Whether fair or not, Apple is turning AirPods into the default choice for most iPhone owners in the new wireless earbud market. But if you are one of the millions of people who have Android phones, it's not that obvious to figure out what you want to grab. If you need a hand, please let us point in the right direction. Over the years, we have tested and reviewed dozens of wireless earbuds and broken down the following Android users’ favorite options. Whether you are using a galaxy or a pixel phone, whether you are going to work in the gym or commuting in the morning, this is the best Android earbuds you can get.
Best Android Earbuds of 2025
Photos by Jeff Dunn/Engadget
What to look for in wireless earbuds for Android devices
In most cases, the functionality you want is the same as what you want from a set of “Android earbuds” that you want. Pleasant sound quality, comfortable fit and adequate battery life are still the basis. Enough waterproofing is good for workouts, and no one wants a crummy microphone to make a call. Once close to the $100 range, features such as active noise cancellation (ANC), wireless charging, ambient sound mode (which allows you to better hear external noise without turning off music) and multipoint connectivity ( Ability to pair with multiple devices simultaneously) should be desirable.
There are some extra considerations for Android devices. A dedicated app that easily switches sound mode, customizes audio profiles, and can find earbuds if they misplace or adjust other settings. Features such as Google Fast Pair or NFC-based pairing can also help you avoid browsing the Bluetooth menu to connect the earbuds for the first time, and are also a good privilege. Some Android devices can also take advantage of high-quality Bluetooth codecs, such as APTX adaptive or Sony's LDAC – these are not as important to audio quality as the actual architecture of earbuds, but they can help you provide more Details if the bud effect is sufficiently capable, you are streaming lossless files. APTX adaptation can also help reduce latency, which is great for streaming videos or games.
Diversity is the biggest advantage of Android, but it also means that some wireless earbuds play well in some devices (usually made by the same company). For example, recent Samsung earbuds come with some perks that are only available when using a Galaxy phone. We have some suggestions above related to this idea.
Latest updates
February 2025:Noble Fokus Rex5 is our new “best sound quality” choice, replacing the Sennheiser momentum True Wireless 4. Our other suggestions remain the same.
December 2024: We have made a slight edit to this guide to make sure our current choices are still accurate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget
