Best Wireless Earbuds 2021: budget and premium

If you want to know how to spot the best wireless earbuds, this is a guide for you. Wireless earbuds are comfortable, with fantastic sound quality and a long-lasting battery. We have put together a compilation of such wireless earbuds from highly acclaimed brands such as Samsung, Jabra, and Sennheiser that will fit easily in your pocket.

Over recent years, manufacturers have flooded the market with such earphones, but there are only a few which seize the place at the top. Therefore, we have scoured the web and have selected the best from many other available options. We want you to be able to choose the best option that best suits your needs, considering the value of the product and your budget. This is a detailed buyer’s guide on how to navigate through the different options available so that you can find the ideal choice for the best wireless earbuds.

These are for those people who need a pair of comfortable earbuds. Just put them in your ear and turn the bass up and dwell into the world of music. Jabra is probably one of the most competent brands out there. They reflect the needs of their consumers as they are the most experienced in hearing aid. That is primarily the reason why they are so good at it. This product is no exception, as you can feel the Jabra sound signature right in the first few seconds.

Nobody buys earbuds primarily for comfort. It is the sound that matters the most. But you are in for an enjoyable sound as it features a bass-heavy sound signature which is neither too muffled nor tilts towards the treble. The good thing is that you can adjust the equalizer to suit your taste as well. The sound signature is incredible, too, as it has a very smooth mid-range, which doesn’t fade into lows when you hear the lower frequencies. The high frequencies are not too sharp to hurt your ears even during the higher notes.

As far as the battery is concerned, in our tests, it gave us around seven hours of playback, which is excellent considering that the case provides additional charging as well. The case charges through a USB Type-C cable and does so very fast. The opening and closing mechanisms are also very smooth and snappy. You may even get addicted to doing it again and again for no reason at all.

These best wireless earbuds are also water-resistant and dust resistant as well. This means that you will have no problem with sweat or dust accumulating. We also found these earbuds suitable for making calls. They have very transparent voice transmission with the provided quality mic.

Oh, did we mention that they have what they call the transparency mode? Just tap a button, and it will start pulling in all the sounds from the outside world. This is extremely useful when you are running on the road and have to be careful of the traffic. This is done very nicely and has quite a different effect. You hear the clear sound from the inside and sounds from the outside at the same time. This feature also makes it easy to talk to people without removing the earbuds.

With that being said, these are not perfect. If you want to use the mono mode, only the right earbud will work, and it also lacks wireless charging. Jabra has committed to providing wireless charging in the future, but we have to deal with this for now. The base version of these earbuds don’t have active noise cancellation, which means you will have to rely on passive noise cancellation. But you are not going to have any problem as the passive noise cancellation works very well. However, there is a slightly pricier version available with active noise cancellation.

Bottom Line

Many people are well aware of the Jabra brand as it has been in this domain for quite some time. The Elite 75t is a correction of their previous products, which had severe shortcomings relating to the battery timing and size.

These earbuds have addressed those problems as they have a small size and a higher battery life. They have an excellent sound stage with a customizable equalizer regulated through the app. We would say that with this product, Jabra has hit the bullseye.

What Samsung has essentially done is that it has taken all the good from the previous model and improved them as much as possible. The focus of these earbuds seems to be more on comfort and ease of use. At the same time, Samsung has also improved other aspects, such as sound quality and battery life. It has undoubtedly managed to succeed in all of these aspects.

The price of the Galaxy Buds Plus is a little bit higher, but it is worth it. The extra features justify the luxurious price. Consider it just like an extra topping on your pizza. They have an impressive battery life of about ten plus hours and another full charge like that from the case.

It comes in various colors and supports true Qi charging, which is powered by a USB Type-C port. With its Tic Tac shape, it is very easy to get it into your pocket. If you are a podcast addict, these are going to be one of your most precious possessions due to their long battery life.

The side gestures are very sensitive, and you can easily configure them through your phone. Recently, Samsung partnered with Spotify to make things easy for Spotify users. Now, you can play music on Spotify without having to touch your phone. While that appears to be a marketing gimmick, this feature has benefitted me many more times than I can remember.

Regarding the sound quality, I wouldn’t say that it got a massive upgrade. However, the addition of another speaker has undoubtedly helped in improving the difference between the lows and the mids.

They have also focused on improving the sound quality of the microphone. The addition of another microphone has certainly helped in improving the overall sound quality and noise cancellation as well.

We can safely say that these are an incredible upgrade to the original Buds, which some people found horrible for their price. If you are an avid Samsung fan, then you are going to get the same Samsung feel that Samsung users demand.

Bottom Line

These are true wireless earbuds, which are a reincarnation of their previous model. It has a fuller sound, a much better and appealing design, and improved voice quality during the call manifolds.

Before using these buds, I was skeptical about them. While some amount of skepticism is great for critically evaluating any kind of product, this product has got plenty in its defense. First, it is miles ahead of its competition if we look at its price. Second, the manufacturer has looked into every aspect of it very carefully.

If we talk about the sound quality, it is tuned to have more pronounced lows and, therefore, bring out more bass. Furthermore, even though these are bass focused buds, the sound is quite loud and open. It doesn’t feel that you hear from inside a box because the sound stage is very broad. The 10mm drivers bring out the best in these earbuds.

The ANC is quite surprising as we didn’t expect it in something at this price. It is a very handy feature. I would say using it didn’t make me feel any different than using other premium models. These buds are also very effective at fading all the background noise. However, I wouldn’t rely on it too much.

It has excellent sound quality and huge battery runtime. But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies here. The touch controls felt too sensitive, which affects its usability and the overall experience. It also affects the way it interacts with the voice assistant. It is not sweat-resistant, which means that we don’t have any idea how well it can handle long workouts.

Although not common, random cut-outs do happen with these earbuds. Oddly enough, they tend to happen more when in close range than when it is far from the device. Still, the benefits outweigh the shortcomings in a much greater number.

Bottom Line

When you find something that rises high above the expectations and comes at an amazing price, it is always a pleasant experience. I felt the same when I first used these earbuds. While the design may appear like it is copied from AirPods, and some may even mistake it for a cheap clone, I can assure you that it has its own name. The design is, at best, incidental.

Sound quality is what you would expect in some of the best you can find right now with an onboard ANC.

The predecessor to this one delivered excellent sound but struggled to provide good battery life. This model has improved a lot in that aspect, and now it offers incredible sound for a much greater time. You can’t argue with Sennheiser for their audio as they are simply the best, and you shouldn’t be surprised when I tell you that the sound quality hasn’t changed much.

Compared to before, these upgraded earbuds from Sennheiser now lasts for about seven hours. This totals to about 28 hours if we combine the case as well. It charges with a USB Type-C port but does not have wireless charging, which is a huge disappointment.

Although there is no wireless charging, they do have support for ANC, which works excellently. It is highly effective when it comes to noise cancellation. The ambient noise cancellation works well, and it comes very close to delivering almost perfect ANC performance.

It has a very premium and classy feel to it and fits your ears nicely. The overall sound profile is bass oriented, and it is highly pronounced without getting all muffled up. However, I did feel that it fades the mids a bit, but the highs and the lows are well done. If this profile is too bassy for your taste, you can use the smart control app that you can use to adjust the equalizer.

They have a large form factor compared to other earbuds on this list, and it may not appear to have a very natural fit. But since they sound great and last long and are ‘Sennheiser,’ we haven’t got much to complain about.

Bottom Line

When you hear the name, the first thing that comes to your mind is an automatic expectation of something premium. These earbuds meet those expectations. They are no different from their other products in terms of quality and the balanced sound that people know Sennheiser for.

The Momentum True Wireless 2 are among the best sounding buds in this category. They offer the best sound stage in a minimal size, and the sound stage is very broad. They also come with a much bigger battery than the previous models and have superior noise cancellation as well.

ANC is finding its way into making more of these wireless earbuds, and that too at very different price points. It seems like the market for ANC is getting saturated. But nothing seems to be better at it than this model from Sony. They are not exactly the most beautiful pair of earbuds available, but they are extremely good at what they do.

With these earbuds, Sony has decided to keep a neutral profile. These are not too bass-heavy nor have too much treble. Furthermore, they allow you a lot of options to customize it through its custom equalizer. However, I won’t push it too much as it disturbs the default balance that Sony intended for these earbuds. If you push it to bass, they may sound a bit muffled. It allows you to fine-tune it, however. I just keep it simple, though, because I prefer the original sound more as it sounds clearer.

The battery life on these earbuds is excellent. It will give you close to 24 hours of playback with the charging case. As they are truly wireless, they also support ANC. They perform remarkably well, too. Of course, you get the sound reversal system that redirects the ambient sound in from the microphone. This is very good for people who don’t like to remove their earbuds every time they have to listen to someone.

There is a lot I can say about what is good with these earbuds, but the fitting is not suitable for everyone. I like the idea of adaptive sound control, but I think that it needs a little bit more work. Although a bit of sweat may not affect these earbuds, they are not officially water-resistant. You can wear them in light rain but taking them to a swimming pool is a big no.

Bottom Line

Although they are a bit bulky, these earbuds win when it comes to noise cancellation. They have got one of the best noise cancellation systems compared to other buds on the list.

It is not a surprise that Google Pixel Buds work so well on Android. They are much like when you use Apple AirPods with iPhones. Just with one tap, the case opens, and you can easily pair them with almost any kind of Android device without messing with the settings too much. If you are using a Pixel device, the settings for the earbuds are within the phone itself. To make it easier, they have put a companion app in the store to let you access some of the extra features. For example, you can use the “find my buds feature” if you have misplaced them.

Google is known to be very vigilant when it comes to upgrading the software on their devices. Similarly, with these earbuds, they have added new features through their firmware update. The best part of the upgrade is that you can turn off the touch control at your will, which is something rarely found in earbuds. You can do that just by giving a voice command.

Furthermore, you can also use a bass boost toggle to clarify the low ends. I tried that one, and I liked it. I think that they need the bass toggle because it uses the hardware to its max. The sound doesn’t get muffled, and you can hear the low ends very clearly.

When it comes to translation, you cannot beat Google. They were already good at it, but in these earbuds, they have added a transcribe mode to help non-English speakers translate into English. This, in turn, has a reciprocal effect and improves how well it goes for English speakers to translate into other languages. There is another neat feature which is called sharing detection. You can share your earbuds with someone else, and both of you can control your volume individually in this mode.

The biggest reason I will buy the earbuds is how well they integrate with the Google Assistant. You can just activate it by giving a gesture or a voice command. The charging case may appear to be smaller than other earbuds, but it is a perfect size for me. It slips into your pocket nicely and is very handy.

Bottom Line

Google’s Pixel Buds 2020 are a reincarnated version of its predecessor. They are not only a worthy successor but also make you forget about the previous version. They have put particular emphasis on control and comfort, which was severely lacking in the earlier version.

If you are someone who workouts a lot, then these buds from Jaybird are your best option. You won’t get any fancy features like ANC here, but the passive cancellation works quite well on these earbuds. They are carefully crafted with a very smart design that is made to fit most ears.

The seal of these earbuds on your ears is really good. This is an important factor as it decides how well you will perceive the sound without letting any outside ambient interference. If you love a lot of bass, then you are going to love it. The bass has that thump and does not appear to be shallow. This is the default sound signature of the earbuds, but you can always customize it through the equalizer.

In my experience, I found these to be among the best sounding earbuds, or maybe I am just a bass-loving fellow. But let me tell you that even though it has a bassy profile, I didn’t notice any kind of problems with the highs and mids. If you do need to change the profile, you can tinker with the equalizer. You can even create handy presets that allow you to switch to it with just a push of a button. In the already given presets, you will find something for every kind of genre. Just choose what suits you best.

The focal point of these earbuds is water resistance. The level of resistance they provide is good enough for using it during workouts. They have IPX7 certification, which makes them fully sweatproof and waterproof. Jaybird boasts that you can use these in almost any workout or weather conditions. Just make sure you wipe them clean each time you use them.

The battery on these earbuds is also decent but not decent enough as compared to other earbuds. The buds can go for six hours with extra juice of ten hours from the case, which is low if you compare it to the standard. You also don’t get wireless charging either. At this price, I would say that it is a sort of a bargain.

Bottom Line

These are a great pair of earbuds for traditional workouts and outdoor activity. They have been made to withstand rough treatment and are also IPX7 water-resistant. They provide excellent sound quality. Moreover, the companion app that comes with them opens the door to more customization than ever.

These earbuds are exclusively for Apple users, but that is not to say they don’t work on Android. You can also listen to them by pairing them with your Android phone. The only catch here is that it will have limited features. To recognize the true potential of these earbuds, you will have to buy an iPhone. I have a confession to make. I don’t particularly like Apple because their after-sale services can cost you the product itself. Still, I’ve got to give a thumbs up to these buds, primarily because of how good they sound.

Part of that has to do with the active noise cancellation that seals your ears, and you cannot hear what is going on outside. These buds are the best choice for people who want to indulge in their music without getting distracted. It is limited on Android and will give you no autoplay, Google Assistant, or any sort of customization whatsoever.

If we compare the sound quality, they come very close to the Sennheiser Momentum. I think they may not have that much accuracy in the hardware itself, as Sennheiser does. However, the extraordinary noise cancellation has neutralized that, and you can hear each end of the spectrum without any effort.

It has more bass, and the mid-range is very much pronounced. You can see this difference if you compare these earbuds to the regular AirPods. As the sound focuses on the mid-ranges more, the soundstage appears to be a little closer to you, which is excellent for people who won’t hear their music with intricacy.

However, if you want a theatre-like experience, then you are better off with headphones that offer a broad sound stage. We did notice that the highs were a bit lost in the music spectrum, but this uneven profiling may still be beneficial for some genres, if not all of them.

The design is smart enough to give you a comfortable experience. However, unlike other buds, they have a plastic stem protruding out of them, which I don’t prefer. It weighs down your ears and shows that you are wearing something on your ear. The tips fit well and mold themselves according to the contours of your ears.

Now here is another reason why I don’t prefer Apple over other brands – the battery life. These earbuds are not something I would go for as they only give around 4.5 hours of battery backup, with ANC on. The case, however, provides an additional 20 hours of playback time. Considering the price, you would be forgiven for having higher expectations for this product.

Bottom Line

If it’s coming from Apple, it must be something great and exclusively for Apple users. When you first open the case, you instantly get the Apple vibes from it, which give you the feeling of that exclusivity that comes just for Apple users. With active noise cancellation and a bundle of other features, this is a perfect pair of buds for an iPhone user.

Do you see beans? Well, let us not penalize this one simply because of its shape. The no-tip design is for those who want a comfy fit without having to put the tip into their ear canal. I know that the design is a bit unusual, but it is how it is to make it into a universal fit. They have focused on creating something that fits your ears without the tip and putting the driver way back into the earbuds.

These earbuds may be the ones that fit all sizes. While this may still be subjective, the object of doing it is the same. However, I don’t understand the ANC here. Earbuds have some kind of passive noise cancellation that works passively and blocks some of the noise while letting some of it inside. The ANC takes care of the rest. But it’s undeniable that because of its structural limitations, these earbuds won’t provide a good seal on your ears. ANC does not seem to fit here as the design doesn’t have good passive noise cancellation.

However, with that said, they haven’t compromised on the sound quality. To prevent any loss of sound quality, Samsung has boosted its drivers to 12 mm so that they can neutral the deficit of the seal. The earbuds are very pumpy and have a good resonance.

However, I am not a very big fan of the onboard controls as they need some refinement. The Galaxy app allows you to customize presets for the equalizer and also to let some ambient sound in through the microphone when needed.

Now, coming to the battery life, it is somewhat average, and after coupling it with ANC, you can take out about half an hour from the total backup. Depending on how much you use ANC, it will affect your battery life. When you are not using ANC, these earbuds can last for up to eight hours.

I liked the small charging case but not the material. It is a fingerprint magnet. For charging options, you get both the USB Type-C charging and wireless charging as well.

Bottom Line

Galaxy Buds Live are tipless buds that don’t go right into your ear canal and therefore provide a more comfortable fit and a very detailed sound profile. They can also work with other devices as well and have good app support, which lets you customize your music preferences.

These earbuds don’t try too hard to give you the best they can because they are just made to be the beast incarnate. Anker usually focuses much more on the sound quality than anything else, which is something we also see in this pair. It is large, it is bassy, and it has super clear sound and well-pronounced highs, lows, and mids. While they may be large, they are incredibly comfortable in your ears. I did find a little chipping in the mids, but the overall sound quality is fantastic.

However, the large size also means that it may not fit well in all types of ears. Still, you can always use other tips to have a comfortable fit and a much better seal. The seal is essential as it affects passive noise cancellation, which the ANC requires to work correctly. But since this doesn’t have ANC, you are better off focusing on the seal to get the most out of this pair. The wireless codec is aptX, which massively increases the audio quality. It also comes with the HearID equalizer to adjust the sound.

When you settle with a perfect tip that suits you, these buds will feel just right in your ear, and wearing them for more extended periods won’t hurt your ears. While they have outstanding sound quality, we were surprised by how bad the call quality was. It has four microphones, and despite that, we were struggling to get good call quality.

However, we loved the battery life. They can go up to eight hours on a full charge, and the case provides you a hefty 24 hours of additional backup time. So you have got a lot of juice in there. The case is, however, quite large and may not fit all pockets.

Bottom Line

We have put these earbuds on this list for a great many reasons. The best of them is that they are the best sounding earbuds that I have heard so far. They may be a bit large and bulky, but power comes in bigger packs. When you listen to them, you don’t even remember that you have a large pair of earbuds, which is all the more reason to buy them. Both critic and customer reviews also indicate that this is a special product, undoubtedly worthy of consideration.

A friend once told me that Creative is an underrated brand, so I thought of trying this one out, and I was more than amazed by the sound quality considering its price point. However, it is not quite something like a Sennheiser; the market hasn’t got bonkers yet. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles; instead, they have kept it simple. The sound is towards the bassy end of the spectrum, but it doesn’t fade all the other frequencies.

But this sound quality is very much dependant on how well they will fit in your ears. So here is what I found. The tips are small, and the buds are large, which means you may struggle to have a good seal on your ear. The tips are a bit shallow, which means the driver does not go all the way into your ear, but the small size means that the ambient sounds can leak into your ear.

The battery life is, however, one of the greatest we have seen. Did you know that it actually gave a backup of ten hours on full volume? If you add 20 hours from the case, this can provide a total of 30 hours of backup, which is just splendid. Such kind of juice is best for playing for more extended periods.

The codec is also the aptX, which means that it has low latency and exceptional sound quality. They may not be the true LL aptX that is used for gaming. But then it is not meant for gaming either. However, it will give you decent enough results while listening to songs and watching movies.

Bottom Line

Creative Outlier Air was a surprise to us when we tested them. At this price, I guess these earbuds provide the best value for money. The case doesn’t feel like something premium, and it lacks other features, but once you hear these earbuds, you are in for something real.