The best wireless earbuds for running

The JBL Live Beam 3 are a very well-designed set of lollipop-style earbuds with short, ovoid nozzles that make for a comfortable listening experience, though we found getting a good fit with the ear tips might require trying different sizes. These earbuds pack in many software-dependent features accessible via the JBL app, including EQ adjustment, a fit tester, ANC adjustment, personalized EQ, and TalkThru, alongside Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, LDAC, or LC3 codec support and Multipoint. We found the JBL Live Beam 3's sound is characterized by strong bass and emphasized highs, which provides a pleasing timbre and a high immersiveness rating, appealing to a bass-loving crowd. The JBL Live Beam 3 features an excellent noise rejection microphone array, allowing us to handle phone calls whenever and wherever without much issue, with voices sounding good enough over chat clients. The effective ANC unit in the JBL Live Beam 3 is pretty adept at hushing surroundings, reducing most sound under 300Hz by 10-30dB, which is ideal for commutes and long travels. In our standardized testing, the JBL Live Beam 3 lasted 8 hours and 14 minutes, which is a great result for true wireless earbuds, ensuring seldom worries about running out of battery life.

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 are fashionably designed, somewhat large earbuds that we found can be securely fitted in the outer ear's concha with included fins, providing an easy fit once the right tip size is found. These earbuds offer a robust feature set through the Sennheiser Smart Control app, including self-tuning, a 5-band equalizer, geofencing for ANC, firmware updates, a fit test, and support for Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LC3, LE Audio, and Multipoint. Our virtual panel of listeners found the tuning and immersiveness of the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 to be stellar out of the box, with excellent audio quality that will sound fantastic for the population at large. We found the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4's microphone performance to be well below what we're used to for higher-tiered earbuds, with highly variable speech quality and poor, inconsistent environmental noise suppression, especially with wind. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 performed pretty well in our lab, posting 83% average noise attenuation and physically blocking almost 50dB in some ranges with a good seal, making them excellent companions for frequent flyers. In our standardized battery test, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 delivered 7 hours and 45 minutes of music playback, which is beyond what most current true wireless earbuds manage.

The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 retain the same comfortable form factor as their predecessor, covered in ShakeGrip coating to prevent slippage, and we found them comfortable to wear for hours. The headline feature is the LE Audio smart case, which allows audio transmission from any 3.5mm or USB source to the earbuds, complemented by Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC, Multipoint, and a comprehensive Jabra Sound+ app with Dolby Spatial Sound and a 5-band equalizer. A simulated panel of listeners rated the default sound of the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 very highly, with a near-perfect rating in Timbre and good scores across Distortion and Immersiveness, indicating most people will enjoy the sound quality. The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2's six onboard microphones sound pretty good in all environments, with excellent noise rejection that blocks out most simulated office, street, and wind noise, ensuring every word is understood. The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 have great noise canceling, reducing most environmental noise by 80% and low-frequency noise below 100Hz by about 30 dB, making them effective against airplane engine rumble. In our battery testing, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 lasted 9 hours and 3 minutes, which is significantly above average for wireless earbuds and provides a total power capacity that hangs with the best when combined with the charging case.

The EarFun Air Pro 4 feature a lightweight design that we could wear comfortably for hours, and with five different sizes of silicon ear tips, we found it easy to attain a good fit. These earbuds pack the latest Bluetooth 5.4 technology with aptX Lossless, LDAC, AAC, and SBC codecs, Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth Multipoint, and a comprehensive EarFun Audio app offering 30 EQ sound presets and five ANC modes. We were impressed by the sound quality of the EarFun Air Pro 4, as they sound good out of the box and achieve great scores across the board from a simulated panel of listeners, indicating a high chance of enjoyment for users. While the EarFun Air Pro 4's six onboard microphones accurately pick up voice in quiet environments, they are not ideal for taking calls in noisy environments, as we found you can still hear pretty much all simulated office noise. The improved ANC on the EarFun Air Pro 4 provides a very noticeable attenuation, blocking out 10-20dB of additional noise and reducing the loudness of external noise by an average of 75% on its highest setting. In our battery test, the EarFun Air Pro 4 lasted 8 hours and 44 minutes, which is above average for wireless earbuds, with the charging case providing a few extra charges for up to 41 hours of total playback.

The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds have a familiar bud with short lollipop stem form, and we found the short, ovoid nozzles easily fit into the ear canal, with four extra sizes of ear tips and foam tips included for a secure fit. The standout feature is the Smart Charging Case, which acts as an audio transmitter for USB and 3.5mm connections, a standalone user interface, and supports Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3, Auracast, and Multipoint. Our virtual panel of listeners found the JBL Tour Pro 3 sounds really decent, with high marks across the board for Timbre, Distortion, and Immersiveness, indicating that most people will probably really like the sound of the product. The JBL Tour Pro 3's microphone unit is crazy good at getting rid of or avoiding noise, handling office noise, street sounds, and wind insanely well, though it struggles a little with echoes. The JBL Tour Pro 3 cancels noise very well, with ANC enabled and set to full-blast hushes about 83-84% of outside noise away, and we quite liked its transparency mode for situational awareness. Under our standardized test conditions with ANC on, the JBL Tour Pro 3 lasted 8 hours and 17 minutes, a very respectable result that should allow for listening uninterrupted from coast to coast or through an entire workday.

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds retain a comfortable fit with a stem that allows for convenient volume control via swiping, and they come with different sizes of ear tips for a good fit. These earbuds offer a truly staggering amount of features via the Soundcore app, including an adjustable ANC slider, wind noise reduction, Airplane Mode, HearID Sound Test, 22 EQ presets, various spatial audio modes, and Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and Multipoint. The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro have great sound quality, with a default sound that closely follows our headphone preference curve with an emphasis on bass, and we found that most people will enjoy the way these earbuds sound out of the box. The microphones on the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro work well for taking calls on the go, as we found you can clearly understand what each voice is saying in our microphone demos, even handling simulated wind noise and reverb effectively. The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro do a good job of blocking out external noise, with ANC reducing low-frequency noise like airplane engine rumble by about 30dB, and we found them great at blocking city sounds. In our battery testing, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro lasted 5 hours and 42 minutes with ANC enabled, with the charging case extending total battery life up to 30 hours with ANC.

The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC with Sound by Bose earbuds are practically identical in shape and size to Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and we easily found a secure, snug fit with the included ear tips and fins that stayed put comfortably. The headline feature is the "Sound by Bose" branding, incorporating Bose's drivers and acoustic input, complemented by the Skull-iQ app which offers a customizable 5-band EQ, adjustable ANC and Stay-Aware modes, low-latency Studio Mode, and Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and SBC, and Multipoint. We found the default sound of the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC to be very bass-heavy but spacious and enjoyable, though the extremely elevated sub-bass can lead to muddiness if not adjusted with the custom equalizer. The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC’s microphone delivers a clear but noticeably processed voice quality that sounds thin and slightly recessed, doing a good job with noise rejection but struggling in windy conditions. The Skullcandy Method 360 ANC delivers respectable noise cancelation for its price, reducing low-frequency sounds by up to 28dB and higher-pitched sounds by up to 35dB, which is effective for dulling everyday distractions. In our testing, the Method 360 ANC managed 7 hours and 43 minutes with ANC on, and with the case, we found it offers a total of 32 hours before needing to recharge.

When choosing from these excellent wireless earbuds, we see a range of options that cater to different priorities. For those who frequently travel or want to connect to devices without Bluetooth, like airplane entertainment systems, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and JBL Tour Pro 3 stand out with their versatile charging cases that double as audio transmitters. The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 also offers exceptional durability and impressive battery life, making it a great all-around choice. If you're looking for strong performance without breaking the bank, the EarFun Air Pro 4 and Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro provide a wealth of features, good sound, and effective noise canceling at a more accessible price, though the Anker's battery life is a bit shorter. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 delivers stellar audio quality and strong noise canceling for a premium experience, but we noted its microphone performance is not as strong as some competitors. The JBL Live Beam 3 offers a feature-packed experience with solid overall performance and great battery life, without the transmitter case. Finally, the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC provides Bose-tuned sound and respectable noise canceling on a budget, but its default bass-heavy sound may not suit everyone, and the case design has quirks. Ultimately, for a non-audio-hobbyist seeking a balance of strong performance, versatile features, and excellent battery life for everyday use, we recommend the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 or the JBL Tour Pro 3, especially if the smart case functionality appeals to your lifestyle. If budget is a primary concern, the EarFun Air Pro 4 delivers incredible value.