By John Lonsdale
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Type “earbuds” into the search bar on Amazon, and you’ll have to scroll through page after page of audio products that are available to buy. The online retailer has no shortage of electronics, and it’s become an easy place to get a new set of earbuds quickly (or easily return them if they happen to not work out), especially if you have a Prime membership and use the app on your phone. (If you don’t yet have an Amazon Prime account, you can try a 30-day free Amazon Prime trial here.)
But even though all the earbuds come with a variety of different features, many of them end up looking the same if you shop long enough, and deciphering which ones have noise-cancelling features, a longer battery life and other key must-haves can become a full-time job.
After testing the best new earbuds ourselves and poring over countless reviews, we’ve found some of the best earbuds on Amazon, from brands like Sony and Apple and plenty of other well-trusted audio companies.
Below, check out our picks for the best earbuds on Amazon, from budget-friendly Bluetooth sets to noise-cancelling earbuds for music lovers.
What Are the Best Earbuds on Amazon?
Earbuds on Amazon Buying Guide
How We Chose the Best Earbuds on Amazon
Not every pair of earbuds are worth your cash, so keep the below features in mind when you’re searching for a new set, including a reliable battery life, noise-cancelling features and how they make your music or calls sound when in use.
Bluetooth: The best part about wireless earbuds is that you don’t have to worry about making sure you have the right cable to connect them to your phone. All you’ll need is a Bluetooth connection and you’re good to go. This list contains only wireless earbuds that use Bluetooth to pair with your smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Noise Cancellation: We prefer to use noise-cancelling earbuds when traveling or just to listen to music around the house because it’s easier to hear a song without background noise. Amazon has a long list of noise-cancelling buds to shop, but if this particular audio feature isn’t as important to you, you’ll still be able to find many high-quality buds on the company’s site. This guide includes earbuds with and without noise-cancelling tech that you can buy on Amazon.
Battery Life: Earbuds no longer need to be recharged every couple hours — today’s earbuds last longer on their own, and you can extend your listening time thanks to including charging cases which can hold extra juice when your earbuds die.
Charging Case: Want to prolong the amount of time you can use your buds during the day? That’s where a charging case comes in. Each of the earbuds below come with one, so you can charge them up when their batteries are running low if you’re commuting.
Fit and Comfort: If you struggle to find earbuds that fit your ears, we recommend looking for earphones that come with multiple sizes of ear tips. Most of the earbuds in this guide include various tips, so you should be able to find the right ones for you if the standard tips don’t work right away. That way, you won’t have to deal with your buds slipping out of your ears.
Here are the top-rated earbuds on Amazon from brands like Apple, Sony and Jabra. Bottom line: you can’t go wrong adding any of these earbuds to your Amazon shopping list.
BEST OVERALL: Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
EDITOR’S CHOICE: Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise-Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
LONG-LASTING BATTERY LIFE: Jabra Elite 85t
BEST FOR WORKOUTS: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
BEST UNDER $100: JBL Tune 125TWS
It’ll come as a surprise to no one that the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) earbuds are a bestseller on Amazon. (They also happen to be at their lowest price in over 30 days right now on the site.) After all, Apple’s been in the earbud market for years and continues to set the bar for what a set of earphones should look like.
The AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) check all the earbud boxes for music fans. In fact, our AirPods Pro review billed Apple’s latest, truly greatest buds as a “technical achievement in sound and noise cancellation, in spite of minimal design changes.” They feature active noise cancellation for anyone who wants to hear more of their music and less of, say, their roommates’ TV or the conversations happening next to you on the plane. They also support spatial audio, meaning your music can sound more immersive depending on what you’re listening to.
Apple’s included four separate ear tip sizes (XS, S, M, L) to make it easier for them to fit out of the box, and they also come with a wireless MagSafe charging case that will give you an entire day’s worth of power. The bottom line is that they’re among the best earbuds on Amazon you’ll find.
Buy Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) $224.99
Sony’s wireless earbuds are some of the best earbuds we’ve tested. We highly recommend them for frequent travelers who like to wear buds on a flight as you can easily activate their noise-cancelling feature with just a tap of your finger.
The buds themselves are slightly larger, and if you’re working out or bending down to grab something off the ground, you may feel them shift slightly in your ear, but this is a tiny nitpick. Overall, they make music sound crisp, almost as good as over-ear headphones we’ve tried, which is a big accomplishment for earbuds so small — thanks in part to Sony’s own Integrated Processor V1 tech.
They’re also sweat-proof, and we’ve loved wearing them during workouts because of it. They rarely slip and the larger design makes it easy to tap them to control our music when we’re on our route.
They provide about eight noise-cancelling hours of music on a charge. We love that you can also wirelessly charge them when they’re in the case, which can hold up to 16 hours of juice on its own. You can even communicate with Amazon’s Alexa while they’re in your ears.
Buy Sony WF-1000XM4 Earbuds $278.00
If you want to be able to customize the sound of your noise-cancelling earbuds, look no further than this pair from Jabra.
These Jabra earbuds are some of the best for anyone who wants to be able to curate their music-listening gear. For instance, you can change the noise-cancelling levels through Jabra’s smartphone app, or you can simply switch to the earbuds’ HearThrough mode for moments when you don’t want to be completely unaware of outside noises.
The app even lets you take a hearing test to curate your listening sessions, as well as makes it easy to customize all your button controls.
You’ll also get a total 25 hours of battery life with their case, which you can also wirelessly charge.
Buy Jabra Elite 85t True Wireless $177.45
With a name like QuietComfort, you can expect next-level noise-cancelling earbuds from Bose. That’s still the case with the next iteration of Bose’s excellent wireless buds. (Read our review of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.) In our tests over several months of wear, the QuietComfort IIs deliver booming sound in a small, comfortable design that’s fit for workouts and daily listening alike.
Thanks to several mics and the earbuds’ comfortable silicone ear tips, you won’t have any issues ignoring outside sounds when you’re streaming music or movies. You can customize their noise-cancellation with Bose’s app, and everything from intimate acoustic guitar to action movie blasts sound crisp and balanced.
Like the Sony buds, these are also suited for workouts and are rated IPX4, easily holding up even if they accidentally get wet. We also like how comfortable they are to wear for hours, whether we’re working out or listening to music at home. They also come with three ear tips and bands to help you find the right fit for your ears. The earbuds can last up to six hours per charge, or a total of 24 hours using their charging case.
Buy Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II $189.00
Though they don’t have a noise-cancelling feature, this pair of JBL earbuds are some of the best buds under $100 on Amazon for playing music. With their charging case, they can last for as much as 32 hours, or eight hours without the case.
If you use earbuds for work, these are a good, affordable set. Need to take a quick call? You can use a single bud at a time thanks to the Dual Connect feature. The buds boast JBL’s Pure Bass tech, so they’re ideal for hearing all the rumbles in action flicks, or for streaming bass-heavy tracks on your morning commute.
Amazon reviewers note their excellent sound quality and their comfortable fit. They’re available in four different colors, and three tips come included with your purchase.
Buy JBL Tune 125TWS Earbuds $88.75
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