Every month seems to bring new sets of earbuds with longer battery life and more compact designs. As such, we can’t list everything we like. But if you’re still hunting, here are some other recommendations.
Sony Linkbuds Fit for $200: Sony’s Linkbuds Fit offer rich and punchy sound, naturalistic transparency mode, and a light and comfy fit, helping them live up to their intent as a “wear anywhere” solution. They provide some solid features, but skimp on battery life with just 5.5 hours per charge and their noise canceling is just OK. Their reliance on flimsy silicone sleeves and oddly unresponsive touch controls further diminishes their value, but they’re still Sony buds and could be worth nabbing on sale.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for $100-200: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are getting older, but they’re still among the best buds to pair with a Samsung phone. They don’t have the multi-device connectivity of our top pick for Android users, and their five-hour battery is looking pretty short these days, but they provide excellent sound quality, IPX7 waterproofing, and a distinctive design that doesn’t just ape the AirPods Pro. That makes them well worth considering on sale.
Pixel Buds A Series for $99: These used to be our top pick for most people, but they’re now overshadowed by other affordable options that also include things like noise canceling. If you can find a pair on sale, they’re still worth snagging, especially if you have an Android phone.
Oneplus Nord Buds 3 Pro for $150: These comfortable, lightweight earbuds have multipoint pairing, which makes them great for folks who like to work with a laptop and cell phone at the same time (7/10, WIRED Recommends). We didn’t like their control layout and thought that noise canceling was just OK. Also, they’re just another pair of AirPods clones, design-wise.
Soundpeats Air4 for $80: Soundpeats’ Air4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) may be obvious AirPods Pro knockoffs, but they’re very good knockoffs for the money. You won’t get top-flight performance, let alone Apple exclusives like Find My support or iCloud sharing, but you will get good sound and features, including decent noise canceling, at a massive discount. While these aren’t a top choice, they’re a great budget buy, especially on sale.
Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: These earbuds are priced out of reach for most buyers, but if you’ve got the cash, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc has called in some heavy hitters from the audio industry to design and voice these buds. The result is a small, comfortable, and quite flashy-looking pair of wireless earbuds that sound really impressive.
Apple/Beats Powerbeats Pro for $180: Apple’s beefy Powerbeats Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) provide a super-secure fit, sound far better than Apple’s standard AirPods or Beats pairs before them, and squeeze an impressive nine hours of life out of a charge. They’re getting long in the tooth and forego now-standard extras like transparency mode and ANC, but could still be worth consideration for those after a seriously stable fit.
Raycon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-beloved earbuds are actually a decent cheap pair (7/10, WIRED Review). They are small and light, and they come with an IPX6 rating, which makes them great for workouts.
Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport for $299: The Sport are a great option that come with active noise canceling and a striking design, but the high price keeps them out of the reach of most people.
