The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (2024)

If you’re searching for the best earbuds for iPhone, you’re in the right place. While the obvious choice might be Apple’s own AirPods, they’re pretty expensive thanks to the ever-present Apple tax, so it’s a solid idea to check out the available alternatives. In this guide, we break down some of the most viable options out there, highlighting the pros and cons of different products from different brands. All you have to do is pick out your favorite from our wide selection.

Here you can find earbuds to suit every budget, and all are compatible with the best gaming iPhones because we all deserve earbuds regardless of what we can afford. Market leaders like Sony also work with the best Android phones, giving you greater flexibility. All of the best iPhone earbuds on this list offer excellent sound quality and good battery life, while premium options like the AirPods Pro earn their pricewith advanced noise cancellation.

Why you can trustour adviceAt Pocket Tactics, our experts spenddays testing games, phones, tech, and services. Wealways share honest opinions to help you buy the best. Find outhow we test.

Here are the best earbuds for iPhone 2024

1. Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2 – best Apple earbuds

2. Sony WF-1000XM5 – best Sony earbuds

3. Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro – great for Android and iPhone

4. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 – best audio quality

5. Jabra Elite 3 – best budget pick

6. Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed Pro – great for gamers

7. Apple AirPods Gen 3 – best budget Apple earbuds

8. TOZO A1 Mini earbuds – very cheap earbuds that get the job done

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (1)

Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2

The best fit for Apple devices, at a premium Apple price.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (2) Today’s best deals

Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2 specifications:

Battery life6 hours
Wireless chargingYes

Reasons to buy

  • Fantastic active noise-canceling
  • Feel great to wear
  • Great battery between buds and charging case

Reasons to avoid

  • Disappointing microphone
  • Average sound coverage for the price

If you love Apple and use multiple iOS devices, it seems silly to stray away from the Apple ecosystem, especially as they all work together in perfect harmony. If you decide to add the Apple AirPods Pron Gen 2 to your iOS collection, you’ll get some peace and quiet courtesy of the ‘two times’ noise canceling capabilities of the earphones, improving upon the previous model. Given how comfy these buds are, it’s never been so easy to sit and listen to your music for hours on end. The most important thing to remember is that, as is the case with other iOS devices, you need to pay the Apple tax.

The snazzy new H2 chip is powering all of this, including the spatial audio feature, allowing you to enjoy movies and TV shows with an approximation of surround sound that many other devices just can’t compete with. The AirPods Pro Gen 2 also boasts a great sound profile, with crisp high-frequency sounds and hefty bass, capable of loud volumes without distorting or getting uncomfortable.

Plus, the Apple Airpod Pro Gen 2 comesin a suitably premium case which features a tiny speaker so that you can set off an alarm when you’ve misplaced your pods (again). They also boast MagSafe wireless charging and a neat little hole if you want to attach the case to a lanyard. With the high-quality materials and the sleek design of the white case, these definitely earn their price point.

Finally, AirPods are compatible with the ‘Find my iPhone’ app, so you can keep a close eye on your beloved earbuds. They even vibrate when you try to track them down, meaning you can always hear them should they get lost in your couch.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (3)

Sony WF-1000XM5

Possibly the new market leader, and a great Apple alternative.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (4) Today’s best deals

Sony WF-1000XM5 specifications:

Battery life24 hours
Wireless chargingYes

Reasons to buy

  • Lighter and smaller than the XM4
  • Made from recycled materials
  • Can connect to two devices

Reasons to avoid

  • Very expensive
  • Might not fit all ears

Sony has been a big name in the audio game for a while now, so it should be no surprise that the brand’s AirPods alternative is high on this list of the best earbuds for iPhone. With a build made up of recycled materials and discrete noise canceling features, these earbuds might be just as expensive as their Apple counterparts, but they’re also just as reliable.

They also have great touch controls and a quick pause when taking out an earbud when you quickly need to chat with a pal. The Sony WF-1000XM5 also features touch-sensitive controls, so it’s easy to tap your earbuds to control your music and take calls. This is alongside fantastic ANC, allowing you to take in that tremendous audio quality in peace.

Finally, Sony has a proprietary headphone app and audio profile settings so you can customize your sound to your heart’s content. Coupled with the astonishing sound quality, these devices boast some of the best sound on the market. That explains the major price tag that comes with these earbuds.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (5)

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro

A great mid-range pick if you move between Apple and Android.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (6) Today’s best deals

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro specifications:

Battery life5 hours
Wireless chargingYes

Reasons to buy

  • Great for Samsung users
  • Simplistic, professional design

Reasons to avoid

  • The sound range is lackluster
  • Not the most comfortable device

An improvement on almost any previous Samsung Galaxy earbuds, these newest additions to the team bring a lot of neat changes for Samsung users. If you own several Samsung devices like a smartwatch or TV, it’s very easy to move between devices and keep your favorite sound profiles.

They also look professional with their single-color design, though they do fit into ears at a slightly odd angle. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro also features one neat mechanic for anyone who uses their phone a lot, as they use accelerometers to detect where you’re pointing your head. If you spend too much time staring down, the headphones notify your device, telling you to give your poor neck a break and look up straight again. I know I could use these after spending hours on Coin Master.

The SamsungGalaxy Buds 2 Pro doesn’t feature the industry-leading sound of Sony or Sennheiser, but they still have a clear and concise profile with great noise separation for music. Much like other devices in this price range, they also feature fantastic noise canceling and splash resistance so these are probably better for use in day-to-day life and during gym workouts than in the studio truly inspecting your soundscapes.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (7)

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3

Industry-leading sound with a fitting price tag.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (8) Today’s best deals

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 specifications:

Battery life28 hours
Wireless chargingYes

Reasons to buy

  • Maybe the best sound on the market
  • Improvements over the True Wireless 2
  • Great adaptive ANC

Reasons to avoid

  • Slightly limited in features
  • Chunky case

Sennheiser is a market leader in sound quality. Up until recently, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds boasted some of the best wireless audio on the market, with a few drawbacks. Well, the king has returned, and the True Wireless 3 improves on audio and ANC. It even starts at a lower price.

Unlike some gaudy earbuds, the Sennheiser’s look and feel sturdy and professional, and feel great to wear for extended periods. The True Wireless 3 earbuds have a comfortable build and these handy wing tips, that keep the buds firmly in your ear during exercise as well as keeping a lot of noise out alongside that brilliant ANC.

But the star of the show is the astounding audio quality, boasting an incredible frequency range that still managed to clearly separate instruments and sounds no matter the volume, This dynamic audio can also be fine-tuned within the Sennheiser earbud app for all you audio perfectionists.

The new case now features wireless charging, which, alongside the slightly smaller earbuds and case does mean the buds are more portable. However, the case is still a fair amount larger than some others on the market, though this does give you around 20-something hours of overall battery. If you also want to connect to several devices at once, the True Wireless 3 headphones allow you to quickly move between devices. The downside is you can’t use multiple at once like some other pairs on the market.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (9)

Jabra Elite 3

A surprisingly cheap pick that boasts a lot for the price.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (10) Today’s best deals

Jabra Elite 3 specifications:

Battery life20 hours
Wireless chargingNo

Reasons to buy

  • That amazing budget price
  • Great design and a nice case
  • Secure and comfortable fit

Reasons to avoid

  • Not the best audio quality or mic
  • No wireless charging

Sometimes you need a cheap and cheerful pair of headphones that are reliable, comfortable, and still boast some neat features. This is where the Jabra Elite 3 slots into our list of the best earbuds for iPhone, and they absolutely achieve the goal of a fantastic overall ‘budget’ device.

The sound is fantastic for the price range, though there’s some slight hissing at low volumes and a bit of a dull distortion to the lower ends, but they are still perfectly capable of pumping out some belting tunes. These tend to dip towards being quite bass-heavy, but the handy Jabra app does allow you to adjust your preferences, just not quite to the minutiae of a Sony or Sennheiser pair of earbuds. But, the sound is dynamic, clear, loud, and feels great for the price point. You can’t get better without spending some serious money folks.

The Jabra Elite 3 also comes in a variety of nice colors, and while they do look slightly cheaper than some, they are still nice to look at. They are compact and fit nicely into the ear, and the smaller case might not have wireless charging, but they can reach up to over 20 hours of charge, around 6-7 hours in one single stint. Basically, these are likely the best earbuds under $100.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (11)

Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed Pro

A premium option focused on gaming instead of music.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (12) Today’s best deals

Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed Pro specifications:

Battery life16 hours
Wireless chargingYes

Reasons to buy

  • Gorgeous design and great RGB lights
  • 2.4hz connection perfect for gaming

Reasons to avoid

  • Fiddly touch controls
  • Audio and ANC quality are subpar

One thing we love doing on our iPhones is gaming, and if you want to balance great gaming earbuds with some great sound quality, then the Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed Pro earbuds are a premium choice with some fancy features. The earbuds arrive with a USB-C 2.4hz adapter allowing for superfast audio connections, perfect for gaming.

Plus, if you’re a streamer who likes a fancy touch, the Razer Hammerhead earbuds feature an RGB light on either earbuds, ready to dazzle people on the bus or to help light up your frame while playing games on Twitch. You can set them to phase between colors, or instead react to sound for a real display. Make sure you read ourRazer Hammerhead Pro Hyperspeed reviewfor more.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (13)

Apple AirPods Gen 3

The cheaper Apple option.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (14) Today’s best deals

Apple AirPods Gen 3 specifications:

Battery life6+ hours
Wireless chargingNo

Reasons to buy

  • Spatial audio
  • Apple features

Reasons to avoid

  • Disappointing sound
  • Loose, uneasy fit

Sometimes it’s just easier to be in the Apple ecosystem, and if you can’t quite stretch to the AirPod Pros, then the regular AirPods are still a good fit that can easily slot into your life. They’re very small and portable at least, though they don’t have the comfort of their larger counterpart, and sometimes feel a little loose when they sit in the ear.

However, they are great as day-to-day earbuds, with unique features like spatial audio, which adds a bit of atmosphere to your YouTube viewing habits. The sleek AirPod case also barely makes a dent in your pockets, and the addition of MagSafe charging makes these earbuds even more convenient. However, for wired charging, they still need the Lightning cable connection.

This entry of our list of the best earbuds for iPhone holds around 6-7 hours of consistent sound a charge, and at least three times that with the charger. Plus, you can easily control your music by tapping them, and even quickly access Siri to utilize the functions of your phone. While the sound quality is good, it’s not impressive, and there’s no active noise cancelation, either. But if you’re an Apple user, the Apple AirPods are still a great choice thanks to their form, function, and convenience.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (15)

TOZO A1 Mini earbuds

The most affordable earbuds for iPhone.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (16) Today’s best deals

TOZO A1 Mini earbuds specifications:

Battery life6+ hours
Wireless chargingNo

Reasons to buy

  • Very cheap
  • Gets the job done

Reasons to avoid

  • Lower quality
  • Doesn’t offer as many features as competitors

If you’re looking for something super simple that will get the job done without putting a dent in your bank balance, the TOZO A1 Mini earbuds are a surprisingly strong option for a truly mini price.

They can go pretty loud, hold battery life pretty well, and come with some extra pieces to help them fit to your ear more comfortably. They connect easily via Bluetooh 5.3 technology, and maintain connection at a good distance. Their small charging case and lightweight design also make them easy to carry and wear.

On top of that, they offer smart touch control, allowing you to change the volume, skip songs, pause, and answer calls without pulling out your phone, and they also have a built-in microphone – and, though it’s obviously not the highest quality, the mic works pretty well.

These earbuds aren’t going to blow your mind, and definitely don’t stand up against the more expensive options on this list. But, if you’re the type who frequently loses your headphones, or you simply want something to tide you over, they’ll certainly get the job done for a fraction of the price of their competitors.

How we test the best earbuds for iPhone

The day-to-day use of earbuds is what we consider first and foremost; it’s a solid starting point that determines whether or not they’re worth your time – be it for music, streaming, gaming, or simply canceling out the noise to get some peace and quiet. The quality of the sound is crucial, but as we aim to cater to all budgets, some are of a higher standard than others, but we still only give recommendations that offer clear audio. To achieve this, we test earbuds with audio from music, TV shows, films, and games, gauging the frequency and clearness at both high and low volumes.

Naturally, we also consider the battery life, the case, and how well they can slot into your everyday life, as earbuds that need a recharge after just an hour are not good enough, in all honesty. Alongside this, we take into account whether they have wireless charging, whether they can last a full day of use, and how ergonomic or well-designed both the earbuds and the case are. Another key factor is Active Noise Canceling (ANC), an industry-standard feature that we hope to see in every premium product. We check outdoor scenarios to see if there is any sound leakage and how much of the audio quality is maintained. Find out more about how we test hardware.

For those on a budget, we also consider the price of a product, especially when it comes to the amount of features on offer with a pair of earbuds. Newer features like Spatial Audio are great but not essential for everyday use. Same with apps and certain customization features. Not everyone needs to control every aspect of their audio quality, so does the price of the product align with the services and features offered?

Once you’ve pressed play on this article, check out the rest of ourtechtips here at Pocket Tactics. If you’ve got an Apple device, we can also help you find thebest iPhone chargers,best iPhone power banks, best iPhone 13 cases, best iPhone 14 cases, andbest iPhone cases.

The best earbuds for iPhone 2024 (2024)

FAQs

What are the number 1 rated earbuds? ›

Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer the best noise cancellation you'll find from any wireless buds. The QC Ultra Earbuds are extremely similar to 2022's QC Earbuds II in terms of design, fit, and sound. Audio quality is rich and dynamic, delivering more bass thump than, say, Apple's AirPods Pro.

Do any earbuds work with an iPhone? ›

As Apple is Apple and loves proprietary hardware and software, the AAC codec is the only one compatible with the company's products. If you're looking at headphones that support aptX, aptX HD, or LDAC, that's all well and good but it won't be much help in your quest to find the best iPhone earbuds.

What are the best earbuds for listening to music? ›

The best earbuds of 2024
  1. Technics EAH-AZ80. The best earbuds for both sound and features. ...
  2. Nothing Ear (a) The best earbuds for under $100 / £100. ...
  3. JLab Go Air Pop. The best earbuds on a super-low budget. ...
  4. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. ...
  5. Apple AirPods Pro 2. ...
  6. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. ...
  7. 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphone.
6 days ago

What brand of earbuds last the longest? ›

Most durable earbuds
  • Our pick. Jaybird Vista 2. 7.7. IP68 and MIL-STD-810G certifications. ...
  • Best sound. Jabra Elite 4 Active. 8.2. Sound quality. ...
  • Best design. RHA S500. 7.9. Good design. ...
  • Best for athletes. Sennheiser Sport Wireless Earbuds. 8.3. Good battery life. ...
  • Best bone conduction. Shokz OpenRun. Bluetooth 5.1.
Aug 29, 2023

Which is the No 1 earbuds brand? ›

Comparison On Top Parameters
S.NoProductNet Weight
1"OnePlus Buds 3 in-Ear TWS Bluetooth Earbuds"50 gms
2"JBL Tune 770NC Wireless Over-Ear ANC Headphones with Mic"232 gms
3"Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, with Innovative AI Features, Bluetooth Truly Wireless Ear Earbuds"6 gms
4"Bose New Quiet Comfort"66 gms
6 more rows

What is the most bought earbuds? ›

The most popular style of headphones today by a long way is true wireless earbuds, and our list consists entirely of these products. AirPods are the best-selling model of them, but they're not so great if you don't have an iPhone, so you'll find the best AirPods alternatives based on our testing in this list.

What is better than AirPods? ›

The best Apple AirPods alternatives you can buy right now
  • Sony WF-1000XM5. Better battery life, great ANC, and LDAC support. ...
  • Cambridge Audio Melomania M100. Great sound, long battery life and great value. ...
  • Beats Fit Pro. ...
  • Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. ...
  • Jabra Elite 8 Active. ...
  • Jabra Elite 10. ...
  • Google Pixel Buds Pro. ...
  • OnePlus Buds 3.
Jun 3, 2024

What's better, AirPods or Beats? ›

After extensive testing, the AirPods Pro offer a far more balanced sound profile than the Beats Studio Buds. Beats have a well-earned reputation for emphasizing bass while sacrificing mid and high tones.

Which Apple earphones are best to buy now? ›

Which AirPods Should You Buy?
  • Best Overall. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) With USB-C. Read more. $189 at Amazon.
  • If You Don't Want In-Ears. Apple AirPods (2019) Read more. $99 at Amazon.
  • Best Headphones. Apple AirPods Max. Read more. $549 at Amazon.
  • If You Want Beats Instead. Beats Studio Buds + Read more. $170 at Amazon.
Mar 17, 2024

Should I get EarPods or AirPods? ›

The Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless are better for most purposes than the Apple EarPods. The AirPods are truly wireless earbuds with better build quality, a more stable fit, and an IPX4 rating for water resistance.

Can I answer my iPhone with my earbuds? ›

Answer a call: Press the stem once on either of your AirPods. Note: If you turn on announce calls, you can also answer or decline a call using your voice. End a call: Double-press the stem on either of your AirPods.

Why cant i use earbuds on my iPhone? ›

Check for debris, damage, or loose connections

Check your headphone cable, connector, remote, and earbuds for damage, like wear or breakage. Look for debris on the meshes in each earbud. To remove debris, gently brush all openings with a small, soft-bristled brush that's clean and dry.

What is the future of true wireless earbuds? ›

The Global True Wireless Earbuds market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2024 and 2032. In 2024, the market is growing at a steady rate [CAGR] and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

Which is the latest true wireless earbuds? ›

All Reviews
ProductRelease YearStyle Wireless
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 42024Truly Wireless
JLab Audio JBuds ANC 3 True Wireless2024Truly Wireless
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Truly Wireless2024
May 28, 2024

How many years should earbuds last? ›

Depending on the brand, you can expect your wireless earbuds to last between one and three years. If you use them excessively, you may need to replace your earbuds sooner rather than later. Even if your earbuds last longer than expected, the rechargeable battery will eventually degrade.

What wireless earbuds don t fall out? ›

The soundcore V30i is widely recognized as one of the best wireless earbuds that don't fall out, tailor-made for active lifestyles and audio enthusiasts alike. These earbuds are a testament to ergonomic design and superior sound quality, featuring an ultra-lightweight, open-ear construction.

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