Apple started the trend with AirPods, and now completely wire-free earphones are everywhere. But how do they sound? And are they worth the premium? Here’s what you need to know, including the best true wireless earbuds we’ve tested.
If you think the term “true wireless” sounds like sales jargon, we’re with you. Regardless of whether you call them “true wireless,” “cable-free,” or “wire-free,” the important distinction between these and typical earphones is the complete lack of a cable connecting the earpieces. If you simply want a pair of Bluetooth earphones for exercise and don’t mind a cable connecting the earpieces behind your neck, you can stop reading now and head over to our list of The Best Wireless Headphones. That said, there is something liberating about going completely wire-free. You might notice that the standard AirPods aren’t on this list. While Apple may have popularized the true wireless category, the AirPods have their fair share of shortcomings compared with the competition, particularly Apple’s own AirPods Pro, which we like a lot better. With that in mind, let’s walk through some of the key criteria to consider when shopping for a true wireless pair. On-Ear Controls If there’s one complication many models share in the operation department, it’s that it’s easy to accidentally pause music, skip a track, or summon a voice assistant when you merely meant to take an earpiece out or adjust it slightly. There’s not a lot of real estate on most of the earpieces we’ve tested, and thus much of the outer panel area is devoted to housing controls. Newer models manage to strike a balance between operability and layout. Some use actual tactile buttons to control playback, call management, track navigation, and volume. Some others cleverly divide controls between the two earpieces with touch panels—tapping the left ear, for instance, will skip a track backward, while tapping the right will skip forward. Despite needing to do a little more thinking before you tap, eventually the division of controls between the two earpieces reveals itself to be intuitive. So on-ear control panels are getting more creative and user-friendly, but there’s still a ways to go before they catch up with traditional wireless models. As for Bluetooth pairing, you won’t find an easier pairing process than with the AirPods or the Powerbeats Pro (if you have an iOS device), which essentially do all the work for you the second you turn them on thanks to Apple’s H1 (or older W1) headphone chip.
