Best Wireless Earbuds of 2024

Budget

Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new true wireless earbuds. Budget-friendly earbuds continue to improve, so you can find good "cheap" buds for not too much money (less than $60). If you're looking for premium buds from Sony, Apple or Bose, be prepared to spend a lot more. 

Fit (Comfort)

It's key that the earbuds you buy fit your ears well. They should offer a comfortable, secure fit. If you don't get a tight seal with noise-isolating earbuds, sound quality and noise cancelling can be dramatically impacted for the worse. Open earbuds don't have that issue, but they should be comfortable to wear and sit securely in your ears.

Durability

You want earbuds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. This is especially important with true wireless earbuds, which are more susceptible to loss or damage due to their size.

Performance

You want the best-sounding headphones with the best sound modes, , call quality and features for whatever you're able to spend.

Return policy

Because the fit of your earbuds is so important, it's critical to buy your buds at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case the buds aren't a good match for your ears.

We test true wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.

• Design: We assess not only how comfortable the true wireless earbuds fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. We also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
• Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality and music experience by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
• Features: Some great-sounding earbuds aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-cancelling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
• Voice-calling performance: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.
• Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the earbuds against all these criteria and what the buds are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.

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Master & Dynamic MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds have always featured unique, eye-catching designs that include premium materials like aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. Its latest MW09 flagship true wireless earbuds ($349) look pretty similar to its earlier MW08 buds but have some upgrades on the inside that deliver better performance, particularly when it comes to noise cancellation. The earbuds sound great but are mysteriously out of stock everywhere, so we dropped them from the best list. If they come back in stock, we'll add them back to this list.

Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS: What makes the Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for relatively inexpensive open earbuds -- they're pretty close to what you get from Apple's AirPods 3 for sound (they're a little more behind the AirPods 4, which offer improved sound from the AirPods 3). On top of that, they support Sony's LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They're also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof. (Apply the code WINGS2AI at checkout to get an additional 13% off).

Sennheiser CX: If you can't afford Sennheiser's flagship Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, the CX are a good alternative. They feature very good sound, plus decent noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. The only issue is they stick out of your ears a bit and may not fit some smaller ears. This model, which often sells for less than $100 on Amazon, doesn't feature active noise cancellation but the step-up CX Plus does (the CX Plus is also a good value, particularly when it goes on sale).

Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio Buds look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods some people have been waiting for. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they are missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there's no H1 or W1 chip), but they're small, lightweight true wireless earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer really good sound. Their noise cancellation isn't as good as the AirPods Pro's, but they do have a transparency mode and they're decent for making calls. Read our Beats Studio Buds review.

JBL Live Free 2: Like the Live Pro 2, JBL's new Live Free 2 buds are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips, they combine a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance. Features include multipoint Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and they're rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 water resistance (splash-proof).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise cancellation along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you're a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. Their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. Read our full review.

JBL Tour Pro 2: JBL's Tour Pro 2 earbuds have received a lot of attention for bringing something new to true wireless earbuds: a full color touchscreen display embedded in the case that allows you to access the earbuds' key features and control playback as well as adjust volume levels. It's a bit of a gimmick but also useful. While the buds could sound slightly better for their list price, overall the JBL Tour Pro 2s are very good earbuds that offer a good fit, a robust feature set, strong battery life, plus solid noise cancellation and voice-calling performance.

Sony LinkBuds S: Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating true wireless earbuds with tips that jam in your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's former flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise cancellation don't quite measure up to either XM4 or XM5's, they're still quite good. They're the Sony buds for people who can't afford Sony's flagship earbuds but want 80% of those buds' features and performance for significantly less. Read more about them in our hands-on review of the Sony LinkBuds S.

Sony WF-1000XM4: Released in 2021, Sony's WF-1000XM4 earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award. They're still excellent earbuds, but Sony has now released the next-gen WF-1000XM5. They may be a good option if you find them at a good discount. 

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true wireless earbuds of 2022. They're still among the best truly wireless earbuds, but Sennheiser has released the upgraded Momentum True Wireless 4. Also, the newer AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they're significantly discounted.

Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but it's finally introduced its first true wireless earbuds, which feature active noise cancellation, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise cancelling off) and impressive sound quality. Read our Beyerdynamic Free Byrd review.

Master & Dynamic MW08: These buds may not fit everyone's ear equally well, but they certainly have a distinct look, as well as excellent sound and a great listening experience if you can get a tight seal (I was able to get a secure fit with the largest tip). They deliver more of an audiophile sound profile, with smooth, well-balanced sound and well-defined bass.

Status Between 3ANC: Status earbuds aren't exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don't mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent-sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company's first noise cancelling true wireless earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, although they aren't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise cancelling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX: Bang & Olufsen's $399 Beoplay EX buds are the company's best true wireless earbuds. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise cancellation and improved voice-calling performance over B&O's EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. They're out of most people's price range, but they're arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer slightly superior sound to the AirPods Pro 2 with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound. 

JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That's finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand's new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds -- the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design -- offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.

Sony Linkbuds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony's answer to Apple's standard AirPods. While they don't sound as good as Sony's flagship WF-1000XM4 or the Linkbuds S noise-isolating earbuds, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as decent sound and very good voice-calling performance. Like the third-gen AirPods, their open design allows you to hear the outside world -- that's what the ring is all about. Read our Sony Linkbuds review.

Amazon Echo Buds 2023: The 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn't expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears. Their sound falls short of that of Apple's AirPods 3, which deliver fuller bass and overall fuller, smoother sound (they're better at handling more complicated music tracks with a lot of instruments playing at the same time). The AirPods 3 cost around $150 and offer only about 15% to 20% better audio. In short, if you're looking for open earbuds -- or "semi-open" as these types of earbuds are sometimes called -- the Echo Buds are good value at their $50 list price and even easier to recommend when they go on sale for $35.