The best in-ears of today deliver incredible sound and excellent battery life, often alongside features like active noise cancelling (ANC).
The team of experts here at T3 have spent many hours testing out these products, so we know what we’re talking about when we make recommendations.
We’ve covered a variety of price points here, plus all the key brands, so there’s something in this list for everyone when it comes to choosing ideal new earbuds.
The Best In-Ear Earbuds
The best overall earbuds need to score highly in every category while also being competitively priced – and the Sony WF-1000XM4 absolutely deliver, offering a real treat for your ears.
Looking to shut out the world with your earbuds? Then we recommend the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, with active noise cancelling that excels for such a small pair of buds.
A pair of top-quality earbuds don’t have to break the bank, as the Nothing Ear (2) prove. Despite the low price, they’re stacked with features, and make any audio source sound fantastic.
If you want a pair of earbuds that are going to work seamlessly with Apple devices, then the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are the obvious choice – and bring superior sound to the table.
If audio quality is of paramount importance, then may we suggest the Denon PerL Pro? A quirky design, a high price, but a level of sound that’s difficult to beat in compact earbuds.
You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your earbuds, so why not treat yourself in terms of style and comfort? The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 are our pick for luxury earbuds.
The best earbuds in 2024
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Best earbuds overall
(Image credit: Sony)
Sony’s top-end wireless earbuds are, everything considered, the best earbuds overall you can buy today. They’re a master of all trades, jack of none: slightly better sound and better battery life can be found elsewhere, but this is a winning combination.
As you might expect given the premium quality, they’re not the cheapest you’ve going to come across – but they still give you a whole lot of bang for your buck, and now have multi-point Bluetooth for simultaneous connections to multiple devices.
As we put it in our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review, “there’s nothing better in the world of in-ear headphones right now”. They’re superbly stylish as well as impressing in terms of their audio fidelity, and we also like how they can handle audio calls.
Best earbuds for ANC
(Image credit: Future / Emily Pursel)
Some people prioritise active noise cancellation (ANC) above everything else, and with good reason and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are our winners here: expensive, sure, but excellent at blocking out all outside noise from your ears.
As we put it in our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review, “if you’re in the market for one of the best-sounding pairs of earbuds, these sit in scarce company”. The accompanying app is really well done too, adding to the appeal of the headphones.
It’s hard to find anything to complain about with the build quality, the design, and the comfort of these wireless earbuds either. While we’ve highlighted the ANC in particular here, these are earbuds that score highly in every category as well.
Best budget earbuds
(Image credit: Future / Sam Cross)
The second-gen Nothing earbuds, the Ear (2), knocked the T3 team’s socks off (well, ears off really). Our Nothing Ear (2) review describes these as “everything you need and nothing you don’t”, and they’re a great pick for something more affordable.
We know that Nothing tries to be as fashionable and as innovative as possible, with its phones as well as its earbuds, and admittedly the design might not be to everyone’s tastes – but from our perspective it’s something refreshingly different.
It’s hard to find any faults with these affordable ANC in-ears, unless you don’t particularly enjoy the design, and you get audio quality that’s better than you might expect for the price. You even get in-ear access to ChatGPT, via your phone.
Best earbuds for Apple users
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 come with active noise cancellation and a bunch of other audio-enhancing features that help to give you a more immersive experience compared to your average earbuds – and these extras are really effective, too
Have a peek at our AirPods Pro 2 review and you’ll see we said that “Apple learned from the mistakes of the past and improved their top-performing true wireless earbuds to not only match the competition but, on occasion, surpass it.”
The sound is brilliant, as is the fit in your ears, and the price isn’t bad either. Bear in mind that all AirPods work perfectly well with Android phones and other equipment too, you just get more features when you use them within Apple’s own ecosystem.
Best earbuds for audio quality
(Image credit: Denon)
In our Denon PerL Pro review we said these headphones offered “sound quality that’s out of this world”, which gives you some idea of what we’re dealing with here: earbuds worthy of being our number one picks in the audio quality category.
As well as the astonishing sound, the Denon PerL Pro earbuds also bring with them some helpful personalisation options, superior build quality, and a stylish look – though we suspect their aesthetic isn’t going to fully chime with everyone.
Okay they’re pricey, but the five-star rating that we gave the Denon PerL Pro earbuds is fully justified – and when you pop them in your ears, we think you’ll understand why. Headphones to consider if you want the best quality money can buy.
Best luxury earbuds
(Image credit: Future)
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 earbuds certainly have their drawbacks, but the sound quality and the in-ear comfort is so good you’re probably not going to care much: in terms of a luxury listening experience, you’ll find this pair are difficult to beat.
In our Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 review we described these buds as offering “genuine sonic expertise”, and summed them up as “good-looking, well-made and great-sounding” – and it’s hard to have too many complaints in the light of all that.
We also like the companion app and the user control you get courtesy of each earcap. While the design won’t appeal to everyone, these are likely to be the perfect earbuds for some, and you can get them in a choice of three different colours.
Best earbuds for sports
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
We’ve picked the Jabra Elite 8 Active as the best earbuds for sports at the moment, and that’s down to a number of factors – including the durable, premium-level quality of their construction, and the tight fit offered by these wireless earbuds.
Of course it’s not all about the tough design: these Jabra Elite 8 Active headphones are able to pump out some fantastic-sounding audio as well, complete with noise cancelling. Whether you’re jogging out working out, you’ll love the soundscape.
Read our full Jabra Elite 8 Active review and you’ll see that we described these earbuds as “brilliant workout buds, the most rugged on the market, with excellent sound” – which is quite an advertisement if you’re looking to make a purchase.
Best earbuds without ANC
(Image credit: Future)
If you’re looking to save a little money on this particular purchase, the Sony WF-C500 earbuds might be perfect for you. They’re seriously cheap (and lack ANC), but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on the sound quality coming into your ears.
Not only will your music sound fantastic, but you’ll be able to adjust it to exactly how you like it as well thanks to the preset sound modes and manual equaliser in the app. What’s more, connecting to them is instantaneous and really straightforward.
Take a look at our full Sony WF-C500 review and you’ll see what high regard we hold these earbuds in, and the reasons why. They’re comfortable and secure, perfect for everything from commuting to working out, and fantastic value for money.
Best wired earbuds
(Image credit: Sennheiser)
If you want the ultimate in audio quality and reliability, then wired earbuds remain an option, and the Sennheiser IE600 pair are the absolute ultimate in this category: combining superb sound and superior build quality together in a seamless way.
In our Sennheiser IE600 review, we talked about “uncompromised sound”, and a “deeply impressive” listening experience. Have no doubt about it – it’s impossible not to love the audio on offer here, even if it does come with a high price tag attached.
From the 7mm extra wide-range TrueResponse transducers, to the ZR01 amorphous zirconium material used for the casing, everything is elite and perfectly thought through. They’re good enough to tempt you away from the wireless earbud world.
How we test the best earbuds
At T3 how we test our headphones is beautifully simple: we listen to them. A lot. And not just sitting in the office or in a quiet room. Out in the street. On public transport. On planes. Out shopping. The only way to really test earbuds properly is to find as many different environments as possible to test them in.
That goes for music sources too. We hit every genre of music to make sure we can hear the full breadth of what each pair of buds can offer. Treble, bass, mid tones and EQ all come under an aural microscope to make sure we get the most accurate impression (and helps with testing battery life too).
Finally we also understand that our busy lives mean music is only half of what we expect from our headphones. We spend plenty of time testing call quality, not just in terms of speaker clarity but also making sure that those on the other end can actually hear what we have to say.
How to pick the best earbuds for you
When it comes to picking the best earbuds for you, the good news is that you don’t automatically always have to go for the priciest pair. It’s important to also think about where you want to use your buds. Are they for exercise? Wearing in the office? Or maybe to put the mute into your morning commute?
Dreadful puns aside, if you do want the rest of the world to disappear, you definitely want to invest the extra in a pair of active noise cancelling earbuds, and if you’re a gym bunny you’ll really want something sweat-proof too. You have to think about the factors you’re keen to prioritise.
If you’re shopping for wired or wireless in-ear buds, then you’re looking for something that’s compact and unobtrusive, that can still deliver high-end sound – and we’ve got you well covered here. We’ve also tried to give you a range of prices and designs to weigh up and choose between.
