Whether or not it’s justified or not, Apple’s AirPods have turn out to be the default for many iPhone homeowners available in the market for brand spanking new wireless earbuds. For those who use an Android cellphone, nevertheless, the very best choices aren’t as apparent. For those who’re trying to find a brand new pair your self, permit us to assist: We’ve examined numerous pairs over time, so we’ve damaged down our high suggestions for Android customers beneath. Whether or not you need highly effective noise cancellation, a pair that’ll survive the fitness center or simply one thing that performs good with a Galaxy or Pixel cellphone, listed below are our favourite AirPods alternate options for Android.
Learn our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review
The Sony WF-1000XM5 hit on nearly all the pieces we would like from a premium set of wi-fi earbuds. Their small, rounded design ought to really feel snug and safe in most ears. They’re almost unmatched at muting exterior noise, due to a strong ANC characteristic and reminiscence foam eartips that do a outstanding job of isolating sound passively. They sound nice out of the field, particularly for those who like a hotter profile with elevated bass, however you’ll be able to simply customise the EQ curve by Sony’s app, they usually do properly to attract out treble-range element both approach. They’re additionally loaded with additional options, together with multipoint connectivity, Google Quick Pair, LDAC and spatial audio assist, the power to swap between ANC and ambient sound modes routinely and extra. The wi-fi charging case is conveniently tiny, whereas the eight- to 12-hour battery life provides little to complain about.
Nonetheless, the XM5s nonetheless aren’t a complete slam dunk. The built-in mics aren’t the clearest for cellphone calls. The IPX4 water-resistance score may very well be increased. Some individuals may discover the reminiscence foam eartips a little bit too full-feeling. In addition they price $300, which is way from reasonably priced. However no different wi-fi earbuds we’ve examined have managed to tick so many packing containers.
- Robust, customizable audio high quality
- Needs to be snug to most
- A great deal of helpful bonus options
- Costly
- Reminiscence foam eartips aren’t for everybody
- No battery life enchancment over predecessor
Learn our information to the best budget wireless earbuds
For those who don’t have lots of to spend, our favourite wi-fi earbuds within the funds bracket are the Anker Soundcore Space A40. Continuously priced within the $50 to $60 vary, this pair has the sort of options we’d count on from earbuds that price twice as a lot: genuinely highly effective ANC, multipoint connectivity, wi-fi charging, a strong eight to 10 hours of battery life, LDAC assist, first rate (if not nice) IPX4 water resistance and a usable ambient sound mode. They don’t have probably the most resolving or detail-rich sound of the field, unsurprisingly, however their heat profile affords nice, thumpy bass with out completely blowing out the low-end. If you wish to add extra treble presence, you’ll be able to customise the EQ by a clear and easy-to-read companion app. The precise earpieces are small, spherical and comfy as properly.
The primary trade-off is name high quality, because the built-in mic can lose your voice in noisy environments and doesn’t deal with sibilant sounds very properly. There’s no put on detection both, so your music gained’t auto-pause once you take away an earbud. In addition they don’t assist Google’s Quick Pair tech, although the earbuds ought to bear in mind your machine and routinely reconnect after you pair them for the primary time. However for the worth, it’s laborious to complain.
- Wonderful ANC for the worth
- Heat, nice sound
- Comfy and compact
- Good battery life
- No automated put on detection
- Mediocre name high quality
- Does not sound as detailed as higher-end choices (as anticipated)
Figuring out which set of headphones has the “greatest” audio high quality is at all times a idiot’s errand — on the finish of the day, it’ll come down to non-public style. But when we needed to choose one pair we’ve significantly loved for music, we’d go along with the . They’ve a barely heat however detailed and welcoming sound profile out of the field, the sort that performs properly with hottest music instantly. There’s a little bit additional emphasis on the low-end, however the bass is well-controlled on the entire, whereas a largely impartial midrange makes the instrumentation on most tracks come by clearly. The treble is a bit underemphasized, so vocals or cymbals might not at all times sound as vivid as some would really like, but it surely’s clean. On the whole, the laid-back-ness of the default tuning makes it simple to tweak in Sennheiser’s app. This pair additionally helps hi-res codecs like aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive, which may also help it reproduce some finer particulars with the suitable music recordsdata.
Past that, Sennheiser’s earbuds are well-built and IP54-rated, plus they’ll join to 2 units concurrently. Battery life can also be aggressive at roughly seven or eight hours per cost. That stated, the adaptive ANC, whereas good, isn’t on the extent of the Sony WF-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds. Name high quality isn’t as clear as Sony’s pair both, and the design might really feel cumbersome if in case you have smaller ears. There’s additionally no Google Quick Pair assist. With an MSRP of $300, they aren’t low cost, however for those who like a little bit of bass and care about audio high quality above all else, the Momentum is an efficient premium different to our high choose.
- Detailed, easy-to-enjoy sound high quality
- Helps hi-res audio codecs
- Stable battery life
- ANC is not on par with Sony WF-1000XM5
- Dear
- No spatial audio
Learn our full Beats Fit Pro review
Most of our picks above will work simply advantageous within the fitness center, however for those who’re shopping for a pair for exercises initially, strive the Beats Fit Pro. Sure, we’re recommending a set of Apple-made earbuds in an Android shopping for information. However whereas they work greatest with iPhones, most of their AirPods-style options are additionally accessible on Android by the Beats app. You may pair them with one faucet by a pop-up card, view a map with their final recognized location, swap between ANC and ambient sound modes from the house display screen, remap controls and verify their battery stage from the notification tray. There’s no hi-res codec assist, however basically the drop-off from iOS to Android isn’t almost as nice right here as it’s with AirPods.
The primary cause we suggest the Match Professional is their light-weight design, which is supplied with flexible silicone fins that maintain the earbuds safe in place when you’re shifting round. Their IPX4 water-resistance score isn’t the very best, but it surely ought to be sufficient for all however the sweatiest gymgoers. (Simply don’t use them within the pool.) We additionally like that the Match Professional makes use of bodily buttons to regulate quantity or skip tracks, since contact controls can really feel finicky once you’re attempting to maintain up with a exercise. Their punchy sound is well-suited to the fitness center as properly, with a noticeable however not overwhelming push within the bass and treble. It’s not one for purists, but it surely’s energetic.
For those who aren’t particularly on the lookout for exercise earbuds, you’ll be able to nonetheless do higher. The Match Professional lack wi-fi charging and multipoint connectivity, and there’s no technique to customise the EQ for those who don’t just like the default sound. Their built-in mics aren’t something particular for cellphone calls, and the five- to six-hour battery life is on the sting of satisfactory. The charging case is considerably giant as properly. Plus, whereas the ANC mode is beneficial sufficient for tamping down the noise of a fitness center, it’s a transparent step down from the very best choices available on the market.
- Safe design for exercises
- Punchy sound is well-suited to the fitness center
- Bodily management buttons
- No wi-fi charging or multipoint connectivity
- Battery life is simply OK
- ANC is not advantageous however nothing particular
Learn our full Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are explicitly designed to work in concord with different Pixel units, in order that they’re value contemplating for those who’re a devoted fan of Google’s telephones. They arrive with a number of helpful bonus options, from remote ringing and a “conversation detection” mode to a customizable EQ and automatic switching between units paired to your Google account. (You additionally get hands-free entry to Google’s Gemini AI bot, although we wouldn’t name that important.) You may nonetheless entry a lot of the Pixel Buds’ perks on different Android units by downloading a separate app, however the entire performance is baked into Pixel telephones natively. This implies you’ll be able to handle the earbuds, verify battery standing and the like proper out of your machine’s settings menus. It’s much like how Apple integrates AirPods with iOS.
The earbuds themselves are completely competent past that, with a tiny but snug design, first rate ANC for the worth, eight-ish hours of battery life, sufficient name high quality and an pleasant sound with punchy bass and prolonged treble. That stated, you’ll nonetheless get richer audio high quality and extra sturdy noise cancellation from our Sony and Sennheiser picks above, so those that aren’t all-in on Google {hardware} can be at liberty to look elsewhere.
- Tight integration with Pixel telephones
- Tiny, cozy design
- Agreeable sound
- Smaller contact panels require precision
- ANC is not on par with Sony WF-1000XM5
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review
Alongside these strains, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are to Galaxy telephones what the Pixel Buds Professional 2 are to Pixel telephones. Utilizing them with a Samsung handset unlocks a couple of ecosystem-specific perks, together with the hi-res Samsung Seamless codec, a real-time translation instrument and a “Recreation Mode” that reduces latency. That’s on high of options like spatial audio, a graphic EQ, a misplaced machine finder, adaptive ANC, simplified voice instructions and automated switching between Samsung units.
This sort of walled backyard strategy is irritating; bear in mind when you might plug your headphones into any machine and it’d work the identical approach each time? However, as with the Pixel Buds and AirPods, the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional are undeniably handy for those who’ve already purchased into their chosen platform.
The remainder of the bundle will get extra proper than flawed, although there are some points value calling out. The stem-style design just about rips off the AirPods Professional — that is significantly evident with the white end — however provides bizarre, pointless LED strips down the stems. It’s snug, however Samsung isn’t beating the copycat allegations right here. The ANC isn’t on par with the Sony XM5s both, and the six-hour battery life is shorter than many different premium pairs. There’s additionally no hi-res codec assist with non-Samsung telephones. On the plus facet, the ambient sound mode works properly. And most significantly, these items sound glorious out of the field, with full, meaty bass complemented by amply detailed highs and upper-mids.
It’s value noting that Samsung froze shipments of the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional proper round launch attributable to high quality management issues (primarily concerning the inventory eartips), however these look to have been resolved, and we haven’t seen something out of the peculiar with our assessment unit.
- Tight integration with Samsung telephones
- Nice audio high quality
- Cozy match
- Pure ambient sound
- Want a Samsung cellphone to get probably the most out of them
- Battery life is shorter than some rivals
- Copycat design with gimmicky LED lights
What to search for in wi-fi earbuds for Android units
For probably the most half, the options you need from a set of “Android earbuds” are the identical as what you need from any headphones. Pleasing sound high quality, a cushty match and enough battery life are nonetheless the foundations. Sufficient water resistance is sweet for exercises, and no one desires a crummy mic for making calls. When you strategy the $100 vary, options like energetic noise cancellation (ANC), wi-fi charging, an ambient sound mode (which helps you to higher hear exterior noise with out turning off your music) and multipoint connectivity (the power to pair with a number of units concurrently) ought to be anticipated.
For Android units particularly, there are a couple of extras to contemplate. A devoted app that makes it simple to change sound modes, customise the audio profile, find your earbuds in the event that they ever get misplaced or alter different settings is strongly most well-liked. Options like Google Fast Pair or NFC-based pairing, which may also help you keep away from having to dig by your Bluetooth menu to attach your earbuds for the primary time, are additionally good perks. Some Android units also can make the most of higher-quality Bluetooth codecs reminiscent of aptX Adaptive or Sony’s LDAC — these aren’t almost as necessary to audio high quality because the precise structure of your earbuds, however they may also help wring out a little bit extra element if the buds are succesful sufficient and also you’re streaming lossless recordsdata. AptX Adaptive also can assist cut back latency, which is sweet for streaming video or gaming.
Range is Android’s best power, but it surely additionally implies that some wi-fi earbuds play nicer with sure units, sometimes these made by the identical firm. Current Samsung earbuds, as an example, include a couple of perks which might be solely accessible for those who use a Galaxy cellphone. We’ve got a few suggestions associated to this concept above.
Current updates
December 2024: We’ve frivolously edited this information for readability and ensured that our present picks are nonetheless correct.
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