The 8 Best Earbuds of 2025

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 shine in the "Best Overall" category, thanks to a wealth of impressive features that redefine personal audio experiences. Their intelligent noise control system steals the spotlight, with active noise cancellation that effectively erases background disturbances, while adaptive audio balances environmental sounds seamlessly, ensuring the best auditory experience. The inclusion of personalized spatial audio, paired with dynamic head tracking, ensures that listeners are enveloped in immersive sound tailored to each unique ear shape.

Their improved sound quality, courtesy of the Apple-designed H2 chip, delivers clear, crisp notes alongside rich bass, making music and calls vibrantly lively. The earbuds also score high on comfort, with four sizes of silicone tips that ensure a snug fit for different ear shapes.

While their battery life is solid—up to six hours with noise cancellation—the standout is the charging case's reliability, offering multiple charging options and robust resistance to dust, sweat, and water. This synergy of innovation and usability secures the AirPods Pro 2's top spot in performance rankings.

For Android users seeking an exceptional audio experience, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro undoubtedly shine. These earbuds offer a sleek and refined design that prioritizes comfort, ensuring they stay securely in place even during extended use. The standout feature is their Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, powered by Galaxy AI, which intelligently adjusts to your surroundings. This ensures you’re immersed in your favorite tunes without losing touch with what’s happening around you.

Additionally, the Adaptive Equalizer customizes sound output, tailoring audio uniquely to how you wear the buds. It's a level of personalization that makes every listening session feel tailor-made. Another intriguing feature is the Real-Time Interpreter, which allows you to hear translations directly through the earbuds—perfect for multilingual environments.

While the touch controls are accurately named ‘intuitive,’ offering a seamless way to manage playlists and calls, the average battery life is something to consider if you're frequently on the go. Nonetheless, the exclusive 2-year Samsung warranty provides added peace of mind. These features collectively make the Galaxy Buds3 Pro perfect for any Android enthusiast.

The Beats Fit Pro shines in the 'Best For Workouts' category, thanks to its thoughtful design and robust feature set. With flexible, secure-fit wingtips, these earbuds offer all-day comfort and stability, crucial for an active lifestyle. The custom acoustic platform delivers a powerful, balanced sound that amplifies your favorite workout tracks, while Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking immerses you in your music, making those intense sessions more enjoyable.

Adapting seamlessly to your environment, these earbuds offer three listening modes, including Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency Mode, which allow you to tailor the sound experience precisely. Enhanced by the Apple H1 chip, they support Automatic Switching and Audio Sharing, seamlessly integrating with your existing Apple devices.

They are sweat and water-resistant, boasting an Industry-leading Class 1 Bluetooth for a strong connection, ensuring you can move freely without concern for audio dropouts. However, with up to 6 hours of listening time, complemented by a cumulative 24 hours with the charging case, the battery life is decent, though not exceptional. Overall, the Beats Fit Pro provides an excellent companion for workouts, blending comfort, functionality, and sound quality.

When it comes to gaming headphones, the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless is a standout contender in the 'Best For Gaming' category, offering a blend of cutting-edge technology and stylish design. These headphones boast dual-mode wireless connectivity, providing unmatched versatility with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz options. This flexibility ensures stable connectivity whether you're on the go or at your gaming station.

One of the highlights is the ROG SpeedNova wireless technology, which ensures ultra-low latency audio and reliable connections, keeping you in sync with the action on screen. The high-resolution audio, enriched by Dirac OpteoTM technology, immerses you in realistic, detailed soundscapes. The inclusion of Bone-Conduction AI Microphones guarantees precise voice pick-up for clear communication during intense multiplayer sessions.

Adaptive ANC technology intelligently adjusts to your surroundings, providing immersive sound without distractions. While the battery life of up to 46 hours is impressive, and fast in-case charging adds convenience, the RGB lighting is a nice touch for those who enjoy a personal flair. These attributes combine to create a formidable gaming headphone choice, even if some features, like the hybrid multipoint connectivity, are more standard.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds stand out in the Best Noise Cancellation category, largely due to their advanced noise-canceling technology. These earbuds offer an immersive sound experience, making it easy to escape into your favorite music or podcasts. The AI-based noise reduction algorithm combined with a bone conduction sensor ensures that call quality is crisp, cutting through ambient noise seamlessly.

The smart features, which adapt to your environment, provide a customized listening encounter, enhancing convenience and user experience. A notable strength is the battery life; up to 8 hours of use, extending to 24 hours with the charging case, and quick charging keep you going without frequent pauses for power.

These qualities, along with their eco-friendly design using recycled materials, make the WF-1000XM5 a top pick for those looking to combine performance with sustainability. While the design may not be groundbreaking, the focus on functionality and sound quality is what truly elevates them in this category.

Sennheiser's MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 truly shines in the realm of sound quality, thanks to its sophisticated TrueResponse transducer system paired with lossless audio technology. This combination ensures an audio experience that is lush, robust, and intricately detailed, captivating audiophiles and casual listeners alike. The future-forward embrace of LE Audio and Auracast promises cutting-edge audio streaming capabilities, elevating how we enjoy wireless sound.

One standout feature is its adaptive ANC and Anti-Wind Mode, which shields listeners from external interruptions, while the switchable Transparency Mode offers a seamless transition to awareness when needed. The earphones are designed for comfort, boasting soft silicone tips that make lengthy listening sessions enjoyable. Battery life is exceptional, too, offering up to 30 hours of playtime, complemented by rapid charging for those on-the-go moments.

On a minor note, while the customization and connectivity features are impressive, they rely on a firmware update. However, this does little to diminish the superb auditory performance that defines the MOMENTUM True Wireless 4.

When it comes to battery life, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 really shines, offering extended listening sessions that can satisfy even the most demanding users. The efficient power management, courtesy of the innovative Tensor A1 chip, ensures these earbuds keep you immersed in your tunes for longer periods without constant recharging. This means more freedom whether you’re on the go or settling into a long work session.

In addition to their impressive battery stamina, the intelligent Conversation Detection mode is a delightful feature, pausing your music seamlessly when you start speaking, enhancing the overall user experience without excessive energy drain. While the battery performance is outstanding, other features like Active Noise Cancellation and superior sound quality powered by 11mm drivers complement the earbuds, though they remain secondary to the long-lasting power. Altogether, Pixel Buds Pro 2 not only offer exceptional convenience and comfort but also the battery robustness to back it up.

The Soundcore Life P3i certainly packs a punch in the budget-friendly category, offering features that seem almost luxurious given its price range. Right off the bat, the hybrid active noise cancelling is a game-changer. With three microphones on each earbud, it significantly reduces ambient noise, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in music, just like its impressive user base of over 20 million people seems to appreciate.

Clear communication is another strong suit of these earbuds. Thanks to six microphones and an AI algorithm that hones in on your voice, calls made on the go come through loud and clear. Music enthusiasts will particularly enjoy the punchy bass delivered by the 10mm drivers, enhanced by the option to customize sound profiles in the Soundcore app.

Battery life is more than satisfactory, with up to 10 hours on a single charge, extending to 40 hours when using the case. While this might not be uncommon, the quick charge ability, offering 2 hours of playback from just a 10-minute charge, is quite remarkable. Overall, the Life P3i is an impressive contender, providing a lot of value for its cost.