By Leigh :) Stark, an award winning reviewer and technology journalist with over 15 years of expertise in the headphone and sound space.
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While the earphones above are some of the best choices available right now, they may not be the best earphones for you. Depending on your needs, you may want to consider the following points:
Battery life
Wire-free earphones lack the cord and typically use a smaller battery than their cousins that have the cord, and that can mean lower battery life per use, though the cases they come in provide anywhere between one and four recharges.
When you’re looking for a pair of truly wireless earphones and earbuds, consider how long you’ll be using them between charges. If the answer is more than four hours, you’ll want to look for earphones rated for above four hours between charges. If you’re fine with a maximum of three hours, any wire-free earphone should suffice, though the technology is arguably getting better each year, supporting 4 to 8 hours standard as of the end of 2023.
Fit
Most truly wireless earphones adopt silicone or foam ear tips that go ever so slightly in your ear, and can be comfortable, but there are other styles.
Earphones that adopt a sport style, such as the Beats Powerbeats Pro 3, offer a style that sits ever so slightly out of the ear while holding to your ear using an arm. They still cling to the ear, but they’ll usually let some sound in with a plastic or metal arm adhering to your ears.
Meanwhile, earbuds like the Apple AirPods avoid tips entirely, using the “earbud” style and resting just barely in the ear, more on the outside. Earbud styles tend to let the most sound in and typically won’t support noise cancellation because they’re an “open” style of earphone.
There are pros and cons to all earphone types, but you should find the style that suits you best.
Intended use
There’s little doubt that you’re going to use truly wireless earphones to listen to sound, be it music or podcasts, but there are different uses for those earphones. Most earphones are good for walking and talking, but some are better than others, and if you’re looking for a truly wireless earphone built for fitness, you should consider one with an IP rating, as that will provide some element of water and sweat resistance.
Extra features
Depending on the earphones you buy, there are other features that might drive your purchase.
Fitness fanatics might prefer a truly wireless earphone rated for water- and sweat-resistance, and possible one that can double as a wearable and check your pulse using your ears, while people who talk to the smart assistant on their phones may need Siri, Alexa, or the Google Assistant.
And if you want to block out the outside world, you might want to consider noise cancelling earphones, too.
Are truly wireless earphones better than corded wireless earphones?
Depending on what you’re looking for, you may find wireless earphones connected by a cord to be more to your liking. Corded wireless earphones (wireless earpieces connected to each other by a cord) tend to have offer quite a bit of battery life and can be wrapped around your neck when not in use. They’re also harder to lose because they’re not tiny and small.
Truly wireless earphone news and reviews
We’re always reviewing earphones at Pickr, this is just a starting point, so check out the news and reviews on truly wireless earphones below to help you find your best earphones.
