This post was originally published on here
A solid pair of earbuds is a must in today’s world. They help us make hands-free calls, accompany us to the office, and serve as an easy-to-reach companion on the road. There are so many earbuds to choose from, and we’ve tested several. Still, only a few offer a high-performing, well-rounded experience that focuses on value and versatility.
Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers.
Show more (5 items)
Best headphone deals of the week
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
What are the best earbuds right now?
Our pick for best overall earbuds are the Apple AirPods Pro 3. These earbuds deliver several upgrades over the previous generation, such as in-ear heart rate monitoring, stronger noise cancellation, and improved device tracking, all without a price increase. They’re the best earbuds to pair with your iPhone.
However, there are great earbuds that can accommodate Android phones, too, with my favorite being the Sony WF-1000XM6. These earbuds offer several higher-quality Bluetooth codecs that iPhones can’t natively access, and they deliver intelligent features to Android and Windows fans.
The best earbuds of 2026
Jada Jones/ZDNET
Why we like them: The AirPods Pro 3 debuted with several upgrades over their predecessor, including a heart rate monitor, an IP57 durability rating, a U2 ultrawideband chip, a new acoustic structure, and upgraded microphones. They’re a well-performing pair of earbuds with exceptional sound and noise-canceling properties, making them a great choice for iOS users.
Who these are for: I recommend the AirPods Pro 3 to any Apple fan. Their native integration with Apple devices lets them fit seamlessly into your device ecosystem. With Apple’s H2 chip, users can take advantage of intelligent features including Siri Interactions, Conversation Awareness, Personalized Spatial Audio, Adaptive Audio, and Live Translation.
The AirPods Pro 3 are a great auditory companion for iPhones, as their portable, pocketable form factor is conducive to on-the-go, day-to-day tasks, such as hands-free phone calls and on-the-fly listening sessions.
Who should look elsewhere: If you don’t have an iPhone, I recommend the Sony WF-1000XM6 for a similar sound, noise-cancelation, and software features experience. Android users who use AirPods will miss out on several Apple-exclusive features, such as Spatial Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Siri Interactions. However, Sony offers similar features without device ecosystem barriers.
What we don’t love: I don’t have many complaints about Apple’s premium earbuds aside from their sometimes unstable fit. Apple redesigned the Pro 3’s eartips, and even after experimenting with different sizes, I often break my noise cancellation seal when moving my head or opening my mouth, dislodging the earbuds.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 tech specs: Battery life: 8 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | Bluetooth codecs: SBC; AAC | Noise-cancelation: Yes | Durability rating: IP57 (dust-protected and waterproof earbuds and case)
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Jada Jones/ZDNET
Why we like them: The Sony WF-1000XM6 are an impressive pair of earbuds, debuting with exceptional sound, noise-cancelation, and connectivity performance. Aside from Sony’s commitment to sound quality, the company gives users more control over the earbuds’ output than its competitors. Sony’s XM6 earbuds support LDAC for hi-res streaming via Bluetooth and the LC3 codec for access to Bluetooth’s LE Audio radio and Auracast.
Additionally, Sony offers users a detailed EQ within the Sony Sound Connect app. Other smart features included are Head Gestures, Speak-to-Chat, Gemini Live, and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity.
Who these are for: I recommend Sony’s premium earbuds to power users who want granular control over their earbuds. Several codecs and audio formats allow users to stream at higher quality than SBC and AAC can offer. Though Sony offers its suite of software features to all smartphone operating systems, Android users will find the most utility with access to LDAC and LC3.
Who should look elsewhere: If you want a simpler user experience, I recommend considering Apple or Bose. Without knowledge of a more complex EQ and Bluetooth codecs, you won’t get the most out of Sony’s earbuds.
What we don’t love: Like Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, the only real complaint I have about the XM6 earbuds is their fit. The new-gen Sony earbuds are thicker than their predecessor, and aren’t compatible with my ear anatomy whatsoever. So, if you’re curious about Sony’s earbuds, check your retailer’s return policy in case they don’t agree with your ears.
Sony WF-1000XM6 tech specs: Battery life: 8 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | Bluetooth codecs: SBC; AAC; LDAC; LC3 | Noise-cancelation: Yes | Durability rating: IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only)
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Jada Jones/ZDNET
Why we like them: Bose’s second-gen premium earbuds don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, they deliver everything Bose does best in a refined manner. Bose improved the QC Ultra Earbuds’ AI-powered noise reduction algorithms. This resulted in more reliable adaptive noise-cancelation and improved voice clarity during phone calls.
The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 also feature a new Cinema Mode, which up-mixes your audio to deliver a spatial soundscape primed for watching TV and movies. Bose’s earbuds deliver a reliable, simple user experience across device ecosystems. Bose’s improved noise reduction algorithms allow the second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to have exceptional adaptive noise-cancelation, better minimizing voices than competitors from Sony and Apple.
Who these are for: I recommend Bose’s earbuds to people who value noise-cancelation and comfort over everything else. Bose’s earbuds are bulky, but their unique design is incredibly comfortable. It encourages passive isolation and a stable fit, enhancing noise-cancelation performance.
Who should look elsewhere: If a long list of software features is more important to you, Bose will disappoint. These earbuds don’t have any device tracking or smart features compared to their counterparts from Sony and Apple.
What we don’t love: Bose’s earbuds are large and in charge. The earbuds and the charging case are considerably bulky, much more so than earbuds from Sony and Bose. Additionally, Bose’s earbuds’ battery life is on the shorter side, offering six hours of continuous listening time, compared to its competitors eight hours.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) tech specs: Battery life: 6 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | Bluetooth codecs: SBC; AAC; AptX Lossless | Noise-cancelation: Yes | Durability rating: IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only)
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Jada Jones/ZDNET
Why we like them: Shokz’s OpenFit 2 combine comfort, style, and performance in an open-ear form factor. This makes them a versatile pair of earbuds for open-ear fanatics. The OpenFit 2 showcase Shokz’s ability to make versatile open-ear earbuds suitable for casual use and in active lifestyles.
For casual use, the OpenFit 2 support Dolby Audio for enhanced clarity and proprietary Shokz audio technologies to minimize sound leakage. They also sport a stylish design with silicone accents for long-term comfort. For use in active scenarios, the OpenFit 2 have an IP55 durability rating and 11 hours of continuous listening time.
Who these are for: I recommend the OpenFit 2 to people who want true wireless open-ear earbuds that aren’t tethered to each other and wrap around your neck. Additionally, I recommend these earbuds to people who want open-ear earbuds that can perform well in indoor and outdoor environments.
Who should look elsewhere: If you want open-ear earbuds better suited for water sports, consider Shokz headphones, which are more durable and made for swimming. The OpenFit 2 are well-suited for sweaty workouts, but will no doubt malfunction if submerged in water.
What we don’t love: Shokz’s OpenFit 2 earbuds aren’t friendly to glasses wearers. The arms of my glasses and the earbuds’ ear hooks dueled for the limited real estate behind my ears. So, if you plan to wear these earbuds in more casual settings, beware that they might not be the most comfortable to wear with glasses.
Shokz OpenFit 2 tech specs: Battery life: 11 hours (up to 48 with charging case) | Bluetooth codecs: SBC; AAC | Noise-cancelation: No | Durability rating: IP55 (dust-protected; water-resistant earbuds only)
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Jada Jones/ZDNET
Why we like them: The Powerbeats Pro 2 were Apple’s way of testing an in-ear heart rate monitor. However instead of reserving this feature for Apple users, Android users can get in on the fun as well. Beats’ earbuds are built to work just as well with Android devices as they are with Apple devices, making them a great choice for people with mixed-device ecosystems.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are equipped with Apple’s H2 audio chip. This Apple users can access some iOS intelligent features including Siri Interactions, Find My, and automatic device switching. Additionally, the Powerbeats Pro 2 offer 10 hours of battery life, beating most competitors in this category.
Who these are for: The Powerbeats Pro 2 are best suited for people who want an in-ear method for tracking their heart rate during workouts. These earbuds feature ear hooks for added in-ear stability. This makes them a better choice than AirPods for runners or for people who regularly perform explosive or compound movements during exercise.
Who should look elsewhere: If you want earbuds that perform better in a variety of environments and are better suited for everyday use, consider other options from Apple, Sony, or Bose. Additionally, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have an IPX4 rating. There are earbuds with stronger dust and water resistance.
What we don’t love: Though the in-ear heart rate monitoring is the standout feature of the Powerbeats Pro 2, it works better on iOS than on Android.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 tech specs: Battery life: 10 hours (up to 45 with charging case) | Bluetooth codecs: SBC; AAC | Noise-cancelation: Yes | Durability rating: IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only)
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
The best earbuds really depend on what you are looking for. These are our favorites and how they stack up against one another.
| Price (MSRP) | Battery life | Durability | ANC? | Special feature(s) | |
| Apple AirPods Pro 3 | $250 | 8 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | IP57 (dust-protected and waterproof earbuds and case) | Yes | In-ear heart rate monitoring; iOS intelligent features |
| Sony WF-1000XM6 | $300 | 8 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only) | Yes | LE Audio; Auracast; Gemini Live |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Second-Gen) | $299 | 6 hours (up to 24 with charging case) | IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only) | Yes | Cinema Mode; ActiveSense |
| Shokz OpenFit 2 | $180 | 11 hours (up to 48 with charging case) | IP55 (dust-protected; water-resistant earbuds only) | No | Dolby Audio |
| Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 | $234 | 10 hours (up to 45 with charging case) | IPX4 (no known dust protection; water-resistant earbuds only) | Yes | In-ear heart rate monitoring for Android users |
While all of these earbuds are excellent picks, the right choice heavily depends on how you plan to spend most of your time when wearing earbuds. The Powerbeats Pro 2 are better suited for exercise than for commuting, while Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 are better for travel, commuting, and working.
However, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are very well-rounded, offering exceptional microphone quality, waterproofing, and several hours of continuous use, making them a solid choice across a range of environments.
| Choose these earbuds… | If you want… |
| Apple AirPods Pro 3 | The best earbuds for your Apple devices. These earbuds seamlessly integrate into your Apple ecosystem, offering in-ear heart rate monitoring and iOS-specific intelligent features. |
| Sony WF-1000XM6 | High-performing earbuds that let users fine-tune their performance. Though these earbuds are suited for iOS and Android, Android users can take advantage of extensive codec support. |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 | An easygoing pair of earbuds that can work at their full potential with iOS and Android. If comfort, ANC, and simplicity are what you want, these won’t disappoint. |
| Shokz OpenFit 2 | Open-ear earbuds with enough battery life and style to accompany you from the office straight to an after-work run. |
| Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 | Earbuds made for intense workouts, with noise-cancelation, and in-ear heart rate monitoring to keep up with your active lifestyle. |
We chose these earbuds through extensive research and our own experience listening to music, podcasts, and movies. We also take these earbuds in the real world, wearing them in the office, while commuting, and while exercising. There are an incredible number of earbuds on the market, so we narrowed our top picks to five based on performance, versatility, and value.
- Special features: Wireless earbuds act as an auditory extension of your phone, and for hundreds of dollars, you might want them to offer more than just noise-cancelation and music playback. For example, the AirPods Pro 3 offer seamless integration into your Apple ecosystem, exceptional noise-cancelation, and in-ear heart rate monitoring. Additionally, Sony’s WF-1000XM6 offer extensive codec support, allowing users to control their audio quality via a wireless connection.
- Device compatibility: Earbuds are more compact than over-ear headphones, making them an easier vessel for manufacturers to leverage for brand lock-in. Thus, some earbuds have valuable features locked inside a specific device ecosystem. Apple is the most popular example of this phenomenon, blocking features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Spatial Audio when AirPods aren’t connected to an Apple device. Before purchasing earbuds, be aware of which features require a compatible device. You don’t want to pay for features you’ll never access.
- Battery life: Earbuds are tiny; therefore, their internal batteries are tiny. So, you can only get so many hours of use before you need to put your buds in their case to charge. Some earbuds, such as Apple’s and Sony’s premium buds, offer around eight hours before needing a charge, while others from Shokz and Beats can last for up to 11.
Testing earbuds and headphones isn’t as objective a process as testing other tech products such as laptops or smartphones. So much of the headphone experience is subjective, as metrics like comfort and sound play an important role in a pair of earbuds’ value. Spec sheets only feature objective benchmarks such as frequency response, battery life, and noise-cancelation in decibels. We test these earbuds in the real world and report on their performance across a range of environments.
Also: How we test headphones at ZDNET in 2026
- Desk-working: Many people want earbuds for the office or for deep work in a quiet indoor environment. So, we wear earbuds in the office and notice how many external noises we can hear. We listen for air conditioning units, office chatter, and street noise.
- Travel: Some earbuds are marketed as suitable for traveling. We take every chance we get to wear review units on public transport, in airports, and on planes.
- Exercise: Earbuds are ideal for exercise, thanks to their small form factor and tested water resistance. We wear review unit earbuds on runs, to the gym, and on other outdoor workouts to ascertain their comfort, in-ear stability, and overall performance.
- Commuting: If you want earbuds that perform well in a variety of environments, you might want a well-rounded pair suitable for commuting, desk work, and after-work exercise. We wear earbuds on public transportation to test noise-cancelation, and while commuting in cars to gauge their hands-free calling performance.
IP rating stands for ingress protection and indicates how well protected an electronic device is from external materials, such as dust and water. Essentially, this rating indicates how much exposure to dust and water a device can withstand before the elements degrade its performance. When locating a device’s IP rating, you’ll see two figures after “IP.” The first figure concerns dust, and the second concerns water.
Electronic devices undergo IP testing in a controlled lab environment and are subjected to dust chambers to measure any internal accumulation of debris. Devices are also subjected to water droplets, jets, and streams to measure water ingress, and devices aiming for total waterproofing are submerged in at least three feet of water for 30 minutes to receive appropriate certification.
- Dust protection: The first digit in an IP rating indicates how much dust, dirt, or small solid particles can enter an electronic device before degrading its performance. If you see an “X” here, it means the company did not formally test its device for dust, dirt, or small solid particles. The lack of this digit doesn’t necessarily mean a device cannot withstand some interaction with small solid particles, but you’ll never know for sure. These particles can be dust, lint, or dirt, and can become lodged in your earbuds’ speakers or charging case, causing damage over time. If your device has an IPX4 rating, avoid dust, lint, and dirt as much as possible.
- Water protection: Most earbud manufacturers formally test their products for water ingress, as they expect most consumers to exercise and therefore sweat in them. For most exercise sessions and light rain, you’ll want your earbuds to have an IPX4 rating. However, it’s not a bad idea to search for earbuds with stronger durability ratings to ensure they can handle everyday wear and tear.
Wireless earbuds transmit audio data via Bluetooth, which naturally compresses, or degrades, audio quality. For the best sound quality, you’ll want earbuds with wires. However, manufacturers aim to improve Bluetooth sound quality by using higher-quality codecs. Codecs determine audio compression, latency, and connection stability. To use a codec, your earbuds and smartphone must share compatibility. There are several Bluetooth codecs, but here’s what to know about some of the most popular ones.
- SBC: SBC is the standard Bluetooth codec. It is outdated and notoriously poor quality, delivering higher latency, weaker connections, and heavily compressed audio. However, some earbuds, such as Apple’s AirPods, only offer SBC and AAC. AAC is the default codec on iPhones, and some Android phones support it, but it can be hit-or-miss. So, sometimes, an Android phone will default to SBC to maintain a connection to AirPods, which is why I often don’t recommend that combination.
- AAC: AAC is Apple’s default codec, and its AirPods are designed to use it. AAC delivers significantly better audio quality, lower latency, and improved connection stability than SBC, but its improved performance means it consumes more power.
- LC3 (LE Audio): Bluetooth LE Audio is Bluetooth’s updated radio, and it uses the LC3 codec to transmit data. LC3 supports Auracast, but Bluetooth’s Low Energy radio also offers improved data transmission than SBC while consuming less power than AAC and LDAC. Bluetooth aims to replace SBC with LC3 as the standard Bluetooth codec, but complete industry-wide adoption will likely take another five to ten years.
- LDAC: This is a proprietary Sony codec that delivers improved sound quality via wireless compression. All of Sony’s premium headphones and earbuds support LDAC, and almost all Android phones do, as LDAC is built into Android, though some manufacturers may choose not to support it. Though LDAC delivers incredibly high-quality audio, it consumes a lot of power, more quickly draining both your headphones and smartphone battery.
All our bodies, ears included, are different. Some earbuds are not going to fit comfortably with your ear shape. Some earbud brands will offer three different sized ear tips that you can put on top of your ears for as secure a fit as possible. Try out the tips upon purchasing your earbuds to see which will work best for you.
On the budget-friendly side, I recommend the JLab JBuds ANC 3. They’re not on our list, but offer a secure, comfortable pair of earbuds that I love to run in. They’re lightweight and come with ANC that cancels out the appropriate amount of noise during my outdoor runs.
If you’re feeling fancy, the new Bose Open Ultra earbuds that boast environmental awareness, a clip-on design, and amazing sound. These are more expensive at $300, but magical when it comes to getting the most out of my music on my runs while still being aware of my surroundings.
Look for earbuds with some waterproof or resistance rating, decent ANC and a battery life of at least six hours.
Other earbuds we’ve tested
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
ZDNET contributing writer Jack Wallen is an audiophile and wants his music to be rich and clean. Thankfully, these Denon Perl Pro earbuds fit the bill for him.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Looking for a great pair of earbuds for running outdoors? These Bose earbuds champion aware listening, so you can simultaneously enjoy your music without sacrificing environmental awareness.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
June Wan/ZDNET
The Nothing Ear Stick looks a lot like its in-ear siblings but with an open-ear design that lays gently against your lobe for extended wear.
Read More
Show Expert Take Show less
Headphones & Earbuds Roundups
Headphones & Earbuds Reviewed & Compared
Headphones & Earbuds Explained
ZDNET Recommends
