With smartphones ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack, there has been a rise in the adoption of truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds as consumers have realized they are far more convenient to use. While wireless earbuds were expensive a few years ago, things have changed rapidly and now you can find a decent pair of earbuds with excellent sound quality and even Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) at a good price.
As more and more smartphones ship without a headphone jack, consumers are being forced to switch over to wireless earbuds which in turn is leading to a rise in demand and their prices falling. If you are in the market for a pair of truly wireless earbuds, check out some of our suggestions below. There's a recommendation for everyone irrespective of their budget and all of the below earbuds will offer a great experience along with a level of convenience that wired earphones simply cannot match.
AirPods or AirPods Pro
If you own an iPhone and have the money to spend, you should really just get the AirPods or AirPods Pro depending on your budget. They are hands down the best wireless earbuds for iPhones and other Apple products. The AirPods are a great buy not for their sound quality, but for the convenience features they bring to the table. If you own multiple Apple products including a Mac or iPad, you can seamlessly switch between them while wearing your AirPods at the tap of a button.
They also offer extremely low latency and great battery life thanks to Apple's custom H1 chip. The regular AirPods are not known for their sound quality, but the AirPods Pro excels in that department as well and offers ANC along with a sweat-resistant design.
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Samsung Galaxy Buds+
If you want the best Bluetooth wireless earbuds that are great in every department and does not cost an arm and a leg, you cannot go wrong with Samsung's Galaxy Buds+. The earbuds have a comfortable design and offer clear and balanced sound quality. While the Buds+ lack ANC, their design is such that they do passively block out ambient noise. The only complaint I have about the Buds+ is that they are only IPX2 certified meaning its best if you avoid wearing them while working out or in the rain.
With up to 11 hours of battery life on a single charge which can be doubled to 22 hours using the case, the battery life of the Galaxy Buds+ can be matched by very few earbuds out there. What's even better is that the charging case features wireless charging so one can charge it easily and conveniently.
Samsung even got around to fixing the microphone issue that was prevalent on the original Galaxy Buds with the Buds+ thereby ensuring that they can now be actually used for voice calls as well. After using the Galaxy Buds+ for over three months now, they are easily my go-to recommendations for anyone looking for a great pair of wireless earbuds.
If you own a Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy Buds+ is a no brainer as it will offer better sound quality and range when paired with it versus a non-Samsung phone. While the Galaxy Buds+ retail for $149.99, they are frequently discounted by $20-$30 on Amazon.
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Jabra Elite 75t
The Jabra Elite 75t is another great pair of wireless earbuds that will fit snuggly in your ear and offer great sound quality. It even features four microphones to ensure that your voice can be heard crystal clear in phone calls, a task at which quite a few wireless earbuds tend to falter.
The Jabra Elite 75t offers up to 7.5 hours of battery life in a single charge which can be extended to 28 hours with the carrying case. At $179.99, the Jabra Elite 75t does command a slight premium for its superior sound and microphone quality, though despite paying that premium, you are not getting ANC.
There's also the Jabra Elite Active 75t with an IP57 certification which is ideal for people who have an active lifestyle and want water-resistant earbuds that can be used while working out or when you go out for a run. Jabra is so confident about the build quality that they offer 2 years of warranty against dust and sweat.
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Sony WF1000XM3
If you want to buy a premium pair for truly wireless earbuds with ANC, the Sony WF-1000XM3 is a good option. It features excellent sound quality but only supports AAC and SBC codecs, with LDAC support notably missing.
With noise cancellation enabled, Sony quotes the WF1000XM3 can deliver up to six hours of music playback which can be extended to eight hours with NC off. The carrying case is good enough to charge the earbuds up to three times for a total battery life of 32 hours. To make pairing easier, the carrying case features NFC. Various settings of the earbuds can also be customized using Sony's Headphones Connect app. The earbuds also feature Alexa and Google Assistant integration so you can trigger your voice assistant of choice easily.
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OnePlus Buds
You don't really need to spend a lot to get a good pair of wireless earbuds and the OnePlus Buds are the perfect example of that. They are available for just $79, making them 50% cheaper than Apple's AirPods. They offer decent sound quality thanks to their large 13.4mm drivers, though the lack of aptX or LDAC codec means the sound quality is not as good as it could be. There's also no ANC or passive ambient noise blocking here.
The battery life is pretty good as the earbuds offer up to 7 hours of music playback or up to 4 hours of phone calls. This can be extended to a total of 30 hours thanks to the bundled carrying case. There's also fast charge here so with just 10 minutes of charging, the OnePlus Buds can offer about 2 hours of additional music playback. Lastly, the Buds are IPX4 certified making them splash-resistant which means can use them while working out or on your runs.
The only catch with the OnePlus Buds is that they only have a single double-tap gesture to control music playback or accepting/rejecting incoming calls. And if you own an OnePlus phone, you will be able to enjoy additional features like Deep Bass, Dolby Atmos support, Dravc Audio Tuner on the Buds which won't be available on other non-OnePlus devices.
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Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo
If you just want a decent pair of cheap Bluetooth earbuds for listening to music while in the gym or for attending phone calls, the Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo is a good option. At $32.99, they offer incredible value for money for what they offer -- Bluetooth 5.0, IPX7 rating making them water-resistance, and average sound quality. Unlike some other offerings in this list, the Liberty Neo will stick out from our ears a bit more but then you get what you pay for.
Battery life is also strictly average as the Soundcore Liberty Neo offer about 3.5 hours of music playback on a single charge which can be extended to about 9 hours with the charging case which features a microUSB port.
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Which pair of wireless earbuds do you use with your smartphone? Are you happy with them? Drop a comment and let us know!
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