Fully wireless earbuds are the latest category among headphones, but also the best-selling. Everyone wants completely wireless!
If we disregard the obvious disadvantage – namely that it is twice as easy to lose at least one earplug as if the two were connected – then the advantages are several.
First, release the cable that rubs against the body. This creates noise that propagates into the ear. Secondly, the amplifier sits directly at the speaker element, which facilitates an extremely fast start and stop of the speaker element. Important for the dynamics. Just be aware that with less space for the amplifier, the maximum sound level is often a little lower with the completely wireless plugs. Third, the plugs take up very little space in your pocket, even in your travel case. You also never have to think about loosening a tangle of wires when you get them ready to listen to your favorite music.
Battery life
A disadvantage until now with completely wireless earplugs has been the battery life. The tiny batteries have so far given us 3-5 hours of battery life. If you do not count the extra time you get from charging in the case, which has a built-in battery for charging. But now it is more common with up to 6-7 and even 10 hours of playing time in the earplugs, and it is not uncommon for you to get 20 hours extra from the case. In other words, battery life is no longer a reason not to buy completely wireless earbuds.
Lately, it has become increasingly common for earplugs to let out ambient sound, and this is very nice since the earplugs insulate very well. So look for this feature, is our tip. Several models have also begun to receive active noise reduction. Because even though the earplugs themselves attenuate eye frequencies, they are less effective at taking the low ones. If you are sitting on a plane with a lot of noise in the cabin, it is an advantage with active noise reduction as well.
Cheap and expensive
In this test, we consider some of the newest earplugs on the market, which range from the cheapest – under 100 £ – and all the way up to the top of the premium layer. There we find, for example, Bang & Olufsen and Sennheiser, who are fighting for the throne. We have not included the Apple Airpods Pro this time, we have included them in comparison tests before. The same with Samsung Galaxy Buds and probably many others you are wondering about. On the other hand, we have included Powerbeats Pro in this test, since they still stand out as exceptional earplugs. For a more complete overview of tested earplugs, you can take a deep dive into our test archive here.
The experience we had in this test is that it is definitely worth paying more for better sound, but if you have a tight budget, you will definitely find something to your liking as well.