The best truly wireless earbuds you can buy

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The Insider Pick:

• True wireless earbuds offer ultimate convenience and ease-of-use. Of all the wireless earbuds we tested, the best ones are the Bragi Dash Pro headphones with their great sound, decent battery life, and ability to work with iPhone and Android equally well.

The world of headphones is changing, big time, and that’s largely owed to Apple taking the plunge and removing the headphone jack from the iPhone. A few Android phone makers have followed suit, and wireless headphones are all the rage. Increasingly, “true wireless” headphones — or earbud-style headphones that don’t connect to each other through a wire — are becoming the headphones of choice among people who like to have cutting edge tech.

Perhaps the most famous of these wireless earbuds are the Apple AirPods, Apple’s self-built true wireless headphones, which provide ultimate convenience and ease of use for iPhone users. But AirPods aren’t the only true wireless earbuds out there, and many other companies have created great alternatives that work with both Android devices and iPhones.

Because true wireless headphones are still somewhat in their infancy, there aren’t a ton of different options, but there are still enough out there that you have to do some research and think about what you want from your new wireless earbuds. Most notably, you’ll want to think about what you’re using the headphones for. If they’re for working out, for example, you’ll want to find headphones that are built to stay in your ear. After all, you wouldn’t want one to fall out and down the drain.

Alternatively, you could be looking for a great sound-quality. While generally speaking over-ear headphones are better for sound quality, there are some true wireless headphones that sound better than others. We've tested several wireless earbuds to find out which ones are the best you can buy. Read on to learn all about our top picks.

Although the Bragi Dash Pro is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Apple AirPods, the Jabra Elite Sport, the SoundPEATS Q29, and the Erato Apollo 7.

The best truly wireless earbuds overall

Bragi Dash

Why you'll love them: The Bragi Dash Pro headphones don’t just sound great – they offer cool features like fitness tracking and more.

Bragi first made a name for itself when it launched the great Bragi Dash headphones, but now the company’s back with the Bragi Dash Pro, which not only sound better, but also implement a number of great “smart” features like the ability to track your heart rate as you exercise.

Let’s get back to basics though. The Bragi Dash Pro headphones offer excellent sound quality. The bass is nice, deep, and powerful — provided you find the right ear tip for your ears. The mid-range gives the Dash Pro a nice warmth. While the high-end is probably the weakest frequency range for these headphones, it’s still not bad, and the earbuds offer a good amount of cymbal sizzle and vocal sibilance.

As mentioned, however, these are more than just headphones. Through the app, you can manage the heart rate sensor and even get reports on your run, swim, or cycle workouts. You might have noticed we just said swim. Yes, that does mean that these are waterproof up to one meter or three feet, so while they’re probably not the best for scuba-diving, they’ll do fine with swims close to the surface.

We weren’t the only ones that like the Dash Pro headphones — Headphone Review gave the headphones 8.3/10, while Pocket Lint gave them a nice 4.5/5.

Of course, they’re not perfect. The app could use a few more features, and the headphones are pretty expensive. If, however, you’re looking for the best true wireless headphones out there and don’t mind paying the money, then we highly recommend them.

Pros: Great sound, activity tracking, comfortable, heart rates sensor, workout tracking

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Bragi Dash Pro on Amazon for $329.00 (ships in 1-2 months)

Buy the Bragi Dash Pro from Best Buy for $329.99 (ships now)

The best truly wireless earbuds for iPhone

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Why you'll love them: The Apple AirPods sound good, but the best thing about them is that they offer super long battery life and excellent connectivity with the iPhone.

If you’re an iPhone user, there might be a better option for you than the Bragi Dash Pro. The new Apple AirPods are built specifically to work with the iPhone, so they connect flawlessly without the hassle of pairing via Bluetooth.

So what makes the AirPods great? For starters, they sound pretty good. Sure, they’re not going to break any records, but the sound quality will be fine for most people. The real draw for these headphones is their excellent connectivity and wireless reliability. The AirPods almost never drop the connection, which is something that not all true wireless headphones can boast. 

On top of that, the headphones have a great battery life. You get five hours of listening time or two hours of talk time. With the charging case, you can get 24 hours of listening time, though you’ll have to wait for the AirPods to charge each time they run out of juice.

There are some downsides to the AirPods. They’re probably not the best choice for working out considering the fact that they fall out with a lot of movement. They’re a little expensive, too, though less so than our top pick.

Still, many agree that these are among the best true wireless headphones out there. Digital Trends gave the headphones 8/10, while Trusted Reviews stuck with a more conservative but still good 7/10.

Pros: Great battery, excellent connectivity, good sound, less pricey than some of the competition, easy to pair

Cons: Slightly expensive

Buy the Apple AirPods from Target for $159.99 

The best truly wireless earbuds for working out

Jabra

Why you'll love them: The Jabra Elite Sport headphones sound good, but they also offer a highly customizable fit with lots of tip options and a great fitness tracking app.

If you are looking for a pair of headphones for your workouts, then you’ll want something specifically built to stay in your ear. Perhaps the best option for fitness-focused wireless earbuds is the Jabra Elite Sport wireless headphones.

As is the case with any pair of headphones, the sound quality is important, and it’s pretty good on these headphones. The sound quality largely depends on finding a good seal with the earbuds and the soft tips included in the box. Thankfully, you get plenty of tip options with the Jabra headphones, so you can find the right fit. It might take some trial and error, but once you find the perfect fit, you'll notice how quickly the sound improves.

Like the Bragi Dash Pro, these headphones also offer some fitness tracking features. You’ll get a heart rate sensor in the left earpiece, and you’ll be able to track activity through the Jabra app, which is pretty good at acting like a hub for tracking activity in general. The there’s the fact that the headphones are waterproof with an IP67 rating, meaning they’ll be fine in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes – though that doesn’t apply to salt water.

Then there’s the fact that the Jabra Elite Sport earbuds are waterproof with an IP67 rating, meaning they’ll be fine in up to one meter or three feet of water for up to 30 minutes, though that doesn’t apply to salt water.

We aren’t the only ones that loved the Jabra Elite Sport headphones. Digital Trends again gave these headphones 8/10, while Pocket Lint gave the headphones a hefty 4.5/5.

Pros: Lots of fit options, waterproofing, fitness tracking

Cons: A little pricey

Buy the Jabra Elite Sport on Amazon for $199.99 (3-hour battery life) or $249.99 (4.5-hour battery life)

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