17 best wireless earbuds, tested by our tech expert

Sony’s in-ears are astonishingly good, beating all newcomers for sound quality. The latest buds somehow manage to outdo the already splendid WF-1000XM4 (which are now discontinued). The new headphones are 25 per cent smaller and 20 per cent lighter than their predecessors, though the driver is quite a bit bigger, which helps with audio quality.

In terms of looks, the new design is as slick and premium as before. A bone conductor sensor knows when you are talking, and can pause the audio as a result – which is great unless you’re singing along to your music, in which case you need to turn this feature, called Speak to Talk, off. Meanwhile new touch controls mean it’s easy to change volume, noise cancellation and more with simple gestures and touches.

What really stands out, though, is the sound quality, with a level of deft clarity and forensic detail that makes every part of the music soar, from vocals to mid-range and bass. However, there are other earbuds here with more bass, if that’s your thing. The audio sounds even better with noise-cancelling off, but Sony’s ANC is exceptional, so you’ll probably want to keep it on most of the time.

Sony’s earbuds can be expensive but are often great – see the overall best buy above. But its latest release is a budget option, so you might expect less stellar results. In fact, the WF-C700N are so good you might wonder if it’s worth spending more. After all, these earbuds include active noise cancelling, which is still rare at this price point.

The earbuds are small and light and come in a charging case that snaps the buds magnetically back in place when you’re done listening. There’s no wireless charging for this case, mind. Also missing are advanced audio codecs for higher-quality sound. Still, these buds sound excellent, with plenty of power matched with subtlety and detail. The noise-cancelling is good, though not as good as the pricier models here.

The new in-ears from Apple take a successful design and leave it almost intact, but add considerable internal improvements...

The small earbuds fit the ear well and stay put securely and there are now four sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure decent sound isolation. In fact, it uses the camera on the iPhone to work out what you can hear best from the way your ear looks and can adjust the audio accordingly. Plus, when you pair them with an iPhone, a near-instantaneous process, the phone can play a sound that tells it if it’s a good fit. A faster chip in the earbuds has also helped improve the sound quality.

While the noise-cancelling was already among the very best in any in-ear headphones, it’s noticeably better here. Apple claims it can quell twice as much noise now, and in practice it works brilliantly. The charging case also now comes with Find My capabilities, that is, you can use your iPhone to find it when you misplace it and the case can even make a noise to help you locate it.

Read the full AirPods pro 2nd gen review

The latest earbuds from Bowers and Wilkins are stylish and slim, unlike the previous-generation model, which were chunkier. Audio is excellent, with an open soundstage, good bass and strong presence, and the earbuds’ drivers are made with material used in the company’s over-ear headphones. Unlike many earbuds, these are made for iPhone-certified, which means they can work seamlessly with Apple devices, though pairing is not as straightforward as with AirPods, for instance. One neat feature is the transmitter built into the charging case. This means you can plug the case into an inflight entertainment system, say, connecting a cable to the USB-C socket, and the case will transmit the audio to the earbuds. There are four pairs of silicone eartips provided so you can pick the best size. Choose from four colours: midnight blue, anthracite black, dove white and jade green, the last of which is the most eye-catching.

Beats is Apple’s headphones brand that isn’t AirPods. It’s known for a bass-heavy sound and while the latest buds are more subtle than some earlier Beats cans, there’s still plenty of bass here. Unlike AirPods, Beats Studio Buds+ are designed to have more advanced features that are compatible with both iPhone and Android, rather than favouring Apple products. These include quick pairing and auto-switching between devices.

The first thing that stands out here is the design. Although it’s not worlds away from earlier Beats in-ears, it adds a head-turning transparent version which is splendid. Other colours are available, including ivory as well as black/gold, plus two just-released colours, cosmic silver and cosmic pink. The design updates include new acoustic vents to reduce pressure on the ears so they can be worn more comfortably for longer. The resulting sound is big and emphatic, rather than gentle or neutral. But overall, they certainly pack a punch. A five-minute charge gives an hour of playback, too.

The latest earbuds from Bose have outstanding sound in a delightfully small design. The look is similar to the earlier QuietComfort Earbuds II but a little slicker, a bit more premium than the predecessor. New for these earbuds is Bose immersive audio, the company’s name for spatial audio and this sounds impressive. Choose between Still and Motion settings according to if you’re on the move or not and the earbuds make it feel like the sound is coming from around your head. As well as a total of three different silicone ear tips, there are also three stability bands: these help the earbuds to sit securely and comfortably in the ears, helped by super-soft ear tips. Bose has always been a leader in noise-cancelling and these earbuds don’t disappoint. The case is not wireless-chargeable – and you could argue they should be at this price. You can buy a wireless charging case (£49.95, Amazon.co.uk) for an additional cost.

The latest Sennheiser earbuds are the brand’s best yet with better performance, features and fit than the last pair. They are not cheap, and the design is almost unchanged from previous versions apart from new colours: silver, graphite and black copper. But inside, the design changes include improvements to audio stability, better antennas and better audio drivers. Using Qualcomm chips means there’s greater access to lossless streaming, which sounds terrific. New ear tips which are washable have also been added, and, like the Apple AirPods Pro, there’s an audio test to check you have the best fit. There’s a rich and present quality to the sound that’s highly attractive.

The white finish to these earbuds may make you think for a second that you’re looking at AirPods, but while the look is similar, especially in the white version, there are key design distinctions, like the sharp-edged “blade” fins instead of Apple’s rounded ones—and there’s even a white light on the edge of the fin, though you can turn this off. This also works if you use the Find My system, when the lights will flash as the earbuds cheep at you.

Active noise-cancelling is excellent, though outdone by AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra. There are three sets of ear tips included to ensure decent noise isolation, medium tips are attached to the earbuds, two more pairs tucked away with the charging cable. Although they work both with Android and iPhones, features like automatic pairing and switching between devices are for Samsung owners only. Voice calls are very good, reducing background noise significantly. There are helpful colour-coded marks on the stems and case to make it easy to put them back the right way round. Available in white and silver finishes.

Compared to the last-generation, the new Pixel Buds Pro 2 are smaller and lighter which make them especially comfortable. They also have noise cancellation that’s twice as good as before. The new design reintroduces tiny wing fins which ensure the buds hold tight in the ears when you twist them into place – it also keeps the noise of the outside world at bay. Google says its advanced chip in the earbuds means the music sounds the same whether you have noise-cancelling on or off. And it sounds good: punchy and immersive with clean and appealing bass. Some features, however, like spatial audio and head tracking work only with Pixel phones and some others are Android-only. The case is easy to slide in and out of your pocket and comes in a matte white finish. The earbuds are mostly a glossy black, but the bit that pokes out of your ears comes in four colour choices: porcelain which is almost beige, hazel (nearly black), a quiet wintergreen and an eye-catching peony.

London tech company Nothing’s latest in-ear earbuds have strong sound, ceramic drivers and a wireless-chargeable case. The buds use Nothing’s trademark transparent finish, which continues to look classy and premium, despite the low price. The buds have an advanced processor which lifts the audio quality - they sound good and have strong noise-cancelling. There’s also a great alternative, the Nothing Ear (a) (£99, Amazon.co.uk) which comes in a funky yellow colour, has better battery life but not quite as good sound. Still, for £99, they are worth considering.

Beats powerbeats pro are highly unlikely to fall out of your ears, even when you’re running full pelt. That’s down to the over-ear hooks, which are secure and comfortable. Although there’s no noise cancellation, the audio here is excellent, partly down to the four different ear-tip sizes that help create a tight seal in the ear. The Beats logo is a button to control music playback or take calls. Beats is known for its proficiency with bass and that’s certainly the case here, though the earbuds are still capable of some subtlety and range. Beats, which is part of Apple, makes the powerbeats pro in six colours: glacier blue, navy, ivory, cloud pink, lava red and black.

Read the full Beats powerbeats pro review

The new AirPods come in two versions, one without active noise-cancelling, one with. There’s a £50 premium for the ANC, though you also get a wireless-chargeable case which has a speaker so it can make a sound if you’re looking for it.

Because these are open earbuds, you remain connected to the outside world a bit more, even with the ANC model. Sound is excellent throughout both versions, and the new earbud design is especially comfortable. Noise-cancelling is also strong, on a par with the original AirPods Pro rather than the exceptional AirPods Pro 2. Both versions of AirPods 4 are significantly better than the AirPods they replace, for about the same prices as before (they’re £10 more than the previous earbuds). The pricier model also includes Conversation Awareness, where the AirPods sense that you’re talking and reduce the volume of the music while enhancing the voice in front of you.

Google’s latest in-ears offer great value and strong sound that’s easy to listen to. Though there’s no active noise cancelling, the tight fit isolates the ears pretty well. That said, there is some venting that prevents the claustrophobic feeling some earbuds cause, so some outside noise seeps in. The fit is helped by small fins that hold the buds in place well. These headphones do work for Apple iPhone users but the set-up is most seamless when used with an Android phone, where integration with Google Assistant is flawless.

Read the full Google Pixel buds A-series review

The simple twist-to-fit design of Grado’s first true-wireless in-ears means they are secure and ideal for working out. Controls are through a touch surface on each of the buds, which are versatile and easy to use. Grado is known for its open-backed headphones, but these are closed, perhaps because the need for sound isolation meant open wasn’t an option. Even without noise cancelling, though, the audio here is tremendous, with punchy sound that’s detailed and accurate. Though they lack the bass of some, there’s a lot to like here.

Open earbuds can make for more comfortable wearing, especially if you like to feel connected to the environment around you or dislike the pressurised feel that can come with noise isolation. The fit in the ear is comfortable because of the open design and is enhanced by a hook design that holds them in place securely. This is great if you’re working out, but note that the waterproofing is decent rather than outstanding. The design is flexible enough to adapt to fit different ear shapes. The audio quality is very enjoyable with much richer bass than expected. A problem with open earbuds can be sound leakage but Nothing has kept this to a minimum. It has also kept its attractive see-through design to the fore and the slender case, though it lacks wireless charging.

If you’ve ever seen someone pop one just earbud out of their ear to have a conversation, you’ll understand the purpose of the ultra open earbuds. They’re like the Huawei FreeClip above but with a much more demure look.

The open design means you can hear the world around you as well as your music. A silicone arm connects the speaker to the battery and it clips around your ear securely. An auto volume feature means the earbuds compensate if the noise around you gets louder, maintaining the same listening volume and edging the level back to where it was when you’ve stepped out of the noisy store or away from the gusty wind buffeting your ears. The earbuds also have Bose immersive audio, which cleverly makes the sound seem to come from ahead and all around you. They come in two colours, black and white smoke, and are comfortable enough to wear all day long.

Read our full Bose Ultra Open wireless earbuds review

These earbuds come from audio masters Denon and they offer the option for audio personalised to your hearing by way of a listening profile test where the earbuds measure the sensitivity of your ears. Turning the personalised profile off and on reveals a big difference: overall the sound is more focused and appealing. The large size means they can look a bit daunting, and they’re heavier than many others here. There’s excellent noise-cancelling, though not quite matching that of the best here. The bass is decent but can be boosted in an immersion mode if that’s your taste. Overall sound is tremendous, and spatial audio sounds especially good. The touch controls make the most of the large flat surfaces and can be customised to your liking.