No strings attached: The best true wireless earphones of 2024

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are Sony's current flagship wireless earbuds, and they build on Sony's formidable reputation for delivering high quality audio products. A combination of spectacular sound, superb noise-cancellation, and solid battery make these a brilliant all-round package.

There's plenty of other features as well – adaptive sound, Speak-to-Chat, and support for Sony's LDAC codec, plus instant Bluetooth pairing for Android and Windows devices, and a button on the case to pair with Apple products. Multipoint Bluetooth support lets you connect to two devices at once, while bone conduction sensors help provide superb call clarity.

These boast larger drivers than on previous generations, so sound is better than ever. This is despite these earbuds being 25 per cent smaller and lighter than the XM4 model. Now, that smaller size does mean that for some, they may not fit quite as snugly. But that's a relatively minor quibble about an otherwise exemplary pair of earbuds.

If you're looking for something that won't cost the earth, then the Anker P20i earbuds are a superb budget choice. With an RRP of £29.99, and often now available for less than £25, these headphones defy their budget price point to deliver impressive performance. And all at a fraction of the price of some rival products. 

Sound is exceptionally punchy, with big bass supported by oversized 10mm drivers. For some, the bass may be a little too much, occasionally overwhelming other parts of the music. The companion app does offer 22 EQ presets, so you can make some adjustments to suit your preferences. Noise cancellation is also very respectable, although it is passive, rather than active – in other words, external noise is reduced by a snug fit in your ears. Battery life is impressive, with 10 hours on a single charge, and another 30 hours provided by the charging case.  

These earbuds were tried and tested by Ryan Houghton, who said: "The Anker P20i earbuds are exceptional at their price. Incredible battery life, brilliantly designed and powerful, there's no denying the value you get." 

"Unbelievably cheap, the Anker P20i earbuds are an absolute steal. The hand-feel, the design and the robust sound of the P20i earbuds are truly exceptional for the price. Yes, the case feels lighter than more expensive headphones, and the sound isn't perfectly balanced, but the P20i undoubtedly transcends its price tag. Looking at similarly-priced earbuds on the market, very few achieve the solid audio that Anker is able to achieve at a fraction of the price."

You can read the full Anker P20i wireless earbuds review for more of Ryan's thoughts.

The Marshall Motif ANC earphones are among our favourites at What's The Best, and with good reason. Marshall once again sets an extremely impressive standard, offering superb clarity, well-balanced bass, and a stylish design to boot."

One of very few negatives about these is battery life, which falls short of many rivals. You can typically expect around four hours of battery life when ANC is active, but the charging case will let you get around 20 hours more before it needs topping up.

What's The Best editor William Austin-Lobley had this to say when he reviewed the Marshall Motif ANC Earphones: "The audio is without fault. The music of J Dilla and MF DOOM is given just as much respect as Herbie Hancock and John Coltrane. When I listened through a mix of genres I soon realised that the Motifs never miss a beat. From dance-pop to jazz and acid-house, it’s all excellent." 

"The performance on distorted guitar-led music is undoubtedly the highlight, though. It’s a real treat to encounter, as many mainstream earphones struggle with the dynamics of rock music."

Good value doesn't necessarily mean cheap, and the JLab Epic Lab edition are a great example of earbuds that, if you're willing to pay for them, you get a superb set of features, solid battery life, and most importantly, excellent sound for the money.  

Multipoint Bluetooth allows you to pair to two devices at a time – perfect for switching between calls and music while you're working. There's also a USB-C dongle that you can plug into devices that don't support Bluetooth, allowing you to still listen wirelessly. Battery life is very respectable, offering nine hours with noise cancelling active, or 13 without. With the charging case, this goes up to 36 hours and 56 hours, respectively. Audio quality is excellent, thanks to a hybrid dual-driver, and support for spatial audio and hi-res audio.  

Adam Binnie got to experience these earbuds for himself. Here's what he thought when he reviewed them: "The first thing I noticed about these earbuds was the design and quality of materials used. The case is a classy looking aluminium construction, with a grippy rubber base that makes it super stable when stood up on my desk. It’s a massive upgrade on the usual plasticky construction and feels built to last."

"It sounds great at lower volumes, retaining the level of detail you’d expect at higher volume, without having to crank the noise all the way up. You get deep and punchy basslines, clear and dynamic guitars, and crisp vocals. The only downside is a bit of distortion at higher volume."

"One of the nicest things about the JLabs earbuds is how “big” they sound. At times they sound like a much larger pair of over-ear headphones, with good spatial sound and rich bass that defies their small size."

Now, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro have recently been superseded by the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. But for the time being at least, we're still picking these as our favourite wireless earbuds for Samsung phone users. Why? Well, the newer version will set you back £219, while the older Buds 2 are available for significantly less. Prices vary, but we've seen them available for at least £60 less. And while these are an older model, you're still getting a superbly polished experience. 

Excellent sound thanks to 24-bit high-res audio, spatial audio with head tracking, solid active noise cancellation, and a comfortable design mean these deliver across all the most important metrics. Sound is punchy, and bass doesn't overwhelm the mids and highs. Battery life is a slight disappointment, with only around five hours when ANC is active, plus another 18 with the charging case. But overall, these are still great earbuds, and now considerably cheaper than they used to be.

Digital Editor William Lobley had some thoughts in his Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro review: " The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro are my favourite earbuds. I tested them in January 2022, and they've been by my side – and in my ears – ever since. Style is great. Initially unsure of the white colour, I’ve turned around on it and much prefer it to my other black earphones. More importantly, the shape and size of the earbuds are perfect."

"The audio is top-tier. The overall tone is rich, clear and punchy, giving your music the respect it needs to bring out all of its colours. The noise cancellation is the best I’ve tried in earbuds, even rivalling the powers of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones."

Apple's current flagship earbuds, the AirPods Pro 2 will work with any phone – even Android devices. But it's for Apple device users that these earbuds come into their own, offering users all the features that are built into them. And there really are a lot. 

Performance-wise, noise cancellation is absolutely superb – almost as good as the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra earbuds that we picked as the best earbuds for noise cancellation. And when paired with an iPhone, features such as adaptive ANC, transparency mode, and conversation mode all help make these as user-friendly as possible. 

There's been a significant improvement to sound quality as well, with support for spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, and an H2 chip that help process sound more quickly. Controls have been added to the stems of the buds themselves making it much easier to adjust sound levels, pause music, and answer calls as you go about your business. 

Battery life is solid, at around six hours with ANC activated, plus an extra 24 hours with the charging case. It isn't best-in-class, but it's likely to be adequate for all but the heaviest users.

We mentioned that even Android users can benefit from the superb noise cancellation these offer. But when used with an iPhone or another Apple device, these move onto a different level entirely.

The Beats fit Pro are designed to work as hard as you do when you go the gym. An IPX4 rating means they are water and sweat resistant. The silicon wing is designed to hook onto the inside of your ear for a more secure grip, and less likelihood of them falling out mid-workout. While this does reduce the risk of losing them, the wing may cause discomfort for some people, particularly if you're wearing them for a long time.

As well as being designed to stay in your ear, the Beats Fit Pro are also built to provide a superb audio experience. Fully adaptive noise cancelling, spatial audio and transparency mode are all available – with one issue. Spatial audio is only available if you're using an iPhone. Presumably this is because Apple owns Beats, but it will be a disappointment to any Android users who want these earbuds.

You'll get up to six hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on, plus another 18 hours from the charging case. That's more than enough for any gym session, plus your journey home.

There are lots of great noise-cancelling headphones, but when it comes to earbuds, the cream of the crop is undoubtedly the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The active noise cancellation is truly excellent. But just as importantly, the sound experience is also top notch.

This is thanks to Bose Immersive Audio, which makes the sound feel like it's coming from beyond the earbuds, and more like it's coming from a set of speakers. These earbuds are also extremely comfortable, featuring super soft earbud tips that are easy to swap so you get the right size for your ears. 

According to Bose, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds also offer improved call performance over their predecessors. They manage this by prioritising the mic on whichever earbud has the least background noise, and filtering out more of that noise to increase the clarity of your voice.

These are undoubtedly an ultra-premium set of earbuds, with an RRP of £299. So, it is a little disappointing that features such as multipoint Bluetooth and wireless charging are missing. But this is forgivable, given just how spectacular the sound quality and noise cancellation are.

Sennheiser typically produces high quality headphones and earbuds, and for pure unadulterated sound quality, the Sennheiser Momentum true wireless 4 are hard to beat. They are another set of premium earbuds, with an RRP of £260, placing them in a similar bracket as the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra (£299), Apple AirPods Pro 2 (£249), and the Sony WF-1000XM5 (£259). And for that, you get silky smooth audio, impressive active noise cancellation, and good call quality. 

These earbuds support 24-bit audio, aptX Lossless, aptX adaptive audio, Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast. The latter allows users to stream to two pairs of compatible earbuds from one device. There's even ultra-low-latency mode, which is ideal for gamers. 

Noise cancelling is very good, although not quite on the same level as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. Battery life is respectable, at around 7.5 hours per charge, plus another 23 hours or so from the charging case. There's even a battery protection mode, which is designed to optimise the lifespan of the battery. The drawback of this is that it does take longer to charge them, and they won't last quite so long between charges.

While we love earbuds, there are times when they can start to feel a little uncomfortable, especially if you wear them a lot. That's why we really rate the Sony Linkbuds S – some of the best wireless earbuds from a comfort perspective. These offer a range of ear tip sizes to fit a range of ear canals, and help you find the perfect balance between a firm hold, and cushioning. The buds themselves are also very tactile, making them easy to hold without dropping. 

They're also very light, which is great for comfort, but perhaps less good for keeping them secure if you're out for a run. They aren't as strong all-round as the Sony WF-1000XM5 (our pick for the best wireless earbuds overall). But for extended periods of wear, there aren't many that can compete with these. 

Curtis Moldrich tested the LinkBuds S earbuds. In his review he said:  " The Sonys are extremely comfortable and don’t cause the same sort of fatigue and irritation as most other earbuds do after hours of use."

"They offer detailed but punchy sounds and are well-balanced enough to bring the magic out of everything from vocal-led tracks to more dancefloor-orientated ones. When combined with their barely-there size and weight, the LinkBuds S are a great shout if you’re looking for earphones to work with or exercise with."