I rely on earbuds for everything. From clear Zoom calls in the office and silent nights reading my book with active noise cancellation turned on, to aware listening while running in the park and taking the subway to and from work. There are thousands of earbuds on the market and audio tech has never been better, but lots of earbuds overpromise and underdeliver on sound, noise cancellation, and battery life.
But since I test earbuds for a living, and have worn plenty of mediocre and amazing pairs of earbuds to discover which are worth your money and which you should avoid. I've done most of the heavy lifting by extensively researching the best buds, trying them out for myself as I take the subway to work, hop on conference calls, and, yes, even sweat in them on my morning runs. What are the best earbuds right now? ZDNET has gone hands-on with all of the top earbuds available (both wired and wireless) to help you find the best earbuds for your budget and needs.
Our pick for best earbuds overall is for its over-ear-headphone level noise-canceling capabilities and its comfortable, secure fit, but there are plenty of other top options that will suit your listening needs on this list, too. The best earbuds of 2024 Sony WF 1000XM5 These earbuds, according to ZDNET reviewer Jada Jones, cancel out noise like a pair of over-ear headphones. That's a big deal for a small but mighty pair of buds.
This improved noise-canceling capability is partly due to the upgraded ear tips Sony included.
