Each month seems to bring new sets of earbuds with long battery life and compact designs. As such, we cannot list everything we like. But if you’re still on the hunt, here are some recommendations.
Soundcore Space A40 for $60: Although no longer on our main list, the Space A40 is still one of my favorite buds for the money, offering great features, clear sound, and excellent noise cancellation for its price category. They also look polished, with only their lack of automatic parking sensors betraying their low price.
Sony Linkbuds Fit for $200: Sony’s Linkbuds Fit offer rich and punchy sound, a transparent natural mode, and a light and comfortable fit, helping them live up to their mission as a “wear anywhere” solution. They offer some solid features, but the battery life is only 5.5 hours per charge and their noise cancellation is OK. Their reliance on flimsy silicone sleeves and strangely unresponsive touch controls detracts from their value, but they’re still Sony buds and might be worth the trade.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for $100-200: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are old, but still among the best buds to pair with a Samsung phone. They don’t have the multi-device connectivity of our top choice for Android users, and their five-hour battery seems a little short these days, but they offer excellent sound quality, IPX7 waterproofing, and a unique design open AirPods Pro. That makes them worth considering when selling.
Pixel Buds A Series for $99: This used to be our top choice for most people, but it has now been overshadowed by more affordable options including features like noise cancellation. If you can find a pair on sale, it’s still worth a splurge, especially if you have an Android phone.
Oneplus Nord Buds 3 Pro for $150: These comfortable, lightweight earbuds are multi-point, making them great for people who like to work on a laptop and cell phone at the same time (7/10, WIRED Recommends). We didn’t like their control layout and thought the noise cancellation was OK. Also, they are some AirPods clones, design wise.
Soundpeats Air4 for $80: Air4 by Soundpeats (7/10, WIRED Recommends) may be an obvious AirPods Pro, but they’re a great bang for the buck. You won’t get top-flight performance, not to mention Apple exclusives like Find My support or iCloud sharing, but you’ll get great sound and features, including decent noise cancellation, at a huge discount. While these aren’t a high-end option, they’re a great budget buy, especially on sale.
Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: These earbuds are priced out of reach for most consumers, but if you have the money, you’ll be rewarded with a luxurious experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc called on the biggest hitters from the audio industry to design and sound these buds. The result is small, comfortable, and sleek looking earbuds that sound truly amazing.
Apple/Beats Powerbeats Pro for $180: Apple’s beefy Powerbeats Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offer a more secure fit, sound better than Apple’s regular AirPods or the Beats pairs before them, and squeeze in an impressive nine hours of battery life. They’re getting a bit long in the tooth with now-standard extras like transparency mode and ANC, but they’re still worth considering for those after a more stable fit.
Raycon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-favorite earbuds are actually a decent cheap pair (7/10, WIRED Review). They are small and light, and come with an IPX6 rating, which makes them great for use.
Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport for $254: Sports are a great option that comes with effective noise cancellation and an impressive design, but the high price makes them out of reach for most people.