Best earbuds for iPhone

Macworld

Wireless headphones or earbuds (whatever you call them) are essentially the standard now, with Bluetooth earbuds being convenient and the sound quality difference to wired not being that noticeable to typical people (we realize audiophiles ‘know’).

The market is huge, but here are the best wireless earbuds we’ve tested for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Macs. If you do want a wired connection some of these do offer it in addition to Bluetooth, but we also have a round-up of the best wired headphones and a comparison of over-ear headphones read our comparison of AirPods Max vs other over-ear headphones. We also have a comparison of all the AirPods.

At the end of this round up of the best earbuds we run through some of the important factors to consider when choosing headphones. Such as whether they support ANC, which is Apple’s codec, or the aptX codec that is now used with many Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, but isn’t supported by Apple (although there are some earbuds, such as the B&W Pi8 below that include a transmitter for aptX support.

Best discounts and sales

There’s a spring sale at Amazon this week (from March 25) and we have already seen some deals on some of the earbuds reviewed below. Here are the best deals we’ve seen:

U.S.

AirPods Pro 2 $169.99 (usually £$49)

AirPods 4 (without ANC) $99.99 (usually $129)

AirPods 4 (with ANC) $149.99 (usually $179.99)

Beats Studio Pro $179.95 (usually $349.99)

Beats Solo 4 $129.95 (usually $199.95)

Sony WH-1000XMS $249.99 (usually $399.99)

Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Headphones $249 (usually $349)

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones $179.99 (usually $349.99)

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones $349 (usually $429)

Beats Fit Pro £169 (usually $199.95)

U.K.

AirPods Pro 2 £189 (usually £229)

Beats Studio Pro £199 (usually £349.99)

Beats Fit Pro £134.99 (usually £219.99)

Beats Flex Wireless earphones £41.49 (Usually £69.99)

Best headphones and earbuds for iPhone 2025






1. Écouteurs sans fil Bose QuietComfort Ultra














Pros

Excellent sound quality

Impressive noise-cancellation

Useful app


Cons

Expensive

Wireless case costs extra

Spatial audio could be improved








Price When Reviewed:

349,99 €



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€189.99


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€249.95


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€277


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€603.43


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€189.99 at Cdiscount FR€249.95 at Bose€277 at RueDuCommerce FR


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Best Prices Today:
Écouteurs sans fil Bose QuietComfort Ultra







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€189.99


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€249.95


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€277


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€603.43


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Bose’s QuietComfort range has long been a market leader thanks to its combination of high-quality sound and impressively effective noise cancellation. It’s been a while since we looked at the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which launched with an improved design as well as a new immersive mode for spatial audio in late 2023, but we still highly rate them – with the bonus being that they are often discounted now they are more than a year from launch. This is good news, because they’re not the cheapest earbuds around.

The design of the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is sleek and streamlined, with a smart metallic finish that is available in black or Smoke White. Bose has modified the way that its rubber stability bands fit into each earpiece, helping them to sit inside your ear more securely. You get three sets of stability bands, and three sets of rubber eartips in different sizes, so the combination of the different bands and eartips should allow most people to get a good fit. The Bose app also includes a Seal Test option that can check the way that the earbuds are fitted and provide tips on getting a good fit.

Sound quality is great, with the Ultra catching the sharp, shimmering sound of the cymbal crash that kicks off Blondie’s Rapture. The bass guitar riff bounces along like a playful puppy, and there’s a bright jangling sound to the lead rhythm guitar, but the Ultra has a keen ear and also picks out the quiet chugging guitar riff that hides further back in the mix. The immersive audio isn’t entirely convincing, but it does add a little extra reverb and spacey ambiance to more atmospheric tracks such as Cut by Low.

Bose’s noise cancelation is still ahead of the pack. It stamps down on the deep rumble of aircraft engine noise so effectively that I had to check the airport noise test file was playing!

Battery life is around six hours when using noise-cancellation, but spatial audio reduces that to just four hours. The charging case does provide three additional charges, though, and our only real complaint is that the standard USB-C case doesn’t provide wireless charging as well, so you’ll have to pay extra for the optional wireless case.






2. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4














Pros

Excellent sound quality

Supports Bluetooth 5.4

Very good noise cancellation

IP54 rating for outdoor use


Cons

Higher price

Slightly chunky design

Apple users don’t need aptX















The Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds arrived in 2024, and are the fourth-gen version of Sennheiser’s popular range of Bluetooth earbuds (and not to be confused with the larger Momentum 4 over-ear headphones).

The TW4 was quite a big update – as it should be, given that the price increased as well. It was one of the first sets of headphones to support Bluetooth 5.4, which includes new features such as Auracast, which is a kind of public announcement system based on Bluetooth. Auracast still isn’t widely used – most devices are still on Bluetooth 5.3 – but it can be used in public places such as airports or gyms to transmit music or audio announcements to lots of people all at once, so it will be an important accessibility feature in the future. Additional Bluetooth features include support for the latest high-quality aptX Lossless, and the new LC3 codec. Sadly, Apple still doesn’t support aptX, but – like previous models – the TW4 also includes the AAC codec for Apple devices too.

You’ll also find a sturdy IP54 rating for water and dust resistance. And, along with four sets of ear-tips in different sizes, the TW4 also includes three sets of rubber fins, which fit into the outer ear and help to hold the earpieces in place, so the TW4 will be a good option for outdoor use and exercise. Battery life gets a small boost too, now lasting for seven hours when using noise-cancellation, and you can use the wireless charging case to fully recharge three more times as well.

And, as always, the Momentum earbuds sound really great. They handle the sonic mash-up of Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Along with ease, finding room to pick out the taut, ticking percussion, fuzz-laden guitars and fizzing electronic keyboards so that you can hear each set of instruments clearly. You can hear the country drawl in Simpson’s voice as he snarls – “carve my name in the barstool baby – I’m gonna be here a while” – and the swooping bass drop that follows is guaranteed to get you dancing. Even the noise-cancellation seems to have improved on this model, and comes close to matching noise-cancellation leaders such as the AirPods Pro and Bose QC Ultra.






3. Bowers & Wilkins Pi8














Pros

Great sound quality

Innovative smart case

Supports AAC, aptX Adaptive/Lossless


Cons

Expensive

Battery life is only average















The Pi8 earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins support AAC, so you can simply connect your Apple devices to the earbuds using the standard Bluetooth settings on your Mac, iPad or iPhone. However, the Pi8 also supports aptX Adaptive and the latest aptX Lossless, so Bowers & Wilkins has come up with an innovative solution that allows Apple users to enjoy aptX audio quality as well. The Pi8 come with a smart case that can both charge the earbuds and be used as an aptX transmitter. 

Compared to their predecessor (the Pi7) the Pi8 has a more curved shape to the earpieces, to fit more comfortably and to angle the sound directly into the ear canal for the best sound quality. The earpieces are a little on the large size, but B&W includes ear-tips in four sizes to help you get a good fit. The size means they can fit high-quality 12mm drivers and a larger battery. The Pi7 only lasted five hours on a charge, even with noise-cancellation turned off, but the Pi8 lasts for 6.5 hours with noise-cancellation turned on (compared to six hours for the AirPods Pro). The smart charging case tops that up to 20 hours.

Bowers & Wilkins includes a standard USB-C cable and a second with a 3.5mm connector. The 3.5mm cable allows you to connect the smart case to a wired audio device, such as an in-flight entertainment system on a plane. You can also use the USB-C cable to connect the smart case to a USB-C port and transmit wireless audio using aptX. The sound quality is great with both AAC and aptX, though. 

We think that the noise-cancellation on the AirPods Pro works a little better at blocking high-frequency sound. However, the Pi8 does a great job of eliminating low-frequency sounds, such as the rumble of engine noise in an airplane cabin. And, if you don’t really worry about technical details such as AAC and aptX, then B&W has a less expensive model called the Pi6, see below.

The Pi8 is more expensive than the AirPods Pro 2, but B&W’s high-quality sound and the versatile smart case ensure that the Pi8 can earn its keep.

Read our full

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review





4. Apple AirPods Pro 2nd-generation (2023)














Pros

Fantastic audio quality

Excellent noise canceling

Best-in-class transparency mode

New charging case features

Better battery life


Cons

You can still buy better-sounding wireless earbuds

No LE Audio, lossless, or hi-res audio

Controls on the stems is still a bad idea















There were a few minor external changes for the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro, which arrived in September 2022. The AirPods Pro 2nd gen were updated a second time in 2023 to add USB-C charging capabilities and over time they have also gained various capabilities, including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Personalised Volume, Head gestures, Voice Isolation, and the ability to perform a hearing test and use the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid.

Those features join Spatial Audio with head tracking, Conversation Boost to amplify speech in the direction you’re facing, one-tap pairing, audio sharing with another pair of AirPods (or Beats), quick switching to other Apple devices your Apple ID is logged into, and hands-free Siri.

The 2022 model came with four sets of eartips adding extra small (XS) to the mix – the original AirPods Pro only came with three tips. We find the extra small tips more comfortable, your experience may differ.

The charging case now comes with a small metal lanyard loop – although Apple doesn’t actually sell a lanyard. There are speaker holes a the base of the case that can make a sound if you lose the AirPods while they are in their case.

The original AirPods Pro lacked an easy way to control volume, so the fact that the second-gen model adds the ability to detect up and down swipes on the little flat area of the stem is useful. A swipe up or down changes the volume.

As for what’s inside, the H2 chip in the AirPods Pro 2 enables Adaptive Transparency, which is an enhancement of the Transparency mode on the original model. As a result of this mode you can choose to hear things that you might need be able to hear in your vicinity, but you won’t be deafened by them. In our tests the AirPods Pro 2 blocked more outside sound than the originals.

We were impressed by how much better the new second-generation AirPods Pro sound compared to the first generation. Clarity and sharpness is improved and bass response is vastly improved. The bridge of the Beastie Boys’ Intergalactic at 2:30 was just way too much for the original AirPods Pro to handle, but the new model had no trouble keeping up.

The battery life, at 6 hours, is longer than it was for the original AirPods Pro and you can now use your Apple Watch charger in addition to charging via Lightning and other wireless charging methods.

Read our full

AirPods Pro 2 USB-C review





5. Apple AirPods 4 with ANC














Pros

Great overall audio quality

Effective active noise cancelation

Case with wireless charging support and Find My speaker


Cons

Fit is highly dependent on your personal ear shape

Price compared to AirPods Pro















The AirPods 4 with ANC offer many of the features found in the AirPods Pro 2, have a better fit than their predecessor, the AirPods 3.

With each generation, Apple promises a better fit and Apple says these are “the most comfortable AirPods ever.” We did find them closer to being a proper fit than the AirPods 3 were, but every ear is different and your experience may vary. We find the AirPods Pro with silicon ear tips fit a lot better and securely, but they cost a lot more and some prefer the more open design of the AirPods.

Apple offers the AirPods 4 in two variations: the $179/£179 model with active noise cancelation, and a cheaper $129/£129 model without that feature (below). The active noise cancellation feature includes two sound isolation modes: Adaptive Audio and Transparency. You also get Conversation Awareness, which was previously only available on the AirPods Pro. You’ll have to decide whether the extra features are worth the extra $50/£50. We think they are. 

The effectiveness of the AirPods 4’s active noise cancelation is heavily affected by the open design, though. The AirPods 4 don’t absolutely cancel the noise around you. If you want “full” noise cancellation and you’re comfortable with silicon ear tips inside your ear canal, the AirPods Pro (above) are a better choice.

We love the Conversation Awareness feature, where the volume automatically lowers when the AirPods 4 detects you are talking. It works better with one-on-one conversations rather than groups of people. 

Sound quality is delightful for general-purpose, open earphones. The AirPods 4 handle loaded tracks like 311’s Need Somebody with ease; the bass in Real Boston Richey’s Help Me is clean, heavy, and lacks distortion. The guitars in acoustic tracks like Fog Swamp’s Split the Sky are crisp and clear.

We were impressed with the clarity and volume of voice recordings in podcasts and during phone calls. They weren’t quite as good as with the AirPods Pro, but it was close. 

The AirPods 4 USB-C case that comes with the ANC-equipped model has a speaker to play alerts through Find My. It also supports USB-C or wireless charging and works with the Apple Watch charger as well as Qi chargers. (It doesn’t support MagSafe like the AirPods Pro case, but a MagSafe charger will work if placed correctly.) The cheaper model’s case only offers wired USB-C charging.

If you use active noise cancelation, it shortens the AirPods 4’s battery life. When fully charged, Apple states a 4-hour listening time with the earbuds and 20 hours of charge with the case. Turn off ANC, and fully charged earbuds can last 5 hours, and the case adds 30 total hours. We got a bit better than that. The earbuds lasted 4 hours and 16 minutes. In the fully-charged case, their battery life was at 27 percent after five minutes–Apple says a five-minute charge provides an hour of life.

The AirPods 4 with ANC offer numerous pro-level features, sound great, fit better than previous AirPods and offer extremely useful active noise cancelation. In short, the AirPods 4 are a great, all-around set of earphones. As long as they stay in your ears.

Read our full

Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC) review





6. Beats Studio Buds+














Pros

Fun transparent design (other colors are available)

Improved ANC and sound quality

Good battery life

Priced well


Cons

Don’t sound as good as AirPods Pro

Missing a few Apple ecosystem features

No wireless charging








Price When Reviewed:

199,95 €



Best Prices Today:








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Apple



€199.95


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Beats



€199.95


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€199.95 at Apple €199.95 at Beats





The Beats Studio Buds +, introduced in 2023, might be from a subsidiary of Apple, but they beat Apple in terms of color choices with its retro frosted transparent plastic for both the buds and case. They are available in black and ivory too.

The charging case is a bit larger than that of AirPods or AirPods Pro. There’s a USB-C charge port, but no wireless charging.

The buds are average in size and fit and come with four sizes of eartips, so it’s easy to get a good seal, although in our testing we did lose the seal a couple of times while working out at the gym.

There are actual physical buttons on the side of each earbud, which we found to be easier to use than Apple’s “squeeze the stem” AirPods control system.

Beats says that these earbuds offer 1.6x better noise canceling and 2x better transparency than their predecessors. They still don’t match the AirPods Pro, but they are priced closer to the standard AirPods, which don’t even offer those features. The transparency feature isn’t adaptive.

These second-gen earbuds offer improved ventilation and bigger batteries than the predecessors (battery life is rated at six hours with ANC, or nine without). Sound quality is also better than that of the previous generation thanks to new microphones and transducers. In comparison though, the 2nd-gen AirPods Pro deliver a superior audio experience.

Some Beats products use Apple’s own headphone chips, but the Beats Studio Buds + do not. Because they lack Apple’s H1 or H2 chip, they miss out on many of the features of Apple’s ecosystem. Hands-free “Hey Siri” is there, as is instant pairing with your iPhone and support for the Find My app. But you don’t get instant switching between Apple devices, support for spatial audio with video, personalized spatial audio, Conversation Boost, or the in-ear detection that pauses playback if you take an earbud out. Instead, these buds support some Android features including Google Fast Pair, Audio Switch, and Find My Device. Surprising from a company owned by Apple.

I enjoyed the design and usability of these Beats earbuds, but I still find the AirPods Pro easier to recommend.

Read our full

Beats Studio Buds+ review





7. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2














Pros

Secure ear hook design

Good sound quality

Heart rate monitor

Impressive battery life


Cons

Missing some AirPods Pro features

Heart rate monitor is limited















Beats’ Powerbeats Pro are arguably the most popular fitness-oriented earbuds of all time and they are our favorite earbuds for working out. The earhooks, which is what makes the Powerbeats so good for the gym, are 50 percent smaller than on previous models, but still keep everything locked in place.

With smaller hooks comes a smaller case; 33 percent smaller, in fact. It is still considerably bigger than an AirPods case, but slightly easier to slip in a pocket than it was.

The 2025 models include a brand-new technology not even found on Apple’s latest AirPods Pro, and that’s despite coming from an Apple subsidiary. They also include Apple’s H2 chip, so offer many of the same improvements and features of the AirPods Pro 2 such as sound quality, greatly improved noise reduction, and an AirPods Pro matching transparency mode. However, you don’t get the AirPod Pro hearing health features (hearing test/aid, hearing assistance, hearing protection), there is no personalized volume, no conversation awareness, no adaptive audio (the self-adjusting transparency/ANC mode) and no head gestures for accepting or declining notifications. You do get personalized spatial audio and Adaptive EQ though.

There are rumors that heart rate monitoring will be coming to the AirPods Pro 3 when they launch, so we were surprised to see Apple introduced it first on the Beats line. Beats has worked with Nike Run Club, Runna, Open, Slopes, Ladder, Peloton, and YaoYao to integrate support. You can also sync with bikes and treadmills that connect via Bluetooth. One negative is that battery life drains a lot faster when using the heart rate monitor. If you are wearing an Apple Watch you’d heart rate data from that will override the earbuds.

The charging case gets a few upgrades too, including USB-C, wireless charging (Qi, but not MagSafe or Qi2), and a speaker for pairing and Find My sounds. Android users get a much better set of features than they would with AirPods: One-touch pairing, firmware updates in the Beats app, switching listening modes, and Find My Beats location service.

Music playback quality is not quite on par with AirPods Pro 2, sounding perhaps a little too bright. Still, they sound appropriate clear, and punchy for earbuds in this price range.

Beats claims 10 hours for the buds in normal playback, which gets cut down to 8 hours if you use ANC or transparency mode.

You can get Powerbeats Pro 2 in Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange.

Read our full

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review





8. Bowers & Wilkins Pi6














Pros

Strong sound quality

Good battery life

Comfortable design


Cons

No wireless charging option

Noise-cancellation could be stronger














Best Prices Today:








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B&W



£219


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£219 at B&W





We were really impressed by the Pi8 earbuds (above) that Bowers & Wilkins launched earlier in 2024, but the Pi8, which arrived later that year, is the company’s flagship model, with a higher price than Apple’s AirPods Pro and an innovative smart-case that doubles up as an aptX transmitter. If you want the high-quality sound associated with B&W at a more competitive price then you could opt for the new Pi6 instead, which at $249/£219, the company says are its “most affordable earbuds ever”.

The Pi6 look very similar to the Pi8, with both models housing large 12mm drivers. They do look a little chunky, but – like the Pi8 – the earbuds are more streamlined than previous models, and we found that they fit well and are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. There are four sizes of ear-tips included and a rubber ring moulded onto the body of the earpieces that fits into your outer ear and helps to hold them firmly in place.

The earbuds are rated IP54 for water and dust-resistance, so you can wear them outdoors or in the gym. 

Like the Pi8, the Pi6 uses Bluetooth 5.4, with support for Apple’s AAC codec for wireless audio (it also supports aptX Adaptive, although that is only for Android users). 

You can turn noise-cancellation on and off with a quick tap on the left earbud. The app lets you change the controls so that the buttons on the earbuds adjust the volume instead, and there are bass and treble controls for adjusting the sound. You can pair the earbuds with two devices and switch between them.

There are some compromises needed to keep the price down. The Pi6 does without the smart-case that is included with the Pi8, so there’s a conventional case that uses USB-C for charging. Battery life is good, lasting for eight hours when using noise-cancellation – compared to six hours for the AirPods Pro. The case lets you recharge for 24 additional hours of listening time.

Neither the Pi6 or Pi8 supports spatial audio, but the B&W team says that’s because they don’t feel that the technology adds to the sound quality rather than any attempt at cost-cutting. The noise-cancellation on the Pi6 isn’t as effective as that of the Pi8: the earbuds do a good job of blocking out low frequency sound, but let in voices and higher frequency sounds. 

If noise-cancellation is your top priority then there are other earbuds and headphones that have the edge. However, the Pi6 earbuds do provide strong sound quality and respectable battery life at a price that can compete with rivals such as the AirPods Pro.

Read our full

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review





9. Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless