Best wireless earbuds for quality sound and noise cancellation

{{#items}} {{#image}} {{#imgUrl}} {{/imgUrl}}{{^imgUrl}} {{/imgUrl}} {{/image}} {{title}} {{#starRating}} {{/starRating}} {{prettyPrice}} Buy now{{#isExternal}} {{/isExternal}} {{/items}} Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email There was a time when using headphones meant having to be permanently tethered to your phone, constantly untangling cables as you go. But ever since smartphone manufacturers started ditching the headphone jack on their handsets, headphones and earphones have gone wireless. Now, they’re more portable than ever, and in-ear headphones offer the highest level of portability, fitting comfortably inside your pocket. True wireless earbuds, as they’re called when they don’t have any wires at all, are lightweight and often offer great comfort. Some fit so snugly into your ears that they keep the outside world out by a process of noise isolation. Others build on this with electronic help, called active noise cancellation (ANC). Yet more have extra features, such as built-in voice assistants that can answer your questions, send messages and turn up the volume. You’re most likely to use wireless earbuds with your phone, laptop or tablet , and some earbuds are smart enough to switch seamlessly between devices, as you need them to. How we tested We’ve tested the best wireless earbuds for sound quality (above all), comfort, battery life, ease of setup and simplicity of use. We’ve also rated each model according to extra features and, of course, value for money. The best wireless earbuds for 2023 are: Best wireless earbuds overall – Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds: £259, Amazon.co.uk Best noise-cancelling wireless earbuds – Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen wireless earbuds: £239, Amazon.co.uk Best luxury wireless earbuds – Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 wireless earbuds: £349.99, Amazon.co.uk Best wireless earbuds for running – Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds: £199, Amazon.co.uk Best wireless earbuds for sound quality – Bose QuietComfort 2 wireless earbuds: £209.99, Amazon.co.uk We tested for sound quality, comfort, battery life, value, and how easy they were to set up and use The Independent Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed? Sony’s in-ears are astonishingly good, beating all newcomers for sound quality. The latest buds somehow manage to outdo the already splendid WF-1000XM4 (which are now discontinued). The new headphones are 25 per cent smaller and 20 per cent lighter than their predecessors, though the driver is quite a bit bigger, which helps with audio quality. In terms of looks, the new design is as slick and premium as before. A bone conductor sensor knows when you are talking, and can pause the audio as a result – which is great unless you’re singing along to your music, in which case you need to turn this feature, called Speak to Talk, off. Meanwhile new touch controls mean it’s easy to change volume, noise cancellation and more with simple gestures and touches. What really stands out, though, is the sound quality, with a level of deft clarity and forensic detail that makes every part of the music soar, from vocals to mid-range and bass. However, there are other earbuds here with more bass, if that’s your thing. The audio sounds even better with noise-cancelling off, but Sony’s ANC is exceptional, so you’ll probably want to keep it on most of the time. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} The new in-ears from Apple take a successful design and leave it almost intact, but add considerable internal improvements… The small earbuds fit the ear well and stay put securely and there are now four sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure decent sound isolation. In fact, it uses the camera on the iPhone to work out what you can hear best from the way your ear looks and can adjust the audio accordingly. Plus, when you pair them with an iPhone, a near-instantaneous process, the phone can play a sound that tells it if it’s a good fit. A faster chip in the earbuds has also helped improve the sound quality. While the noise-cancelling was already among the very best in any in-ear headphones, it’s noticeably better here. Apple claims it can quell twice as much noise now, and in practice it works brilliantly. The charging case also now comes with Find My capabilities, that is, you can use your iPhone to find it when you misplace it and the case can even make a noise to help you locate it. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} The elegant Pi7 earbuds look spectacular, with gold details and a striking, premium finish. There are three different sizes of ear tips supplied and the buds are comfortable in the ear as you twist them into position. Though the battery life isn’t huge at just four hours, there are another four full charges in the case and a quick charge of 10 minutes is enough for two hours of playback. There’s also a cool extra feature with these earbuds: the case works as a device to retransmit audio. You plug one of the supplied cables into your music source – your laptop, say – and the other into the case, and the audio plays wirelessly from the case to the earbuds. The audio quality is really terrific, with deft clarity and solid power. At this price, we should hope so. Continue reading… £349.99 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Beats is Apple’s headphones brand that isn’t AirPods. It’s known for a bass-heavy sound and while the latest buds are more subtle than some earlier Beats cans, there’s still plenty of bass here. Unlike AirPods, Beats Studio Buds+ are designed to have more advanced features that are compatible for both iPhone and Android users, rather than favouring Apple products. These include quick pairing and auto-switching between devices. The first thing that stands out here is the design. Although it’s not worlds away from earlier Beats in-ears, it adds a head-turning transparent version which is splendid. Other colours are available, including ivory as well as black/gold, plus two just-released colours, cosmic silver and cosmic pink. The design updates include new acoustic vents to reduce pressure on the ears so they can be worn more comfortably for longer. The resulting sound is big and emphatic, rather than gentle or neutral. But overall, they certainly pack a punch. A 5-minute charge gives an hour of playback, too. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Bose’s latest in-ears are pricier than most, but they also sound better than almost every competitive pair of headphones we’ve tested. The noise-cancelling here is astonishing, with the loudest of background sounds silenced effortlessly. The earbuds fit well, thanks to three sizes of ear tip and stability bands, which ensure an effective fit. A tone sounds each time you put them in your ear, as the earbuds calibrate the audio for your ears. As a result, the audio quality here is exceptional across the board, with strong, detailed sound that’s rich and faithful. They are comfortable for extended wearing and easy to use. Expensive, perhaps, but absolutely worth it. Continue reading… £209.99 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Sennheiser’s audio knowledge is strongly implemented in the company’s third-generation in-ear buds, resulting in outstanding audio, with rich clarity for excellent vocals and mid tones, though the bass can dominate a little. Noise cancellation is decent, though not the best out there, but works to subdue background noise well enough. The touch controls on the earbuds – a source of shame on many true-wireless headphones – are great here: straightforward, intuitive and effective. And unlike its predecessor, the new earbuds have a case that supports wireless charging. Continue reading… £185.11 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Samsung’s in-ears have a neat design that fits in the ear, without the stalk or overhang found in many buds. Like AirPods Pro, there’s a useful ear tip fit test so you can be sure you’re getting a snug fit that seals in the music. The Buds 2 pro are lightweight and fit the ear comfortably. Samsung owns audio company AKG, which has tuned these earbuds immaculately, so the sound quality is tremendous. Active noise-cancelling is also strong, though no match for the Bose QC Earbuds II (£239.95, Bose.co.uk ) or AirPods Pro second generation (£249, Apple.com ). It’s worth noting that just as AirPods work best with the iPhone and iPad, you get the most out of these buds with Samsung Galaxy phones or tablets, though they do also work with Apple and Android devices. These Galaxy-only features include 24-bit audio. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Sony’s earbuds can be expensive but are often great – see the overall best buy above. But its latest release is a budget option, so you might expect less stellar results. In fact, the WF-C700N are so good you might wonder if it’s worth spending more. After all, these earbuds include active noise cancelling, which is still rare at this price point. The earbuds are small and light, and come in a charging case which snaps the buds magnetically back in place when you’re done listening. There’s no wireless charging for this case, mind. Also missing are advanced audio codecs for higher-quality sound. Still, these buds sound excellent, with plenty of power matched with subtlety and detail. The noise-cancelling is good, though not as good as the pricier models here. Continue reading… £85.08 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Like Apple’s AirPods Pro, which cost £70 more, the Pixel buds pro have plenty of features, from a wireless charging case to active noise cancelling. There are three sizes of silicone tip and a eartip seal test which plays music to help you ensure you have the right one in place. Fitting is important and these can be fiddly until you learn the knack: rotate after you’ve put it in your ear until there’s a snug seal. There’s no stalk on the buds pro – they sit entirely in your ear. Controls, then, are down to a tap, tap-and-hold or swiping forwards or backwards. This last one controls volume. All are quickly intuitive and work well. Audio quality is good, with plenty of bass but a balanced sound. Noise-cancelling is tremendous, though not quite matching the AirPods Pro (£249, Apple.com ) or Sony WF-1000XM4 (£199, Johnlewis.com ). Choose from four colours: charcoal, which is dark grey, coral (pink), fog (pale blue) and lemongrass, a tasty citrus yellow-green. Though the case is an off-white, whichever you plump for. Continue reading… £149.19 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} The new earbuds from Nothing look very similar to the earlier Nothing ear (1), but there are two big differences. First, the audio has been improved. Second, the cost is a lot more than the launch price of the earlier headphones. That’s because the Nothing ear (1) originally had a £99 price sticker, but that went up, and the new headphones match the increased price of £129. Even so, they still represent good value.  Nothing says it’s been able to put better components in the latest model. The design is very slightly changed, with a flatter lid to the case, for instance, but retaining the transparent earbud stalks and colour-coded dots to make it easy to tell them apart, both for the box and your ears. Noise-cancelling is better this time around and there is support for high-resolution audio codecs, so long as you are listening to music coming from a Nothing, Huawei or Oppo smartphone. There’s also a personalised audio setup, which is useful. The fit in the ear remains comfortable, even for long listening sessions. Continue reading… £122.30 Amazon.co.uk Buy now {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Beats powerbeats pro are highly unlikely to fall out of your ears, even when you’re running full pelt. That’s down to the over-ear hooks, which are secure and comfortable. Although there’s no noise cancellation, the audio here is excellent, partly down to the four different ear-tip sizes that help create a tight seal in the ear. The Beats logo is a button to control music playback or take calls. Beats is known for its proficiency with bass and that’s certainly the case here, though the earbuds are still capable of some subtlety and range. Beats, which is part of Apple, makes the powerbeats pro in six colours: glacier blue, navy, ivory, cloud pink, lava red and black. Continue reading… {{#hasItems}} {{#items}} {{merchant}} {{price}} Buy now {{/items}} {{/hasItems}} Apple’s latest regular earbuds, without ‘pro’ in the title, are a huge step forward over the previous generation (which is still available, at a significantly lower price). But the third-gen model offers a lot more. There’s a complete redesign, with a shorter stem and a more bulbous earpiece, which fits more securely in the ear. Battery life is an hour better, at six hours compared with the second-generation’s five hours. Best of all, it includes the spatial audio also found o