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Title: The best earbuds for Android devices in 2025

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2025 07:01:25 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bes...

Deserved or not, Apple has turned AirPods into the default choice for most
iPhone owners in the market for new wireless earbuds. But if youΓÇÖre one of
the millions who have an Android smartphone, figuring out which set to grab
isnΓÇÖt as obvious. If you need a hand, allow us to point you in the right
direction. WeΓÇÖve tested and reviewed dozens of wireless earbuds over the
years and broken down our favorite options for Android users below. Whether
you use a Galaxy or a Pixel phone, and whether you want something for the gym
or your morning commute, here are the best AirPods alternatives for Android.

Table of contents

The best Android earbuds for 2025

What to look for in wireless earbuds for Android devices

How we test Android earbuds

Recent updates

Best Android earbuds for 2025

What to look for in wireless earbuds for Android devices Photo by Jeff Dunn /
Engadget

For the most part, the features you want from a set of ΓÇ£Android earbudsΓÇ¥
are the same as what you want from any headphones. Great sound quality, a
comfortable fit and sufficient battery life are still the foundations.
Adequate water resistance is good for workouts, and nobody wants a crummy mic
for making calls. Once you approach the $100 range, features like active
noise cancellation (ANC), wireless charging, an ambient sound mode (which
lets you better hear outside noise without turning off your music) and
multipoint connectivity (the ability to pair with multiple devices
simultaneously) should be expected.

For Android devices specifically, there are a few extras to consider. A
dedicated app that makes it easy to switch sound modes, customize the audio
profile, locate your earbuds if they ever get misplaced or adjust other
settings is strongly preferred. Features like Google Fast Pair or NFC-based
pairing, which can help you avoid having to dig through your Bluetooth menu
to connect your earbuds for the first time, are also nice perks. Some Android
devices can also utilize higher-quality Bluetooth codecs such as aptX
Adaptive or SonyΓÇÖs LDAC ΓÇö these arenΓÇÖt nearly as important to audio
quality as the actual architecture of your earbuds, but they can help wring
out a little more detail if the buds are capable enough and youΓÇÖre
streaming lossless files. AptX Adaptive can also help reduce latency, which
is good for streaming video or gaming.

Diversity is AndroidΓÇÖs greatest strength, but it also means that some
wireless earbuds play nicer with certain devices, typically those made by the
same company. Recent Samsung earbuds, for instance, come with a few perks
that are only available if you use a Galaxy phone. We have a couple of
recommendations related to this idea above.

How we test Android earbuds Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

The best way to test earphones is simply to wear them as much as possible, so
thatΓÇÖs what we do. We typically do this over a one- to two-week period,
though embargo times occasionally force us to finish our review process a bit
faster. We listen to a test playlist that includes several musical genres and
podcasts, paying close attention to how each pair approaches the bass, mid
and treble frequencies to get an accurate sense of its sound profile. We also
test at high and low volumes to check for consistency in the tuning. We do
not have access to a dummy head to take more objective measurements, but
weΓÇÖll sometimes look to sites like Rtings, SoundGuys and others that do
just to ensure our impressions are not wildly off-base. If a model supports
custom EQ, weΓÇÖll tinker with that and use the available EQ presets to see
if one sounds dramatically better than the others ΓÇö though in general we
base most of our impressions on the stock tuning each pair uses by default.

To assess microphone quality, we record our own audio samples and take
multiple calls with a partner both indoors and outside. For battery life, we
play our test playlist on a loop with the volume around 75 percent and
measure how long it takes for each set to drain. Where applicable, we do a
thorough review of a pairΓÇÖs companion app and test each available feature.
While comfort is ultimately subjective, we take note of how secure each pair
feels while weΓÇÖre on the move. We also use certain pairs in especially
crowded public spaces to get a better sense of their passive and active noise
cancellation, as well as their ability to maintain a consistent Bluetooth
connection.

Recent updates

August 2025: WeΓÇÖve taken another sweep to ensure our advice is still up-to-
date.

May 2025: WeΓÇÖve checked this guide to ensure our top picks still stand and
noted a couple alternatives to the Noble Fokus Rex5, since that pair has had
stock issues of late. WeΓÇÖre also keeping an eye on how the Trump
administrationΓÇÖs tariff policy affects the pricing and stock of our
recommendations (and the consumer tech industry as a whole). All of our picks
are still available in their normal price ranges today, but weΓÇÖll update
this guide if that changes.

February 2025: The Noble FoKus Rex5 is our new "best for sound quality" pick,
replacing the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. Our other recommendations
remain unchanged.

December 2024: WeΓÇÖve lightly edited this guide for clarity and ensured that
our current picks are still accurate.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bes...
120015765.html?src=rss

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