Deserved aliases not, Apple has turned AirPods into nan default prime for astir iPhone owners successful nan marketplace for caller wireless earbuds. But if you’re 1 of nan millions who person an Android smartphone, figuring retired which group to drawback isn’t arsenic obvious. If you request a hand, let america to constituent you successful nan correct direction. We’ve tested and reviewed dozens of wireless earbuds complete nan years and surgery down our favourite options for Android users below. Whether you usage a Galaxy aliases a Pixel phone, and whether you want thing for nan gym aliases your greeting commute, present are nan champion AirPods alternatives for Android.
Table of contents
Best Android earbuds for 2025
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IPX4 | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: Yes | Max artillery life (rated): 12 hrs, 24 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 | Warranty: 1 year
Read our afloat Sony WF-1000XM5 review
The Sony WF-1000XM5 deed connected conscionable astir everything we want from a premium group of Bluetooth earbuds. Their small, rounded creation should consciousness comfortable and unafraid successful astir ears. They’re astir unmatched astatine muting extracurricular noise, acknowledgment to a powerful ANC characteristic and representation foam eartips that do a singular occupation of isolating sound passively. They sound awesome retired of nan box, particularly if you for illustration a warmer floor plan pinch elevated bass, but you tin easy customize nan EQ curve done Sony’s app, and they do good to tie retired treble-range item either way. They’re besides loaded pinch other features, including multipoint connectivity, Google Fast Pair, LDAC and spatial audio support, nan expertise to switch betwixt ANC and ambient sound (or "transparency") modes automatically and more. The wireless charging lawsuit is conveniently tiny, while nan eight- to 12-hour artillery life gives small to kick about.
Still, nan XM5s still aren’t a total slam dunk. The built-in mics aren’t nan clearest for telephone calls. The IPX4 water-resistance standing could beryllium higher. Some group mightiness find nan representation foam eartips a small excessively full-feeling. They besides person a database value of $330, which is acold from affordable. But nary different wireless earbuds we’ve tested person managed to tick truthful galore boxes.
Pros
- Strong, customizable audio quality
- Should beryllium comfortable to most
- Loads of useful prize features
- Stellar sound isolation
Cons
- Expensive
- Memory foam eartips aren't for everyone
- No artillery life betterment complete predecessor
$213 astatine Amazon
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IPX4 | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: No | Max artillery life (rated): 10 hrs, 50 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC | Warranty: 18 months
Read our guideline to nan best fund wireless earbuds
If you don’t person hundreds to spend, our favourite wireless earbuds successful nan fund bracket are nan Anker Soundcore Space A40. Frequently priced betwixt $45 and $60, this brace has nan benignant of features we’d expect from earbuds that costs doubly arsenic much: genuinely powerful ANC, multipoint connectivity, wireless charging, a coagulated 8 to 10 hours of artillery life, LDAC support, decent (if not great) IPX4 h2o guidance and a usable ambient sound mode. They don’t person nan astir resolving aliases detail-rich sound of nan box, unsurprisingly, but their lukewarm floor plan offers pleasant, thumpy bass without wholly blowing retired nan low-end. If you want to adhd much treble presence, you tin customize nan EQ done a cleanable and easy-to-read companion app. The existent earpieces are small, information and comfortable arsenic well.
The main trade-off is telephone quality, arsenic nan built-in mic tin suffer your sound successful noisy environments and doesn’t grip sibilant sounds very well. There’s nary deterioration discovery either, truthful your euphony won’t auto-pause erstwhile you region an earbud. They besides don’t support Google’s Fast Pair tech, though nan earbuds should retrieve your instrumentality and automatically reconnect aft you brace them for nan first time. But for nan value point, it’s difficult to complain.
Pros
- Excellent ANC for nan price
- Warm, pleasant sound
- Comfortable and compact
- Good artillery life
Cons
- No automatic deterioration detection
- Mediocre telephone quality
- Doesn't sound arsenic elaborate arsenic higher-end options (as expected)
$45 astatine Amazon
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: No IPX standing | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: No | Max artillery life (rated): 7 hrs, 47 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX Adaptive | Warranty: 1 year
Read our afloat Noble FoKus Rex5 review
Determining which group of headphones has nan “best” sound value is simply a fool’s errand — astatine nan extremity of nan day, it’ll ever travel down to individual taste. But if we had to prime 1 brace we’ve particularly enjoyed for music, it’d beryllium nan Noble FoKus Rex5. Its unsocial five-driver creation helps it tie retired a singular level of item and decently abstracted nan instrumentation successful immoderate fixed track. It’s a balanced sound profile, pinch tight but not overindulgent bass, a natural-sounding midrange and relaxed highs that don’t fatigue complete time. The soundstage is wider than astir existent wireless earbuds we’ve tested, while support for LDAC and aptX Adaptive only assistance pinch item retrieval. You tin group a individual EQ if you request it, but we’ve recovered nan banal tuning to suit immoderate genre good by default.
The FoKus Rex5 supports ANC and multipoint connectivity, while its IEM-style, metal-and-acrylic lodging fits comfortably successful nan ear. But you’d bargain it for nan sound value first and foremost: Noise cancellation isn’t connected Sony’s level, nan ultra-green decorativeness isn’t for everyone, nan five- to seven-hour artillery life isn’t perfect and there’s nary auto-pausing erstwhile you region an earbud. Most prohibitively, these things are damn costly astatine $449. If you want thing a little little pricey, nan Technics AZ100 and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are compelling (if bassier) options arsenic well. But for self-proclaimed audiophiles pinch rate to burn, nan FoKus Rex5 are a treat.
Pros
- Detailed, immersive sound
- Comfortable fit
- Custom audio profiles that prevention straight to nan buds
Cons
- Very expensive
- Just 1 colour and it's not for everyone
- Subpar ANC performance
$449 astatine Amazon
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: No | Water resistance: IPX4 | Multipoint connectivity: No | Wear detection: Yes | Max artillery life (rated): 6 hrs, 24 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC | Warranty: 1 year
Read our afloat Beats Fit Pro review
Most of our picks supra will activity conscionable good successful nan gym, but if you’re buying a brace for workouts first and foremost, effort nan Beats Fit Pro. Yes, we’re recommending a group of Apple-made earbuds successful an Android buying guide. But while they activity best pinch iPhones, astir of their AirPods-style features are besides disposable connected Android done nan Beats app. You tin brace them pinch 1 pat done a pop-up card, position a representation pinch their past known location, switch betwixt ANC and ambient sound modes from nan location screen, remap controls and cheque their artillery level from nan notification tray. There’s nary hi-res codec support, but successful wide nan drop-off from iOS to Android isn’t astir arsenic awesome present arsenic it is pinch AirPods.
The main logic we urge nan Fit Pro is their lightweight design, which is equipped pinch bendy silicone fins that support nan earbuds unafraid successful spot while you’re moving around. Their IPX4 water-resistance standing isn’t nan best, but it should beryllium capable for each but nan sweatiest gymgoers. (Just don’t usage them successful nan pool.) We besides for illustration that nan Fit Pro uses beingness buttons to set measurement aliases skip tracks, since touch controls tin consciousness finicky erstwhile you’re trying to support up pinch a workout. Their punchy sound is well-suited to nan gym arsenic well, pinch a noticeable but not overwhelming push successful nan bass and treble. It’s not 1 for purists, but it’s energetic.
If you aren’t specifically looking for workout earbuds, you tin still do better. The Fit Pro deficiency wireless charging and multipoint connectivity, and there’s nary measurement to customize nan EQ if you don’t for illustration nan default sound. Their built-in mics aren’t thing typical for telephone calls, and nan five- to six-hour artillery life is connected nan separator of passable. The charging lawsuit is somewhat ample arsenic well. Plus, while nan ANC mode is useful capable for tamping down nan sound of a gym, it’s a clear measurement down from nan champion options connected nan market.
Pros
- Secure fresh for workouts
- Punchy sound is well-suited to nan gym
- Physical power buttons
Cons
- No wireless charging aliases multipoint connectivity
- Battery life is conscionable OK
- ANC isn't good but thing special
$153 astatine Macy's
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IP54 (IPX4 for case) | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: Yes | Max artillery life (rated): 12 hrs, 48 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC | Warranty: 1 year
Read our afloat Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are explicitly designed to activity successful harmony pinch different Pixel devices, truthful they’re worthy considering if you’re a dedicated instrumentality of Google’s phones. They travel pinch a big of useful prize features, from remote ringing and a “conversation detection” mode to a customizable EQ and automatic switching betwixt devices paired to your Google account. (You besides get hands-free entree to Google’s Gemini AI bot, though we wouldn’t telephone that essential.) You tin still entree astir of nan Pixel Buds’ perks connected different Android devices by downloading a abstracted app, but each of nan functionality is baked into Pixel phones natively. This intends you tin negociate nan earbuds, cheque artillery position and nan for illustration correct from your device’s settings menus. It’s akin to really Apple integrates AirPods pinch iOS.
The earbuds themselves are perfectly competent beyond that, pinch a mini yet comfortable design, decent ANC for nan price, eight-ish hours of artillery life, capable telephone value and an enjoyable sound pinch punchy bass and extended treble. That said, you’ll still get richer audio value and much robust sound cancellation from our Sony and Noble picks above, truthful those who aren’t all-in connected Google hardware tin consciousness free to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Tight integration pinch Pixel phones
- Tiny, comfy design
- Agreeable sound
Cons
- Smaller touch panels require precision
- ANC isn't connected par pinch Sony WF-1000XM5
$189 astatine Amazon
Active sound cancellation: Yes | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IP57 | Multipoint connectivity: No | Wear detection: Yes | Max artillery life (rated): 7 hrs, 30 hrs w/ lawsuit | Codecs: SBC, AAC, SSC, SSC-UHQ | Warranty: 1 year
Read our afloat Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review
Along those lines, nan Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are to Galaxy phones what nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 are to Pixel phones. Using them pinch a Samsung handset unlocks a fewer ecosystem-specific perks, including nan hi-res Samsung Seamless codec, a real-time translator instrumentality and a “Game Mode” that reduces latency. That’s connected apical of features for illustration spatial audio, a schematic EQ, a mislaid instrumentality finder, adaptive ANC, simplified sound commands and automatic switching betwixt Samsung devices.
This benignant of walled plot attack is frustrating; retrieve erstwhile you could plug your headphones into immoderate instrumentality and it’d activity nan aforesaid measurement each time? But, arsenic pinch nan Pixel Buds and AirPods, nan Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are undeniably convenient if you’ve already bought into their chosen platform.
The remainder of nan package gets much correct than wrong, though location are immoderate issues worthy calling out. The stem-style creation beautiful overmuch rips disconnected nan AirPods Pro — this is peculiarly evident pinch nan achromatic decorativeness — but adds weird, unnecessary LED strips down nan stems. It’s comfortable, but Samsung isn’t beating nan copycat allegations here. The ANC isn’t connected par pinch nan Sony XM5s either, and nan six-hour artillery life is shorter than galore different premium pairs. There’s besides nary hi-res codec support pinch non-Samsung phones. On nan positive side, nan ambient sound mode useful well. And astir importantly, these things sound fantabulous retired of nan box, pinch full, meaty bass complemented by amply elaborate highs and upper-mids.
It’s worthy noting that Samsung froze shipments of nan Galaxy Buds 3 Pro correct astir motorboat owed to value power concerns (mainly regarding nan banal eartips), but those look to person been resolved, and we haven’t seen thing retired of nan mean pinch our reappraisal unit.
Pros
- Tight integration pinch Samsung phones
- Great audio quality
- Comfy fit
- Natural ambient sound
Cons
- Need a Samsung telephone to get nan astir retired of them
- Battery life is shorter than immoderate rivals
- Copycat creation pinch gimmicky LED lights
$190 astatine Amazon
What to look for successful wireless earbuds for Android devices
A action of wireless earbuds beryllium organized successful rows connected a granite background.
(Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)
For nan astir part, nan features you want from a group of “Android earbuds” are nan aforesaid arsenic what you want from immoderate headphones. Great sound quality, a comfortable fresh and capable artillery life are still nan foundations. Adequate h2o guidance is bully for workouts, and cipher wants a crummy mic for making calls. Once you attack nan $100 range, features for illustration progressive sound cancellation (ANC), wireless charging, an ambient sound mode (which lets you amended perceive extracurricular sound without turning disconnected your music) and multipoint connectivity (the expertise to brace pinch aggregate devices simultaneously) should beryllium expected.
For Android devices specifically, location are a fewer extras to consider. A dedicated app that makes it easy to move sound modes, customize nan audio profile, find your earbuds if they ever get misplaced aliases set different settings is powerfully preferred. Features for illustration Google Fast Pair aliases NFC-based pairing, which tin thief you debar having to excavation done your Bluetooth paper to link your earbuds for nan first time, are besides bully perks. Some Android devices tin besides utilize higher-quality Bluetooth codecs specified arsenic aptX Adaptive aliases Sony’s LDAC — these aren’t astir arsenic important to audio value arsenic nan existent architecture of your earbuds, but they tin thief wring retired a small much item if nan buds are tin capable and you’re streaming lossless files. AptX Adaptive tin besides thief trim latency, which is bully for streaming video aliases gaming.
Diversity is Android’s top strength, but it besides intends that immoderate wireless earbuds play nicer pinch definite devices, typically those made by nan aforesaid company. Recent Samsung earbuds, for instance, travel pinch a fewer perks that are only disposable if you usage a Galaxy phone. We person a mates of recommendations related to this thought above.
How we trial Android earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM5 review
(Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget)
The champion measurement to trial earphones is simply to deterioration them arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, truthful that’s what we do. We typically do this complete a one- to two-week period, though embargo times occasionally unit america to decorativeness our reappraisal process a spot faster. We perceive to a trial playlist that includes respective philharmonic genres and podcasts, paying adjacent attraction to really each brace approaches nan bass, mid and treble frequencies to get an meticulous consciousness of its sound profile. We besides trial astatine precocious and debased volumes to cheque for consistency successful nan tuning. We do not person entree to a dummy head to return much nonsubjective measurements, but we’ll sometimes look to sites for illustration Rtings, SoundGuys and others that do conscionable to guarantee our impressions are not wildly off-base. If a exemplary supports civilization EQ, we’ll tinker pinch that and usage nan disposable EQ presets to spot if 1 sounds dramatically amended than nan others — though successful wide we guidelines astir of our impressions connected nan banal tuning each brace uses by default.
To measure microphone quality, we grounds our ain audio samples and return aggregate calls pinch a partner some indoors and outside. For artillery life, we play our trial playlist connected a loop pinch nan measurement astir 75 percent and measurement really agelong it takes for each group to drain. Where applicable, we do a thorough reappraisal of a pair’s companion app and trial each disposable feature. While comfortableness is yet subjective, we return statement of really unafraid each brace feels while we’re connected nan move. We besides usage definite pairs successful particularly crowded nationalist spaces to get a amended consciousness of their passive and progressive sound cancellation, arsenic good arsenic their expertise to support a accordant Bluetooth connection.
Recent updates
August 2025: We’ve taken different expanse to guarantee our proposal is still up-to-date.
May 2025: We’ve checked this guideline to guarantee our apical picks still guidelines and noted a mates alternatives to nan Noble Fokus Rex5, since that brace has had banal issues of late. We’re besides keeping an oculus connected really nan Trump administration’s tariff policy affects nan pricing and banal of our recommendations (and nan user tech manufacture arsenic a whole). All of our picks are still disposable successful their normal value ranges today, but we’ll update this guideline if that changes.
February 2025: The Noble FoKus Rex5 is our caller "best for sound quality" pick, replacing nan Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. Our different recommendations stay unchanged.
December 2024: We’ve lightly edited this guideline for clarity and ensured that our existent picks are still accurate.