Most earbuds have some volume controls and controls for music functions like play, pause, previous, and next song. If the earbuds have a microphone built-in, you’ll also have buttons for answering and rejecting calls. Some of these buttons may double as more than one function. For instance, the “play” button may double as the “answer call” button, or the “decline call” may double as the “stop” or “pause” button. You will notice this much more on a phone that supports the aptX codec, like a Sony Xperia or Xiaomi Mi, but even on an iPhone with its less exalted codecs, the Bowers & Wilkins sound is easily one of the best I tested. I very nearly adopted these as my permanent earbuds.

Active noise cancellation: We’re seeing more and more wireless earbuds incorporating active noise cancellation technology to reduce the impact of external sound on your audio. If you want the most immersive listening experience, ANC should be high on your priority list.

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Battery life: Earbuds will always have a stated battery life, as will the case used to charge them. Between 15 and 20 hours of total listening time is around average, though your mileage will vary depending on the volume at which you play your audio. Having advanced features such as ANC active will also drain your battery faster. Admittedly, you don’t have to look all that long or hard to identify the areas where the TWS-50s have been built down to a price. Happily, none of these areas impacts the day-to-day experience of SoundMAGIC ownership. No, the plastics used for the earbuds and their charging case don’t feel in any way luxurious. Yes, the digital display on the case that indicates how much battery life it’s holding is tragically (or thrillingly, depending on how old you are) 80s. But where it really matters, the TWS050s are all business. Doing so made the top end a little harsh, although not enough that it made the Air Pops unlistenable. There’s also a Bass Boost sound mode designed for working out, and a Balanced mode for classical music and spoken word audio that we found worked well with good detail and separation. Pleasingly, these come with a whole range of adjustable ear tips (an extra that’s missing from many ear buds) which means that you can find one that makes for a good ‘seal’ inside your ear. This makes a huge difference not just to headphones falling out, but also to the sound.

The JLab Go Air Pop are the cheapest wireless earbuds on this list, but even with their immensely low price in mind, they still offer some great quality. It's only when nailing down the finer details of audio quality, we head for quieter environments where we compare the wireless earbuds we're testing to price comparable models and current class-leaders at the money. This gives us the chance to come to solid conclusions and peg each pair on sound quality. The fit of these buds also meant we could use them for HIIT workouts without fear of them falling out. Touch controls did prove to be fiddly, but generally speaking they’re never going to be as precise or reliable as physical buttons. Design: When buying a new pair of wireless earbuds, it can be helpful to think about where you want to wear them. If you're going to use them on a run, for example, you may want a pair that offers the most secure fit and a high water resistance rating like all the models in our best sports headphones.The size of the XM4s has been reduced since the previous model, and the charging case is a full 40% smaller, weighing in at 41g. Positioning the buds comfortably took longer than it should have during our testing (we found them fiddly), but once we got used to them, we found them secure and easy to wear. On the front of design though, the TWS/1 look decent, with a premium feel to both the earbuds and their aluminium charging case. We also found them to be rather comfortable to wear, the vast range of foam and silicone ear-tips provided should mean most can find their comfort level. If it’s the absolute best audio quality you’re after, then it is no longer the Sony WF-1000XM4 that are the best sounding wireless earbuds but the WF-1000XM5. The Bose app allows you to alter the amount of noise-cancelling on offer via a number of customisable presets and, speaking of noise-cancelling, the new Bose are still at the top of their game. They can automatically adjust the amount of ANC on offer so your music isn’t drowned out by particularly loud noises and the effect is deeply impressive. As for sound, it's balanced and neutral and overflowing with fine detail. Call quality is good for the money too.

Sony's XM-series earbuds go from strength to strength with each new generation. As the latest flagship, the WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are smaller and lighter, yet they're equipped with some of the strongest features and performance we've ever seen from a pair of wireless earbuds. They have some of the most dynamic and engaging sound we've heard, and their noise-canceling performance easily matches that of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 or Apple AirPods Pro 2 This gives me no satisfaction. I really wanted these phones. The saound and noise cancellation impressed me. But they were just unusable in practice. What a shame. Change seemed to be everywhere. But in every significant measure of performance, nothing much has changed at all. The WF-1000XM4, like the model they replace, combine sound quality, ergonomics, battery life and sound quality more successfully than any alternative model. Yes, in each of those areas (except ergonomics) it’s possible to do fractionally better - but not from one single pair of earbuds. If you want to improve on the WF-1000XM4 sound quality, or battery life, or noise-cancelling, well… you’ll have to buy three different pairs of earbuds. Wireless earbuds are one of those ideas that sounded like a dream at first: Pop a little headphone into each ear and listen to music or take calls untethered from everything. The first wireless buds were gigantic, died after a few hours, and had a bunch of other problems. Times have changed. There are now tons of new models that sound fabulous and work perfectly. After testing hundreds over the past four years, these are our favorite wireless earbuds, in a wide range of styles and prices. Some earbuds have touch controls, while others have physical buttons. Many earbuds, like AirPods, are controlled by taps. Examine the controls, and see if the controls will be comfortable and easy to access.The Edifier NeoBuds Pro are a fantastic choice if you’re after the powers of ANC at a more affordable price. There are two distinct styles of true wireless earbuds. One-size-fits-all buds like the Apple AirPods give you no flexibility in terms of fit – their earpieces either sit snuggly in your ears or feel loose when worn. They’re the best choice if you want to leave your ear canals free but they provide little, if any, sound isolation.

The battery is pretty good, the TWS 1/ able to last for 34 hours with ANC on, which is better than the AirPods Pro 2 and WF-1000XM4. Charging is a choice of USB-C and via any Qi-enabled wireless charging pad, and with the IPX4 resistance against moisture, you can consider these as an option for runs and workouts, too. Yes, they’re big and a bit gawky-looking in situ. Yes, in relative terms the charging case is massive. And yes, an all-in total of 18 hours of battery life is nothing to brag about. But as we said, if you want a specialist you’re going to have to compromise. You don’t have to have noise-cancellation on. A long press on one bud changes it to ‘Aware’ mode, letting important sounds through. You’d hear a car approaching, but it quietens chatter at work. There are ‘commute’, ‘focus’, ‘home’, ‘music’, ‘outdoor’, ‘relax’, ‘run’, ‘walk’ ‘work’ and ‘workout’ modes, too. I can’t claim to have detected the fine distinctions between them. Battery is better at six hours per charge but that’s still behind even some cheaper true wireless earbuds such as the JBL Live Pro 2 and the same as the Sony LinkBuds S. In total they’re capable of 30 hours with the charging case, which is fine. Charging here is taken care of by a Lightning cable and not USB-C, or you can use the slower Qi wireless charging for cable-free charging. We all know Bose how to make a great pair of wireless headphones and the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have to be considered its finest wireless earbuds to date.You're looking to save money: With so many brilliant budget earbuds out there, these are perhaps an unnecessary expense. But they are a perfect 'big present'. Maybe that's not the most significant concern if you're looking for good workout buds that last a while. But if you're more of an audiophile, that can be problematic. Axel Grell is one of the most respected names in the headphone space, best known for his work at Sennheiser and with the TWS/1 he has embarked on his creating his own premium wireless earbuds Design-wise, they’re lightweight at just 3.7g per earbud and incredibly small with three different types of eartips, which means they should suit almost everyone and we certainly found them incredibly comfortable to wear during our testing.