Since the past couple of years, wireless earbuds have exploded in popularity across the world. As more smartphone manufacturers are ditching the 3.5mm dedicated headphone jack from phones and devices, wireless earbuds have become a necessity for most users for enjoying music and entertainment on their devices.
Since 2020, we’ve not just reviewed premium earbuds over $200 like AirPods Pro, but also experienced budget earbuds under $50. Our years of experience in this industry has allowed us to find good quality, value for money earbuds targeted at different price segment.
So here are the top 6 wireless earbuds you can buy at the start of 2023.
1More ComfoBuds Mini – Best Lightweight Earbuds
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For the first pick, we’ve got the best Lightweight Wireless earbuds. It goes to the 1More ComfoBuds mini. It’s one of the world’s smallest TWS earbuds that features active noise cancellation. The earbuds are like small glass marbles and only weigh 3.7g for each bud. Although it comes as a mini version, the name of the earbuds doesn’t really stop it from being powerful. It boasts up to 24 hours of battery life and an IPX5 rating as its waterproof credentials. And it also has better ANC performance and sound quality than most wireless earbuds at its price. Other features like wireless charging and the support of a companion app are also impressive. You can test your listening preferences through Sound-ID in the App and customize your exclusive music taste. At this price point, it’s hard to find a lightweight wireless earbud as comprehensive as the ComfoBuds Mini.
Final ZE3000 – Best Sound Quality
Our second pick is the wireless earbuds with the best sound quality. You might have not heard of this brand or model before, but the Final ZE3000 is indeed one of the best earbuds on the market right now. Well, you might be surprised why we didn’t give credit to those famous traditional audio brands but a brand that you’ve not even heard of. But we’ve got our reasons.
The ZE3000 wireless earbuds seem to consciously give up every important feature you would find on our earbuds, and instead it chooses to focus on just one thing – its audio quality. You will not find wireless charging, active noise-canceling, a companion app, a wear sensor, or even the ear tip fit-test that you find on traditional earbuds. But on the other hand, it produces the best sound quality we’ve ever experienced on wireless earbuds. It offers an extra level of depth and nuance to the sound, which is richer and smoother.
Unfortunately, right now we do not have the earbuds in the studio, but I experienced it by chance several months ago. Its sound quality surprised me. I’m pretty sure that it’s even better than the more expensive wireless earbuds. And the price of $150 is still quite acceptable compared with those models for over $200. Sure, for many users, the lack of other features dooms it from becoming a very popular model. But if you value sound quality above everything else, the Final ZE3000 probably can meet what you expect in a set of Wireless earbuds.
Galaxy Bus 2 Pro – Best for Android
As for the best wireless earbuds for Android users, it is none other than the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Samsung is still the leading brand in the Android camp. And it’s always at the forefront in terms of features on the Android platform. Whether for listening to music or making phone calls, the earbuds are able to provide clear sound with ANC. And it can auto-switch from ANC to transparency mode when you start a conversation at any time. Meanwhile, the integrated Dolby Head tracking and Dolby Atmos provide immersive 360-degree spatial audio like the AirPods Pro.
And here, I also want to mention another competitive candidate for the title, which is the OPPO Enco X2. It features almost all the forefront features for wireless earbuds. Especially for Android users, the latest firmware has supported LDAC and LHDC 4 codex for Hi-Res Audio delivery with up to 45dB ANC depth. And its dual Bluetooth connection works well no matter for Android or PC devices.
Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 – Best Overall Value
Our pick of the best wireless earbuds, overall, goes to the Huawei Freebuds Pro 2. In the competition for the highest throne, its rivals are all big-name players over these couple of years. And you might see a few reviews giving this title to the Sony WF-1000XM4 or AirPods Pro. But personally, I think the Freebuds Pro 2 has a more balanced overall performance without any obvious drawbacks. And thanks to the optimization of the Huawei companion app on both Android and iOS, its software experience is consistent across platforms. iPhone users can also install Huawei AI Life from the App Store, and use all the functions of the earbuds including my favorite feature dual connection. Its sound quality is also enhanced by the audio brand Devialet with a boosted ANC depth that can beat almost any rival.
Nothing Ear (1) – Best Style
Our last pick is given to the Nothing Ear 1 for the best earbuds with a standout style.
Although it might not meet your expectation in terms of overall performance, there’s no denying that the first earbuds from Nothing have a unique look. The partially translucent design with a unique case makes it stand out in a crowd of competitors. Plus, it comes at an affordable price too. But again, I suggest that you lower your expectations a bit so that you are not very disappointed if you find any bugs.
Apart from the certain models we picked here, we also want to talk about the most cost-effective brand. The choice of the title is not difficult for us, and it goes to 1More.
Apart from the ComfoBuds mini we mentioned, both the 1More EVO (AliExpress) and PistonBuds Pro (AliExpress) also have excellent value for money. We think the EVO is the best wireless earbuds under $200, while the Pistonbuds Pro is the best option under $50. We even kept wavering on whether to TIE the EVO to the title of the best wireless earbuds overall. It does almost everything well that you can imagine, including a premium feel coming from the use of Ceramic material on the top of the earbuds, comfortable fit in ears, excellent ANC performance with multiple modes for options, and delightful HiFi sound quality with long battery time. Another reason is that 1More doesn’t make smartphones, but brings a great companion App for users. You can experience the fair goodness of their products with different smartphone brands’ devices.
So that’s all we want to share with you today. The options shown here may not be for everyone, but we were careful with our lists. And the perfect choice actually depends on what you’re looking for, so objectively there are no perfect earbuds, but there’s likely a perfect option for every individual. Anyway, we hope the video helped and if you have any questions about wireless earbuds, please leave them down below.
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