Wireless earbuds are a modern day essential. Thankfully the past year has introduced a number of advancements in the category, including battery life, sound quality, and durability. Our rolling list of the best wireless earbuds is updated monthly with products to match your lifestyle.
Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2: Editor’s pick for best wireless earbuds – $89.99 at Mifo.us
Where to buy the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 earbuds
The best wireless earphones for sports including running and all around gym/active lifestyle use come from a brand that is fairly new to the US. But don’t let that scare you off, as these earbuds are easily some of the best we have ever tested.
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- $89.99 tax included at Mifo.us – free 2-day delivery
- OF NOTE: New O7 Edition $149.99 at Mifo.us – free 2-day delivery
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- Editor’s Note: The Gen 2 is not available on Amazon or other channels at the time of publishing. The original O5 Plus is available for the similar pricing plus tax on Amazon.com here, but does not include power bank and upgraded sound quality.
So what makes the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 the best “daily driver” earbuds?
The best earbuds for everyday use, period. The Mifo O5 Plus includes a bevy of cutting edge features that blow away higher priced brands, beginning with their form factor. Weighing in at just a few grams each, the O5 Plus earbuds feel supremely comfortable, and include 7 silicon ear tip shapes and sizes for that perfect fit. Further, once in it’s nearly impossible to get them to fall out. Readers may remember propensity to fall out was a major problem that prevented us from recommending the Apple AirPods Pro in our last wireless review.
Absurd battery life with power bank feature. The O5 Plus earbuds themselves will play continuously for 7+ hours, a feat we tested over several days. Not only that, but the included USB-C charging case offers an additional 100 hours of play time. No, that is not a typo. We were able to use the earbuds without charging the case for an entire week before it gave out. Not only that, but the case allows you to plug a smartphone in to charge your devices on the go. In our test, we were able to charge an iPhone 11 Pro Max from 0 to 100%. That’s stunning, and makes us wonder why earbuds from other brands costing 3-4 times more have just a third of the battery life.
Excellent sound with passive noise canceling and transparency mode you have to hear to believe. The Mifo O5 Plus packs some of the best bass in any true wireless earbuds we have tested. That’s particularly helpful if you prefer energetic tracks when pushing yourself to the limit.
You won’t be able to hear any outside noise, unless you activate transparency mode. Once activated with a tap, you are able to hear ambient noise around you perfectly, including conversations. That means you don’t have to remove the earbuds when you want to order a coffee or have a quick word. We’ve never seen a premium feature like this is sub-$100 earbuds before, and it is truly impressive.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mifo has released the new O7 with carbon nanotube dynamic drivers, Qualcomm chipset, and touch controls. It carries with it substantial added cost, but may offer a superior experience for $149.99.
US-based customer support. We have been continuously disappointed with true wireless earbuds in the past, even from tech giants like Samsung. Part of that disappointment comes with poor or absent customer service, particularly with regard to bargain and knockoff sellers who do not offer any domestic presence or support. We tested Mifo on several occasions with questions and every time received proper replies within an hour. That demonstrates commitment to the US market and contributes greatly to our award of Editor’s Pick.
Jaybird Vista: Smart marketing that you’ll pay for – $159.99 at Amazon.com
Where to buy the Jaybird Vista in the US
Jaybird exploded on the true wireless scene over a year ago with a hard to ignore athlete-backed advertising campaign. And while their latest sports earbuds are impressive, they are eclipsed in many ways by newer earbuds that deliver better sound and more value for the dollar.
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The positives include a decent form factor that doesn’t stick out or look awkward and feels comfortable for extended periods, sound that is well balanced with a light emphasis on lower tones, and an overall simple user interface that anybody can figure out. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.
Jaybird stumbles when it comes to features. We gave the Vista a higher rating when it was first released in 2019, but it’s 2020 now and there are new challenger products that outperform the Vista on nearly every front.
You’ll get 4 to 5 hours of battery life from the earbuds themselves if you listen at high volume, and the included charging case provides an added 1.5 charges, which is not a lot to work with. Frequent users will quickly tire of running out of battery in both the earbuds and the case. With regular use the case must be plugged in at least once every two days, which in our opinion is unacceptable in a world where new offerings at half the price can recharge earbuds 4-5 times before needing to be plugged in.
The included app for smartphones offers some control over sound balance, but even so the quality of the sound is not as energetic as other earbuds in the same price range, which is too bad considering we love to pump volume to the max when working out.
Lack of transparency mode is also a big miss for Jaybird, and we wish they would release an updated model with this very important feature included. To be fair, not many earbuds in the true wireless category have transparency mode, but those that do (see Editor’s Pick: Mifo O5 Plus) bring an incredibly useful feature to the table.
While Jaybird brings a decent offering to the table with the Vista, they are hurt by a product that should be updated or priced far lower than it is today.
Jabra Elite Sport 75t: Made for sports, but with significant drawbacks – $179.99 at Amazon.com
Where to buy the Jabra Elite Sport earbuds in the US
If you aren’t price sensitive, Jabra may be the brand for you. After a rocky start with the failed Jabra Elite Sport (now discontinued), the brand has come out swinging with the 75t.
These true wireless earbuds come with fewer accessories than other earbuds in our roundup, and offer a more generalist (and therefore more mediocre) approach to the sports earbuds format.
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Why Jabra makes the list of best earbuds
Good overall quality for sport wireless earbuds. Since true wireless earbuds were invented, we have lamented at poor signal quality, dropped calls, and pairing fiascos. Jabra has included top quality chipsets and firmware, and we were pleased with the overall experience.
Decent marks for sound quality. While bass isn’t as rich as other products in this price range (and below), the overall high and low tones of the Elite 75t are quite good. We’ll leave it to you to determine if they sound $200 good.
Limited sports-specific features. While Jabra does an excellent job as a generalist in the category, it doesn’t do any single thing particularly well. We want a powerful, rich sound, with a minimal design that won’t fall out and batteries that last without constant recharging. The Elite 75t is just fine when it comes to all those aspects, but not truly great.
Overall, we think Jabra is headed in the right direction, but needs more modern sports features to make the 75t live up to it’s steep price point.
Bose Soundsport Free: Earphones that live up to the Bose name – $199.00 at Amazon.com
Where to buy the Bose Soundsport Free earbuds in the US
Bose has delved into the true wireless category by focusing on sports. And while the Soundsport Free is an excellent first product, it suffers from an aging Bluetooth chipset and mediocre battery life, costing Bose a higher position in our list.
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Why Bose gets our approval
Great sound that comes at a cost. While Bose has engineered a product that is indeed worthy of the name, it does come at a cost. Reduced battery life and Bluetooth 4.1 instead of 5.0 hurt the product and age it to the first generation of true wireless product.
Fun, fitness-oriented colors. Of note are the options to pick from a bright, bold, and just plain fun color scheme. While not strictly to do with features, the Soundsport makes going to the gym just a bit more interesting.
Built for sports, but may not work for you. While the Soundsport is made for active movement, we found it a bit bulky. If you have smaller ears, you may experience some discomfort or a feeling that the earbuds may fall out. That’s not particularly comfortable when you are trying to focus on your workout.
Runners-up: Best Wireless Earbuds
There are many, many wireless earbuds in the sports market. And while we attempt to test as many as possible for our readers, some units simply don’t make the cut. Here’s a quick peek at sports earbuds that didn’t make the list.
Apple Powerbeats Pro – $199.95 at Amazon.com
Yes, it’s the marriage of Beats and Apple. Yes, it’s meant to be used when working out. But for the money, you can do better. The Powerbeats Pro are sleeker with better battery life than their predecessor Powerbeats model. But our biggest complaint about the Pro comes from their bulky profile. They tend to get in the way, and you can definitely feel them weighing on your ears after 20-30 minutes of use. That makes them distracting, and unsuitable for longer runs or workout sessions. Did we mention the giant clamshell charging case? Yeesh.
Apple AirPods Pro – $234.98 at Amazon.com
We couldn’t do a roundup without Apple’s latest contribution to the true wireless format. The iconic AirPods now feature a revamped design, active noise canceling, and better integration with iOS. Which raises a major gripe we have with AirPods: The features are only 50% there when using Android. That combined with a stem design that easily catches and falls while moving, and we can’t fully recommend the AirPods Pro for movers and shakers.
Samsung Galaxy Buds – $109.99 at Amazon.com
The Galaxy smartphone is one of the most popular on the planet, and the pressure to create award-winning accessories is high. But from active movers’ perspectives, the Galaxy Buds don’t quite justify their price tag. Samsung tackled the challenge of an all around true wireless earbud, but failed to address runners and gym goers head on. We look forward to Samsung producing a model made specifically for sports.