I Tested And Ranked The Best Bluetooth Earbuds In 2023
Looking for wireless noise-canceling earbuds? I've tested dozens of pairs and rounded up the best affordable options on Amazon.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Apple AirPodsĀ - Best Overall
Top-rated: 4,144 ratings | 85 answered questions Ā
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Quick access to Siri by simply saying: 'Hey Siri'.
Helpful review: "Purchasing the Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) from Amazon was an absolute breeze, and the moment they arrived, I could not wait to experience the audio magic I had heard so much about. Right out of the elegantly designed box, these AirPods exuded a premium feel, synonymous with Apple's reputation for quality and innovation.
Pairing them with my device via Bluetooth was effortless and instantaneous, paving the way for a remarkable auditory journey. The personalized spatial audio is nothing short of revolutionary, encapsulating a surround sound experience that makes you feel at the center of your music, podcasts, or calls. The clarity and richness of sound are unparalleled, providing a depth of audio that is crisp, balanced, and utterly immersive.
Comfort is evidently a priority in the design of these AirPods. They nestle into the ears comfortably, providing a secure fit without any sense of intrusion or discomfort, even during extended use. The sweat and water resistance feature is a practical addition, making them my go-to choice for workouts, runs, or even a walk in the drizzle.
The battery life is impressive, providing up to 30 hours of playback time with the lightning charging case. This ensures that my audio companion is ready to serenade me throughout the day without any interruptions. The case itself is compact and sleek, making it easy to carry around.
Charging is quick and efficient with the lightning charger, ensuring that I'm back to my audio haven in no time. The intuitive touch controls on the AirPods are responsive, making it easy to control playback, answer calls, or activate Siri for hands-free functionality.
In summary, the Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) is an epitome of what modern audio technology should beāeffortless, robust, and delivering a superior sound experience. They have become an indispensable part of my daily life, whether I am on the move, working out, or simply unwinding to my favorite tunes. The satisfaction derived from the product, coupled with the seamless purchase experience on Amazon, adds to the allure of owning these extraordinary wireless earbuds.
ON TO A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
These are great overall, itās got the same great sound quality youād expect from Apple. It also adds the new spatial audio, which in my opinion is not needed, but it is a cool feature if I am listening to music as it makes it seem as if I am there. The shape of the AirPods do not agree with my ear, they might not fall out but after using them for a short period of time I really feel like my ear is sore. It also has an indent on the āshaftā of the AirPods and itās located on both sides. Coming from the Gen 2 air pods, I really miss just the double tap or tap feature of the air pod. You need to grab the indention on the AirPods and from there you need to squeeze that indention to do it. Iād rather have the control system from the Gen 2ās but overall not bad. Would buy again but not without comparing the Gen 2ās first again." ā Jack Park
Get it from Amazon now: $169.00Ā & FREE Returns
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2. Beats Studio Buds - Best Sweat Resistance
Top-rated: 67,830 ratings | 652 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Control your sound with two distinct listening modes: Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Transparency mode.
Helpful review: "I started off giving these earbuds 4 stars, and then realized that I was unfairly comparing them to Air Pod Pro's that are over $100 more expensive. For the relative value, these earbuds fit the bill.
Feel: These earbuds are a bit slippery, and with the squat design it makes them a bit hard to grab. However, they fit snug into my ear so I don't have to over handle them much anyway. It takes getting used to putting them back into the case correctly.
Looks: I like the variable colors. I bought these because I misplaced my tiny white Air Pods Pro case (whose last location deleted after 24 hours because Apple is a money monger). This red case is bigger but not cumbersome.
Interaction: I don't like the button on the outsides of the buds. I wish the button was on the bottom with more of a squeeze function. To click the button, I have to essentially jam the bud further into my ear to get it to press. I also like to lay down with my buds in, but if I turn my ears against the pillow, the button is constantly pressing. A button positioned on the button (or top) would be way easier to pinch when on purpose without accidental clicks. At least clicking it doesn't pull the buds out of my ear; an issue I had with the lever arm of the APPs.
Sound quality and connection: Good enough for me. Calls connected and sounded just fine. I don't need my phone calls to have live orchestra quality. The music seems good too. Not overly bass forward but crisp.
ANC/Occlusion: The occlusion effect seems slightly worse than the Air Pod Pro's but no where near as bad as the Jabra's and other brands. I can sometimes hear my stomping on pavement but I don't hear my blood flow or anything. The ANC/transparency is also relatively equitable to the APPs, of course slightly not as significant in quality because these buds are much cheaper. It does seem to smartly block out certain sounds; i.e. my HVAC, while letting through someone calling my name.
Haven't really tested the battery life but supposedly they're better than APP. Again, these are solid buds for the price. You get what you pay for, and these buds seems to prioritize what I actually care about so you don't have to pay $250 every time your APPs or Bose go missing." ā Christine A.
Get it from Amazon now: $149.95 & FREE Returns
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3. JBL Tune 125 - Best Bass Sound
Top-rated: 33,248 ratings | 418 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The power of Dual Connect gives you the choice to seamlessly enjoy music or make calls with either one or both buds.
Helpful review: "Just to start off, I bought these to be my work horse earbuds so I don't wear out my Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch buds. The brand, price point, sound quality and battery life are what drew me to them and they definitely do not disappoint.
They sound good out of the box but do benefit from tuning them with a devices sound settings. They have great lows and mids but the highs need a little adjustment. Music and video content are terrific. I especially had a lot of fun watching Marvel movies while using these as the lows and mids really shine.
Call quality is great and the mic is funtional. People on the other end of a call had no trouble hearing me, just don't expect them to be perfect. They work and that is fine with me.
The battery life for these are amazing when connected to a phone/tablet but suffer a little when connecting to other bluetooth transmitters, such as a dongle attached to a ps4. Couldn't get the full 8 hours when used that way but a phone/tablet is spot on at 8 or more. This may be an issue with my equipment, not the earbuds.
They fit great in my ears and this is the first set of earbuds that fit perfectly out of the box without having to change out the ear tips. I can also wear these all day without ear fatigue which is a huge win in my book.
The physical buttons work well enough and are a nice change from the touch type. I suggest gripping them slightly with two fingers and using a third to press the buttons, as just pushing on them causes the ear tips to move deeper into the ear canal.
The earbuds connect very easy and quickly and switch between devices very seamlessly which is a great change from my very finicky Cambridge Audios.
The charge case is really great but my only gripe is that the spring in the hinge is a little on the weak side so the case closes just a tad too easy. Though, the case magnet is amazing for both the flap and the earbuds and everything stays in place very well, even when accidentally dropped.
Now to the major issue I have is with JBL, not the buds themselves. JBL has made it a habit of not supporting a lot of their audio products and this model unfortunately isn't supported for their audio app. I have 3 different pairs of earbuds; Reflect, Live and Tune models and none of them are supported so there are no extra features or customizations available. The silver lining is that these earbuds just work right out of the box and won't require any software updates that could potentially ruin them in the future.
In conclusion, these are not your high end, high spec, feature rich earbuds that run over $200+ and are not really designed to be. They are solid, well made and incredibly functional. I picked them up for $60 on sale but feel that they would be worth the full $99 to anyone looking for a set of buds that will last and do the job.
Features missing for anyone interested:
-No noise canceling, only noise isolating due to the design of the ear tips going into the ear canal.
-No app support. Why JBL?
-Since no app support, no firmware updates which can be viewed as a good thing
-No ear wings to keep them in place, though I have not had them just fall out while talking, eating, smiling etc. Did not test them while working out/running.
-No transparency mode. If you want to hear things around you or have a conversation without hearing yourself inside your head, take one or both of them out.
-No noise cancellation for phone calls (the feature some buds have that clean up/isolate your voice and filter out background noise).
Again, the lack of these features to me did not come into play when purchasing and can be done without at this price point. Just wanted to make sure others knew before buying as there are other less expensive earbuds out there that are more feature rich but suffer from simple things like sound quality, ear fit and connectivity. Thank you for reading!" ā DaftPunkie
Get it from Amazon now: $99.95 & FREE Returns
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4. SAMSUNG Galaxy Buds - Best Wireless Charging
Top-rated: 29,778 ratings | 367 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Long-lasting battery life with a case that doubles as a wireless charger; up to 8 hours of non-stop listening.
Helpful review: "Let me tell you, I was ready to get on here and give these a 1 star rating, but then I said, "I'm being too hasty, maybe I should try pushing them deeper in my ears" and surely enough, that worked. Initial impressions:
Clarity: excellent for music, and when testing a call to a friend he said I "sound crystal clear; clearer than I normally sound".
Comfort: I like the feel of these more than the original buds. The rest comfortably in my ears and I don't get that odd feeling that you normally get from traditional ear buds with suction cups. I tested to see if they would fly out by shaking my head back and forth violently and they didn't budge.
Battery: they are already rated to have a shorter life than the original buds and buds plus, and with minimal use, they have already dropped to 82% from 100% in less than an hour, but at least the case provides additional charge, plus you can get an hours worth of playtime with a 5 minute charge.
Build quality: the quality is excellent. I thought with them being shaped strangely, they would be large and uncomfortable, but I was wrong. They are smaller than the regular buds and so is the case, albeit the case is shaped differently (small square verses pill shaped). The case for these seems a bit more premium than the original case, as well.
Noise Cancelation: I can say if it's good or bad, honestly. I usually have audio at full blast and can't hear anyway, and that was still the case with these just like with the regular buds. Of course if nothing is playing, I can hear well, in fact better than with the regular buds due to the lack of suction cups.
Pairing: instant! What more do you need to know? I have a Note10 Plus at the time of writing this and upon opening the case, they immediately try to connect to my galaxy device, and from that point onward, they work just like the original buds, pairing immediately when placed in your ear(s). Also, remember that you can use one at a time if you want.
I'm sure some other reviewers will elaborate on things that I haven't, but that was my take. If you have the money and want to try them, you'll enjoy them, but if you are hesitant about the $170 price tag, the regular buds or even a cheaper product will do just fine. Refurbished regular buds can be found for as low as $60 and work as good as new. Overall I give them a 5 out of 5!" ā R. Mills
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns
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5. Jabra Elite 85t - Best In-Ear Fit
Top-rated: 7,581 ratings | 404 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Get up to 5.5 hours on a single charge with ANC on, with a total charge of up to 25 hours.
Helpful review: "I don't write many reviews unless I feel something really deserves it, so here we go! First off I moved from the Jabra Active 65t's and most of the issues/gripes I had with the 65t's look to be resolved with the 75t's. I'll cover the gripes/improvements, then some pros and cons.
Gripe Number 1: The charging case
The charging case on the 65t's was this weird type of case where you had to squeeze the side or the center to open them, not a pain, just different. The 75t's have that fixed, it's an easy open magnetic case, love the fact it's magnetic and a strong one at that.
Gripe Number 2: Earbuds in the case
The 65t's just kind of sat in the case, there was no positive engagement and you had to rely on a light to tell you if they were connected, sometimes if I was in a hurry and I didn't confirm the buds were properly inserted they wouldn't charge, same goes if I needed to open them in a hurry the buds would sometimes pop out and fall on the ground. The 75t's are magnetically connected, this is friggin fantastic! Such an improvement, can't say how much I love this as they stay in there, in fact the magnet is so strong that you have to be intentional to get them out.
Gripe Number 3: The on earbud buttons
I found the 65t's button on the earbuds themselves to be a bit stiff/hard to press and having additional pressure on my ear was a tad uncomfortable. The 75t's have much more sensitive buttons, and I love that they are single buttons, yes there are different combinations to remember but I feel having softer buttons is a huge plus.
On to the PRO's!
The sound:
I think the sound on these is definitely a tad better that the 65t's, there is a lot more bass, and I do mean A LOT. In fact I need to turn down the bass a little through the Jabra app, I guess you could say too much bass is a negative, but I enjoy hearing the lower end on all my songs.
Battery life:
I am getting an average 7.25 hours using middle volume, if I keep the volume high, the run time is a little lower, roughly 6.75 hours. One thing I haven't tested is run time without using the EQ in the app, I'm sure if I left the EQ as default or flat I could squeeze a tad more out? Also the case packs a lot more backup charge than the 65t's, overall a huge jump from the 65t's.
Hear through:
One of my favorite features is hear through...I can't rave enough about it as I use these primarily in an office setting and not having to take them out to hear co-workers or have conversations is a huge plus for me.
The Case:
Fantastic improvements on the case, love that it's magnetic, magnetic earbuds and strong ones at that, no more lost earbuds.
Charge port:
USB-C! Being that the industry is making a change to USB-C it's nice to have one less cable to support.
To the CON's!
The Bass:
One could say the bass is a tad to strong? However I rather enjoy it, I'm a big over the head, can wearing guy so getting a little more bass out of my on the go headphones is a rather nice plus, but some could be turned away.
Ear bud magnets:
The magnets holding these little guys in are strong, and with the ear buds being tiny they can be difficult to get them out. The other side of this is they won't be easily lost, so again choose your battles.
Overall thoughts:
I love the fact you get so much better battery life (and case battery too), strong bass, and great sound in such a tiny profile. Not to smash on the Air-pods, but these 75t's stay in my ears, I don't have a fear of them falling out during workouts, and they fit just as snugly (heck if not better) as the 65t's. I'm excited to use these in the warmer months on my longer bike rides. I think just the extra battery life these things pack to last me the work day and not need to do a mid day charge is a huge win and a reason to purchase and or upgrade." ā Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon now: $229.99 & FREE Returns
Ā
6. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2Ā - Best Auto Switch Audio
Top-rated: 15,321 ratings | 225 answered questionsĀ
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The earbudsā 3 microphones and noise reduction technology ensures voices are transmitted crisply and clearly, whether you're chatting with a friend or leading a high stakes conference call.
Helpful review: "I've owned the Galaxy Buds + for a couple of years now and this set is an improvement on those. I use it to go to the gym and go for walks listening to music and audio books. And I needed something with noise cancellation since I'm around a lot of roads. It's incredible how much it drops the nearby noise. The app works with my Pixel 4 which is great because it tests the fit. In fact I needed to change the size up by one size which made a big difference. I am enjoying them and just getting used to holding them because they are slippery so they are a little tricky to fit well into your ear because you end up pressing all the touch buttons. For me it's a great purchase and good to have a backup pair. I can also turn down the volume because I don't have to drown out the outside noise.Ā I set mine up to have the left touch&hold activate google assistant. The right touch&hold activates ambient noise. And the rest of the time it's in noise cancellation. Then double tap left is volume down and double tap right is volume up. Pretty much a carbon copy of the galaxy buds + but you'll need the app to set your settings. And I also needed it to do a firmware update." ā Mohammad AshoriĀ
Trending review: "My quest to find a good pair of wireless earbuds that were not the normal airpods was a very lengthy journey. After a few different cheap ones I ended up getting the Google Pixel Buds 2, which felt great, sounded great, but had massive hardware failures that forced me to return them. I could barely walk around my yard cutting the grass without them cutting out nonstop. The firmware update fixed nothing for me. Smh. Then I discovered these! They also fit great, sound great, and I have had zero issues with them so far. The only thing is that they sometimes slide out of my ears a little bit.Ā Definitely would recommend these." ā Kevin M.Ā
Reassuring review: "Complex sounds, great volume, decent but not the best noise canceling. Good fit inside the ear. Very light and small, definitely the smallest and lightest earbuds I've tried so far. The case feels decently sturdy, it will open and spill the earbuds if dropped, so be careful of that. The case is small, and comfortable to carry in the pocket, the wireless charging is also very convenient.Ā You can remove one earbud, and listen to just one while the other is in the case. Touch controls are responsive as well. Just be careful as an adjustment to the earbuds while listening to music or watching a show may skip to the next song, or show, which can be a really inconvenience if you are watching Netflix, as a triple tap will not skip back the the episode you were watching. Downsides: Noise canceling and passive listening will only work while using both earbuds. Sometimes the tap controls stop working and have to be turned off, and turned back on again in the Samsung app. Samsung's Equalizer doesn't work well. Overall I would recommend these headphones." ā Nathan BremerĀ
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99
Ā
7. iLuv TB100 - Best Color Selection
Top-rated: 73,502 ratings | 753 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: These true wireless in-ear earbuds and charging case are sealed with IPX6 rated protection to endure a minimum of three minutes of powerful jets spraying at least 100 liters of water per minute without water penetrating the hardware.
Helpful review: "Iāve been using Appleās Airpods for the past 2 years until they recently broke and ever since then, Iāve been on the search for a less expensive wireless earbud alternative. I decided to give these earbuds a try since the price was on point and there was a sale going on. Iām glad I stumbled upon these earbuds and Iāve outlined my thoughts. These earbuds are very comfortable and extremely secure. They come with an additional 2 set of soft, earbud tips which ensure a secure fit for everyone, however for me; they fit perfectly right out of the box. The earbuds created a nice seal which helped with the noise isolation so no outside noise interrupted my music. I also cycled and jogged with these earbuds and had no problems with them staying in. The earbuds are supposedly waterproof, IPX6 rated, but I havenāt had the courage to pour water on my earbuds. I do believe that they are waterproof since I sweat profusely when exercising and I havenāt had any issues yet (been a month). The earbuds are small and compact. They are the size of a quarter (as seen in the posted image), pretty much the standard true wireless earbud size. And the sounds, just wow! Honestly I canāt tell the difference between these and my old Airpods. The sound is sharp, crispy and clear. The bass hits really deep and the highs are right on point. As the product description states, the earbuds last roughly about 5-6 hours with a full charge and this is true. Whenever my earbuds are low on battery, I just stick them back into the portable charging case (which is amazing) and within 10-20 mins my earbuds last for another 2-3 hours. I love this quick charging feature since Iām incredibly impatient and I need my music going on all the time. At $29.99 ($19.99 with the promo), these are a no brainer. For what you get, I think they are a great bargain and compared to the AirPod at $200, they are definitely worth a look. I āHIGHLY RECOMMENDā these true wireless earbuds to anyone whoās looking for a low cost alternative to the higher price point true wireless earbuds." ā Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon now: $39.99 & FREE Returns
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