closer look: The IP57 rating covers the buds but not the case, so dry them off after a run in the rain before they go back in to charge. Many of the extras, from the hi-res codec to Live Translate, need a compatible Galaxy phone and Samsung’s app, so iPhone owners are better served by the AirPods here.
- Woofer and tweeter per bud
- Hi-res sound on Galaxy phones
- Live Translate
- Wireless charging case
- Ear tips S, M, L
Best for: Samsung Galaxy owners
- Noise canceling
- Yes
- Battery per charge
- 7 hrs (6 with noise canceling)
- Total with case
- 30 hrs (26 with noise canceling)
- Water resistance
- Sweat and water (IP57)
- Works best with
- Samsung Galaxy
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1AirPods 5 | #2soundcore P20i | #3AirPods Pro 3 | #4soundcore P31i | #5Galaxy Buds4 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Longest battery | Best for Samsung | ||
| Picked Rating | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Price | $100–$150 | $20–$30 | $150–$200 | $30–$50 | $150–$200 |
| Noise canceling | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery per charge | 7 hrs (5 with noise canceling) | 10 hrs | 8 hrs (with noise canceling) | 10 hrs (8 with noise canceling) | 7 hrs (6 with noise canceling) |
| Total with case | 22 hrs (with noise canceling) | 30 hrs | 24 hrs (with noise canceling) | 50 hrs (40 with noise canceling) | 30 hrs (26 with noise canceling) |
| Water resistance | Sweat and water (IP57) | Sweat and rain (IPX5) | Sweat and water (IP57) | Sweat and rain (IP55) | Sweat and water (IP57) |
| Works best with | iPhone | Any phone | iPhone | Any phone | Samsung Galaxy |
| Best for | iPhone owners, all-day wear | A spare pair clipped to the keys | Loud commutes and gym sessions | Android phones and long trips | Samsung Galaxy owners |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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