The Best Running Headphones of 2022

If you're an athlete or a fitness enthusiast, you probably know Under Armour and its popular range of workout clothes and wearables. More recently, UA teamed up with JBL for the True Wireless Flash X. This pair is actually the second-gen baby of this fruitful collaboration, and they're a stalwart running buddy you'll definitely want to consider.

The True Wireless Flash X's tank-like design makes them great for getting out there and pounding the pavement. They have multiple useful sound modes for hearing what's going on around you, and the earbuds and case are extremely robust and impact-resistant. They're a bit on the pricey side for headphones that might not be your go-to choice for casual or work situations, but if you've got the budget for a more purpose-built pair of headphones that can moonlight for other use cases, they’re an excellent choice.

Where the Flash X really stand out from the pack is in the details of their design and physical components. The earbuds (and stabilizing wings) have been carefully built to be extremely firm and durable, composed of a firm but gently yielding rubber that makes for an extremely tight fit and seal. This is important for both keeping out exterior noise and stability in workouts. You can jump around, drop to the ground, or (we daresay) do a cartwheel through a waterfall and the True Wireless Flash will stay put.

While they can become uncomfortable over time, and forego some desirable features like active noise cancellation, they make up for it in terms of sheer stability. Combined with the fully aluminum charging case—a product that should be able to withstand even the most grueling situations—the Flash X might just be the saviors of your own personal running universe.

Sony's Linkbuds are among the most unique earbuds on the market. In fact, the only headphones we've come across that are similar are Bose's Sport Open Earbuds. Both pairs offer a distinct take on the genre that aims to keep your ears open. But Sony's ultra-light Linkbuds are a simpler, nimbler pair that work very well for running.

The Linkbuds keep you aware of your surroundings in any scenario with their trademark "donut hole" design, which actually shapes the drivers into tiny circlets with a hole in the middle. As you can imagine, that makes these buds pretty excellent for lots of outdoor activities, including hiking and biking in areas where you don't want to lose your aural awareness (i.e. surface streets, highways, and biking trails). What's more, the Linkbuds still manage to offer relatively clear and full sound, though their bass response suffers due to their lack of a tight seal in your ear canal.

Apart from their holey, infinity design, the Linkbuds stand out for their lightweight (only 4 grams per bud) and relatively stable fit, though their hard plastic design can wear on the ears after a while. In place of ear tips, they employ little ear wings in multiple sizes to keep them in your ears, and their IPX4 rating gives them decent sweat and water resistance.

They also offer a fair few features, controllable through Sony's headphone app, including a five-band EQ, extras like Sony's Speak to Chat feature that pauses sound when you speak, and Adaptive Audio which ramps up the sound automatically when your environment gets loud. How important those are to you will vary by user, but there are some solid options.

We found their tap controls—which allow you to tap on the buds themselves or your face to control playback—hit or miss. But when they're tracking well, it offers a very simple way to control basic functions when you're on the go. Battery life is pedestrian but workable at 5.5 hours per charge, with an even less impressive 17.5 hours total with the case. Overall, we wish they were a bit slicker in operation and offered better next-gen features for their price. And of course, you'll have to give up any form of noise canceling. That means they won't be your best option for noisy gyms, among many other scenarios.

That said, if you're the type who does a lot of jogging (or biking) on busy streets and you find microphone-controlled transparency mode features to be insufficient, the Linkbuds could be the earbuds you've been waiting for. They're pricey for earbuds with limited use cases, but there's also nothing out there quite like them.

Much like their pricier siblings, Jabra’s Elite 4 offer a near-comprehensive package that bundles in just about everything you could want in a pair of sport-friendly wireless buds, including a dunkable, sweat-resistant housing that stays put even under duress. The biggest difference? These earbuds tow a price tag that’s among the lowest points of entry we’ve ever seen for a pair of earbuds this loaded.

The stacked feature set offers something for everyone, whether you need a snug pair of earbuds for running and rinsing off in the sink (and even dunk for short periods), or some decent noise canceling to keep out the distractions while working from home. You’ll get plenty of functionality in Jabra’s Sound+ app like a 5-band EQ and an earbuds finder, battery playback of 6-7 hours per charge, and the ability to use either bud on its own. Like the Elite 7, they also offer accurate, push-button controls for everything from volume to song skip and transparency mode/noise canceling. That makes them especially convenient for your daily jog.

These earbuds don’t have it all, of course. You won’t get the seamless connection to Apple’s ecosystem found in iOS favorites like the AirPods or Beats Fit Pro, and you’ll have to forgo the multipoint pairing of Jabra’s top pairs. You’ll also have to give up a few features that come standard in other options at this price, like auto-pause when you pull an earbud out or a wireless charging case. But Jabra attempts to make up for those omissions for Android users with extras like Google Fast Pair and one-tap access to Spotify.

The Elite 4 Active's noise canceling and overall sound performance won’t match what you’ll get from our favorite earbuds, but then again you won’t be paying those sticker-shocking prices. That’s what makes the Elite 4 Active such a tempting option: they give you a big heap of flagship features from top sports buds, at a price that’s easy to justify on just about any budget.

Frankly, you’ll have a hard time beating these buds for the money in the vast majority of categories. For the running nut on your list, these are a great choice at a nice price.

Sony's WF-SP800N are formidable running earbuds offering a ton of features for their price point along with impressive sound, a strong and stable connection, and a sporty, design with IP55 dust and water resistance.

Packing everything from transparency mode and light noise cancellation to location-based audio adjustment, the SP800N are well-appointed for their cost—especially since you can often find them on sale. They're also highly tunable thanks to Sony's Headphones Connect app, including a five-band EQ with a separate bass control so you can easily pull back (or ramp up) their booming "Extra Bass" feature. Their multi-fin ear tips keep them stable in your ears, even on heavy runs.

As for negatives, the SP800N’s noise cancelation is nothing to write home about, the buds are fairly bulky, and the charging case stores only one extra charge, though their 9+ hours of playback per charge makes this a lot more palatable. In addition, we found a tear in one of the silicone ear fins after just a few days, but based on over 1,000 user reviews, we’re inclined to write this off as a fluke. Because their fins are fairly involved, it can also be a pain to put them in and take them out, but that’s also what makes them so stable for high-impact running.

Their impressive playback time of 9 hours with noise cancellation—and as much as 13 hours without it—helps make up for their charging case's shortcomings. Add in their wealth of other features and the SP800N are steeped with value, making them a great pair of action-ready sports buds.

Bose’s Sport Open Earbuds don’t have the wide feature set that many of our top running buds offer. But that’s also because the Sport Open offer a unique, fully open-ear design which could make them an excellent choice for your most demanding running adventures.

Unlike the Linkbuds, Bose's model are completely open headphones (as the name helpfully spells out) meaning they don’t go in your ear canals at all, but sit above them to beam sound in from tiny speaker vents. What’s remarkable about this technology isn’t so much that you can hear things clearly, or even that it offers very minimal “bleed” into the world around you. What’s most impressive is that the Sport Open Earbuds actually sound good. And when you don’t have ear cups or even ear tips, that’s a feat in itself.

The Sport Open use an advanced version of Bose’s OpenAudio technology, which can also be found in the company’s distinctive audio sunglasses, the Bose Frames. The sound has been upgraded, however, adding the crucial element of fuller bass to their already impressive upper register. The result is an enjoyable audio experience that also keeps your ears free to explore (and keep you safe from) the world around you. This makes them great for running and hiking, of course, but they're also among our top pick for cycling, where the transparency mode of traditional wireless earbuds is rendered almost useless.

Bose adds to the package with impressive design, including simple setup, a relatively hearty chassis for each bud, and moderate, IPX4 water resistance to protect them from the elements. They also offer around 7-8 hours of battery per charge alongside a minimalist, but relatively effective control system accessed via a small button on the bottom of each earbud.

There are some drawbacks to being different, starting with the fact that, unlike virtually every other pair of true wireless earbuds we’ve tested, the Sport Open don’t come with a charging case to top off their battery on the go. They also have a relatively austere feature set (as you can imagine, there’s no way to add active noise cancellation here), including a pretty bare-bones app. And, for our ears anyway, they became relatively uncomfortable over time, making their use cases all the more limited.

That said, if you’re looking for groundbreaking buds that sound good and keep your ears naturally free for the most demanding running routine, the Bose Sport Open Earbuds are a great option.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro have lost some luster in recent years due to heated competition, but they still offer impressive playback time per charge, great sound, and a durable, sporty design that makes them a solid pair of running earbuds.

They offer decent (IPX4) sweat and water resistance and vastly improved sound quality over previous Beats earbuds, making them a good choice for general use. Their ear-hook design also makes them incredibly stable for your most challenging running routine, though they can get uncomfortable over time. They come with a pocketable charging case (thanks to their ear hooks, it’s a lot larger than most), but their impressive 9 hours of battery life per charge allows you to leave the case behind.

As you'd expect from Beats, they're relatively stylish, available in ivory, black, navy, or moss colors, and even years on they're an attractive pair—especially for workout buds.

The Powerbeats Pro are less minimalist than options like their siblings, the Beats Fit Pro, and also miss a few key features. They don’t include active noise cancellation, but most notable for runners, they also don't offer any form of transparency mode. This makes them less-than-ideal for jogging in busy areas, but you can use just one of them at a time in such cases to keep aware of your surroundings.

If you’re looking for fitness first, and don’t hold transparency mode as a must-have feature, the Powerbeats Pro are a fine choice—especially if you grab them on a good sale.