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 Bluetooth earbuds for small ears – $89.99 at Mifo.us
Where to buy the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 earbuds
The best wireless earphones for people with small ears (yes, even if you sleep with earbuds like me) come from a brand that is fairly new to the US. But don’t let that scare you off, as these super low profile earbuds are easily some of the best we have ever tested.
BEST VALUE
- $89.99 tax included at Mifo.us – free 2-day delivery
- OF NOTE: New O5 Plus Gen 2 Touch Edition $109.99 at Mifo.us – 2-day delivery
OTHER OPTIONS
- 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 tiny earbuds?
The slimmest profile earbuds, 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 noise canceling sound quality in any true wireless earbuds we have tested. That’s particularly helpful to reproduce smooth, consistent sound that won’t interrupt your sleep cycle.
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. So if you worry about hearing a fire or carbon monoxide alarm while sleeping, these are the earbuds for you. 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 O5 Plus Gen 2 Touch with upgraded sound, extended 10-hour battery life to power a full night of sleep, and touch controls. It carries with it added cost, but comes in new colorways and may offer a superior experience for $109.99.
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.
Jabra Elite Active 65t: Solid but pricey earbuds for small ears – $149.95 at Amazon.com
Where to buy the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds in the US
If you aren’t price sensitive, Jabra may be the brand for you. These true wireless earbuds come with fewer accessories and a larger profile than the Mifo O5, but offer a more generalist approach to the format.
BEST VALUE
OTHER OPTIONS
Why Jabra earbuds beat wireless headbands for smaller ear shapes
Good overall quality for true 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.
Excellent marks for sound quality. While bass isn’t as rich as the Mifo O5, the overall high and low tones of the Elite 65t are quite good. We’ll leave it to you to determine if they sound $150 good.
Limited size-specific features. While Jabra does an excellent job with daily life, there are a few problems when you wear them if you have smaller ears. Though they are small, they stick out far enough to be a bit of an annoyance. They also snag once in a while, which may cause need for readjustment. While they do come with various ear tip sizes, we would have appreciated the sizing going down one more degree to better accommodate small ears.
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 for people with small ears, it suffers from an aging Bluetooth chipset and mediocre battery life, costing Bose a higher position in our list.
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OTHER OPTIONS
Why Bose gets our approval for small ears
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. In other words, they won’t last through a full night of sleep.
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 benefits for sleeping, the Soundsport makes going out during the day just a bit more interesting.
Built for sports, but may not work for your ear shape. While the Soundsport is made for active movement, the form factor leaves room for improvement. 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 the task at hand.
Runners-up: Best wireless earbuds for small ears
There are many, many wireless earbuds that work for small ears in the 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 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, and it works equally well for sleep. 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. The ear hooks tend to get in the way.
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 out, especially if you have smaller ears.
Jaybird Vista – $179.99 at Amazon.com
The Jaybird Vista are the next iteration of the dismal Jaybird Run XT earbuds, and are designed for runners, but work equally well for people with small ears. It’s a shame that these purpose-built true wireless earbuds don’t live up to the moniker. Jaybird has the right idea, but falls short in sound quality and Bluetooth signal strength, making them competitive with other earbuds in the price category, but still too expensive to warrant top marks.
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 a size perspective, 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 truly breakthrough tech head on. We look forward to Samsung producing a future model that has more robust features.