As soon as someone learns what I do for a living, I know what’s coming next: “OK, so which are the best wireless earbuds?” You’d think that’s an easy one to answer. After all, I’ve tested every model on Tech Reader’ list of the best wireless earbuds. And yet, even though we provide guidance on the best overall wireless earbuds for most people, the honest answer is always, “it depends.”
It depends on your budget. It depends on whether you find some earbud styles uncomfortable. It depends on whether you plan to use them mostly for workouts, or for travel — or a mix of activities. And increasingly, it depends on what you need your wireless earbuds to do. Listening to music? That’s just the tip of the earbuds’ iceberg.
Constant evolution
In the nine years since Apple popularized the wireless earbuds category when it rolled out the iconic first-gen AirPods, the discussion around these devices has morphed.
At first, our top concerns were sound quality and battery life. Then noise cancellation became a hot topic. After that, attention turned to voice assistants, then features like spatial audio and hi-res audio.
All the while, we took note of whether a product supported wireless charging, multipoint connections, and how rugged it was, based on its IP rating. Want earbuds that can survive immersion in 10 feet of water for up to 30 minutes? You can have that.
In 2024, health and fitness started to take center stage as we saw the first products with heart-rate tracking debut, followed by Apple’s announcement that the AirPods Pro 2 would soon meet the FDA’s criteria for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
In 2025, Her is no longer science fiction.
Wireless earbuds’ design has been evolving, too. In addition to the two classic variants (semi-open and fully sealed), the new open-ear earbuds category gives people a totally transparent way to hear the world around them while enjoying their tunes. Open-ears come in both earhook and ear clip shapes, for a variety of wearing styles.
Charging cases are being given the “smart” treatment with built-in touch screens, and some cases can act as wireless transmitters when you want to plug in to wired audio sources, like airplane seatback entertainment systems. The JBL Tour Pro 3 does both.
Finally, though its adoption is going slower than we had expected, Bluetooth Auracast — with its publicly available broadcasts — is making its way into new wireless earbuds models.
An always-on future
On a parallel track, products like the Ozlo Sleepbuds promise a better night’s sleep. They may not be wireless earbuds in the traditional sense, but it won’t be long before this category merges with more traditional products.
In the prescient 2013 film, Her, a man becomes deeply involved with a feminine-presenting AI. It’s only when he begins to talk to Her via his earbuds that the AI becomes more real to him than his living friends and family.
In 2025, this is no longer science fiction. Wireless earbuds are entering the AI space with real-time translation, and if you have the right earbuds and smartphone combo, you can talk to a large language model (LLM) AI like Google Gemini. Some products, like Ikko’s ActiveBuds, give you on-the-go access to AI, no smartphone required.
In the not-so-distant future, we’ll see wireless earbuds that have built-in electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors — sensors that can detect brain activity. Neurable has already done this with audiophile wireless headphones, and it says that its mental focus-enhancing technology is coming to in-ear products soon.
When EEG, heart rate, hearing aid, and sleep aid features are combined with an always-on voice connection to a leading-edge LLM AI, wireless earbuds will become far more indispensable than they are today. And answering the question, “which are the best wireless earbuds?” will become even harder.
