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By Leigh :) Stark, an award winning reviewer and technology journalist with over 15 years of expertise in the headphone and sound space.

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The wonderful world of the wirefree and cordless earphones known as “truly wireless” or “wirefree” can be quite wonderful, but finding a pair that matches your needs can also be complicated. Truly wireless earphones are wireless earphones without the cords, and there are many choices, ranging from popular brands to ones you might not have heard of.

All truly wireless earphones lack the cord connecting each other that standard Bluetooth earphones have long offered, and feature a small battery inside of each earpiece, as well as the hardware to talk to phone and the other earpiece. They’ll also invariably arrive with a rechargeable case, not just giving you a place to store your wireless earphones, but a way of keeping the battery topped up, too.

The best truly wireless earphones in 2025

If you’re here for a list and don’t need the questions answered, we can definitely give you that list. Earphones of all sorts are one of the most reviewed gadgets found at Pickr, and the reviews desk is littered with them.

There are so many models each year, our ears are put to the test with each new pair of truly wireless options. Some have noise cancellation and some don’t, while others are made for fitness and athletics.

Check out some of the year’s best efforts below, ordered from the best to pretty great still.

1.Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2nd generation)

Price: $289.95
Score: 4.5
A refreshed take on Bose's 2020 QuietComfort Earbuds sees the 2024 edition Bose noise cancelling buds for a better price. Recommended by Pickr.

2.Technics AZ100 earphones

Price: $499
Score: 4.5
Compact and capable, the Technics AZ100 are one of the better pairs of in-ears around, showing it's not just Bose nailing the brief. Recommended by Pickr.

3.Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd-gen)

Price: $449.95
Score: 4.5
There's so much competition in noise cancelling earbuds, you might wonder how Bose can improve? In 2025, it starts with better ANC and sound in the Ultra Earbuds 2nd-gen. Recommended by Pickr.

4.Apple AirPods Pro 3

Price: $429
Score: 4.5
Three generations in, the newly updated AirPods Pro 3 deliver the best noise cancellation around hands down. Recommended by Pickr.

5.Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Price: $399
Score: 4.3
Between a durable design, comfy fit, solid sound, and a heart rate tracker, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 make a case worth considering. Recommended by Pickr.

What matters when researching and picking wireless earphones?

While the earphones above are some of the best choices available right now, they may not be the best earphones for you. Depending on your needs, you may want to consider the following points:

Battery life

Wire-free earphones lack the cord and typically use a smaller battery than their cousins that have the cord, and that can mean lower battery life per use, though the cases they come in provide anywhere between one and four recharges.

When you’re looking for a pair of truly wireless earphones and earbuds, consider how long you’ll be using them between charges. If the answer is more than four hours, you’ll want to look for earphones rated for above four hours between charges. If you’re fine with a maximum of three hours, any wire-free earphone should suffice, though the technology is arguably getting better each year, supporting 4 to 8 hours standard as of the end of 2023.

Fit

Beats Powerbeats Pro review

Most truly wireless earphones adopt silicone or foam ear tips that go ever so slightly in your ear, and can be comfortable, but there are other styles.

Earphones that adopt a sport style, such as the Beats Powerbeats Pro 3, offer a style that sits ever so slightly out of the ear while holding to your ear using an arm. They still cling to the ear, but they’ll usually let some sound in with a plastic or metal arm adhering to your ears.

Meanwhile, earbuds like the Apple AirPods avoid tips entirely, using the “earbud” style and resting just barely in the ear, more on the outside. Earbud styles tend to let the most sound in and typically won’t support noise cancellation because they’re an “open” style of earphone.

There are pros and cons to all earphone types, but you should find the style that suits you best.

Intended use

There’s little doubt that you’re going to use truly wireless earphones to listen to sound, be it music or podcasts, but there are different uses for those earphones. Most earphones are good for walking and talking, but some are better than others, and if you’re looking for a truly wireless earphone built for fitness, you should consider one with an IP rating, as that will provide some element of water and sweat resistance.

Extra features

Depending on the earphones you buy, there are other features that might drive your purchase.

Fitness fanatics might prefer a truly wireless earphone rated for water- and sweat-resistance, and possible one that can double as a wearable and check your pulse using your ears, while people who talk to the smart assistant on their phones may need Siri, Alexa, or the Google Assistant.

And if you want to block out the outside world, you might want to consider noise cancelling earphones, too.

Are truly wireless earphones better than corded wireless earphones?

Depending on what you’re looking for, you may find wireless earphones connected by a cord to be more to your liking. Corded wireless earphones (wireless earpieces connected to each other by a cord) tend to have offer quite a bit of battery life and can be wrapped around your neck when not in use. They’re also harder to lose because they’re not tiny and small.

Truly wireless earphone news and reviews

We’re always reviewing earphones at Pickr, this is just a starting point, so check out the news and reviews on truly wireless earphones below to help you find your best earphones.