The Best Wireless Earbuds of 2022

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: ~5.5 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 28 hours with the case

Sennheiser’s latest true wireless earbuds offer everything we like about the previous iteration and improve on the biggest downside: active noise canceling. While ANC was passable in the Momentum TW 2, the TW 3 go back to the drawing board for responsive and powerful noise cancellation that stands tall with the best in the business.

Of course, the earbuds also keep our favorite aspect about the previous pair, namely their fantastic sound quality. The new pair offers a more stylized soundstage that’s a bit brighter than before, but also a smidge clearer with more attention to detail. If you don’t love the sound as is, the three band EQ makes it easier than ever to adjust (though we wouldn’t have minded more control there). Battery life is solid at up to 7 hours per charge and 28 total with the charging case, though you’ll get less with ANC.

Other handy features include adjustable controls (including volume controls on by default), a new wireless charging case (finally), and standards like auto-pause and the ability to use one earbud at a time. They also offer advanced audio codecs like aptX Adaptive and AAC for improved sound for Android or iPhone respectively.

The buds keep the same IPX4 water resistance, but their new design makes them sportier and comfier thanks to multiple ear tips and fins to keep them tight in your ear. They may not be your go-to running buds, but they’ll work in a pinch for most any activity. Perhaps the best news is that all the improvements come with a lower MSRP than Sennheiser’s previous pair—you can thank a competitive market for that.

As for downsides, we still don’t find these buds quite as comfortable as semi-open pairs like the Jabra Elite 85t and Apple AirPods Pro, and their charging case is both heftier and bulkier than most competitors. Like Sony’s WF-1000XM4, there’s also no earbuds finder available and the buds don’t yet have multipoint connection (though it’s something Sennheiser plans to add in a firmware update).

That said, Sennheiser’s latest buds cook up a winning combination, mixing lots of features, a slimmer and sportier design, and powerful noise cancellation to go along with excellent sound. While the price is still relatively high, these are killer earbuds for music lovers who have the budget to invest.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX7
• Battery life: 5 hours with ANC (8 without), up to 28 hours with the case

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro are an obvious attempt to create earbuds just as impressive for Samsung phones as Apple’s AirPods Pro are for iPhones. The gambit worked pretty dang well. Samsung’s made a feature-packed pair of earbuds bespoke for their platform that offer a lot of great features.

The big headliner for these earbuds is solid active noise cancellation. It’s not the best on the market by any means, but it does the trick, and on the other side the earbuds feature enhanced hearing via transparency mode.

They also offer a truckload of other features typical of flagship earbuds, like the ability to use one bud at a time, a wireless charging case, and a Find My Earbuds function. One particularly interesting feature is Voice Detect. It’s designed to pause ANC and engage ambient mode when you speak, so you can keep in touch with those around you hands-free. However, we found it can be overzealous at times.

Most of the Galaxy Buds Pro’s top features will work for any Android phone with Samsung’s well-equipped app (not for iPhones, unfortunately). But they also saved extras for the Samsung faithful, including auto-pairing and Bixby wakeup. There’s even a 3D audio feature for the Galaxy S21 and up. In other words, it pays to be heavily invested in Samsung’s ecosystem here.

Still, these earbuds feature design traits everyone can enjoy, like IPX7 water resistance (making them dunkable) and impressive, well-balanced sound that’s as good at bumping beats as it is carving out ultra-clear detail or serving up phone calls.

There are some downsides. The fit can wear on the ears over time (and can jostle during some activities). The battery life is just ok at less than 5 hours per charge with ANC. In addition, we’ve found the case doesn’t charge the earbuds as quickly as advertised, so you’ll have to wait longer once you lose juice.

That said, Samsung has created a winner here thanks to a well-rounded feature list, impressive audio performance, and a great price that make its Galaxy Buds Pro hot contenders—especially if you’re toting around a Samsung phone.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 4.5 hours with ANC (5 without), 24 hours with the case

Apple's AirPods Pro take everything we love about the traditional AirPods and ramp things up a notch (or three). They sound better than all Apple earbuds before them, deliver excellent noise reduction, and add proper water resistance. Plus, these are the first Apple earbuds with swappable silicone ear tips, making it easier to get a comfortable fit.

In our lab tests, we found the AirPods Pro’s noise cancellation was on par with many pricier noise-canceling headphones, with a minimal hit to battery life. Their Transparency Mode is also among the most effective and natural-sounding we’ve experienced, piping in the outside world when you want to be aware of your surroundings.

The call quality—which uses dual microphones plus digital distortion reduction—is also excellent. And in true Apple fashion, they're incredibly easy to pair with iPhones, which will automatically locate them right out of the box. The newer version also adds MagSafe charging for the case.

If there's a downside to their features, it's that most extras like Spatial Audio, auto-pairing, and Siri on-demand only work with iPhones. There's no dedicated app for Android users to tap into, either, so they're not very versatile if you plan on swapping devices. They also don't offer onboard volume control, requiring you to ask Siri for help instead.

Battery life is also low for their price point these days, at just 4.5 to 5 hours. On the bright side, their pocket-friendly carrying case holds multiple recharges for 24 hours total listening time, and a quick charge in the case provides an hour of listening in just five minutes.

While the AirPods Pro are still a bit pricey for their age, they're a great option for those with iPhones. They can be your go-to headphones for everyday use, long trips by train or plane, and even light workouts. It's for all these reasons the AirPods Pro are some of the most popular earbuds on the planet.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX2
• Battery life: 5 hours with ANC (7.5 without), up to 30 hours with the case

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 are a rare breed of earbuds. They not only look better than their price point suggests, but perform better than expected as well. They provide a brilliant balance: tons of features, value, and reliable performance in a design that looks good and fits comfortably. That's a serious win for value shoppers in the Android ecosystem.

They’re not as cheap or sporty as the value-packed Jabra Elite 4, and they're also primarily meant for Android users due to their app. But, Samsung's buds do look cooler, and offer similar features and performance elsewhere. That includes relatively stout active noise cancellation, adjustable transparency mode options to bring in the world around you, adjustable EQ presets and controls, and much more. The earbuds can also auto-connect to other Galaxy devices.

You won’t get the same audio performance or the full package of extras that comes with their pricier siblings, the Galaxy Buds Pro. But you do get ANC that holds up pretty well to the flagship buds, and a lighter, comfier design to boot.

The only real holdup on these earbuds is their middling battery life and water resistance. You get just 5 hours with ANC, or 7.5 hours without it, and water resistance is only IPX2 certified (the Buds Pro are IPX7). They're also not the best buds for major workouts due to their relaxed fit. Still, these are value-packed buds, and when the price inevitably falls, they’ll be hard to turn down even in this cutthroat market.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: ~6 hours with ANC, 18 hours with the case

It will come as no surprise to Bose fans that the QuietComfort Earbuds were designed from the ground up for one thing: brilliant active noise cancellation. They succeed immensely on that front, instantly offering world-class ANC that matches brilliantly with Sony's WF-10000XM4 as the best two pairs in the segment. The QuietComfort also offer elegant design, clear sound, and a comfy, secure fit that keeps them in place under duress.

In order to get those traits, you’ll have to deal with a hefty price tag and some compromises elsewhere. Those compromises include extra-large earbuds that weigh around 50% more than the AirPods Pro and similar buds, and a chunky charging case that offers only two recharges. Between the buds and the case, you only get 18 hours of total battery life. That makes these tougher to take along than a lot of competitors.

The sound, while good, also doesn't match our favorite earbuds at this price point, sometimes becoming a bit sibilant in the upper register.

On the other hand, Bose added slick onboard volume control to the earbuds via swipes up and down on the right bud, and the Bose Music app allows you to adjust noise cancellation levels in multiple ways. You can even adjust the loudness of your own voice during phone calls and other parameters, though we would have traded that for some form of EQ instead.

While it would have been nice if Bose had thrown in a bit more for your money, what you're paying for here is killer noise cancellation, and that's exactly what you get.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 6 with ANC (6.5 without), up to 20 hours with the case

Panasonic's RZ-S500W won our favor with a brilliant combination of great sound and excellent noise canceling, at a price that often undercuts major competitors.

The RZ-S500W serve up good passive noise isolation to go with powerful noise cancellation across frequencies, creating a comforting realm of sanctity from barking dogs, yelling kids, and much more. As noted, the sound is also impressive. The clear, mostly even sound signature offers quality listening across musical genres, podcasts, and more. In the Panasonic app, you can adjust everything from EQ to noise cancellation.

You can also choose different transparency modes like ambient sound mode (or hearthrough, transparency mode) to fine-tune how much environmental sound you hear. With around 6 hours of playback per charge, the RZ-S500W aren't amazing but still beat a fair few competitors.

They do have a few drawbacks. For one thing, their charging case only holds two charges. You’ll have to top it off more frequently than most rivals. On top of that, while they’re quite comfortable, the somewhat bulky design can make the fit tricky. Even when properly sealed, they tend to jostle during rigorous activities. They’re a much better fit for your office (home or otherwise) than your daily jog.

Like most buds these days, the RZ-S500W offer IPX4 water resistance to go along with a generous selection of other features and impressive audio performance. While they're not the perfect buds for every occasion, they do offer a lot at a reasonable price (especially on sale) making them a good bargain worth consideration.

• Ambient sound modes: Transparency mode
• Water resistance: IP67
• Battery life: 8 hours per charge, 32 hours with the case

Klipsch’s second generation of true wireless earbuds are just as stylish as the original T5, with some impressive upgrades. What hasn’t changed here is the sound, which is among the best in the category. The T5 II earbuds offer clear, detailed sound that’s as dynamic as it is engaging, alongside crystal clear phone calls.

The buds offer plenty of handy features like comprehensive controls (including onboard volume control), a light and comfy fit, and top-notch dust and water resistance (IP67). The Zippo-like metallic case is robust as they come, but still fits perfectly in your pocket.

Their biggest miss is the lack of active noise cancellation and they also don't offer a Qi-certified charging case for wireless charging. In addition, the onboard controls can be finicky. Klipsch has a newer pair, called simply the T5 II ANC, but the ANC is relatively weak and the other added features don't add much value. That said, if you can find them on sale, they could be a solid alternative.

If sound quality is your top concern, and you don’t want to spring for the pricier Sennheiser Momentum 3, you’ll want to give the T5 II (or T5 II ANC) a good look.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life:6 hours with ANC (7 without), up to 26 hours with the case

The Liberty Air 2 Pro’s topline feature is active noise cancellation. They were the first of their kind from Anker's Soundcore line to offer it, and the ANC is impressively effective for the money.

The active noise cancellation built into the Liberty Air 2 Pro is not quite as impactful as you’ll find in some of the pricier options on our list, but for such a low price point, effective ANC with equally adequate transparency mode is a serious feat.

Both functions pair well with the Liberty Air 2 Pro's excellent sound quality. Soundcore makes both ANC and equalization fully customizable. However, we found sticking to the earbuds’ Soundcore Signature setting delivered the kind of balanced sound that suits most musical genres.

The Liberty Air 2 Pro’s other features, like IPX4 water resistance and battery life of around six hours with ANC and seven without it aren’t uncommon for the market. However, their execution is on par with many pricier options.

We do wish Soundcore had made these earbuds more secure for workouts and found a way to offer more comprehensive controls. Still, those are small transgressions for an otherwise value-packed pair of true wireless earbuds. Soundcore closed a sizable gap in performance and features with the Liberty Air 2 Pro, without sacrificing affordability.

• Ambient sound modes: Noise canceling, transparency mode
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Battery life: 5 hours with ANC (8 hours without), up to 24 hours with the case

The Beats Studio Buds arrived as the spiritual successor to the second-generation AirPods. Though the AirPods 3 (technically called the "AirPods third-generation") have since launched with popular iOS features like Spatial Audio, the Studio Buds are a better choice for those seeking a more traditional experience.

Offering clear sound, a slick and comfortable design, and even active noise canceling that ramps up when things get louder, these funky little buds are a welcome refresh that screams "Apple." They even offer some of the AirPods’ most prized Apple-centric features like one-touch pairing for iPhone, voice-activated Siri, and Find My Earbuds via your iPhone settings.

It’s not too surprising that a pair of Beats buds can step into the AirPods’ shoes. Apple owns Beats, after all. What is surprising is how well the Studio Buds cater to the Android crowd. You’ll find similarly breezy one-touch pairing, and a (very) basic app to toggle the noise canceling and ambient audio modes. There’s even a Find My Earbuds feature via the Android menu.

There’s a lot that these buds get right. Their splash-proof, ergonomic design tops the list, followed closely by affordable ANC. But they are missing some key features. Other Apple buds with the H1 chip, such as the AirPods Pro and Beats Fit Pro, can auto-sync to all your Apple devices via iCloud. These don’t.

They also don’t offer a wireless charging case or sensors that pause your earbuds when you take one out. (Though you can use one earbud at a time). While their mirrored controls make things simple, there’s also no onboard volume control, something that's available on nearly all non-Apple earbuds at this price. The fit also isn't as stable as sportier buds, like Jabra's Elite 4 Active.

Their incredible ease of use, comfort, and simple setup go a long way to make up for those transgressions, though—especially if you're looking for Apple-centric buds at a good price.