Article updated on April 2, 2024 at 6:00 PM PDT
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The iPhone 12 and newer iPhone models don’t have a headphone jack, so you’ll need to invest in an adapter to use a wired headset with any of Apple’s newer models. But you don’t need to bother with any of that if you opt for an entirely wireless option. The best earbuds for iPhone tend to be wireless, anyway, so if you haven’t already made the leap, now is a great time to pick up a pair of wireless earbuds.
Apple offers earbuds and headphones under both its own brand and its Beats brand (yes, Apple owns Beats), and we’ve included the AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 2 and Beats Fit Pro on this list, but there are plenty of non-Apple-branded bluetooth headphones and earbuds that offer a great listening experience and work really well with iPhones, as well as other Apple devices and non-Apple devices, including Android smartphones and tablets.
For those looking for budget AirPods alternatives, we’ve got a list of the best cheap earbuds and five true wireless earbuds worth buying for under $40.
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Lightweight and comfortable to wear — I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size — these aren’t a huge upgrade over the Earfun Air S, but they are better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling and better battery life (up to seven hours with noise canceling on, according to Earfun).
In short, the Earfun Air 3 deliver strong performance for their modest price, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and “multidevice” connectivity. (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch.) They’re IPX5 splash-proof and also work well (though not exceptionally well) as a headset for making calls.
” page-position linktext=”Read our Earfun Air Pro 3 review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/deals/earfuns-new-air-pro-3-earbuds-deliver-impressive-sound-and-theyre-already-30-off/” like=”~Relatively inexpensive ~Good sound and overall performance for their price ~Wireless charging and support for new Bluetooth LE Audio standar” dislike=”~Voice calling performance is only OK” can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”2fecfab1-8a4a-4d0c-b79c-62207901ea90″,”label”:”EarFun Air Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds”,”slug”:”earfun-air-pro-3-noise-cancelling-wireless-earbuds”,”edition”:[“us”],”imageId”:””,”imgUrl”:””,”imageHeight”:0,”imageWidth”:0,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:””}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”2fecfab1-8a4a-4d0c-b79c-62207901ea90″,”slug”:”earfun-air-pro-3-noise-cancelling-wireless-earbuds”,”name”:”EarFun Air Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds”,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”EZMONEY”,”mod”:1711931750093}” overridecredit=”Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET” overridecaption=”
The wireless charging case isn’t tiny, but it fits in a pocket easily enough.
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Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important commonality: They’re very good values, made more so by frequent discounts. The company’s 2023 Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with AptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).
Lightweight and comfortable to wear — I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size — these aren’t a huge upgrade over the Earfun Air S, but they are better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling and better battery life (up to seven hours with noise canceling on, according to Earfun).
In short, the Earfun Air 3 deliver strong performance for their modest price, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and “multidevice” connectivity. (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch.) They’re IPX5 splash-proof and also work well (though not exceptionally well) as a headset for making calls.
” page-position linktext=”Read our Beats Fit Pro review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/beats-fit-pro-review/” like=”~Lightweight design with integrated wingtip that fits securely ~Very good sound and noise canceling ~Powered by Apple’s H1 chip
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While the Beats Fit Pro (on sale for $160) technically aren’t AirPods, they’re built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the AirPods Pro’s features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted. And for some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro.
The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two buds is battery life; the stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.
Pros:
- Very good sound and a comfortable fit
- Good noise canceling and call quality
- Multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Cons:
- Included ear tips might not get you a tight seal
- Chrome accent on stem is a bit gaudy
” page-position linktext=”Read our JBL Live Pro 2 first take” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/deals/these-jbl-anc-earbuds-are-a-great-deal-for-75-off-at-amazon/” like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”4aa0b5e6-fa10-4be0-bbd2-3a3473622a37″,”label”:”JBL Live Pro 2″,”slug”:”jbl-live-pro-2″,”edition”:[“us”],”imageId”:””,”imgUrl”:””,”imageHeight”:0,”imageWidth”:0,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:””}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”4aa0b5e6-fa10-4be0-bbd2-3a3473622a37″,”slug”:”jbl-live-pro-2″,”name”:”JBL Live Pro 2″,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1711931749430}” overridecredit=”David Carnoy/CNET” overridecaption=”
sortRankTest: 5:a; 4:b
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Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new
The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two buds is battery life; the stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.
Pros:
- Very good sound and a comfortable fit
- Good noise canceling and call quality
- Multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Cons:
- Included ear tips might not get you a tight seal
- Chrome accent on stem is a bit gaudy
” page-position linktext=”Read our Beats Flex review” linkurl=”https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/beats-flex-review-not-true-wireless-earbuds-but-a-good-50-airpods-alternative/” like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”fe823b9a-f6bd-4e62-aa1b-70be24a2d53d”,”label”:”Beats Flex (Black)”,”slug”:”beats-flex-black”,”edition”:[“US”,”ES”],”imageId”:”b94d98bd-0139-4607-89b8-c76ff28d32b9″,”imgUrl”:”/content/image/redirect/b94d98bd-0139-4607-89b8-c76ff28d32b9/resize/75×56″,”typeLabel”:”Tech Product”,”objectType”:”content_product”,”icon”:”type-icon ct-cmg-tech-product ct-small”}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”fe823b9a-f6bd-4e62-aa1b-70be24a2d53d”,”slug”:”beats-flex-black”,”name”:”Beats Flex (Black)”,”productType”:”PRODUCT”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1711931105550}” overridecredit=”David Carnoy/CNET” overridecaption=”
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I didn’t think I’d ever see a version 2.0 of Beats’ once-popular BeatsX neckband-style wireless earphones, but it’s arrived with a new name — the Beats Flex — and a much-cheaper $50 price tag, which is half of what its predecessor had been selling for.
The Flex instantly becomes an affordable, Apple-friendly wireless alternative to the AirPods, which start around
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
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These headphones are excellent for making calls since you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously.
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The QuietComfort 45 has virtually the same design as its predecessor, the QuietComfort QC35 II, which many people considered one of the most comfortable over-ear headphones — if not the most comfortable. It has the same drivers, according to Bose, and the buttons are in the same place. However, there are small but notable changes. First off, these thankfully have USB-C instead of Micro-USB.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
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Take one look at the new design of the third-gen AirPods ($179), and the first thing you’ll probably think is: “Those look like the AirPods Pro without ear tips.” You wouldn’t be wrong. While they’re more fraternal than identical twins, the AirPods 3 are shaped like the AirPods Pro, with the same shorter stems and same pinch controls as those of the Pro. Aside from the design change, which should fit most ears better than the AirPods 2nd Generation (though not very small ears), the biggest change is to the sound quality: It’s much improved. Also, battery life is better, and the AirPods 3 are officially water-resistant.
