It’s undeniable that Apple has made AirPods the go-to choice for many iPhone owners in the market for new wireless earbuds<\/a>. However, for the millions of Android phone users, selecting the right earbuds can be a bit more complicated. If you need assistance, we’re here to guide you in the right direction. After testing and reviewing dozens of wireless earbuds over the years, we’ve broken down our top picks for Android users below. Regardless of whether you use a Galaxy or Pixel phone, and whether you’re looking for earbuds for the gym or your daily commute, here are the best Android earbuds available.<\/p>\n Photo by Billy Steele \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Sony WF-1000XM5 checks almost all the boxes for a premium set of wireless earbuds. Their small, rounded design should feel comfortable and secure in most ears. They’re nearly unmatched at muting outside noise, thanks to a powerful ANC feature and memory foam eartips that do a remarkable job of isolating sound passively. They sound great out of the box, especially if you like a warmer profile with elevated bass, but you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony’s app, and they do well to draw out treble-range detail either way. They’re also loaded with extra features, including multipoint connectivity, Google Fast Pair, LDAC and spatial audio support, the ability to swap between ANC and ambient sound modes automatically, and more. The wireless charging case is conveniently tiny, while the eight- to 12-hour battery life gives little to complain about.<\/p>\n Still, the XM5s aren’t a total slam dunk. The built-in mics aren’t the clearest for phone calls. The IPX4 water-resistance rating could be higher. Some people might find the memory foam eartips a little too full-feeling. They also cost $300, which is far from affordable. But no other wireless earbuds we’ve tested have managed to tick so many boxes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $248 at Adorama<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Photo by Jeff Dunn \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have hundreds to spend, our favorite wireless earbuds in the budget bracket are the Anker Soundcore Space A40<\/a>. Frequently priced between $45 and $60, this pair has the kind of features we\u2019d expect from earbuds that cost twice as much: genuinely powerful ANC, multipoint connectivity, wireless charging, a solid eight to ten hours of battery life, LDAC support, decent (if not great) IPX4 water resistance, and a usable ambient sound mode. They don\u2019t have the most resolving or detail-rich sound of the box, unsurprisingly, but their warm profile offers pleasant, thumpy bass without totally blowing out the low-end. If you want to add more treble presence, you can customize the EQ through a clean and easy-to-read companion app. The actual earpieces are small, round, and comfortable as well.<\/p>\n The main trade-off is call quality, as the built-in mic can lose your voice in noisy environments and doesn\u2019t handle sibilant sounds very well. There\u2019s no wear detection either, so your music won\u2019t auto-pause when you remove an earbud. They also don\u2019t support Google\u2019s Fast Pair tech, though the earbuds should remember your device and automatically reconnect after you pair them for the first time. But for the price, it\u2019s hard to complain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $59 at Amazon<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Billy Steele for Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our full <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Determining which set of headphones has the \u201cbest\u201d sound quality is a subjective task \u2014 at the end of the day, it\u2019ll always come down to personal taste. But if we had to pick one pair we\u2019ve particularly enjoyed for music, it\u2019d be the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5<\/a>. Its unique five-driver design helps it draw out a remarkable level of detail and properly separate the instrumentation in any given track. It\u2019s a balanced profile, with tight but not overindulgent bass, a natural-sounding midrange, and relaxed highs that don\u2019t fatigue over time. The soundstage is wider than most true wireless earbuds we\u2019ve tested, while support for LDAC and aptX Adaptive only assist with detail retrieval. You can set a personal EQ if you need it, but we\u2019ve found the stock tuning to suit any genre well by default.<\/p>\n The FoKus Rex5 supports ANC and multipoint connectivity, while its IEM-style, metal-and-acrylic housing fits comfortably in the ear. But you\u2019d buy it for the sound quality first and foremost: Noise cancellation isn\u2019t on Sony\u2019s level, the ultra-green finish isn\u2019t for everyone, the five- to seven-hour battery life isn\u2019t ideal, and there\u2019s no auto-pausing when you remove an earbud. Most prohibitively, these things are damn expensive at $449. If you fancy yourself an audiophile and have cash to burn, though, they\u2019ll be a treat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $449 at Amazon<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Photo by Billy Steele \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our full Beats Fit Pro review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Most of our picks above will work just fine in the gym, but if you\u2019re buying a pair for workouts first and foremost, try the Beats Fit Pro<\/a>. Yes, we\u2019re recommending a set of Apple-made earbuds in an Android buying guide. But while they work best with iPhones, most of their AirPods-style features are also available on Android through the Beats app<\/a>. You can pair them with one tap through a pop-up card, view a map with their last known location, swap between ANC and ambient sound modes from the home screen, remap controls, and check their battery level from the notification tray. There\u2019s no hi-res codec support, but in general, the drop-off from iOS to Android isn\u2019t nearly as great here as it is with AirPods.<\/p>\n The main reason we recommend the Fit Pro is their lightweight design, which is equipped with bendy silicone fins that keep the earbuds secure in place while you\u2019re moving around. Their IPX4 water-resistance rating isn\u2019t the best, but it should be enough for all but the sweatiest gymgoers. (Just don\u2019t use them in the pool.) We also like that the Fit Pro uses physical buttons to adjust volume or skip tracks, since touch controls can feel finicky when you\u2019re trying to keep up with a workout. Their punchy sound is well-suited to the gym as well, with a noticeable but not overwhelming push in the bass and treble. It\u2019s not one for purists, but it\u2019s energetic.<\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t specifically looking for workout earbuds, you can still do better. The Fit Pro lack wireless charging and multipoint connectivity, and there\u2019s no way to customize the EQ if you don\u2019t like the default sound. Their built-in mics aren\u2019t anything special for phone calls, and the five- to six-hour battery life is on the edge of passable. The charging case is somewhat large as well. Plus, while the ANC mode is useful enough for tamping down the noise of a gym, it\u2019s a clear step down from the best options on the market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $190 at Macy’s<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Photo by Billy Steele \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our full Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Pixel Buds Pro 2<\/a> are explicitly designed to work in harmony with other Pixel devices, so they\u2019re worth considering if you\u2019re a dedicated fan of Google\u2019s phones. They come with a host of useful bonus features, from remote ringing<\/a> and a \u201cconversation detection<\/a>\u201d mode to a customizable EQ and automatic switching<\/a> between devices paired to your Google account. (You also get hands-free access to Google\u2019s Gemini AI bot, though we wouldn\u2019t call that essential.) You can still access most of the Pixel Buds\u2019 perks on other Android devices by downloading a separate app, but all of the functionality is baked into Pixel phones natively. This means you can manage the earbuds, check battery status, and the like right from your device\u2019s settings menus. It\u2019s similar to how Apple integrates AirPods with iOS.<\/p>\n The earbuds themselves are perfectly competent beyond that, with a tiny yet comfortable design, decent ANC for the price, eight-ish hours of battery life, adequate call quality, and an enjoyable sound with punchy bass and extended treble. That said, you\u2019ll still get richer audio quality and more robust noise cancellation from our Sony and Noble picks above, so those who aren\u2019t all-in on Google hardware can feel free to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $199 at Amazon<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Photo by Billy Steele \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Read our full Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Along those lines, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro<\/a> are to Galaxy phones what the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are to Pixel phones. Using them with a Samsung handset unlocks a few perks, including the hi-res Samsung Seamless codec, a real-time translation tool, and a \u201cGame Mode\u201d that reduces latency. That\u2019s on top of features like spatial audio, a graphic EQ, a lost device finder, adaptive ANC, simplified voice commands, and automatic switching between Samsung devices.<\/p>\n This kind of walled garden approach is frustrating; remember when you could plug your headphones into any device, and it\u2019d work the same way every time? But, as with the Pixel Buds and AirPods, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are undeniably convenient if you\u2019ve already bought into their chosen platform.<\/p>\n The rest of the package gets more right than wrong, though there are some issues worth calling out. The stem-style design pretty much rips off the AirPods Pro \u2014 this is particularly evident with the white finish \u2014 but adds weird, unnecessary LED strips down the stems. It\u2019s comfortable, but Samsung isn\u2019t beating the copycat allegations here. The ANC isn\u2019t on par with the Sony XM5s either, and the six-hour battery life is shorter than many other premium pairs. There\u2019s also no hi-res codec support with non-Samsung phones. On the plus side, the ambient sound mode works well. And most importantly, these things sound excellent out of the box, with full, meaty bass complemented by amply detailed highs and upper-mids.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Samsung froze shipments<\/a> of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro right around launch due to quality control concerns (mainly regarding the stock eartips), but those look to have been resolved, and we haven\u2019t seen anything out of the ordinary with our review unit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n $200 at Amazon<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Photo by Jeff Dunn \/ Engadget<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n For the most part, the features you want from a set of \u201cAndroid earbuds\u201d are the same as what you want from any headphones. Pleasing sound quality, a comfortable fit, and sufficient battery life are still the foundations. Adequate water resistance is good for workouts, and nobody wants a crummy mic for making calls. Once you approach the $100 range, features like active noise cancellation (ANC), wireless charging, an ambient sound mode (which lets you better hear outside noise without turning off your music), and multipoint connectivity (the ability to pair with multiple devices simultaneously) should be expected.<\/p>\n For Android devices specifically, there are a few extras to consider. A dedicated app that makes it easy to switch sound modes, customize the audio profile, locate your earbuds if they ever get misplaced, or adjust other settings is strongly preferred. Features like Google Fast Pair<\/a> or NFC-based pairing, which can help you avoid having to dig through your Bluetooth menu to connect your earbuds for the first time, are also nice perks. Some Android devices can also utilize higher-quality Bluetooth codecs<\/a> such as aptX Adaptive<\/a> or Sony\u2019s LDAC<\/a> \u2014 these aren\u2019t nearly as important to audio quality as the actual architecture of your earbuds, but they can help wring out a little more detail if the buds are capable enough and you\u2019re streaming lossless files. AptX Adaptive can also help reduce latency, which is good for streaming video or gaming.<\/p>\n Diversity is Android\u2019s greatest strength, but it also means that some wireless earbuds play nicer with certain devices, typically those made by the same company. Recent Samsung earbuds, for instance, come with a few perks that are only available if you use a Galaxy phone. We have a couple of recommendations related to this idea above.<\/p>\n February 2025<\/strong>: The Noble FoKus Rex5 is our new “best for sound quality” pick, replacing the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. Our other recommendations remain unchanged.<\/p>\nBest Android earbuds for 2025<\/h2>\n
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What to look for in wireless earbuds for Android devices<\/h2>\n
Recent updates<\/h2>\n