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David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
Our Picks
Best Apple noise-canceling wireless earbuds
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
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Best new budget wireless earbuds
Earfun Air Pro 3
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Best sports buds for everyday use
Beats Fit Pro
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Best AirPods Pro alternative for less
JBL Live Pro 2
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Best Sony compact mid-range wireless
Sony LinkBuds S
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Best new noise-canceling headphones
Sony WH-1000XM5
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Best premium over-ear headphones for iPhone users
Apple AirPods Max
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New Sennheiser flagship earbuds
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
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The iPhone 12 and newer iPhone models lack a headphone jack, so you'll need to invest in an adapter to use a wired headset with any of Apple's newer models. You don't need to bother with any of that if you opt for an entirely wireless option. The best earbuds for iPhones tend to be wireless anyway, so if you haven't already made the leap, now is a great time to pick up a pair of wireless earbuds.
Apple offers earbuds and headphones under both its own brand and its Beats brand (yes, Apple owns Beats). We've included the AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 2 and Beats Fit Pro on this list, but plenty of non-Apple-branded Bluetooth headphones and earbuds offer a great listening experience and work well with iPhones. They are also compatible with other Apple devices and non-Apple devices, including Android smartphones and tablets.
For those looking for budget AirPods alternatives, we've got a list of the best cheap earbuds and five true wireless earbuds worth buying for under $40.
The new AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are powered by Apple's new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved. Apple says the new AirPods have "double" the noise canceling of the original AirPods Pro. Additionally, the new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you.
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Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important commonality: They're very good value, made more so by frequent discounts. The company's 2023 Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latestQualcomm QCC3071system-on-a-chip with AptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the newLE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).
Lightweight and comfortable to wear (with a good seal) these aren't a huge upgrade over theEarfun Air S, but they are better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling and better battery life; up to seven hours with noise canceling on, according to Earfun.
The Earfun Air 3 delivers strong performance for its modest price, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and "multidevice" connectivity. (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch.) They're IPX5 splash-proof and also work well (although not exceptionally well) as a headset for making calls.
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While the Beats Fit Pro (on sale for $180) technically aren't AirPods, they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensiveStudio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro includes Apple's H1 chip and has most of theAirPods Pro'sfeatures, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted. For some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro.
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Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing exciting enough to write home about. That's finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand's new
The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two buds is battery life; the stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.
Pros:
- Very good sound and a comfortable fit
- Good noise canceling and call quality
- Multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Cons:
- Included ear tips might not get you a tight seal
- Chrome accent on the stem is a bit gaudy
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Pros
- Lightweight, compact design with comfortable fit
- Very good sound and good noise canceling
- Support Sony's LDAC audio codec and Speak-to-Chat feature
Cons
- No wireless charging
- Not great for making calls from noisy areas
Battery Life Rated up to 9 hours
Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
Multipoint No
Headphone Type Wireless Earbuds
Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 -- splash-proof)
Full Review Read full review
Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips that jam in your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor. While their sound and noise canceling don't quite measure up to the XM4s, they're close and cost less. They're the Sony buds for people who can deal with larger buds like the XM4 but want 80 to 85% of those buds' features and performance for $85 less.
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Pros
- Price is right
- Improved sound, voice calling and battery life
- Rock-solid wireless connection
- Auto-pause magnetic buds
- Easy pairing with Apple devices
- Android app for Android users
Cons
- They have wires
- No carrying pouch included
- No official water-resistance (no IPX certification)
- Ear tips don't have integrated wings to lock buds in your ears.
Battery Life Rated up to 12 hours
Noise Canceling No
Multipoint No
Headphone Type Wireless earbuds
Water-Resistant No IP rating
Full Review Read full review
I didn't think I'd ever see a version 2.0 of Beats' once-popular BeatsX neckband-style wireless earphones, but it's arrived with a new name -- the Beats Flex -- and a much-cheaper $50 price tag, which is half of what its predecessor had been selling for.
The Flex instantly becomes an affordable, Apple-friendly wireless alternative to the AirPods, which start around
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Pros
- More refined sound and even better noise canceling
- Slightly more comfortable
- Best-in-class voice call quality
- Robust feature set
Cons
- Higher price tag than the previous model
- Larger carrying case (headphones fold flat but not up)
Battery Life Rated up to 32 hours
Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
Multipoint Yes
Headphone Type Over-ear wireless headphones
Water-Resistant No IP rating
Full Review Read full review
When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. Such is the case for Sony's WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they've improved with each generation. Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, but nothing as dramatic as what it's done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher $400 price tag most of those changes are good, and Sony's made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance as well as even better noise canceling and more refined sound.
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Pros
- Surprisingly comfortable for their weight
- Impressive sound and build-quality
- Adaptive noise canceling is top-notch and so is transparency mode
- Good headset performance for calls
- Spatial audio virtual surround for iPhones and iPads is a sweet bonus feature
- Automatic switching between iOS devices on your iCloud account (multipoint Bluetooth)
Cons
- Expensive, heavy and the smart case may be too smart for its own good
- No cable included for wired use
- Android users lose a couple of key features
- People around you can hear what you're listening to if you have the volume up (they leak some sound)
Battery Life Rated up to 20 hours
Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
Multipoint No
Headphone Type Over-ear wireless headphones
Water-Resistant No IP rating
Full Review Read full review
Yes, they're expensive, but the AirPods Max delivers richer, more detailed sound than lower-priced competitors from Bose and Sony. They also feature arguably the best noise canceling on the market along with premium build quality and Apple's virtual surround spatial audio feature for video watching. While they're heavy, they manage to be surprisingly comfortable, though I did have to adjust the mesh canopy headband to sit a little more forward on my head to get a comfortable secure fit when I was out walking with them. They should fit most heads well, but there will be exceptions.
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The QuietComfort 45 has virtually the same design as its predecessor, theQuietComfort QC35 II, which many people consider one of the most comfortable over-ear headphones, if notthemost comfortable. It has the same drivers, according to Bose, and the buttons are in the same place. There are small but notable changes. First off, these thankfully have USB-C instead of Micro-USB.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there's now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They're similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously.Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
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Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true-wireless earbuds last year. They're also one of the best true-wireless earbuds overall, giving the Sony WF-1000XM4 a run for the money.
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Take one look at the new design of thethird-gen AirPods($179), and the first thing you'll probably think is: "Those look like theAirPods Prowithout ear tips." You wouldn't be wrong. While they're more fraternal than identical twins, the AirPods 3 are shaped like the AirPods Pro, with the same shorter stems and pinch controls as those of the Pro. Aside from the design change, which should fit most ears better than the AirPods 2nd Generation (although not very small ears), the biggest change is to the sound quality: It's much improved. Also, battery life is better, and the AirPods 3 are officially water-resistant.
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More headphone recommendations
- Best Open Wireless Earbuds That Aren't AirPods
- Best Wireless Earbuds and Headphones for Making Calls
- Best Wireless Headphones for Working at Home in 2024
- Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds of 2024
- Best Headphones for Running
- Best On-Ear Headphones for 2024
- Best Workout Headphones in 2024
- Best Over-Ear Headphones of 2024
- Protect Your AirPods: 5 Cases Under $15
- Best Sony Headphones for 2023
