Shaking off the world and sinking into a new album can feel like a train ride through the countryside … unless you’re sharing that seat with two young toddlers. Or your neighbor’s dog is constantly barking. Come to think of it, there are a lot of sounds that can ruin a good song in the work-from-home era. That’s why we have headphones that isolate and actively cancel out noise. Below are the best noise-canceling cans and buds you can buy, handpicked and tested by the Gear team here at WIRED.
Not seeing something you like? Be sure to check out our other guides, like the Best Wirefree Earbuds, Best Workout Earbuds, and Best Wireless Headphones.
Updated February 2022: We’ve added the Beats Fit Pro and Jabra Elite 7 Active.
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Luxurious over-the-ear headphones are plush and comfortable, and they sound great. But for most everyday activities—working out, traveling, and wandering around my house pretending to put things away—I much prefer a pair of convenient, durable, wireless workout buds. Since I started testing them, their sound and comfort have improved dramatically. I trail run, hike, work on my yard, lift weights, and watch mildly embarrassing barre and yoga videos on my laptop, all while testing the best wireless workout headphones around.
If you like listening to music while scrambling up stony slopes or mowing your lawn, here are a bunch of WIRED’s favorite pairs. We’ve worn and sweated on all of them. Don’t see anything you like? Check out our Best Wirefree Earbuds, Best Cheap Headphones, Best Bluetooth Speakers, or any of our other buying guides for more.
Updated February 2022: We removed older picks and added new ones, like the Shokz OpenRun Pro.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a1-year subscription toWIREDfor $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
The prices for both Samsung foldables have come down considerably, with the Fold3 going for $1,799 and the Flip3 starting at $1,000. If you preorder the Fold3, you’ll get $200 in Samsung Credit for Samsung.com, and it’s $150 if you snag the Flip3.
Samsung Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic
The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 (left, in blue) starts at $250. The Watch4 Classic (right, in white) starts at $350.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Samsung is going in a new direction with its smartwatches. Rather than relying on its bespoke Tizen operating system and asking developers to create versions of their apps that only run on Samsung devices, it’s embracing Google’s Wear OS operating system. The company codeveloped the software alongside Fitbit, the Google-owned wearable maker. That means Samsung watch fans gain access to more useful apps, such as Google Maps. And, given the popularity of Samsung’s smartwatches, the move could potentially encourage more developers to build apps for Wear OS, something Google has always struggled with.
The new Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic have user interfaces that look and feel very much like previous Samsung smartwatches, but there are many changes under the hood and some subtle tweaks that make them easier to use. For example, tapping the button on the side of the watch lets you access recently-opened apps. Both watches are powered by a 5-nanometer Samsung processor, and they have higher-resolution screens, 16 gigs of storage, up to 40 hours of battery life, and wireless fast charging.
More importantly, Samsung’s BioActive smartwatch sensor has been redesigned to sit closer to the skin, thereby improving the health tracking abilities of the watches. The sensor can still measure electrocardiograms, blood pressure, and VO2 Max readings, but it’s faster at automatically recognizing workouts. It also offers more accurate calorie counts, and it now includes bioelectric impedance analysis, which lets you see granular body composition data such as skeletal muscle, body fat, and fat mass.
Samsung says sleep tracking on its watches has improved too. The watches work with Samsung’s Galaxy phones for snore detection (using the phone’s mics to pick up the sound of you sawing logs) while collecting blood oxygen data via the watch’s sensor once per minute for more detailed sleep analysis.
The base Galaxy Watch4 replaces Samsung’s previous Active line. The new watch doesn’t have a mechanical bezel, but rather a digital one. (You can slide your finger around the edge of the screen to scroll through the interface.) I think it’s better looking than the Classic, and it has a tantalizing price: It starts at $250 for the Bluetooth version but adding LTE connectivity costs $50 more. It comes in 40- or 44-mm sizes.
If you’re in love with Alexa, Amazon’s first-generation Echo Buds were a great pair of headphones. Sure, they didn’t have the same sound quality or noise-canceling abilities as premium options from Apple and Samsung, but they were cheap, decent, and worked better with Amazon’s voice assistant than any other pair.
With its second generation, the Seattle-based tech giant refines its buds to something even more competitive. Wireless charging and noise-canceling join a brand-new pair of 5.7-mm drivers and beamforming microphones to create what’s probably the best overall experience in wireless earbuds below $150.
Add to that some of the best app integration available today, and the new Echo Buds are some of my favorite jack-of-all-trades headphones.
New for Gen Two
The new Echo Buds don’t really resemble their predecessors, apart from being made from the same matte plastic. The old case was more flat than tall, with the earbuds sitting at an angle inside, while the new wireless charging case is tall and thin.
They look and feel more streamlined. The buds themselves are now totally round on the outside, and what previously were two shiny, raised touch controls are now indistinguishable from the rest of the headphones, save for the Amazon arrow logo.
Noise-canceling chips, new mics, and better drivers mean the new Echo Buds feel a touch bulky, though they’re still 21 percent smaller than their predecessors. Still, I had no problem with them in my average-sized earholes; they land firmly in the post-Frankenstein’s Monster era of wireless earbuds.
Finding the right fit is a big priority for Amazon. Pop open the case, pair them to the Alexa app on your phone, and it’ll make sure that you’ve chosen the right ear tip size (Amazon includes four options, as well as two sizes of silicone earfins), thanks to a fit test inside the app.
Photograph: Amazon
I like the Echo Buds’ fit a bit more than AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), because they don’t have the little elephant trunks of the AirPods, but I’ve got to hand it to Apple on noise-canceling. Even with the wrong size of eartips on Apple’s flagship earbuds, they reduce background noise noticeably better than these Amazon buds. Still, the Echo Buds beat AirPods Pro on battery life (5 hours with noise-canceling to Apple’s 4), and they come with a quick charging capability that will get you 2 hours of listening with a 15-minute trip to the wall.
As with most non-Apple headphones, the Echo Buds work better with Android phones than iPhones, though they are compatible with Siri and Google Assistant, in addition to Amazon’s own helper. I spent the vast majority of my listening time using a Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G that Samsung provided me on long-term loan, and they worked flawlessly. I even paired them to my Galaxy Watch with ease.
Alexa Onboard
If you like Alexa. the best part about the buds is how easy they make it to summon Amazon’s AI assistant. I liked using the Echo Buds to set timers, check the weather before runs, and check my schedule with my hands free.
Obviously, your mileage will vary based on how much you like voice assistants and Alexa in particular, but it’s worth trying the voice-activation feature before you turn it off.
AirPods are the best-selling wireless headphones of all time because they’re convenient. They pair instantly with your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook, and sound fine for most purposes. It’s why people still buy them in droves, even if the acoustics, fit, and battery life have been dwarfed by similarly priced competitors. Well, Android owners, you finally have an option that matches Apple’s convenience: Google’s new Pixel Buds A-Series.
The $100, no-frills buds pair instantly with your phone and are extremely simple to use, though they sacrifice some features from pricier buds. But when you have a comfortable fit, good sound, and an AirPods-beating sweat-resistance rating for workouts at a reasonable price, you don’t really need much else. The A-Series are the best starter buds for most people and a no-brainer for those on Android.
Sleek and Slender
Photograph: Google
In many ways, the A-Series are identical to the higher-tier Pixel Buds from 2020 that Google still sells. Like the company’s Pixel smartphones, the A indicates this model is the affordable option with pared-down features.
They still come in an oval-shaped and matte-white case that feels like standard issue for Stormtroopers. Flick open the top hatch and familiar round earbuds come into view, this time in either white or a classy olive green. A tiny G on each earbud lets you know who made them.
Elephant trunk–like earfins pop out of the top of each bud to keep them secure in your ears, and I’ve seen some reviewers complain that they’re not removable. That doesn’t bug me. The earbuds are so small they’re essentially one-size-fits-all, and the earfins are flexible enough for a uniform fit in any ear.
The buds are technically smaller and lighter than the Pixel Buds that came before but only by a few milligrams. They’re lightweight enough to stay comfortable during rigorous movement. In fact, they’re some of the most comfortable and stable earbuds I’ve tested in awhile, easily holding up to long runs, drumming sessions, and various play sessions with my dogs.
Open the case, pull a bud out, and phones running Android version 6.0 and up will recognize the earbuds, instantly download the Pixel Buds app, and pair with them. I was listening to music in literal seconds the first time I popped them in. It’s worth noting that this quick pairing Bluetooth feature for Android has been available on many recent buds from Samsung, among others, and it’s always a joy to see it work. This is the first time I’ve encountered it in a pair this cheap, and it was flawless.
Several owners complained of Bluetooth connectivity issues with the audio cutting out on the previous Pixel Buds, which sometimes occurs due to interference or weak signal, so you’ll be happy to hear I didn’t run into this problem with the A-Series. I was able to walk 20 to 30 feet away from my phone in my backyard before things got choppy, which isn’t out of the ordinary.
Touch controls on the outside of each bud work well and do exactly what you expect. Tap for play or pause, double-tap to change songs, tap and hold to activate Google Assistant, and so on. Unfortunately, there’s no way to adjust volume without pulling out your phone. Touch buttons usually bug me during workouts because my sweaty hair often triggers them to switch songs or pause music mid-run, but that didn’t happen anywhere near as often on these IPX4-rated buds. They only accidentally paused my tunes once or twice.
Shockingly Detailed Sound
Photograph: Google
Acoustically, the new A-Series is very similar to its pricier sibling. The 12-mm dynamic drivers inside do well to provide plenty of bass but never feel mushy or fuzzy down low. It feels odd to say this, given that I don’t have a standard pair of headphones I wear every day, but the sound signature feels very natural. It reminds me of the many great pairs of wired in-ears from Sony, Shure, and others I’ve tried over the years.
