The best wireless earbuds and headphones for your Samsung phone in 2025

Earfun has been rolling out a series of wireless earbuds over the past couple of years with one important similarity: they’re all very good value, made even more so by frequent discounts. The company’s new Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds for 2023 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 codecwhich is superior to the SBC codec. It also supports AAC for Apple devices.

Lightweight and comfortable to wear, it’s not a huge upgrade over the old style Airvon Air SBut they are better. They have slightly larger wool composite drivers (11mm vs. 10mm), slightly improved noise cancellation and better battery life (up to seven hours with noise cancellation, according to Earfun).

In short, the Earfun Air 3 delivers solid performance for its modest price, with strong bass, good clarity, and a relatively wide soundstage. It also has a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and “multi-device” connectivity. (I could pair them with two devices at once but had to pause the music on one device and press play on the other for the sound to switch.) It’s IPX5 splash-resistant and also works well (although not exceptionally well) as a Headset for making calls.

When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. This is the case for Sony WH-1000XM5the fifth generation of 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they improve with each generation.

Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, but nothing as dramatic as what it did with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher price, most of these changes are good, and Sony has made some interesting improvements to voice calling performance, as well as better noise cancellation and more accurate audio.

Over the years, JBL has released some true wireless earbuds, but there haven’t been anything that really excited me. This has finally changed with the arrival of the new Samsung-owned brand Live Pro 2 and Live free 2 Sprouts. Both sets of buds – the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 feature a pill-shaped design – offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation and very good sound quality and voice calling performance.

They also have a solid set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-resistant rating and wireless charging. The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes, and oval silicone tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two is battery life: the Live Free 2 stemless 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.

Sennheiser’s previous generation Momentum Wireless headphones always had a very distinctive look that was part vintage, part modern and marked by the exposed metal on the headband. For better or worse, that’s all gone now, and the new Momentum 4 Wireless, Sennheiser’s flagship noise-cancelling headphones, sound a little quieter and also more like some of their competitors.

The Momentum 4 Wireless delivers superior performance over the Momentum 3 Wireless in every respect, although the biggest gains are in noise cancellation and voice calling performance as well as battery life, which is great – up to 60 hours at moderate volume levels. There’s also a Transparency mode that lets in ambient sound, and they have the ability to create a custom sound profile in the Smart Control app for iOS and Android using the built-in equalizer, sound modes, and a new Sound Personalization feature that “evaluates a user’s listening preferences and adjusts the listening experience to their taste.”

Equipped with 42mm drivers, Sennheiser says the Momentum 4 Wireless delivers “best-in-class” sound, which is debatable. I’d say the Momentum 4’s sound quality is right up there with other models in this price range. They sound excellent, with strong, well-defined bass, a relatively wide soundstage (it sounds very open) and smooth treble that brings out some fine detail in well-recorded tracks. They are happy to listen to them.

Sony’s enhanced noise-cancelling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plasticky, budget look, but they’re lightweight and comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound so mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don’t sound as good as the WH-1000XM5. It looks and feels more premium than it looks and feels, and its overall performance is a good step up from its predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Is it worth $150? Maybe – or maybe not. The good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these devices should see some good cuts in the not-too-distant future.

Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are not only 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their chassis is nearly 40% smaller and truly pocketable. These headphones feature best-in-class noise cancellation and sound enhancement, thanks to Bose’s new CustomTune sound calibration system that customizes sound to fit your ears. Voice calling performance is also much better than that of the original QuietComfort Earbuds. The other big change is the ear tips. Bose ditched the one-piece StayEar wingtips for a two-piece Fit Kit system that features separate eartips and “stabilization bands” in three size options. You will have more flexibility for a secure fit and tight seal.

Say what you will about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live’s bean-shaped design, but it’s innovative. Like the standard AirPods 3, they have an open design — you can’t put the ear tip in your ear — and they’re quite comfortable, fitting more securely in my ears than the AirPods. However, they will not fit everyone’s ears equally. These wireless headphones are discreet and conform to your ear without a little white tube extending from them.

It delivers good sound and works well as a headset for taking calls, with good background noise reduction so callers can hear you clearly even when you’re in noisier environments. Although they feature active noise cancellation, they are mild compared to the noise cancellation of earbuds that feature a noise-isolating design. In other words, buy them for their design and sound, not the noise-cancelling features.