The Best Wireless Earbuds of 2026

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, Adaptive Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 6 hours with ANC (up to 7 without), up to 31 hours with the case

The AirPods Pro 2 represent a huge upgrade over the groundbreaking AirPods Pro, and as of fall 2025, they've been usurped by the new-and-improved AirPods Pro 3. Although these versions may not look much different, the real value lies in their battery life, sound, and noise canceling.

For now, you can still buy this 2nd-gen version, but we expect it will become less available as stocks deplete. The noise canceling is excellent, especially in a pair of earbuds, beat only by Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II and the AirPods Pro 3. These still beat out high-end over-ear options like Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

Apple’s Adaptive Transparency mode is also a huge benefit. Clear and natural-sounding, it can also help block out loud noises nearby, reducing them to 85dB in real time. (Please note that they’re no substitute for proper ear protection in loud environments.)

On top of that, you get better call quality and better audio (particularly the bass) in the same tiny package. The wireless charging case now also boasts a speaker. If you lose your earbuds, the Find My app can make them emit a sound so you can find them.

Every set of earbuds has its downsides. We wish Apple had equipped these with better battery life. We’d love more control over audio features like EQ and ANC. We’d also love it if non-Apple platforms had an app or settings menu.

Still, most of those complaints are minor in the face of the features on offer.

Read our full AirPods Pro (2nd generation) review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 8 hours with ANC (12 without), up to 36 hours with the case

Sony's WF-1000XM4 are the in-ear cousin of their WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones. They offer similarly powerful noise-canceling, sound quality, and design. They’re serious players in the earbud world—with a serious price, to match.

It’s hard to find earbuds with better sound, at once smooth and rich with detail. That sweet sound is boosted further by the powerful noise canceling, giving you plenty of clarity in your audio.

In Sony’s Headphones Connect app, you can adjust the 5-band EQ and several other settings. There’s even a feature to automatically switch between noise canceling and ambient audio based on your routines and locations. The touch controls are minimal—swapping in a fresh feature means losing volume control—but you do have some adjustability.

Even after a couple of years, the WF-1000XM4 are still among the best earbuds you can buy.

Read our full WF-1000XM4 review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, Adaptive Transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 6 hours with ANC, up to 24 hours with the case

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II sit closely alongside the Sony WF-1000XM5 and AirPods Pro 2 at top of the list for pure ANC performance. Like many noise-canceling headphones, they’re great at wiping out airplane noise, air conditioning, and other drones. But they’re also effective at more complicated, midrange sounds like crowd chatter.

The sound performance is solid, and bolstered by a 3-band EQ in the app. There are more fine-tuned EQs out there, but it’s helpful in taming some of the harsher frequencies. The app also lets you customize the touch controls. You can cycle through track navigation, volume, ANC mode switching, and voice assistant activation.

Our biggest frustration here is phone call quality. Background noises like traffic, or even a light breeze, can become mighty roars that drown out your voice on the other end of the phone. We’d also love to see a stronger active transparency mode, like the AirPods Pro 2, and a few more customization options.

Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 25 hours with the case

Jabra’s Elite 85t have been around our list for some time now, and while the competition's gotten stiffer, their price keeps getting lower.

These buds are brilliantly balanced. Their great sound is bolstered by strong active noise canceling, easy tap controls, and plenty of other features. They work well with Android and iPhone alike.

The 85t are exceptionally comfortable for in-ear headphones. even over long stretches of time. They may not fit as securely as more streamlined pairs, but with the right size tips, you can still get a secure seal without plugging up your ears.

Jabra’s excellent Sound+ app lets you customize the controls, the noise canceling, and the incredibly natural-sounding transparency mode. The physical controls are buttons that are easy to press with gloves on. You also get auto-pause, multipoint connection, and a wireless charging case.

The 85t’s 7 hours of battery life are decent, but not exactly cutting-edge. Additionally, only the right earbud can be used on its own. If you want mono sound due to hearing loss in one ear, that could be a serious limitation.

That said, they still sound great after all these years, have excellent noise canceling, and potent usability in most other respects. This is still a solid set of earbuds.

Read our full Jabra Elite 85t review.

• Ambient sound modes: Active noise canceling, Transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX7
• Battery life: Up to 5 hours with ANC (8 without), up to 30 hours with charging case

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the natural complement to Android devices, particularly Samsung Galaxy phones. The audio presets are all strong, and the ANC has been improved over earlier Galaxy Buds. It’s better-equipped to deal with low drone sounds and modestly improved with midrange sounds like keyboard clicks or nearby conversations.

The design is smaller than the Galaxy Buds Pro by 15 percent, giving them a slimmer profile when worn. Their fit is solid, and with IPX7 water resistance they’re a good workout solution. Samsung has also changed to a matte finish over the gloss over previous iterations, which is a look we prefer.

There are plenty of compelling features, but most of them are exclusive to Android devices. Apple users will miss out on Auto Switch, Easy Pair, Bixby voice control 360 spatial audio, and 24-bit high-res audio. They have an underwhelming 5-hour battery life, but fortunately they can give you another hour of listening with just a five-minute charge in their case.

For anyone entrenched in the Samsung (or Android) ecosystem, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro deliver a package that’s hard to beat.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IP57
• Battery life: 6-7 hours with ANC, 28 hours with the case

A strong contender in the value space, the Jabra Elite 4 earbuds offer a little bit of everything. They blend good sound, good features, and sporty design at one of the lowest price points available for a pair this feature-rich.

Jabra’s added their typical thoughtfulness for workout features. You get a snug fit, transparency mode for jogging safety, and strong water and dust resistance. Of course, if you want to just wear them while gardening, you can do that, too. They may not compete against the top tier, but they’re phenomenal for their price class.

In that price class, you lose some features. There’s no auto-pause when you remove the earbuds, and no wireless charging case. Android users at least get extras like Google Fast Pair and one-tap Spotify access. Everyone gets a 5-band EQ, customizable controls, an earbuds finder, and more.

Jabra’s Elite 4 offers great all-around performance for a good value. They’re a great all-around set for a reasonable price, and they’re especially effective as a workout companion.

Read our full Jabra Elite 4 review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: ~5.5 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 28 hours with the case

Sennheiser’s Momentum TW 3 earbuds deliver awe-inspiring Sennheiser sound with a reworked noise cancellation that’s responsive and powerful enough to hold its own.

The TW3’s soundstage is brighter, clever, and with more definition. A three-band EQ allows a little room for adjustment, as well. The controls can be customized, the case charges wirelessly, and you get features like auto-pause and the ability to use one earbud at a time. They also support advanced audio codecs like aptX Adaptive and AAC for improved sound for Android or iPhone respectively.

Sporty, comfy, and with a wide range of ear tips and fins, they offer a great fit. They may not be the greatest to run with, but they’ll work in a pinch for most activities. They’re also reasonably priced, Their new design makes them sportier and comfier thanks to multiple ear tips and fins to keep them tight in your ear. They may not be your go-to running buds, but they’ll work in a pinch for most any activity.

Downsides include a slightly bulky charging case, and a lack of features like an earbuds finder or multipoint connection. They’re also not as comfortable for us as semi-open pairs like Jabra’s Elite 85t.

Still, in all, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds combine top-notch audio quality, impressive noise cancellation, and good features for a strong listening experience.

Read our full Momentum TW 3 review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 6 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 27 hours with the case

When the Beats Fit Pro originally released, they represented a chance to get some big improvements on the AirPods Pro at a lower price. Since the release of the 2nd-Gen AirPods Pro, though, the choice between the two has become a little more complicated.

Starting at $200, the Fit Pro still have the price edge on the AirPods Pro 2’s list price, and their rubbery fins help them offer a more secure fit. The fact that the Beats app is available on Android devices gives them some important platform versatility, too.

Of course, they’re still best on iOS, where you get iCloud/Music Sharing, Hands-Free Siri, Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, and "Find My" tracking so you won’t lose them.

They do show their age in some ways. They’re not the greatest when voice calling in windy environments, and they can be finicky on Android devices. They’re also missing some features you’d expect at this price. Shelling out an extra $50 for the AirPods Pro 2 gets you a wireless charging case, stronger noise cancellation, and a few more modern features.

Still, if you don’t want to shell out for the newer AirPods Pro but do want something tailored for Apple devices, the Beats Fit Pro are a solid wireless earbuds option for iPhone.

Read our full Beats Fit Pro review.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise cancellation, transparency mode, adaptive audio
• Dust and water resistance: IP54 (earbuds and case)
• Battery life: 4 hours, up to 20 hours with the case

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are a stepping stone between the base AirPods 4 and the AirPods Pro. The earbuds have the same overall shape and design as the entry-level AirPods 4, but despite the lack of seal in your ear canal, they can actually block a decent amount of noise. Like other AirPods, they support a few different noise modes, including the adaptive mode that can automatically adjust ANC depending on your environment.

Also, like other AirPods, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have helpful Apple-specific features like automatic switching and spatial audio. They sound pretty good, especially compared to the previous generation AirPods 3.

The main downsides? The battery life is pretty poor at up to four hours of continuous listening with noise cancellation on. Without the touch sensors in the stems, they don't allow for volume controls with swipe gestures, though they do have squeeze controls that let you tweak media playback and noise modes. But, they're still a great choice for those who want the deep Apple integration at a lower price point than the AirPods Pro, and if we had a category for cheaper Apple-focused earbuds, they'd win hands down.

• Ambient sound modes: None
• Dust and water resistance: IP54 (earbuds and case)
• Battery life: 5 hours, up to 30 hours with the case

The AirPods are now in their fourth generation, and the AirPods 4 get a few helpful new features. The AirPods 4 are a cheaper alternative to the other new model, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

As the name suggests, they don't have noise cancellation at all. However, they do get a USB-C port and a revised design that sees the earbuds with shorter stems. On top of that, offer some helpful smart features. They'll get automatic switching and support for Siri like AirPods before them. They also have a new personalized audio feature that automatically adjusts volume depending on your environment, a personalized spatial audio feature that uses head tracking for more immersive listening, and a built-in accelerometer that allows you to shake or nod your head to respond to Siri.

The audio quality is upgraded too, with better bass than the AirPods 3, along with a more crisp and detailed high end—all despite the fact that they still don't create a seal in your ear canal. Unfortunately, their battery life is a little low, hitting five hours of continuous listening even without noise cancellation. Additionally, while they have squeeze controls on the stems, they don't have the touch sensors that enable swipe gestures for volume. But if you're focused more on Apple-specific features like automatic switching and don't really care about much else, then the AirPods 4 are a solid option at a reasonable price.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Dust and water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 7 hours with ANC (up to 11 without), up to 31 hours with the case

With the Pixel Buds Pro, Google’s finally delivered a solid set of earbuds. With better sound and battery life, and solid ANC and transparency mode, this is the mega-brand’s best headset.

The big draw here is the addition of ambient sound modes (noise canceling and transparency). They won’t compete with top-tier Apple or Bose earbuds, but they hold their own in their class and price point.

The sound signature is stylized rather than neutral, and could use more presence in the midrange. However, there’s clear treble and a rich, thunderous bass. The call quality is solid, and the mic is good at blocking out some environmental noise.

One of the standouts is the physical design. The Pixel Buds Pro feel hefty but not burdensome, with a comfortable fit. The controls are responsive and easy to use. Android users get great features like “Hey, Google” support, Google Fast Pair, and multipoint pairing.

While not stellar for iPhone users, Android fans and particularly Pixel phone users may find them worth a look. With excellent style, good usability, and solid features, they’re a good entry into the earbuds space.

Read our full Pixel Buds Pro review.