We live in a world saturated with gadgets for entertainment – and portable audio is among the essentials. With decent maintenance, a solid pair of earphones or earbuds can last you many years. This is precisely why it’s important to invest in the right kind of earphones for yourself. While it’s easy to splurge on market trends, let’s take a moment to evaluate your next long-term listening partner.
Wired vs wireless
You’ve opened up Lazada and you’re ready to start your search for the perfect earphones. Hundreds of options appear before you but here’s the burning question: Should you get wired or wireless earphones? Here’s how to decide:
Wireless: An experience
If your hunting for earphones isn’t constrained by budget – then trying going wireless! Wireless earphones can be liberating. The main reason to have them is the freedom from being shackled to your device, especially when gaming or jogging - an unparalleled experience.
Although they do pose the risk of being easily lost, many today are designed to stay securely in place. So say goodbye to untangling cables and hello to satisfactory sound quality! The wireless industry stands to expand and offer new features from hereon.
More: 15 Wireless Earphones Every Minimalistic Audiophile Would Recommend
Wired: Affordable quality
However, if you’re a plug-and-play junkie, then wired is the simpler way to go. With comparatively less drain on your smartphone’s battery life, wired technology isn’t phased out just yet. In fact, they still deliver far more superior audiophile-approved sound quality compared to their wireless counterparts. And, a good set of wired earbuds would also cost you at a more affordable price.
Here are the best earphones and earbuds, wired or wireless, of all time as of this year:
Table of Contents
1More Triple Driver is designed to excite any music lovers who needs a reliable, solid pair of earphones that exceeds expectation for their price tag. It has comfortable fit, high-quality audio delivery and a mic for calls. These durable pair are also the world’s first THX® Certified In-Ear Headphones to offer meticulous digital sound.
Despite coming with three drivers (for a superb listening experience, the pair is quite lightweight. Tuned and tested by expert sound enthusiasts, the drivers work together to create a feeling of having nothing standing between you and your music. Sporting great audio reproduction and compact design, it’s quite a steal for its price range.
Many have found that the earphones fit snugly and securely by design. Moreover, they agree that it’s easy to handle these earphones on a daily basis due to the braided nylon cables for a better, tangle-free experience (but still not 100% “tangle-free”).
Packing spectacular audio reproduction and thoughtful design, we think this is one portable model that will stand to be both a consumer’s and an industry-favorite.
A successor to the popular Jabra Elite 75t, the Jabra Elite Active 75t has also made a name for itself in the world of true wireless earbuds. With HearThrough mode, you can adjust the volume and sounds heard from the outside seamlessly with a slider. It also has noise cancelling, and is reportedly to offer above-average audio quality with satisfactory connection stability.
For maximum protection, this model will give any active users a peace of mind through its IP57-rated for waterproof durability. We (and many others) don’t recommend them for swimming, but they can still withstand light rain and a little sweat. Still, the pair is highly versatile and well-balanced in performance, suitable for everything from sports, to music and calls.
The pair is engineered to sustain up to 28 hours of battery life in the charging case. Of course, this depend on the way one uses. On average, many have reported that this model should last you between 4-7 hours before it needs charging in the case. All in all, the earbuds are pretty flexible for many uses.
Waterproof, lightweight and uncompromisingly comfortable – the Jaybird Vista capitalizes on JBS1 Wireless Technology to deliver superior audio quality. These IPX7-certified waterproof earphones fit in a compact case, giving you the power of true wireless technology from a quick reach into your pocket.
Along with a horizon-expanding active audio experience, these sweatproof earphones are sealed against dust and built for athletes. Many runners and gym-goers find them to fit securely and comfortably. And they especially love the crisp and clear audio, noting how good the bass is as well as the sound and mic clarity when making calls.
Promising up to 32 hours of total bud use (with the case), the Vista is the winner of Runner's World Editors Choice award in 2019. Though, we’d think that the average user would get at least 6 hours of use on them, and should last you a whole day.
We also love that this in-ear model offers customizable EQ (which many recommends utilising), letting you personalise sound profiles and save them to your earbuds. Before your run, have them sync up quickly to Spotify for an immersive morning jog.
Where budget takes a backseat to sound quality, the Apple AirPods Pro is the best fit for those passionate about Active Noise Cancellation on their iPhones. Apple leverages Adaptive EQ for these industry-leading AirPods which tunes low- and mid-frequencies of music to the shape of an individual’s ear – automatically. Its design is also meant to cancel out anti-noise.
All of that results in a more immersive listening experience filled with crisp sounds. If you didn’t know, the AirPods Pro has sensors to pause music when you take the buds off, and resumes automatically when put back on. Different tap motions also enable controls on the buds for your music.
AirPods Pro uses a Qi-certified charger, and can be charged wirelessly, having been rigorously tested for safety, interoperability and energy efficiency. Speaking of which, battery life has been extended to 4.5 hours of listening time compared to the AirPods 2nd gen with 3 hours.
But know that their battery life can go up to 24 hours with the case, which offers 1 hour of listening time with just 5 minutes of charging.
Generally, the audio quality is still satisfactory, with not much complaints though other competitors offer better for about the same price. But, what shines is that the AirPods Pro are designed to be connected seamlessly and quickly especially with any Apple devices. Moreover, calls are said to be clear and loud - a feat that the previous AirPods have also achieved.
A quick note too: you now get to choose the size of the flexible silicone tip for a customisable fit. Moreover, the buds are water resistant (IPX4).
First thing’s first; this pair has been on several lists of the best. And here’s why…
When it comes to noise cancellation, almost nothing surpasses the Sony WF-1000XM3. Equipped with Dual Noise Sensor Technology, the two built-in microphones give your recordings more ambience. Using the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e, this model cancels out more undesired noise across almost all frequencies while draining less power.
We should note that noise-cancelling performs best when it’s playing music. But when noise calling is activated without anything playing, it’s less effective. Still some says that these pair rivals against a few of premium audio brand, Bose’s in-ear headphones, rating just right below Bose but still as good.
Sony uses an ergonomic Tri-hold structure to keep your earbuds secure in your ear. They will fit very well and snugly. Speaking of which; not only is it designed for comfort, but this model uses Adaptive Sound Control technology for customizable listening preferences.
Instead of relaying sound from one ear to the other, it features a new Bluetooth chip that transmits sound to each ear simultaneously for a studio-quality listening experience. Pairing is also quick and easy, whether on Android or Apple devices.
If you’re going to be strict on budget, wired are the way to go. Long gone are the days where you can’t find high quality yet affordable earphones. Setting the bar for affordable earphone experiences, the E11C’s machined aluminum housing and silver-plated copper cable screams durability. Combining minimalistic design with functionality, it also has an integrated 3-button smart remote and microphone.
Don’t worry that it may only excel in elegance; it also boasts enhanced audio performance. For immersive listening and sound isolation, it leverages ergonomically angled sound tubes to seal the ear canal from any undesired noise.
In terms of performance, the updated driver of the E11C provides a relatively more sophisticated sound image for casual listeners. Moreover, the improved cables doesn’t get tangled easily. Across most devices in general, music is often described as full bodied, with treble being refined and vocals as clear, but the bass may sound a little muddy.
If you’re looking for an audio earpiece to game on a computer (or any desktops), headphones are a better choice. But if portability (on the phone) is what you’re looking for, we recommend the simple Skullcandy Ink’d Plus In-Ear Earbuds.
Gaming just isn’t exciting without earphones that give you that noise isolating fit. Through rigorous amounts of testing and designing, dedicated inventors of Ink'd Plus craft their audio equipment with one thing in mind: Quality on a budget.
What makes these pair good for gaming is the bass; some have admitted that the earphones are great for music, but not other instances like podcasts. If anything, they aren’t the best, but still offers good quality for the price. It also has enhanced bass features, and we recommend using equaliser apps for maximum performance.
Additionally, the in-ear design on this pair fits quite snugly, which also offers maximum coverage and a more immersive listening experience.
No need to worry about losing or tangling your earphones; this pair has been reported to untangle easily. Also, it has a built-in microphone and convenient headset controls, so any gamer can simultaneously focus while going hands-free in Discord chatrooms.
Since the release of Apple AirPods, Android users have been awaiting a suitable Android contender. That ends with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. Through the Galaxy Wearables app, enjoy easy access to streaming services with Spotify integration as well as EQ and ambient sound adjustments to fine-tune your listening experience. Moreover, with IPX2 water-resistance, the Buds Plus promises peace of mind while you blast your tunes.
These true wireless earphones boasts a compelling 12 hours of playtime on a single charge. Amazingly, several tests has shown that the buds performed as long as 11 hours before they need charging, just slightly short of what was advertised. Together with the case that offers Qi wireless charging functionality, though, you get 22 hours of battery; slightly short of what’s on the AirPods Pro.
Equipped with a dual-driver system, this affordable AirPods Pro alternative delivers supreme audio quality. Audios are said to be crisped (on non-crazy volume levels), with equal balance in tones. The pair does a good job at balancing lows and mids too. If you’d like, we highly recommend tweaking audio with the built-in EQ, which gives you more control over overall.
The buds are available for iPhone users to play with too. To add, the second-generation Buds offers a 10-meter wireless range through Bluetooth 5.0 connection. It’s a great choice as an all-rounder.