5 Best Wireless Earbuds on Amazon for Convenient, Cord-free Listening

Travel+Leisure
·9 min read
wireless earbuds
wireless earbuds

Courtesy of Amazon

In today's music-centric world, wireless earbuds are a take-everywhere item as essential as your wallet or house keys. No matter if you use them to stream your favorite songs on your morning run, tune into podcasts during your daily commute, or hop on a Zoom call while working from home, picking the right pair that fits your precise needs is supremely important.

Prime members, rejoice. Amazon offers plenty of premium options to fit every price point and personal requirement, whether you prefer that long-lasting battery life, waterproof technology, or noise-cancelling capabilities be on board. Read on to cut the cord on your existing pair and uncover our top picks for the best wireless earbuds on Amazon.

Best Overall: Sony WF-1000XM3 Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds

This sleek pair of truly wireless earbuds from Sony is the superior pick for all intents and purposes, featuring impressive digital noise-cancelling capabilities, proprietary technology for a premium audio experience, and a long-lasting battery life to get you through the day and beyond.

Industry-leading active noise-cancelling processors and dual noise sensors completely tune out disturbances around you, allowing for whisper-quiet operation that creates incredible sound clarity, so you can hear every note or word in any type of sound environment.

When engaging in conversation, simply place your hand over the left earbud to turn the volume down and deactivate noise cancellation through quick attention mode. And for safer listening when you’re out and about, smart adaptive controls automatically switch to ambient sound mode according to your activity.

These earbuds are also audiophile-approved with 24-bit signal processing for high-resolution audio that closely resembles studio-quality sound, so you’ll hear music precisely the way it was intended. For a personalized experience, you can adjust the equalizers through Sony’s compatible app by choosing from pre-set modes or playing around to create your own combination and customize the sound to your liking.

With nearly 7,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, the earbuds have customers “convinced that these are the best earbuds that are on the market right now,” with the same shopper comparing the sound quality of this Sony pair to top-tier over-ear headphones. “These are easily on par, if not better,” they said.

Also good to note, just a single charge will supply up to six hours of battery life, but the included charging case adds an additional three charges for a total listening time of 24 hours. When your earbuds are finally low on battery life, a quick 10 minute charge will provide up to 90 generous minutes of playback with minimal disruption.

To buy: amazon.com, $228

Best for Noise Cancelling: Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds

If working from home with screaming kids in the next room just isn’t optimal for your productivity, consider upgrading your basic earbuds to a pair that’ll entirely block out background noise and chatter.

This wireless Amazon favorite offers 11 varying levels of active noise cancelling, so you can completely diminish distractions when you need to focus, or let in some of the surrounding world when you want to be more alert. For quick conversations, transparency mode allows you to hear those around you without having to take your earbuds out, and you can toggle between three pre-set noise-cancelling settings by simply tapping on your earbud.

Bose claims these are “the world's most effective noise cancelling earbuds,” and nearly 3,700 five-star reviewers on Amazon agree, with one even confirming, “If you want best-in-class noise cancellation on an earbud, these are the set to get. Period.”

As for noise quality, these earbuds offer the type of rich, full sound you’d expect from Bose, featuring crisp audio and deep bass for a listening experience that’s further enriched by their superior noise-cancelling capabilities.

Additionally, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds boast an IPX4 rating for sufficient waterproof protection against rain, sleet, hail, snow, and sweat, plus a generous 20 hours of battery life on a single charge.

At $280, they’re the most pricey pair on our list, but if you’re on the verge of pulling your hair out — or putting your kids up for adoption — they’re completely worth the splurge.

To buy: amazon.com, $279

Best Budget Option: Jabra Elite 65t Earbuds

You don’t have to pay top dollar for a pair of earbuds when these affordable Jabra Elite 65t Earbuds offer equally superior sound quality and call performance. They’re easily the best earbuds under $100, featuring complete adjustability to your preferred audio experience and fit. A customizable equalizer allows you to select your sound preferences via Jabra’s mobile app, while selecting the right set of ear tips provides a super comfortable wear-all-day fit that’s designed to follow the shape of your ear (it comes with three pairs to choose from).

This Jabra pair is a top pick for wireless calls with four-microphone technology and excellent connectivity, so you don’t have to worry about awkward audio dropouts while you’re mid Zoom meeting. A background noise filter ensures that you can always hear the person on the other end clearly, while external ambient sound will keep you in tune with your surroundings.

Additionally, these earbuds are both Apple and Android-compatible and feature an Amazon Alexa device on-board, allowing you to easily pause your podcast or skip a song hands-free via voice commands. Plus, they offer 15 hours of battery life and an IP55 rating for basic protection against water and dust.

More than 11,000 five-star reviews on Amazon prove that this budget-friendly option doesn’t disappoint, and some shoppers even suggest that Jabra is just as good as — if not better than — more expensive brands like Bose and Jaybird. “I’ve had these earbuds now for a couple of months and I LOVE them,” said one reviewer. “I also have a pair of Bose QuietComfort wireless over-ear headphones, which I thought could not be beat. I couldn't be happier, and in fact, because of their size and ease of use, they have largely replaced my Bose.”

If you do have a little extra room to spare in your budget, consider Jabra’s slightly more luxe $130 Elite 75t earbuds that feature an improved 24 hours of battery life and better water protection.

To buy: amazon.com, $74 (originally $80)

Best for Running: Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earphones

This pair of wireless performance earbuds goes the extra mile with plenty of unique offerings that’ll keep you amped up during every run. Unlike many sports earbuds on the market that feature a distracting wrap-around cord, the Powerbeats Pro offer a minimal, truly wireless design that won’t get in the way of your workout. Adjustable ear hooks create a secure fit for added stability while you move, and an ultra-lightweight feel ensures that they’re comfortable enough to wear through even the most killer sweat sesh.

On the unsavory topic of plentiful perspiration, they’re both sweat- and water-resistant, so neither intense exercise nor precipitation will inhibit you from powering your run with some pumped-up tunes.

Also great for gym time, volume and track controls on each earbud make it easy to skip a song or blast your favorite beat without having to pull out your phone, and more than 24 hours of continuous battery life with a charging case makes this pair a favorite for recreational listening, too.

Amazon reviewers are completely obsessed with these earbuds, singing their praises with more than 37,000 five-star reviews. “Battery life and sound quality are absolutely perfect,” said one shopper who regularly wears them for running and training in 90 degree heat. “The earphones hold perfectly in place even during HIIT, and the sweat resistance makes them better than Apple AirPods.” Another reviewer calls them their “best investment ever. Better than a 401k.”

To buy: amazon.com, $200

Best for Android: Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

You don’t need an android device to enjoy these top-rated earbuds, but if you have one, these are definitely the ones to buy. The newly released Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are what the brand calls its “best-ever earbuds," offering immersive sound, active noise-cancelling capabilities, and clear call quality features that check off all essential boxes.

Whether you’re listening to a podcast or playlist, the headphones are programmed with everything you need to enjoy fully balanced sound. An 11-millimeter woofer produces dynamic, deep bass, while a 6.5-millimeter tweeter creates crisp treble with limited distortion, so your favorite songs sound even more spectacular.

If you’re already a fan of Samsung’s previous audio offerings, one five-star reviewer advises not to hesitate adding this pro pair to your cart. “What an amazing set of earbuds,” they said. “These are definitely an upgrade to the original Galaxy Buds (1st Gen), and those were amazing-sounding headphones in their own right, too. But these pro versions — wow, they blow those out of the water. Not only do these provide superior audio quality, these buds can literally pick up sounds that I wasn't able to hear before in my older Galaxy Buds, instruments that I didn't know were there.”

Their ultra-intelligent active-noise-cancelling technology can be adjusted to your preferences, reducing disruptive background noise by up to 99 percent. Also customizable, these earbuds offer an ambient sound setting that can amplify surrounding noises by more than 20 decibels — by far a favorite feature among multi-taskers. Best of all, your pair is smart enough to automatically switch between both capabilities by adapting to your environment and recognizing when you’re speaking.

Three microphones and a voice-pickup unit filter out unwanted background noises, keeping the focus of every phone call solely on your voice. The Galaxy Buds Pro also feature a streamlined, minimally protrusive shape that allows for limited contact with the open air and a unique chamber and mesh filters that cut out disruptive wind interference for clearer-sounding calls no matter the weather.

To buy: amazon.com, $200

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