YOU need to know about the best earbuds, after all, listening to music or podcasts is an important part of a good daily routine.

We don't know about you, but we are righteously picky when it comes to choosing what goes in our ears; only the best earbuds will do.

There are a few things to keep in mind when buying wireless earbuds.

Audio quality is obviously the most important, but comfort levels and extra features can also play an important role.

Sound isolation and noise cancellation are important options if you often listen to your music in the tube or other noisy environments.

And if you work out to your favourite tunes, you need to make sure the earbuds you use are also sweat and weather resistant.

This article and featured products have been independently chosen by Sun journalists. It contains links which are ads, and if you click a link and buy a product we will earn revenue.

We tested: Sony LinkBuds

• Sony LinkBuds, £149 from Amazon – buy here

Sony did it again. With the LinkBuds, the company has revolutionised the concept of wireless earbuds.

We have tested these (very) compact earbuds for a few days, and the results were absolutely interesting.

Sound is crisp around the board (with the exception of bass, which could be better), calls work flawlessly, and controls are just that good.

In fact, since the LinkBuds are very small and weirdly shaped, placing traditional controls on the buds would have been difficult.

Instead, Sony has implemented a feature called Wide Area Tap, which allows you to double or triple-tap your ears to control the earbuds.

The feature worked remarkably well for us. After a couple of minutes of getting used to Wide Area Tap, we were able to comfortably change tracks, adjust volume and pause/play with just a tap on our ears.

But beyond the innovative controls and solid sound, the one biggest reason to grab a pair of LinkBuds is their open design, which allows you to hear the outside world instead of isolating yourself from it.

Our experience in this regard was overwhelmingly positive. Of course, if you blast the volume of the earbuds to the maximum, you will struggle to hear what's happening around you. These are still Sony earbuds after all.

However, if you keep the volume to moderate levels, you will be able to enjoy your music, podcasts, and calls, while also remaining aware of your surrounding environment. Perfect for the office, or any other place while your listening experience may be interrupted often but for short periods of time.

On the other hand, if you're planning on buying a pair of earbuds for your tube commute, you may want to look elsewhere, as the LinkBuds don't have active noise cancellation capabilities.

That being said, these earbuds are also quite comfortable to wear for long periods of time (though not as much as some of the options below), and they are splashproof too.

READ MORE

• Huel review
• Best waterproof jackets for women
• Best weighted hula hoops

Jabra Elite 75t

• Jabra Elite 75t, £65.69 from Amazon – buy here

Jabra Elite 75t offer a more comfortable fit, an improved battery life and a smaller charging case when compared to its predecessor.

These earbuds can last 7 hours on a single charge, and are so small and light you'll forget to have them in your ears.

Sound quality is also impressive here, with bass levels being particularly strong. Maybe too strong.

Jabra's mobile app is pretty solid, however, and will allow you to tweak the bass, and any other aspect of your sound, as finely as you'd expect from one of the best earbuds brands out there.

Just a note here, if you're going to use the Jabra Elite 75t with a device not compatible with the app, you'll have to settle for the nearly overwhelming bass levels.

The four-mic array also performs well, and the buttons on the earbuds are easy to operate, making the Jabra Elite 75t one of the best options on this list.

And if you can spend a little bit more and want wireless charging and IP57 waterproofing, Jabra has just released its Elite 7 Pro model.

Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case

• Apple AirPods Pro 2021 with MagSafe charging case, £189 from Amazon – buy here

A lot has been said about Apple's Airpods Pro, but the truth is that, though they may be expensive, they are still among the best earbuds you can get for your money.

Apple's first earbuds to offer active noise cancellation, the Airpods Pro have silicone ear tips that push into your ear canal to effectively block out external noise.

They are comfortable too, and less likely to fall off, an issue that plagued users of the first or second iterations.

Sound quality has improved since the previous model, now featuring better vocal and bass levels, and the 2021 version of the Airpods Pro come with a MagSafe-compatible case.

Apple fans will also be delighted with the set-up experience, with the earbuds asking you to check your ears for the right fit.

Add in a small air vent to make wearing or removing them a more pleasant experience, and you have the perfect Apple earbuds.

We tested: Tronsmart Apollo Air TWS ANC Headphones

• Tronsmart Apollo Air TWS ANC Headphones, £31.18 from GeekBuying – buy here

Tronstmart's "hybrid active noise cancelling" earphones allow you to truly immerse yourself in the music you're listening to.

Priced at just £31.14, these waterproof earphones are cheaper than most on the market and promise to eliminate up to 35dB of noise.

Having not heard of Tronsmart, we were really intrigued as to whether these earphones would really live up to their "tune in noise out" slogan.

We slid them in for our workout and it's safe to say, we entered our own zone, making for crystal clear listening.

It's almost like wearing earplugs as they're a little bigger than the classic Apple design that we're accustomed to, but they're comfortable when you get used to the very slightly larger size.

The microphone is also great for taking calls and although the sound isn't totally astounding, it does the job really well for some £50 earphones.

• Shop Tronsmart here

We tested: UGREEN’s HiTune X6 Wireless Earbuds

• UGREEN’s HiTune X6 Hybrid Bluetooth 5.1 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, £39.99 from Amazon – buy here

Kitted out with a 10mm carbon speaker unit, the UGreen earphones promise to block out an impressive 90 percent of all external noise.

They're less than £40, have an all-day battery life and out of 401 ratings on Amazon, have been awarded four stars. So far, so good.

Our first comments? They're definitely noise-cancelling, slotting into your ear so securely that you can't hear anything but the music being played.

In terms of sparkling sound, it's crystal clear but if you're looking for an immaculately bassy and entirely not-tinny effect then you need to spend more cash.

Compared to others on the market, these are great for the price you pay.

The overall quality's good, they connect easily and the sound is just fine.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2

• Samsung Galaxy Buds2, £99 from Amazon – buy here

Another substantial improvement over its previous version, the Samsung Buds2 offer 5 hours of play-time and 15 more with a fully charged case, Bluetooth 5.2 capabilities and Active Noise Cancellation.

Just like its predecessor, Spotify integration (only for Android users) here means users can tap and hold the Buds to start recommended playlists from the music platform.

The Galaxy Buds2 also support multi-pairing, allowing for multiple devices to be connected at the same time.

The greatest improvement over the Galaxy Buds+, however, is the new range of Ambient Mode features, including seamless switching between Samsung devices and a Game Mode for reduced latency in games.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 can also be tweaked via a dedicated app or through the Samsung Wear app to further customise your listening experience.

Beats Powerbeats Pro

• Beats Powerbeats Pro, £219 from Amazon – buy here

Apple's take on workout buds, the Beats Powerbeats Pro are interesting earbuds, with some limitations.

Pairing with iOS devices is a breeze, while it may take a bit longer on Android and Windows machines.

This is due to Apple's new H1 Wireless Chip, which also allows for hands-free Siri on Apple devices.

Sound quality is solid across the spectrum, with bass level still great, albeit a little lower than in previous iterations.

Unfortunately, the Beats Powerbeats Pro don't offer sound cancellation, which means you'll be okay listening to your tunes while running in the park, but may find using them in the tube slightly annoying.

The IPX4 rating means your buds are protected from splashing water but don't submerge them or wear them under the pouring rain if you don't want to throw away £200.

Sony WF-XB700

• Sony WF-XB700, £49.99 from Argos – buy here

One of the cheapest option in this list, the WF-XB700 come with really good quality minus a few features.

With an energetic sound and quality, these Sony earbuds are part of the Extra Bass series, prioritising bass over mid-range sounds.

Battery life is more than average, with nine hours plus an additional nine within the charging case.

The onboard controls are easily accessible and reliable, with volume up/down buttons on the left earbuds and play/pause and skip on the right.

The lack of EQ customisation and ambient sound mode make the buds a mid-range option, but under £70 they're still a great budget choice.

We tested: EKSA GT1 Cobra True Wireless Gaming Earbuds

• EKSA GT1 Cobra, £33.55 from EKSA – buy here

Featuring a pretty unique gaming-focused design with blue and black LEDs, the EKSA GT1 Cobra earbuds are a pretty interesting choice.

Built for gaming, these earbuds feature 38MS ultra-low latency, which means audio is perfectly in sync with what's on-screen, an absolute necessity when playing fast-paced games.

Battery life is average, with six hours of continuous use, but the magnetized, USB-C case is one of the most impressive we've ever reviewed, with a whopping 30 hours of extra battery life on a single charge.

The EKSA GT1 Cobra also come with a handy 'dual-mode', which allows swapping between Game Mode (with ultra-low latency) and Music Mode (with generally more crispy sound, and substantially more audible bass.)

In terms of the sound itself, these earbuds are quite solid, with a balanced range and respectable volume levels.

Additionally, the EKSA GT1 Cobra earbuds feature a decent microphone and are splash-proof, so you won't have trouble wearing them when working out.

The only downsides we have noticed here are that the controls are slightly finicky due to the angular shape of the buds and that the earbuds themselves have (rare) issues with syncing with new Bluetooth devices.

Still, if you're looking for a pair of gaming-focussed earbuds with an aggressively stylish design, you can't go wrong with the EKSA GT1 Cobra.

We tested: ENACFIRE G10 True Wireless Earbuds

• ENACFIRE G10 True Wireless Earbuds, £29.99 from ENACFIRE – buy here

For under £30, ENACFIRE's Wireless Earbuds are a great affordable find – they're not only waterproof, they come complete with a sleek charging case.

According to Amazon, they provide "a more snug in-ear fit, creating a perfect seal for crystal clear sound" and last fully charged for 36 hours.

When ours arrived, we were immediately impressed with how smart they are, from the magnetic charging case to the comfy, discreet earbuds.

We're used to using Apple's Airpods, so our expectations of wireless headphones were relatively high but these definitely give you a loud sound.

Our only fault is that the sound is slightly more tinny than the clarity of more expensive designs and the microphone for phone calls isn't the best.

However, if you're looking for a no-nonsense pair that look just as cool as they are functional, then these are a great deal if you ask us.

We tested: ONESONIC MXS-HD1

• ONESONIC MXS-HD1, £109.99 from ONESONIC – buy here

The MXS-HD1 are the first model from the Irish brand ONESONIC featuring noise cancellation capabilities.

While the technology is not exactly on par with well-established alternatives like the AirPods Pro or the Galaxy Buds2, it works well enough.

Battery life is average for the earbuds themselves with five hours of playtime, but the wireless charging case is supposed to provide 20 extra hours of juice. From our testing, this estimate is quite accurate.

A pleasant addition, the MXS-HD1 offer wireless charging, a feature that is still absent from most mainstream earbuds, so if you're on the market for this specific feature, they are certainly worth considering.

In terms of sound, the bass is particularly powerful here, with overall performance quite solid across the spectrum.

The MXS-HD1 also feature an IPX4 rating, meaning they're splash and sweat resistant. They are comfortable too, though not quite as much as the Jabra Elite 75 or the Sony WF-XB700.

All in all, the ONESONIC MXS-HD1 are a solid option if your priorities are noise cancellation and wireless charging at a fair price.

Most read in Sun Selects

Enjoyed our roundup of the best wireless earbuds? Here is our pick of the best you can buy right now.

And if you prefer to listen to your music on loudspeaker or with your friends, check out our pick of the best Bluetooth speakers.

Are you searching for more tech gadgets? Check out the Sun Selects dedicated tech section for more recommendations.

Source: Read Full Article