Earbuds, which are small speakers that fit in your ear, are a good option if you want a way to listen to music, make phone calls, watch movies, or play video games without bothering other people.
Headphones that go over your ears are heavier, bigger, and harder to carry than earbuds, which fit in your ears. Also, earbuds have gotten much better in the past few years in terms of sound quality, connectivity, and durability. Wireless earbuds are also easier to use because they don’t have to be physically plugged into a device.
True wireless earbuds don’t have a cord connecting them, but wireless earbuds do. Wireless earbuds don’t have anything connecting them to anything else. Besides this, you should also think about sound quality, comfort, fit, reliability, resistance to water and sweat, and the Bluetooth formats the earbuds can connect to.
Sony WF-1000XM4
True wireless Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are both the Best Wireless Earbuds of 2023 and the Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds of 2023. Even though they cost $279.99, which is more than most of the earbuds we looked at, they have a lot of great features. These include wireless charging that only takes five minutes for an hour of listening time or one and a half hours for a full charge, and a battery life of eight hours when active noise cancellation (ANC) is on and 12 hours when it’s off, which is longer than most of the other earbuds in our ranking. The Bluetooth range of the earbuds is up to 300 feet, which is also on the high end. They come in silver or black. Professional reviewers like how the WF-1000XM4 earbuds sound and how clear voice calls are, but they also note that their large size may be uncomfortable for some users.
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
In our list of the best wireless earbuds of 2023, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series and the first-generation Apple AirPods Pro are tied for second place. The Pixel Buds A-Series cost $99.00, which is a lot less than the AirPods Pro, which cost $249.00. Even though they don’t have noise cancellation like the AirPods Pro (1st Gen) or volume controls on the earbuds, they’re pretty light at 5.1 grammes, and the larger driver size of 12 millimetres gives them better sound quality, which professional reviewers like. These true wireless earbuds have a Bluetooth range of up to 300 feet, and rubber fins on the buds help keep them in your ear. This makes them a good choice for working out.
Apple AirPods Pro (1st Gen)
In our list of the best wireless earbuds of 2023, the first-generation Apple AirPods Pro and the Google Pixel Buds A-Series are tied for second place. At $249.00, the true wireless first-generation AirPods Pro are one of the more expensive earbuds in our rating. However, they are No. 1 in our Best Apple AirPods of 2023 rating and No. 2 in our Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds of 2023 rating. They also compare well to the third-generation Apple AirPods, which are the other Apple earbuds we looked at. The first-generation AirPods Pro pair easily with other Apple products, and the FindMy technology that comes with them makes it easy to find them if you lose them. Professional reviewers say the sound quality and noise cancellation are good, but not as good as other high-end models like the Sony WF-1000XM4. The battery life is about average compared to the other earbuds we reviewed. Some companies make earbuds with a Bluetooth range of up to 300 feet, but the first-generation AirPods Pro only have a range of up to 50 feet. The first-generation AirPods Pro earbuds can be used in water, have a mode that lets you see through them, and can be charged wirelessly. The AirPods Pro can also be charged quickly.