{"id":8883,"date":"2021-12-17T15:30:22","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T14:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1253690"},"modified":"2021-12-17T15:57:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T14:57:29","slug":"best-wireless-earbuds-2021","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/best-wireless-earbuds-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Best wireless earbuds 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Matt Breen\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 17 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Since the demise of the headphone jack, earbuds have been the must-have tech accessory. We\u2019ve catered to every budget in this round-up of the very best earbuds with offerings from Sony, Apple, Earfun and more.<\/p>\n

Compact and convenient, earbuds have enjoyed a boom in popularity in the last few years. And while devices like Apple\u2019s Airpods<\/a> have dominated the market in terms of exposure, you\u2019ll find a staggering range of earbuds out there. Most major tech brands have at least one set of signature earbuds out there, including Apple, Samsung and Huawei. Meanwhile, veteran audio brands like Sennheiser, Bose and Skullcandy also all have their own earbud ranges.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the sheer choice of earbuds can make purchasing a pair feel intimidating \u2013 especially since there\u2019s also a dizzying range of prices too. So which pair of wireless earbuds is best for you? And how much should you spend on a reliable pair of earbuds? And will you accidentally throw them into the washing machine at some point?<\/p>\n

We cant help you on that final point, but otherwise, we\u2019ve got it covered. Our experts have put a wide range of earbuds to the test: some brilliant, some bad, and many somewhere in-between. In our round-up below, you\u2019ll find only the very best wireless earbuds \u2013 each inclusion in our list has been tried and tested and put through the same rigorous testing criteria.<\/p>\n

How to choose the best wireless earbuds<\/strong><\/h2>\nWork out how much you\u2019re willing to spend.<\/strong> You\u2019ll find wireless earbuds on the market for as little as \u00a330 and as much as \u00a31,000. But, for a pair of earbuds that deliver an assuredly high-quality level of sound, device compatible and ease of use, we\u2019re going to give you the ball-park figure of \u00a3200. The good news is that you\u2019ll find a wealth of excellent budget-friendly options, and you\u2019ll find a couple of great options in this list for less than \u00a3120. Head to our best budget wireless earbuds<\/a> round-up for a more expansive list.<\/li>\n
Consider the features that are important to you.<\/strong> Audiophiles will likely say that a good pair of earbuds are all about the quality of sound \u2013 but in reality, there\u2019s a host of other features to take into account. Do you want to customise that sound in an app? Do you want noise-cancelling tech (and effective noise-cancelling at that)? Do you need a pair of earbuds that offer high levels of water resistance?<\/li>\n
Keep an eye out for earbuds deals during sales periods.<\/strong> The prices we\u2019ve listed below are all RRP-based figures, but you\u2019ll often find earbuds included in tech and electronic sales. This is especially the case during key sales periods like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday when retailers ruthlessly price-match each other. You\u2019ll find the best offers listed under each of the products in the round-up below.<\/li>\n
Open-minded about colour?<\/strong> To expand on the previous point: a lot of wireless earbuds come in a range of colourways, and you\u2019ll often find that price drops are only applied to specific colours. Yes, it\u2019s rarely the most crowd-pleasing options that have the best discounts \u2013 but if aesthetics aren\u2019t your top priority, make sure you click through each colour option on a product page to see if there are any bargains hidden away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>Best wireless earbuds at a glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s our pick of the best wireless earbuds. Read on for a more in-depth look at each of these excellent-quality devices.<\/p>\n
Best all-round earbuds: <\/strong>Sony WF1000-XM4 \u00a3249.99<\/a><\/li>\n
Best budget earbuds:<\/strong> EarFun Free Pro, \u00a359.99<\/a><\/li>\n
Best ANC earbuds:<\/strong> Jabra Elite 85t, \u00a3219.99<\/a><\/li>\n
Best earbuds for workouts: <\/strong>Beats Powerbeats Pro, \u00a3219.95<\/a><\/li>\n
Best earbuds for sound quality: <\/strong>Grado GT220, \u00a3249<\/a><\/li>\n
Best Apple earbuds:<\/strong> Apple Airpods Pro, \u00a3249<\/a><\/li>\n
Best premium earbuds:<\/strong> Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, \u00a3279<\/a><\/li>\n
Best earbuds for battery life:<\/strong> Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, \u00a399.95<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
The best wireless earbuds in 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s our pick of the best wireless earbuds, which we\u2019ve arranged in price order. Each of the products in the list below has been put to the test by our team of experts.<\/p>\n
Sony WF1000-XM4<\/h3>\n
Best all-round earbuds<\/strong><\/p>\n
$\""Sony\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Amazing sound quality<\/li>\n
Great battery life<\/li>\n
Reliable connectivity<\/li>\n
Good build quality<\/li>\n
IPX4 rating<\/li>\n<\/ul>
Cons:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Only two tip choices<\/li>\n
Lack multipoint pairing facility<\/li>\n
Adaptive sound control frustrates<\/li>\n
Can\u2019t use left earbud on its own<\/li>\n
Expensive<\/li>\n<\/ul>
The Sony WF1000-XM4 are a seriously impressive set of earbuds from Sony, building on the success of their predecessors, the XM3 earbuds.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re expensive but deliver top-notch sound quality, a great fit and impressive noise cancellation. They also pack a fantastic battery, an IPX4 rating and \u2014 ultimately \u2014 they\u2019re a top-notch product, built to a high standard. We loved testing them and recommend them highly if they\u2019re not out of your price bracket.<\/p>\n
Read our full Sony WF1000-XM4 review<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n