The Best Earbuds to Buy in 2026

By Josh Teder

It’s 2026, and if you’re looking for a new pair of earbuds, I have eight different pairs of earbuds that we bought, most of them competing in that $150 to $300 range, because that’s often where you get the best bang for your buck. Can any of these buds beat the AirPods Pro 3? Well, yes and no. This post isn’t sponsored, by the way. These are all my honest takes on which earbuds are worth the money.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max: The Case With a Screen

First up is the most interesting one, at least visually: the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max, whose case has a built-in AMOLED screen. Over the past several months I’ve found it way more useful than you might expect. You can control media from it, and because it runs its own little OS, you can also see what devices it’s paired to, put them in pairing mode, switch settings, and use it as an AI-powered note taker. Everything is right there on the case, so you don’t have to go digging for your phone. There’s also an adorable cover animation you can upload your own photos and videos to.

Another surprising thing for the price: it actually has MagSafe built in, so the case magnetically attaches to a MagSafe charger. The buds take more of that hybrid long stem and wingtip design that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) also use. The benefit is that both have volume control support (every pair in this group has some form of it, but these allow you to slide your finger along the stem to move the volume up and down), and if you want buds that feel really secure in your ears for workouts, that wingtip design can help.

How do they sound? I’d say OK, not great. I just haven’t been able to get the sound I want out of these, even after messing with various EQ settings. By default their mids and bass are a bit more boomy than I want, and vocals don’t sound as clear and are a bit hollow. Put them directly next to the Sony WF-1000XM6 and it’s night and day.

Sound Quality

With a song like Caution by The Killers, the Sonys were more detailed, punchy and less muddy in the low end, and overall more of what you’d expect the song to sound like. On the AirPods Pro 3 you get even more clarity in the highs, but they miss some of the punchiness in the mids and low end that the Sonys have, which songs like People Watching by Sam Fender make very apparent. Oddly, I don’t always prefer the Sonys. On The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift, the AirPods picked up those breathy vocals a bit more and I preferred that.

Overall, after listening to music on all of these buds, the top two for me are the AirPods Pro 3 and the Sonys. I prefer the soundstage and detail you get with the AirPods, but the overall sound signature on the Sonys is a bit more warm, balanced and punchy, so I’d give the Sonys the slight edge.

What about the Sennheisers? I see in so many comments that people love this brand, and for good reason. The Momentum True Wireless 5 have a very nice, flat sound signature by default. Vocals come through loud and clear, but it’s not as warm or punchy as the Sonys, and the sound doesn’t sit as close to your head as it does on the top two, which I also prefer. They’re by no means bad, and thanks to the 8 band EQ I was able to get more of the scooped sound signature I often prefer for my music.

I’d put the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in that same third spot, though they sound quite a bit different. Bose clearly tuned them to match the AirPods signature, with an emphasis on the highs and vocals, while still keeping a bit of that boomy Bose sound the company is known for, depending on the track. That emphasis on the low end drowns out the rest of the mix a bit too much on some tracks, like My Body Isn’t Ready by sombr, compared to the AirPods and Sonys. They sound good, I just prefer the Sonys. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro land in that third tier too, just behind the Bose. They are a bit less clear in the highs than the AirPods and a bit stronger in the mids, but not as clear or punchy as the Sonys.

The next tier down is the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (3). They both sound fine, but not great. They lack the detail, clarity and punchiness you get with the buds higher up, and dead last are the Anker buds. They’re the cheapest in the group, but I find their sound lacking compared to the competition.

Higher quality codecs

Earbuds	Highest quality codec
Sennheiser Momentum 5	aptX Lossless (the only buds here with it)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra	aptX Adaptive listed, not officially lossless
Sony WF-1000XM6	LDAC
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	LDAC
Nothing Ear (3)	LDAC
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	Samsung’s UHQ seamless codec
AirPods Pro 3	AAC
Pixel Buds Pro 2	AAC

If you want higher quality streaming codecs, only the Sennheiser Momentum 5 have aptX Lossless. The Bose have aptX Adaptive listed, but not lossless officially. The Sony, Anker and Nothing buds support LDAC, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro support Samsung’s UHQ seamless codec. Apple and Google’s buds don’t support any of that and mainly use AAC. Does any of that really matter in my experience? No. As I pointed out in my AirPods Max 2 review, I can’t hear the difference.

The Sonys are the winner for sound quality, but there’s another reason to like them.

Noise Cancellation

The Sonys have some of the best noise cancellation of any of the buds I’ve tested. One of the reasons is that they have the best passive noise cancellation of any buds here, thanks to their all-foam tips, which really help block out a lot of sound.

Some people will not like the feel of the all-foam tips, especially when you first get these buds. I thought they were a bit stiff, but they did soften up after about a week.

Overall, the Sonys have the best noise cancellation, followed by the AirPods Pro 3. That’s somewhat surprising, because based on the brand you’d expect the Bose to be neck and neck with the Sonys, but the Bose let in higher pitched noises more than the other two, like typing on a keyboard. I think the AirPods Pro 3’s foam-infused tips likely help them edge out the Bose here as well.

I’ve also taken all of these buds on a flight this year, and the order at the top held up: the Sonys came out on top, followed by the AirPods, then the Soundcore buds, which surprisingly have really good noise cancellation for the price and took out way more noise than I was expecting. The Bose cancel out airplane cabin noise as well as any of the other buds. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and Sennheiser Momentum 5 take out cabin noise fine, but build up more pressure in my ears when doing so, and they aren’t as good as the others. The Nothing Ear (3) and Pixel Buds Pro 2 are last, since they don’t take out as much cabin noise or general office noise.

None of the noise cancellation on these buds is bad, but there are definitely tiers of how good it can be.

Mic Quality

After listening to audio I recorded on all of these buds, on two different pairs of headphones as well as my desk speakers, they basically fall into three tiers. The AirPods Pro 3 have not just the clearest sound, but the most obvious dynamic range. You can hear the lower register of my voice well, though yes, you do hear distortion in the highs. The other buds in that top tier are the Sonys, Sennheisers and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. One note on the Momentum True Wireless 5: when recording to my Mac, they make it sound like my ears are plugged and only pump the lower rumbling part of my voice, which none of the other earbuds did, and I found that distracting.

The next tier down is the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Soundcore Liberty buds. To me, both of those just didn’t sound as good. That leaves the Nothing Ear (3) and Bose buds in the bottom tier.

The Nothing Ear (3) in the bottom tier might surprise you if you know the Super Mic feature. Nothing built a mic into the case of these buds that’s meant to give you better audio quality than the mics on the buds themselves.

You can hear that it does improve the quality, but it almost sounds like the gain is a bit too high, and in my mind it isn’t really enough to save the mic quality of the buds overall.

Everyone’s ears are different, so if you want to hear them for yourself, try the earbud mic stack rank above.

Battery Life

Eight hours is about as good as battery life gets among the best buds in 2026, and in this group only the AirPods Pro 3, Sonys and Pixel Buds Pro 2 hit that mark with ANC on. If you want your buds to last on a cross-country flight, those are the ones to go with. The rest all follow with around 6 hours: the Soundcore buds are technically rated for 6.5, the Galaxy Buds, Bose and Sennheisers all say 6, and the Nothing Ear (3) brings up the rear with 5.5 hours of ANC.

Water Resistance

Earbuds	Buds	Case
AirPods Pro 3	IP57	IP57
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	IP57	No rating
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	IP55	Not listed
Sennheiser Momentum 5	IP54	Not listed
Pixel Buds Pro 2	IP54	IPX4
Nothing Ear (3)	IP54	Has a rating
Sony WF-1000XM6	IPX4	Not listed
Bose QuietComfort Ultra	IPX4	Not listed

All of these come with some form of water resistance, but the AirPods Pro 3 by far have the best. The buds are IP57 rated, meaning they can be submerged up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, and the AirPods Pro 3 case is IP57 rated too. The only other buds with that rating are the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but unlike the AirPods, their case has no water resistance rating. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (3) are the only other two with a rating on the case. For the rest, the cases don’t carry one or don’t state it.

The buds are a mix of IP ratings, most of them just splash proof at IPX4 or IP54. The difference there is that IPX4 isn’t dust rated. The Soundcore Liberty buds are rated against water jets, so they’re slightly better than the rest.

Case Size

Earbuds	Pocketability
AirPods Pro 3	Most pocketable
Pixel Buds Pro 2	Most pocketable
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	Most pocketable
Sony WF-1000XM6	Close second
Sennheiser Momentum 5	Close second
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	Bulky
Nothing Ear (3)	Bulky
Bose QuietComfort Ultra	Bulky

Speaking of cases, the AirPods Pro 3, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have the most pocketable ones, with the Sonys and Sennheisers in a close second. That leaves the Anker Soundcore, Nothing and Bose buds last, with their bulkier, larger cases.

Comfort

Earbuds	Comfort	In short
Pixel Buds Pro 2	Most comfortable	Almost feels like they’re not there
AirPods Pro 3	Most comfortable	Almost feels like they’re not there
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	Most comfortable	Surprising given the design
Sony WF-1000XM6	A bit bulkier	Takes up more room in my ears
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	A bit bulkier	Same level as the Sonys
Bose QuietComfort Ultra	Middle	More secure than some others, which also makes their presence more noticeable
Sennheiser Momentum 5	Least comfortable	Takes up more room with its shape, and is awkward to grip and take out of the case
Nothing Ear (3)	Least comfortable	AirPods-inspired design, but the part in your ear isn’t as slim, so it’s less comfortable for long sessions

I know everyone’s ears are slightly different, but for me the most comfortable buds are the ones that put less stuff in your ears and almost feel like they’re not there. At the top I’d put the Pixel Buds Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and, surprisingly given their design, the Anker Soundcore Liberty buds.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 are just a little bigger and bulkier, and I can feel them take up more room in my ears, which makes them not as comfortable as the top three. I’d put the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro on that same level as the Sonys. Following those two are the Bose. They’re more secure in your ears than some of the other buds, but at the same time that makes their presence more well known.

I’d rank the Momentum 5 and Nothing Ear (3) last. You can just feel the Sennheisers take up a bit more room with their shape, which also makes them more awkward to grip and take out of their case than the competition. And while the Nothing Ear (3) have that AirPods-inspired design, the part of the bud that goes in your ear isn’t as slim as it is on the actual AirPods, which makes them less comfortable to me for long listening sessions.

Ecosystem and Device Integration

Another big category that has a huge impact on how you use your buds is how well they integrate with your phone and other devices. If you have an iPhone or you’re in the Apple ecosystem, you get a lot of extras when you go with the AirPods Pro 3. Not just seamless switching between Apple devices, but stuff like decoding Dolby Atmos and surround sound with spatial audio, so it sounds like you’re watching something in a theater with speakers all around you.

You can also use them as hearing aids, and they even have a hearing protection feature built right in that automatically lowers loud noises around you.

Most of the other buds don’t have similar ecosystem features. Outside of Samsung for the hearing aids, that capability is rolling out later in 2026. On Android devices, most buds do support fast pairing and seamless switching.

Assistants

Earbuds	Assistant support
AirPods Pro 3	Hands-free Siri (the only buds that support it)
Pixel Buds Pro 2	Hands-free Gemini
Sony WF-1000XM6	Hands-free Gemini
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro	Hands-free Gemini (some bugs) and voice commands
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	Gesture to trigger your phone’s assistant, plus the built-in Anka assistant
Bose QuietComfort Ultra	Gesture to trigger your phone’s assistant
Sennheiser Momentum 5	Gesture to trigger your phone’s assistant
Nothing Ear (3)	Gesture to trigger your phone’s assistant

One of the easiest ways to control music and media when you have buds in is via an assistant. All of these buds can trigger the assistant on your phone with a specific gesture, but the AirPods are the only buds that support Siri hands-free. You get hands-free Gemini on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Sonys and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, though on the Galaxy buds that integration has had some bugs.

The Anker buds have their own assistant that runs on them, named Anka. That feature is closer to the voice commands on the Galaxy Buds, which let you control media with specific phrases. That isn’t honestly all that useful, because it drains the battery faster and duplicates what you can already do by tapping the buds. The thing Gemini and Siri are useful for is playing music and media from Spotify or Apple Music, or resuming a podcast in Pocket Casts. Anka can’t do that.

Finding Lost Buds

Earbuds	Speaker in case	Ultra Wideband precise location
AirPods Pro 3	Yes	Yes
Pixel Buds Pro 2	Yes	No
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max	Yes	No

Another thing to consider is what happens if you lose your buds. The AirPods Pro 3 have the best solution by far. Their case has a high pitched speaker to help you locate them, and they have an Ultra Wideband chip that lets an iPhone precisely find their location.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Liberty buds are the only other two that have a speaker in their case to help you find them.

Replaceable Batteries

Earbuds	Why it stands out
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5	User-replaceable batteries in both the buds and the case. Most other earbuds have neither.

Given that some of these buds cost up to $300 here in the US, it does kind of suck that they have an expiration date. Most earbuds do not have user-replaceable batteries in the buds or the case. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 do, and I can’t overstate how big of a deal it is that they sound this good while also having user-replaceable batteries and an IP54 dust and water resistance rating for the buds.

Which Earbuds Should You Buy?

Who you are	Buy this
iPhone owner	AirPods Pro 3
Android user	Sony WF-1000XM6
Android user who wants a great case and Gemini	Pixel Buds Pro 2 (usually on sale below $200)
Sound quality and replaceable batteries	Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5
Samsung phone owner	Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (battery life is the catch)

So, which buds are the best? It’s the AirPods Pro 3. Some buds, like the Sonys, beat them in certain categories, no doubt. But when you factor in all of their features, the battery life, water resistance, fit, comfort, sound, noise cancellation and everything, including price, I just don’t know how you could say they’re not the best buds. Well, at least for iPhone owners.

Best for Android: Sony WF-1000XM6

For Android users, I’d give it to the Sony WF-1000XM6, especially if you’re prioritizing sound quality, battery life and noise cancellation. I think they’re the clear winners.

Honorable Mentions

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 deserve an honorable mention for Android users. They have excellent battery life, good sound, hands-free Gemini, an excellent case and a really comfortable design, plus they’re usually on sale below $200. For better sound quality with slightly worse battery life with ANC on, the Sennheisers are a great choice. And if you primarily use a Samsung phone, I’d be really tempted to buy the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but their battery life might be the thing that makes me choose another pair on this list.

You can check live prices on all of these in the Featured Products section above, and if you’re looking for deals on earbuds this holiday season, head to the shop page and search earbud deals. All of the earbuds we’ve tested and recommend that are on sale will appear there. You can also see where else we’ve covered a given pair with a site search for earbuds.

For more, check out my Sony WF-1000XM6 review, AirPods Pro 3 review, Pixel Buds Pro 2 review, Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review and AirPods Max 2 review. Switching phones too? See my iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. S26 Ultra comparison and Android vs. iOS in 2026.

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