Whether or not it’s justified or not, Apple’s AirPods have turn out to be the default for many iPhone house owners available in the market for brand spanking new wi-fi earbuds. If you happen to use an Android cellphone, nevertheless, the most effective choices aren’t as apparent. If you happen to’re attempting to find a brand new pair your self, enable us to assist: We’ve examined numerous pairs through the years, so we’ve damaged down our prime 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 here are our favourite AirPods options for Android.
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Sony WF-1000XM5 evaluate
The Sony WF-1000XM5 hit on nearly the whole lot we wish from a premium set of wi-fi earbuds. Their small, rounded design ought to really feel snug and safe in most ears. They’re practically unmatched at muting exterior noise, due to a strong ANC function and reminiscence foam eartips that do a exceptional job of isolating sound passively. They sound nice out of the field, particularly in case you like a hotter profile with elevated bass, however you’ll be able to simply customise the EQ curve via Sony’s app, and so they do properly to attract out treble-range element both manner. They’re additionally loaded with further options, together with multipoint connectivity, Google Quick Pair, LDAC and spatial audio assist, the flexibility 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 offers little to complain about.
Nonetheless, the XM5s nonetheless aren’t a whole slam dunk. The built-in mics aren’t the clearest for cellphone calls. The IPX4 water-resistance score may very well be larger. Some folks would possibly discover the reminiscence foam eartips somewhat too full-feeling. In addition they value $300, which is much from reasonably priced. However no different wi-fi earbuds we’ve examined have managed to tick so many bins.
- Robust, customizable audio high quality
- Must 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
$198 at Adorama
Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Learn our information to the greatest funds wi-fi earbuds
If you happen to don’t have tons of to spend, our favourite wi-fi earbuds within the funds bracket are the Anker Soundcore House A40. Ceaselessly priced within the $50 to $60 vary, this pair has the form of options we’d anticipate from earbuds that value twice as a lot: genuinely highly effective ANC, multipoint connectivity, wi-fi charging, a stable 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 essentially the most resolving or detail-rich sound of the field, unsurprisingly, however their heat profile presents 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 via 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 received’t auto-pause while 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 gadget and routinely reconnect after you pair them for the primary time. However for the worth, it’s exhausting to complain.
- Wonderful ANC for the worth
- Heat, nice sound
- Snug and compact
- Good battery life
- No computerized put on detection
- Mediocre name high quality
- Does not sound as detailed as higher-end choices (as anticipated)
$45 at Amazon
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full
Figuring out which set of headphones has the “greatest” audio high quality is all the time a idiot’s errand — on the finish of the day, it’ll come down to private style. But when we needed to decide one pair we’ve notably loved for music, we’d go together 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 straight away. There’s somewhat further emphasis on the low-end, however the bass is well-controlled on the entire, whereas a principally impartial midrange makes the instrumentation on most tracks come via clearly. The treble is a bit underemphasized, so vocals or cymbals could not all the time sound as brilliant as some would love, however it’s clean. On the whole, the laid-back-ness of the default tuning makes it straightforward to tweak in Sennheiser’s app. This pair additionally helps hi-res codecs like aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive, which may help it reproduce some finer particulars with the suitable music information.
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 could really feel cumbersome when you have smaller ears. There’s additionally no Google Quick Pair assist. With an MSRP of $300, they aren’t low-cost, however in case you like a little bit of bass and care about audio high quality above all else, the Momentum is an effective premium various to our prime decide.
- Detailed, easy-to-enjoy sound high quality
- Helps hi-res audio codecs
- Strong battery life
- ANC is not on par with Sony WF-1000XM5
- Dear
- No spatial audio
$250 at Amazon
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Beats Match Professional evaluate
Most of our picks above will work simply fantastic within the fitness center, however in case you’re shopping for a pair for exercises before everything, attempt the Beats Match Professional. 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 via the Beats app. You possibly can pair them with one faucet via 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 degree from the notification tray. There’s no hi-res codec assist, however usually the drop-off from iOS to Android isn’t practically as nice right here as it’s with AirPods.
The primary cause we suggest the Match Professional is their light-weight design, which is provided with flexible silicone fins that hold the earbuds safe in place when you’re shifting round. Their IPX4 water-resistance score isn’t the most effective, however it 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 while you’re making an attempt 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, however it’s energetic.
If you happen to 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 strategy to customise the EQ in case you 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 most effective 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 fantastic however nothing particular
$124 at Amazon
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Google Pixel Buds Professional 2 evaluate
The Pixel Buds Professional 2 are explicitly designed to work in concord with different Pixel units, in order that they’re value contemplating in case you’re a devoted fan of Google’s telephones. They arrive with a bunch of helpful bonus options, from distant ringing and a “dialog detection” mode to a customizable EQ and computerized 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 possibly can 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 gadget’s settings menus. It’s just 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 gratifying sound with punchy bass and prolonged treble. That stated, you’ll nonetheless get richer audio high quality and extra strong 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, comfortable design
- Agreeable sound
- Smaller contact panels require precision
- ANC is not on par with Sony WF-1000XM5
$199 at Amazon
Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional evaluate
Alongside these traces, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional are to Galaxy telephones what the Pixel Buds Professional 2 are to Pixel telephones. Utilizing them with a Samsung handset unlocks just a few 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 prime of options like spatial audio, a graphic EQ, a misplaced gadget finder, adaptive ANC, simplified voice instructions and computerized switching between Samsung units.
This type of walled backyard strategy is irritating; bear in mind when you possibly can plug your headphones into any gadget and it’d work the identical manner each time? However, as with the Pixel Buds and AirPods, the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional are undeniably handy in case you’ve already purchased into their chosen platform.
The remainder of the bundle will get extra proper than fallacious, although there are some points value calling out. The stem-style design just about rips off the AirPods Professional — that is notably 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 aspect, 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 because of high quality management considerations (primarily relating to the inventory eartips), however these look to have been resolved, and we haven’t seen something out of the abnormal with our evaluate unit.
- Tight integration with Samsung telephones
- Nice audio high quality
- Cozy match
- Pure ambient sound
- Want a Samsung cellphone to get essentially the most out of them
- Battery life is shorter than some rivals
- Copycat design with gimmicky LED lights
$190 at Amazon
What to search for in wi-fi earbuds for Android units
For essentially 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 snug match and ample battery life are nonetheless the foundations. Ample water resistance is sweet for exercises, and no one desires a crummy mic for making calls. When you strategy the $100 vary, options like lively 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 flexibility to pair with a number of units concurrently) ought to be anticipated.
For Android units particularly, there are just a few extras to contemplate. A devoted app that makes it straightforward to modify sound modes, customise the audio profile, find your earbuds in the event that they ever get misplaced or alter different settings is strongly most popular. Options like Google Quick Pair or NFC-based pairing, which may help you keep away from having to dig via your Bluetooth menu to attach your earbuds for the primary time, are additionally good perks. Some Android units may make the most of higher-quality Bluetooth codecs corresponding to aptX Adaptive or Sony’s LDAC — these aren’t practically as necessary to audio high quality because the precise structure of your earbuds, however they may help wring out somewhat extra element if the buds are succesful sufficient and also you’re streaming lossless information. AptX Adaptive may assist scale back latency, which is sweet for streaming video or gaming.
Variety is Android’s best energy, however it additionally implies that some wi-fi earbuds play nicer with sure units, usually these made by the identical firm. Current Samsung earbuds, for example, include just a few perks which can be solely accessible in case you use a Galaxy cellphone. Now we have 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.