Best Wireless Earbuds 2023: Best Wireless Earbuds for Android, Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

The greatest wireless earphones imply independence. Freedom to listen for as long as you like, freedom from your device's umbilical cord, freedom from the world around you, with it adequately shut out by passive or active noise cancellation. If to paraphrase David Hasselhoff (as we so frequently do), you're heading down the road with your stuff on your back and yearning for freedom? You've discovered it.

Although we've compiled a list of the finest wireless earbuds, not all of the products on this list are truly wireless. Having a cable to link the two buds can significantly reduce the price, making it appealing for people on a tight budget or who are simply too concerned about losing the buds to go completely wireless. 

True wireless headphones, on the other hand, are the best-selling headphones these days, so they're the main focus here, and you'd be shocked how cheap they can be – and how amazing they can sound at the other end of the spectrum. There are also variants with and without active noise cancellation — if you only want to view models with the sound-blocking feature, check out our guide to the best noise-cancelling earbuds. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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If you don't trust batteries or Bluetooth and are hanging to that 3.5mm connector for dear life, the best-wired headphones beckon — there are some outstanding in-ear options as well.

WHAT ARE THE BEST WIRELESS EARBUDS?

Are you in a hurry? Is your finger too fatigued to scroll? Here are our top recommendations.

We believe the Sony WF-1000XM4 buds have the best overall balance of any wireless earphones in terms of sound, price, and quality.

If you're looking to save money, there are a few options to consider but don't overlook the SoundMagic S20BT, a great value set of neckband wireless headphones.

Cambridge Audio's Melomania 1+ offers a truly outstanding mid-range experience, with some amazing sound for a low price.

And if you're willing to spend the money and want the best music quality available, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 is the way to go. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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BEST WIRELESS EARBUDS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The initial wave of wireless earbuds was, to put it nicely, totally bad, in much the same way that the first fledgling Bluetooth headphones were fatally poor. They weren't at ease, they didn't connect consistently, and they sounded awful. However, as Bluetooth has increased in popularity, Bluetooth headphones have evolved to take advantage of the decreased latency, larger bandwidth, and improved connecting choices now available.

Now that Bluetooth 5.0 is available, and codecs like aptX and AAC are increasing audio quality across the board, those drawbacks are quickly dissipating. Phone manufacturers are well aware of this, as evidenced by the constantly declining prevalence of 3.5mm ports on new handsets; purchasing the best set of wireless headphones available may not merely be a matter of convenience, but a necessity. If not now, then when do you improve next. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

In some cases, you may find that connected wireless earbuds provide a slightly superior experience. Although genuine wireless buds are becoming lighter all the time, linked buds put a little less strain on your ears and have a slightly longer battery life, albeit without the safety net of a charging case.

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They may also be more affordable, though the genuine wireless earbuds market is rapidly expanding at the low end. Outside of the real wireless domain, latency tends to be a little lower, but most devices automatically compensate for this, so it's not something you'll notice when viewing video; gaming, on the other hand? That is something you will notice.

True wireless earbuds, on the other hand, come with their own set of benefits. Want to listen to the cricket on a transistor radio with just one earbud, as your grandfather did at Sunday lunch? You figured it out. Want to stay away from a thick neckband, or anything else that can irritate your neck? They're also wonderful for jogging if they fit well enough, which they typically do. Do you want to be the coolest person on the planet? Let's face it: someone who doesn't have wires fluttering around their face has the upper hand, and truly wireless buds' pretentiousness is swiftly dissipating. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

THE BEST WIRELESS EARBUDS, IN ORDER

With all aspects considered, Sony's newest genuine wireless buds are the greatest wireless earbuds available today. While you can get extremely microscopically higher sound quality elsewhere, and B&W's noise-canceling might be an iota more strong, and others may be able to squeeze out a few joules more battery, no other manufacturer has managed to create a winning combo like this.

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Sure, they're not cheap, but if you want to see a major improvement in their ANC, you'll have to spend a lot more money on the Bowers & Wilkins PI7. They're not the ugliest, with a significant design boost from the 1000XM3s, but several others have a more subtle appearance. All of this makes it sound as if we're about to put them down, but we're not: there are no earbuds we'd rather use right now. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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The Melomania One Plus buds are the winners for Best Value Headphones in 2021, and for good reason; this sequel to the already amazing Melomania buds doesn't exactly fall into the category of budget true wireless buds, but they're still half the price of the earphones they're competing with, and Cambridge Audio has poured every atom of its extensive audio expertise into them for an excellent listening experience.

The Melomania 1+ buds are bullet-shaped, light, and wonderfully comfy, with a battery life of roughly 50 hours and newly-added app control that (unlike some competitors) genuinely puts you in full control of your favorite sound settings. Although the Melomanias' design provides very effective passive noise cancellation, there is no ANC, which is where most of the savings have been made. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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If you're looking for active noise cancellation, the PI7s offer it in spades: in the truly wireless category, Bowers & Wilkins has Sony not only scared but also beaten. thanks to the excellent sound, super-fine ANC, and a feel that oozes sheer luxury: the top-end sensation of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7s hits you right away and doesn't go away.

They do have some minor flaws, such as the battery being outperformed by certain competitors and the price being enough to make you cry. If you have small ears, their robust design (which includes some powerful drivers) might be too much for you to manage in terms of fit. However, even with that in mind, the PI7s is the greatest luxury wireless earbuds available. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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You don't have to break the bank to have decent wireless earbuds. Even at the low end, there are diamonds to be found, such as SoundMagic's surprisingly capable S20BT. These aren't some audiophile-grade miracles or museum-worthy design feats. But for £40/$50/AU$87, is it worth it? They are considered superior to what they are entitled to be.

Physical buttons on the right side of the neckband serve as controls, and they are Bluetooth 5.0 compatible, ensuring reliable communication and the ability to stream higher-resolution video. They're not particularly attractive, but they do the job and fit comfortably over the ears and around the neck. They produce a dynamic sound that leans more towards the mids and highs inside a sprightly and well-organized soundstage. And did we mention how inexpensive they are? Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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AirPods are amazing in their own right, but AirPods Pro sound better, fits better, and has noise cancellation as well as an 'ear analysis tool' that claims to optimize audio for your ears specifically.

Whatever the technology is, there's no disputing that the AirPods Pro sounds fantastic. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 should be on the top of your list if you own an Android phone, preferably a Samsung Galaxy.

They integrate with other Galaxy devices in a variety of ways, like bringing a useful widget to your phone's home screen and allowing you to move between devices without having to do anything.

The bean-shaped design will either win you over or turn you off totally, but if you do, they come in a variety of cool colours, including Olive, Graphite, Lavender, and White.

The touch controls are among the best on the market, and the noise-cancelling technology keeps you completely absorbed in your music. "Everything about them works well, very well in fact, provided you ignore the average battery life," we said in our Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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Looking back can be an excellent method to find a good deal. With that in mind, we can't overlook Sennheiser's genre-defining wireless buds, which were first released in 2017 and offer a still-amazing degree of audio clarity, a genuinely beautiful finish, and a price tag of just over a hundred notes. They aren't antiques, but they are older; if you need Bluetooth 5.0 or high-resolution compatibility, you'll need to search elsewhere. Sennheiser's EQ tuning app appears to be unavailable as well. They're still nice enough, though, that we recommend you give them a shot.

It's not only the nice details, like the stitched leather neckband, the light weight, or the elegant case; they sound fantastic, as you'd expect from Sennheiser, with deep bass and sharp highs. There's at least some support for current codecs available, such as aptX and AAC, and they pair rapidly with up to two devices at once. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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Panasonic's first noise-canceling true wireless buds arrived in style in early 2023, and they now appear to be a better deal than even Cambridge Audio's passive-only Melomania+, above, thanks to the recent price decreases.

They're fantastically well built, superbly sensitive to touch controls, sound fantastic, and their ANC is simply incredible, especially since this is Panasonic's real wireless debut. The RZ-S500W buds compete admirably with models far more expensive on the market, and they are definitely worth your consideration if you're seeking to save a few dollars. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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We name the Lypertek SoundFree S20 the "greatest cheap true wireless earbuds ever" in our complete review. While we enjoy a little hyperbole here and there, this isn't a claim we make lightly: these are budget earbuds that haven't only been built to hit a price point but to sound as good as possible at that price point.

They're comfortable to wear, last a long time on a charge, and sound great. There are good dynamics, a well-defined soundstage, super-confident reproduction, and a frequency response that is well-balanced. The case supports Qi charging, and while the buds aren't the most visually engaging in the world, they're not ugly either. If you require aptX, go higher in Lypertek's line, but otherwise, these are a great deal. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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By this time, Sony's last-generation headphones should be a little less expensive. Although we found the WF-1000XM3 to be a little unpleasant to wear, with a tendency to boom as your boots strike the pavement, many people enjoy it. There are no better-sounding genuine wireless buds if you're sitting down; their fairly bulbous appearance conceals some seriously remarkable headphone drivers and sound quality-enhancing circuitry.

Their noise cancellation is even superior to AirPods Pro, so you may use them on public transportation or even on an airplane. Read our entire Sony WF-1000XM3 review or compare the Sony WF-1000XM4 to the Sony WF-1000XM3. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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Skullcandy has always had a love/hate relationship with us. The skull-centric branding, as well as the brand's overall sound, aren't our favorites. But that price - and if you're looking for something a little more elegant than most neckband earphones' dreary nearly-black plastic - the Smokin' Buds 2 Wireless fit the bill perfectly. Best Budget Wireless Earbuds

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You might even appreciate the sound, which dials back Skullcandy's customary predilection for bass in favor of a little more refined balance - it's not fantastic, but it's certainly acceptable - and you'll love the now almost-bargain pricing, which buys you 6 hours of playing on a single charge.