11 Best Wireless Earbuds 2022 For All Budgets

20 Apr 2022, by Lydia Kah-Pavlou, min. read

If you’re looking for the best wireless earbuds, it can be difficult to choose between certain models. Earbuds can range in price, but the most expensive models aren’t always the best and you don’t always have to spend loads to get a good pair of all-around earbuds.

Luckily, whatever your budget is you can find a whole range of earbuds with different features that will suit whatever your needs are. There are also plenty of more affordable models that are on the lower end of the price spectrum that boast pretty impressive specs too! So, whatever your budget is, here are the best wireless earbuds that we love and would recommend investing in.

If you’re after earbuds specifically for workouts, then check out our top headphones for workouts here.

Best wireless earbuds

1. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live- Samsung, £118.15

The Galaxy Buds Live have a unique shape to fit the natural curve of your ears for all-day comfort and a snug fit so you don’t have to worry about losing them. They come with Active Noise Cancellation to help keep background noise out and the audio in and you’ll get access to Bixby voice wake-up, allowing you to control your phone hands-free.

Another cool feature is the built-in Voice Pickup Unit will give you super clear calls as it can sense when your jaw is moving, and as your jaw vibrates this data is converted into voice signals delivering enchanted sound quality. A 5-minute charge will get you an hour of playback time and you’ll get up to 6 hours when fully charged. If you are low on battery you can charge via your smartphone’s power too which is super handy for when you’re out.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Charging Case
1 x Earbuds
3 x Eartips (S, M, L)
1 x Quick Start Guide
1 x USB Cable

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): 20.5 mm x 19.5 mm x 20.8 mm
Dimensions (charging case): 27.8 mm x 50.0 mm x 50.2 mm
Weight (earphones): 6.3 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 44.9 g
Battery life: up to 6 hours
Charging time: 1 hour
Material type: plastic
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX7
Bluetooth version: 5.0

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active
Driver diameter: unknown
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 110 dB
Frequency: unknown

Pros

Can be charged using your phone battery
A good all-round range of specs
Fast charging

Cons

Some features are only compatible with other Samsung products, so not the best choice if you have an iPhone
Not the longest battery life

Get a student discount at Samsung

2. Skullcandy Grind True Wireless- Amazon, £69.99

The hands-free element of these Skullcandy wireless earbuds is by far the greatest selling point. If you like to listen to music or take calls while you’re out, you can use voice control to activate a whole range of features without having to touch your phone. You can also get up to 40 hours total battery, 9 without the charging case and 31 with it.

Skullcandy Grind True Wireless specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Skullcandy Grind S2GTW-P740 Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
1 x Charging case
1 x Spare ear tips
1 x USB Type-C cable
1 x Quick start guide

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): 10 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 52.5 g
Battery life: up to 9 hours
Charging time: 2 hours
Material type: silicone earbuds
Dust and waterproof rating:
Bluetooth version: 5.0

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active
Driver diameter: 6 mm
Impedance: 22 ohms
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Frequency: 20-20,000 Hz

Pros

Sweatproof and water-resistant so a good option for working out
Advanced voice control features
Decent amount of battery life

Cons

More expensive models on this list have better overall specs

Get a student discount at Amazon Prime

3. Minor III- Marshall, £119.90

The Minor III are a great all-around pair of earbuds. They provide up to 25 hours of charging time when in the case and 5 hours without it and have touch-sensitive controls on each side of the earbuds to easily change the song or volume.

These earbuds are in the mid-range of pricing for earbuds, so are a good option if you’re not necessarily on a budget, but don’t want to majorly splash out either.

Minor III specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Minor III true wireless headphones
1 x Charging case
1 x USB-C charging cable
1 x User manual, and legal and safety information

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): 4.0 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 610 g
Battery life: 5 hours
Charging time: 2 hours
Material type: unknown
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX4
Bluetooth version: 5.2

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: unknown
Driver diameter: 12 mm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 93 dB
Frequency: 20-20,000 Hz

Pros

Fast charging
Easy to use controls

Cons

Mid-range in terms of price and there could be cheaper models with better all-round specs

Get a student discount at Marshall

Best wireless earbuds under £50

4. Lisbon- Urbanista, £49.90

The Lisbon headphones are a great option for anyone who prefers simplicity. They’re a compact size so they’re perfect for travelling and you’ll get 9 hours of battery life, with up to 27 hours when they’re in the case.

There’s 5 colours to choose from, so don’t worry if pink isn’t your thing as they also come in black, mint green, peach and cream so there’s something for everyone.

Urbanista Libson specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Urbanista Lisbon headphones
1 x USB Type-C charging cable
1 x Universal GoFit Wing

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): 4 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 40 g
Battery life: up to 9 hours
Charging time: unknown
Material type: silicone eartips
Dust and waterproof rating: unknown
Bluetooth version: 5.2

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: unknown
Driver diameter: 10 mm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: unknown
Frequency: 20-20,000 Hz

Pros

Compact and good for travelling
Decent battery life
5 colours to choose from
Affordable

Cons

Not noise cancelling

Get a student discount at Urbanista

5. Liberty Air- Soundcore, £49.99

Despite being on the cheaper end of the spectrum, the Liberty Air earbuds still have an impressive range of features. They’re noise cancelling earbuds so you can make calls easily and focus on your music while you’re travelling and have touch control to flick through songs and answer and decline calls without needing your phone.

The earbuds come with up to 20 hours of battery life with up to 5 hours from a single charge. They’re also designed to fit into your ears snugly so they won’t fall out while you’re out and about.

Liberty Air specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Liberty Air earbuds and charging case
1 x charging cable

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): unknown
Weight (charging case without earphones): 55g
Battery life: 5 hours
Charging time: 2 hours
Material type: unknown
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX5
Bluetooth version: 5.0

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: yes
Driver diameter: 6mm
Impedance: 16 ohms
Sensitivity: unknown
Frequency: 20 Hz- 20 KHz

Pros

Affordable and good if you’re on a budget

Cons

Not the most impressive specs compared to others on this list

Get a student discount at Soundcore

Best wireless earbuds with mic

6. Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones with Mic- Amazon, £94

These Sony earbuds come with industry-leading noise cancellation so you can enjoy your audio or calls without being interrupted by background noise. You’ll get up to 8 hours of battery life from a single charge and an additional 3 from the carrying case.

These earbuds have Alexa built-in as your personal assistant so you can ask her to play music, what the weather is or other information completely hands-free. The sensors on the side of the earbuds also allow you to easily change the settings of your earbuds or answer and decline calls hands-free

Sony WF-1000XM3 specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C cable
2 x Pair of triple comfort earbuds (S/M/L)

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): unknown
Weight (charging case without earphones): 77g
Battery life: up to 6 hours with ANC and 8 hours without
Charging time: 1.5 earbuds
Material type: rubber earbuds
Dust and waterproof rating: unknown
Bluetooth version: 5.0

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active
Driver diameter: 6mm
Impedance: unknown
Sensitivity: unknown
Frequency: 50 – 8,000 Hz

Pros

Alexa voice assistant
Industry-leading noise cancellation
Under £100

Cons

Chunkier case
Not the best battery life

Get a student discount at Amazon Prime

7. Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth 5.0 TWS Earphones- Amazon, £9.95

If you’re really on a tight budget but still want to experience high-quality audio, these Amazon Choice earbuds are less than £10 and still have an impressive range of specs. They have a long Bluetooth range, active noise cancellation and can last up to 4 hours on a single charge. You’ll also easily be able to see when you’re low on battery thanks to the LED display on the charging case.

You can also access Siri if you’re paired to an iPhone, and tap the buttons on the side to answer or reject calls. The design is also lightweight and ergonomic with different size earbuds to make them comfortable for your ear shape.

Bluetooth 5.0 TWS specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Bluetooth 5.0 TWS earbuds
1 x charging cable
1 x USB cable
2 x silicone ear tips

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): 10 cm x 7.5 cm x 2.8 cm
Weight (earphones): 3.8 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 60 g
Battery life: up to 4 hours
Charging time: unknown
Material type: plastic and rubber
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX7
Bluetooth version: 5.0

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active
Driver diameter: unknown
Impedance: unknown
Sensitivity: unknown
Frequency: unknown

Pros

Super affordable
LED light on charging case easily shows charging levels
Different sized ear tips to fit your ears

Cons

Not the best battery life
Budget-friendly, so not the best specs compared to others on this list

Get a student discount at Amazon Prime

Active noise cancelling earbuds

8. Motif A.N.C- Marshall, £179.99

If you’re specifically looking for Active Noise Cancelling headphones then look no further than the Motif A.N.C. These headphones are good all-round headphones, with 20 hours of wireless audio and amplified sound. The Motif A.N.C are designed for all-day listening and blocking out external noise and focusing on your audio.

Another great feature of Motif A.N.C is that they can be charged wirelessly (although a wireless charging pad isn’t included, so you’d need to buy that separately) and have touch controls on the side of each earbud so you can change the song and volume easily.

Motif A.N.C specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Motif A.N.C. true wireless headphones
1 x Charging case
1 x USB-C charging cable
1 x User manual and legal and safety information
1 x Ear tips (S, M, L)

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): 4.25 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 210 g
Battery life: 4.5 hours with ANC, 6 hours without, 20 hours in total with charging case
Charging time: 3 hours
Material type: unknown
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX5 (earbuds), IPX4 (charging case)
Bluetooth version: 5.2

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active and controllable
Driver diameter: 6 mm
Impedance: 16 omhs
Sensitivity: 106 dB (+-2 dB)
Frequency: 20-20,000 Hz

Pros

Good all-round headphones
Sweat and water-resistant
Easy to use controls

Cons

On the more expensive range of headphones on this list

Get a student discount at Marshall

9. Bose QuietComfort® Earbuds- Bose, £249.95

The Bose QuietComfort®️ Earbuds come with two different modes you can easily switch between, quiet and aware. When you’re in quiet mode the acoustic noise cancellation technology will block out the outside world and help you to focus on your audio, and in aware mode the ActiveSense™️ technology allows you to hear your music and your surroundings at the same time.

The earbuds also come with soft silicone StayHear™️ tips, a soft umbrella-shaped nozzle that spreads pressure evenly across your ear for the ultimate stability, comfort and noise blocking. You can also easily flip through your music and answer or decline calls by tapping the side of the earbuds.

Bose QuietComfort®️ Earbuds specs

What’s in the box:

2 x Bose QuietComfort® Earbuds (fitted with size 2 eartips)
1 x Charging case
1 x Small and Large eartips
1 x USB-C (A to C) charging cable

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): 3.9 cm x 2.6 cm x 2.7 cm
Dimensions (charging case): 3.17 cm x 8.9 cm x 5.08 cm
Weight (earphones): 8.5 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): unknown
Battery life: up to 6 hours
Charging time: 3 hours
Material type: hard plastic case, silicone eartips and plastic polymer coated earbuds
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX4
Bluetooth version: 5.1

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: unknown
Driver diameter: unknown
Impedance: unknown
Sensitivity: unknown
Frequency: unknown

Pros

Two modes allow you to control how you hear things
Can connect to the Bose app to customise how you listen

Cons

Expensive compared to more affordable headphones on this list
Not the best battery life
Bose audio stats aren’t publically posted

Get a student discount at Bose

Most comfortable earbuds

10. JLab Go Air Pop True Wireless Earbuds- Amazon, £19.99

The JLab Go Air Pop True Wireless Earbuds are super small, both in terms of the earbuds and the charging case which is smaller than a credit card. They’re 15% smaller and 40% lighter than the previous model of JLab Go Air Earbuds, but you don’t have to worry about losing them as there are 3 tip sizes to choose from to get the perfect fit in your ears.

You can also enjoy a long battery life with 8 hours of playtime from each earbud and an extra 24 hours from the charging case. A great advantage of these earbuds is that you like to listen to music while multitasking, they will work with just one earbud in your ear without disconnecting from Bluetooth. You’ll also be able to activate Siri or Google Assistant to use your earbuds hands-free.

JLab Go Air Pop True Wireless specs

What’s in the box:

1 x JLab Audio GO Air POP Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
1 x Charging case with charging cable
3 x Set of gel tips

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): 13.49 cm x 6.3 cm x 3.2 cm
Weight (earphones): 7.4 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): 27.5 g
Battery life: up to 8 hours
Charging time: 2 hours
Material type: gel earpads
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX4
Bluetooth version: 5.1

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: no
Driver diameter: 8 mm
Impedance: 16 ohms
Sensitivity: 103 dB
Frequency: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Pros

Affordable and budget friendly
Siri and Google Assistant
Small and snug fit

Cons

Not noise cancelling

Get a student discount at Amazon Prime

11. Liberty 3 Pro- Soundcore, £139.99

The Souncore Liberty Pro 3 have won countless awards and it’s easy to see why. They’ve been recommended by over 20 Grammy award-winning audio producers, thanks to their coaxial driver technology and personalized noise cancelling. As opposed to standard noise cancelling headphones which adjust noise based on data, HearID ANC analyses your ears and level of in-ear pressure to create a tailored profile exactly for your ears.

The Liberty Pro 3 come with built-in ear pressure relief for all day comfort as well as 4 sizes of silicone ear tips so you can choose the best size for your ear. A single charge will give you up to 8 hours of battery life and you can get an additional 3 charges from the charging case, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of battery while you’re out.

Liberty Pro 3 specs

What’s in the box:

1 x Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro True Wireless Earphones
1 x Charging case
4 x Ear tips
4 x Ear wings
1 x USB Type-C cable

Technical specifications:

Dimensions (earphones): unknown
Dimensions (charging case): unknown
Weight (earphones): 6 g
Weight (charging case without earphones): unknown
Battery life: up to 8 hours
Charging time: 2 hours
Material type: unknown
Dust and waterproof rating: IPX4
Bluetooth version: 5.2

Audio specifications:

Noise cancelling: active
Driver diameter: 10.6 mm
Impedance: 16 ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Frequency: 20 – 40,000 Hz

Pros

Recommended by 20 GRAMMY award-winning producers
Personalised noise cancellation
Nominated for lots of awards

Cons

Not many but can take a while to be fully charged

Get a student discount at Soundcore

What are the best wireless earbuds?

If you’re looking for wireless earbuds, it’s really going to depend on your budget. Brands such as Bose and MarshallJl are more expensive but have an impressive range of specs, whereas more affordable wireless earbuds from brands like Soundcore and JLab can be better if you’re on a budget.

How do you pair wireless earbuds together?

Pairing wireless earbuds to your phone or computer should be super straightforward and after the initial startup stage, you should be able to connect automatically. To pair wireless earbuds for the first time, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on your phone or laptop and follow the instructions to connect them seamlessly.

How to connect Skullcandy wireless earbuds

If you have Skullcandy wireless earbuds and you’re wondering how to connect them for the first time, it’s super easy. Simply make sure that your earbuds are in the charging case and close the lid, then take them out to put them into pairing mode. Next, find your new headphones on the list of available Bluetooth devices on your phone or computer and connect. Once you select connect your new earbuds should be paired and connected to your device and you’re ready to go ahead and test them out.

There are so many headphone and earbud options out there, so check out our ultimate guide to headphones to find the right set for you.