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The best true wireless earbuds

Set your ears free with the best completely wireless earbuds

The 1More Stylish are the best true wireless earbuds you can buy. They sound great and are extremely comfortable, and are our top pick. If you’re ready to leave behind the wires — all the wires — for a set of completely wireless earbuds, these are the best true wireless earbuds available.

Best true wireless earbuds at a glance:

The best true wireless earbuds: 1More Stylish

1More Stylish review
Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Why you should buy them: Super comfortable, sweat resistant.

Who they’re for: Those who want quality sweat resistance, and design.

Why we picked the 1More Stylish:

A sleek, comfortable design and tons of great functionality meets affordability in 1More’s latest wireless earbuds, making them our current go-to when friends and family members ask what to buy.

You get an awesome 6.5 hours of listening time between trips to the included charging case, with three full charges in the case meaning that you’ll get up to 26 hours of playback before you need to hunt for the micro USB cable. Unfortunately, there’s no way to control volume levels — not an uncommon omission on some true wireless earbuds — and the built-in mics can’t be used to pass through external sounds, which is handy feature especially when jogging through busy intersections. These are not deal-breakers by any means but are definitely worth keeping in mind.

Unlike AirPods, these headphones do feature sweat resistance alongside built-in earfins and silicone ear tips, meaning they remain in your ears during even the sweatiest and most head-wrenching workouts.

That, plus great sound and an included aptX codec for awesome Bluetooth audio make the 1More Stylish an excellent pick. If you’re after a pair of truly wireless earbuds, we suggest you start here.

The best true wireless earbuds for iOS: Apple AirPods Pro

apple airpods
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Why you should buy them: They keep all of the best features of the original AirPods and add better sound, active noise cancellation, and water resistance.

Who they’re for: AirPod fans who have been itching for something better.

Why we chose the Apple AirPods Pro:

AirPods have become the poster child for the true wireless earbud revolution thanks to their iconic design, ease of use, and tight integration with the iPhone and other iOS devices. But they’re far from perfect. Middling sound quality and no sweat- or water-resistance have been among the top critiques.

That’s why the AirPods Pro are so welcome: They address both of these concerns, and up the ante even further by adding active noise cancellation, an in-ear design that’s more snug and secure, and an intelligent EQ system that automatically adjusts to each users’ ears. We were frankly blown away by both the improvement in sound quality and the effectiveness of Apple’s noise-canceling tech.

Meanwhile, all of the features that Apple fans have come to rely on like Siri connectivity, intuitive touch controls, and accelerometers that recognize when the buds are in or out of your ears to pause and play sound automatically, are all preserved. Battery life is unchanged at 5 hours of music streaming per charge — a number that is less impressive now than it once was — but you get a wireless charging case.

The best true wireless earbuds for Android: Samsung Galaxy Buds

Samsung Galaxy Buds

Why you should buy them: Extreme comfort, long battery life, sweatproof performance.

Who they’re for: People who want affordable, comfortable, and great-sounding wireless earbuds.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy Buds:

With a compact, ergonomic fit, a wireless charging case, and six hours of listening time on the go, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds offer listeners the cutting edge in terms of both tech and design.

The headphones are designed for go-anywhere, do-anything performance, with built-in earfins and IPX2 sweatproofing that allow them to be a companion during rainy runs and sweaty workouts alike. We found the design to also be extremely comfortable, even for extended periods. The charging case is one of the smaller ones we’ve seen — not quite as compact as the AirPods charging case, but very close. The only disappointment is that it only carries a little more than one recharge’s worth of juice, which means there may be times when these earbuds can’t quite make through a full day without needing either a plug or a wireless charging mat (or phone).

App-based customizations let you control what the touch-sensitive surfaces on the earbuds do — changing volume or skipping tracks can both be assigned to the side you prefer. You can adjust equalization, find your headphones, and even pipe in sound from the outside world — which is especially useful during outdoor workouts or unfamiliar trips on public transit. Such an assortment of useful features makes Samsung’s Buds your everyday listening pal.

The best true wireless earbuds for bass: Beats Powerbeats Pro

powerbeats pro
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Why you should buy them: They have superb battery life, water resistance, and the kind of punchy bass the Beats brand is known for.

Who they’re for: Athletes or anyone who needs a robust set of wireless earbuds that sound great and have the stamina for even the most grueling workouts.

Why we chose the Beats PowerBeats Pro:

Battery life remains one of the biggest challenges to the true wireless earbuds category, which is why the PowerBeats Pro’s claimed nine hours of playback time per charge is so noteworthy. You’ll be hard-pressed to find longer play time in a similar product at any price. With this kind of stamina, you can probably leave the charging case at home, which is a good thing — the charging case is one of the biggest we’ve seen. But beyond the PowerBeats Pro’s herculean batteries, you’ll find they have an excellent fit, with earhooks that may look bulky but are surprisingly easy to get on and off your ears when the time comes. Thanks to the built-in optical sensors, removing an earbud instantly pauses the music, making for quick and easy transition from listening to talking.

Though the PowerBeats Pro share many of the same features with Apple’s AirPods, they’re different where it counts: Sound quality — especially low-end bass — is far better on the PowerBeats Pro, which benefit from having a sound-isolating design. The PowerBeats Pros aren’t perfect; we experienced some frustrating connection problems even though the earbuds use Apple’s new H1 wireless chip, which should be better, not worse than its W1 predecessor.

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…