Apple is the runaway leader in the battle for the wireless earbud throne. Its AirPods are the most popular wireless earbuds on the planet (and have been for some time), and its AirPods Pro are one of the best noise-canceling wireless earbuds, too. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that AirPods and AirPods Pro aren’t for everybody. They don’t fit a lot of people’s ears, and if you own an Android smartphone, well, AirPods probably don’t make sense for you.
Fortunately for those looking for an alternative set of wireless earbuds, there are plenty of good options out there. They’re not all great (check out our knockoff AirPod review, here) but some of them are downright impressive. These are five of our favorites.
Jaybird Vista
For Runners: The Vistas are tiny wireless earbuds, but don’t be fooled – they’re super tough. Jaybird designed them for some of the most extreme athletes in the world: ultra runners, mountaineers, cyclists, extreme skiers and all-around adventurers. They’re fully waterproof and sweatproof, and their charging case is slim and lightweight enough to carry on your person at all times.
Price: $180 $150
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1
Budget Pick: Sure, you can find cheaper wireless earbuds than the Melomania 1, which are Cambridge Audio’s first-ever pair of wireless earbuds, but we can guarantee they won’t sound as good. With almost twice the battery life of Apple AirPods, and a price of just $130, these are arguably the best bargain in all of wireless earbuds.
Price: $90
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Noise Cancellation: Released in late 2020, the Bose QuietComfort are the best and most powerful noise-canceling wireless earbuds you can buy. They work similarly to the Bose Headphones 700, allowing you to quickly switch between 11 levels of noise-cancellation (and a full transparency mode). They're expensive, for sure, but if you're looking for the best noise-canceling wireless earbuds — these are why you want.
Price: $280
Jabra Elite 75t
Affordable Noise Cancellation: Jabra has made some of the best wireless earbuds for years and surprisingly, the Jabra Elite 75t aren't the company's newest models (that belongs to the Elite 85t). But they's cheaper and still are some of our favorite wireless earbuds. They have excellent built-in microphones for call clarity. They sound great. And they have a sweat-resistant design. Plus, Jabra just rolled out a software update that gives them active noise-cancellation.
Price: $180
Master & Dynamic MW07 Go
The New Look: The original MW07 earbuds are still some of our favorite wireless earbuds; they’re beautiful, comfortable and sound fantastic. These new models are very similar in style and design, but they have a couple of big differences – they’re smaller, lighter, more water-resistant (IPX6) and $100 more affordable.
Price: $199
