Top best wireless earbuds 2024

There are a ton of truly wireless earbuds out there these days, many of which offer active noise cancellation. With so many great earbuds on the market, it can be hard to pick the best ones. There are a few standouts, though, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 (now with USB-C charging), the Sony WF-1000XM5, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the latest addition to the list, along with Jabra's Elite Active 8 Gen 2 earbuds, which have a new charging case that doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter.

These earbuds not only deliver great sound quality and a comfortable fit, but also have strong noise cancellation and call performance.

Sony WF-1000XM5

While Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds were great in 2021, they were a little big and didn't fit well in some ears. Sony clearly took those complaints to heart when it came to designing its next-generation WF-1000XM5 flagship noise-canceling earbuds. Not only are the XM5 earbuds smaller, they also offer improved performance across the board, with better noise cancellation, sound quality, and call capabilities. At $300 — $20 more than their predecessors — they're a bit pricey. But overall, they're really impressive and easily among the best earbuds on the market.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

Not only did Apple replace the USB-C connector with Lightning in the new iPhone 15 models, it also made the switch with the AirPods Pro (second generation). The new AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe (USB-C) are nearly identical to their Lightning predecessors, offering the same great sound, noise cancellation, and call performance.

But they also offer a few other minor upgrades, including added dust protection and a new acoustic architecture that enables lossless audio with the Vision Pro, Apple's $3,499 headset that's due out in February 2024. Could the new acoustic architecture make the headphones sound subtly different from current devices like the iPhone? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) are easily the go-to choice for Apple users despite their high price tag.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

If you can squeeze in one of the three included ear tip sizes, there's nothing to complain about with Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Sure, the noise cancellation could be a little better, but the excellent sound quality of these earbuds is a definite step up from the Buds 2 Pro. Plus, they have a robust feature set and call performance is truly top-notch.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

While the QC Ultra earbuds aren't a huge upgrade over Bose's excellent QC 2 earbuds, which were released in 2022, they're definitely a little better. They'll fit most ears and have excellent noise cancellation, which is arguably the best out there. And the new ActiveSense Natural Transparency mode kicks in some ANC if ambient noise gets too loud. It's similar to the AirPods Pro's Adaptive Audio. They also sound a little clearer overall, and the new Immersive Audio feature expands the sound a little more.

Earfun Air Pro 3

Earfun has released a number of wireless earbuds over the past few years with one key thing in common: They're great value, made even better by frequent discounts. The company's Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature a Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-chip with AptX Adaptive for Android and other devices, supporting the new LE Audio standard and the LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).

Lightweight and comfortable to wear, these aren't huge upgrades over the Earfun Air S, but they're better. They have slightly larger synthetic wool drivers (11mm vs. 10mm), slightly improved noise cancellation, and better battery life (up to 7 hours with noise cancellation on, according to Earfun).

In short, the Earfun Air 3 deliver solid performance for the price, with punchy bass, good clarity, and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and 'multi-device' connectivity. They can be paired with two devices at once, but you have to pause the music on one device and press play on the other to switch audio. They're IPX5 splash-proof and also work well as a headset for making calls.

Beats Fit Pro

While the Beats Fit Pro aren't technically AirPods, they're built on the same technology platform as the AirPods Pro (which Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats' earlier, cheaper Studio Buds and the new Studio Buds Plus coming in 2023, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple's H1 chip and have most of the AirPods Pro's features, including active noise cancellation, spatial audio, and adaptive EQ. Call them the sporty AirPods you've always wanted.

Marvin Fry

Update 31 August 2024