You really want app support: They do amazing things without a companion app (on-ear volume control, EQ, etc.) but if you want a visual cue of their battery life, no dice. You own an iPhone: For a seamless experience within Apple's ecosystem, you need to be looking to earbuds that offer a dedicated app for iOS. These earbuds immediately impressed us during our testing. In our review, we wrote, “there’s vigor and enthusiasm to their presentation, but it’s tempered by unarguable control.” Listening to Kate Bush’s Lake Tahoe, the ability of the WF-1000XM4 to identify and incorporate the tiniest details or the most fleeting transients into a much broader picture was obvious. You really want app support: These buds do well without a companion app, but if you prefer a visual cue you won't find it here. The Jabra Elite 7 Active buds are similar to the regular Elite 7 Pro buds, but there are a few things that set the Active version apart, including a marginally lower price, as well as a rubberized coating on the buds, which means they’re more secure during intensive workouts. They also have an IP57 rating, too, which means they're dustproof and waterproof up to one meter, so sweaty workouts aren't a problem either.

The best earbuds 2023: top buds for all budgets | TechRadar The best earbuds 2023: top buds for all budgets | TechRadar

Voices should be natural, instruments should stand out from each other, and there should be a good sound balance overall between bass, mid-range and treble.You're looking to save money: With so many brilliant budget earbuds out there, these are perhaps an unnecessary expense. But they are a perfect 'big present'. The price of the Technics EAH-AZ80 is that of a premium product, for sure – but happily, so is the specification. There are some disappointments here, but overall these are a pair of buds that deliver excellent sound quality and a fantastic fit. All of the the affordable earbuds in this list come with our recommendation, but often you do get what you pay for in terms of connectivity, build and noise cancellation.

Pixel Buds A-Series review: Google’s cheaper but good earbuds Pixel Buds A-Series review: Google’s cheaper but good earbuds

An excellent value pair of in-ear buds for those who don't like the idea of going true wireless. The audio performance on offer here is lush and the build quality is hard to beat at this price.IP certification: This denotes the earbuds’ ability to resist the ingress of dust and sweat/water, with the two digits after “IP” referring to each, respectively. IPX4, for example, means that the buds aren’t dust resistant, as shown by the “X”, but are resistant to splashing water, as shown by the “4”. These buds would therefore not be ideal for taking to the beach, where wayward sand is prone to get everywhere, but are fine for jogging or a trip to the gym, and they can withstand the UK’s wet weather. It’s amazing what the best wireless earbuds are capable of thanks to advancements in Bluetooth, noise-cancelling, microphone and audio driver technology. You want a pair of wired earphones: Whether you're worried you'll lose true wireless or you don't like the feeling of big and bulky over-ears, it's good to have the option. Hunting for a pair of buds that look refreshingly different? These affordable Audio-Technica earbuds sound excellent for the price, although you won't find ANC here.

Best wireless earbuds 2023, tried and tested | The Independent

This depends on the earbuds in question, but most of the time, yes. Many wireless earbuds operate in a master-slave relationship, whereby the driver in one bud (the master) receives audio before relaying it to the slave. In cases such as this, you can only use the master earbud while the slave is in the charging case. Other earbuds are less fussy and allow both buds to be used independently at any time. Is the Bluetooth version important? You don't have an iPhone: If you're in the Android world, you won't get as much benefit from these headphones (although it's not as bad as previously). For example, if you like fairly quiet music and want to listen on the bus or train, you'll need effective noise cancellation.Can the Sony WF-C700N be bettered by rivals? Absolutely, but not for this money. You'll have to set your sights much farther up the food chain if you want to beat this suite of features and sound quality. For features, design and most-importantly sound quality, these cannot be bettered for this price, which makes them excellent value in our books. Touch controls are employed strategically to maximise functionality – adjusting volume, for instance, is achieved by sliding a finger up or down either earbud rather than using double or triple taps. Rounding out an impressive list of features are effective wear detection and active noise cancellation. The latter, in particular, is very good for the price and puts a significant dent in external sound. As always with Apple products, these buds are best suited to iPhone users thanks to unique features such as Dolby Atmos spatial audio, Find My support and auto-switching between devices. And the price is even relatively low compared to premium options such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (further down this list).

Best cheap wireless earbuds 2023: Enjoy wire-free audio from Best cheap wireless earbuds 2023: Enjoy wire-free audio from

Their ability in the latter department is aided by the inclusion of active noise cancellation, of which there are six levels, an IPX4 rating certifies them water resistant and a fleshed-out companion app lets you customise your experience to a pleasing degree. On the audio front, the Tune Flex offer a warm, engaging sound signature that lends itself well to mainstream pop music, while call quality is another of their strong suits. Want a pair of buds with out of this world sound and unique features for Samsung phones? These boast 24-bit high-res audio and are a dream for Galaxy owners.

Audio quality is excellent for the money and can be personalised using a very effective graphic equaliser found in the Sony Headphones Connect app. And those who are easily frustrated by touch controls will find the WF-C500 particularly appealing as they ditch touch-sensitive surfaces and incorporate depressible buttons instead. The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus earbuds have a helpful app, easy-to-use controls and boast excellent connectivity. There’s no noise cancellation on offer here, but the sound isolation is very good, provided you find a good fit with the eartips included in the box. In any case, when we had music playing, we couldn’t hear much of our surroundings. The EarFun Air Pro 3 buds may not look special but they're a great pair of all-rounders. They bring you a good nine hours of battery life with an additional 36 from the case. There's also multipoint pairing on offer and some next-gen features that we couldn’t test yet for our review, but may soon make these buds even more special, including support for the highly-anticipatedBluetooth LE Audiotech. They’re not the cheapest buds, but because Sony has combined performance, ergonomics and build quality so effectively, we think they’re excellent value. Other true wireless earbuds may surpass the Sony WF-1000XM4s in particular areas – like noise cancellation – but they don’t offer excellent quality across the board. This is even the case after the release of the newer Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which are fantastic, but we still rate the XM4s as the best all-rounders. Key specs – Built-in microphone and music control buttons: Yes; Battery life: 27 hours; Connections: Bluetooth 5.2; Weight: 4g per earbud, 37g charging case; IP rating: IPX5