Brief Summary
This video presents the best Bluetooth earbuds of 2024, categorized by specific needs and features. The presenter shares his top picks after testing numerous models, focusing on value, open design, ANC, workout suitability, sleep comfort, microphone quality, sound quality, and overall performance. The awards include best value, best open earbuds, best semi-open earbuds with ANC, best ANC earbuds, best for workouts, best for sleeping, best microphones, best sounding earbuds and best overall.
- Best Value: Nothing Ear A
- Best Open Earbuds: Bose QuietComfort Open Earbuds
- Best Overall: AirPods Pro (for Apple users), Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (for Samsung users), Sony WF-1000XM5 (general recommendation)
My 2024 Earbuds Awards
The presenter introduces the 2024 earbuds awards, highlighting the significant advancements and diverse designs in the earbud market this year. Unlike previous years, many earbuds now include top-tier features, making the selection process more challenging but also exciting. The awards are broken down by category to cater to different user needs, such as microphone quality for work, sound quality for music lovers, durability for workouts, and overall value.
Best value earbuds
The Nothing Ear A earbuds are selected as the best value earbuds for 2024, priced around $100. These earbuds deliver flagship-level quality with impressive sound, a user-friendly app, and a comfortable design. Despite not having top-tier microphones or ANC, they offer solid performance in both areas, making them an excellent choice for users seeking high quality without the flagship price tag.
Best open earbuds
The Bose QuietComfort Open Earbuds are named the best open earbuds, featuring a unique earring-like design that allows users to hear their surroundings. These earbuds are comfortable for all-day wear and provide surprisingly good sound quality. They are ideal for outdoor use, such as biking or walking on busy streets, and for users who prefer not to have silicone ear tips.
Best Semi-open w/ANC
The best semi-open earbuds category includes earbuds that sit in the ear without a silicone seal but still offer active noise cancellation. The Apple AirPods 4 ANC and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 are the winners in this category. Both models provide a comfortable, hygienic option for users who dislike silicone ear tips while still blocking ambient noise effectively.
Best ANC earbuds
For the best active noise cancelling earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are the top pick. These earbuds excel at blocking a wide range of sounds, making them ideal for travel and noisy environments. While the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are also recommended for their ability to block higher frequencies with foam ear tips, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds offer a more comprehensive noise cancellation solution.
Best for workouts
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are selected as the best for workouts, surprising the presenter. These earbuds offer a secure fit with a wing tip, excellent sound quality, and impressive active noise cancellation. Additionally, they include a body temperature sensor and a heart rate sensor, allowing users to track workout metrics directly from their earbuds, making them a versatile choice for fitness enthusiasts.
Best for sleeping
The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are awarded the best for sleeping due to their slim profile, comfortable fit, and long battery life. These earbuds are designed for side sleepers and feature double-layer silicone ear tips to reduce ear fatigue. They also offer sleep tracking and the ability to play white noise or other audio from a phone, providing a customizable and comfortable sleep experience.
Best microphones
The Apple AirPods 4 ANC are recognized as having the best microphones, delivering exceptional sound quality for phone calls. While they work best within the Apple ecosystem, they can also be used with Android phones, though with limited features and updates. Bose earbuds are suggested as an alternative for Android users seeking good microphone quality.
Best sounding earbuds
The Nothing Ear earbuds are chosen as the best sounding earbuds, offering a combination of customizability and natural, neutral sound. Priced at $150, these earbuds feature the best equalizer available, with full spectrum frequencies and Q values. They also provide excellent detail, high-resolution codec support, and a customizable audio experience, surpassing even Sony earbuds in sound quality.
Best overall
The best overall earbuds category is divided into three recommendations due to ecosystem limitations. The Apple AirPods Pro are the top pick for iPhone users, offering great performance across all categories, including active noise cancellation, microphone quality, and sound quality. For Samsung users, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are recommended, featuring excellent sound quality, active noise cancellation, and unique features like light-up stems. The Sony WF-1000XM5 are a solid choice for everyone else, providing top-tier ANC, sound quality, and a range of features.
Honorable Mention - Smartest
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 with Gemini Live are recognized as the smartest earbuds, offering constant access to information and questions. While the presenter is not a big fan of large language models due to occasional inaccuracies, these earbuds are praised for their overall solid performance and ease of recommendation, especially within the Google Pixel ecosystem.
Honorable Mention #2
The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 are mentioned as a solid all-around pair of earbuds, consistently ranking second or third place in various categories. These earbuds are a reliable recommendation for users seeking a well-rounded performance.
Most Future Proof (Honorable Mention #3)
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds are highlighted as the most future-proof, featuring advanced technologies like Auracast and the latest Bluetooth codecs. However, their chunky design and small iterative improvements prevent them from receiving a dedicated award. The presenter hopes for a redesign in the next version to make them smaller and better fitting.
