The very best headphones for operating in 2025

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant assist: Google Assistant, Siri | Water resistance: IPX4 | Lively noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as six hours

Read our full review of the Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro got here out on the head of the pack because of their snug, safe design, good sound high quality and transparency mode and common ease of use, amongst different issues. As Billy detailed in his review, the Match Professional’s wingtip design units them other than different Beats earbuds and makes them notably good for operating and different exercises. The buds are pretty small and lightweight, and the wingtip on every is versatile sufficient to hug your ear snugly with out an excessive amount of stress. This helps them really feel safer whenever you’re transferring round loads, be it throughout a morning jog or whereas taking a HIIT class. The buds are additionally rated IPX4 — not the best stage of safety out of every little thing I examined, however sufficient for even my sweatiest periods.

Because it had been, the Beats Match Professional stayed put throughout each single run and exercise. Nonetheless, adjusting their place on the fly can result in considered one of my few gripes: unintentional presses of the onboard controls. There have been quite a few instances once I went to maneuver a bud and I ended up pausing my music within the course of as a result of the buttons are really easy to set off. Whereas I do desire the tactile suggestions of a bodily button versus the contact controls on different earbuds, Beats ought to have modified their place on the buds or made them a bit tougher to totally have interaction.

Sound high quality is stable and, because of its punchy bass and general steadiness, is particularly appropriate for exercising. Spatial audio assist is nice to have, and whereas Adaptive EQ means you’ll be able to’t tweak the EQ your self like you’ll be able to with different buds, it does make for persistently good audio high quality. It’s additionally one much less factor to play with out of the field, which I anticipate many individuals will recognize; these earbuds are a real unbox-and-go possibility.

ANC can also be nice on the Beats Match Professional, however transparency mode is what actually shines. Like I stated, full ANC may be harmful whenever you’re operating outdoors, whether or not you’re in the course of a metropolis or on a path. It pays to have the ability to hear what’s happening round you, a minimum of a bit of bit, and the Match Professional’s transparency mode was the very best out of the earbuds I attempted. Much like Apple’s AirPods Professional, it sounded extra pure than on our runner-up choose, and it’s straightforward to activate or off both with onboard buttons or from the management panel in your iOS or Android smartphone.

Talking of, the Beats Match Professional works notably properly with iPhones because of the built-in H1 chip, however Android customers can obtain the companion app to entry issues like fast pairing, management customizations and a battery standing indicator. I didn’t get into element in regards to the setup course of as a result of, properly, there isn’t a lot of 1. As quickly as you unbox the Match Professional and open the case, the H1 chip communicates with iPhones and different iOS units to virtually immediately pair the buds and get them prepared to be used.

I’ll say, although, that I used to be stunned by one factor once I unboxed the Match Professional: how low-cost their charging case feels. Whereas it gives an additional 21 hours on prime of the buds’ promised six hours of life, the construct high quality of the case itself looks like an actual step down in comparison with the buds themselves. Some charging instances on a lot cheaper options felt extra substantial than the Beats Match Professional’s, however I acknowledge that it gained’t deter most individuals (together with me). Other than that and the contact controls, the Beats Match Professional presents an entire bundle for runners and different athletes alike, one which can be utilized all day, not simply throughout coaching periods. Plus, their normal $200 value isn’t too cost-prohibitive, they usually can usually be discovered on sale for much less.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear| Assistant assist: Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP68 | Lively noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as eight hours

The Jabra Elite 8 Active virtually bested the Beats Match Professional, however finally the latter gained because of their wingtip design and extra natural-sounding transparency mode. However other than these two issues, the Elite 8 Lively are simply pretty much as good, if not higher than, the Match Professional.

Initially, the Elite 8 Lively has one of many highest sturdiness rankings of any earbuds we examined. Rated IP68, it’s protected towards all types of mud and particles and it’ll survive being submerged in water at excessive stress. Jabra additionally subjected the Elite 8 Lively to military-grade testing, defending them from extreme humidity, excessive temperature, rain and altitude. That is extra safety than most individuals want, however it’ll doubtless give some folks peace of thoughts to know that these buds can take a beating. For runners, you gained’t have to fret for those who get caught in a sudden downpour throughout your remaining mile.

That additional safety doesn’t make the Elite 8 Lively cumbersome or unattractive as one would possibly assume. These buds are a few of the most snug I attempted, with a light-weight design and a safe match. The soft-touch end on the buds themselves and their charging case provides a stage of luxurious that the majority others I examined didn’t have, too. There are onboard controls as properly, they usually’re not as susceptible to unintentional presses as these on the Beats Match Professional.

As considered one of Jabra’s costlier units, the Elite 8 Lively have a terrific sound profile out of the field however for those who desire, you need to use the corporate’s app to tweak the EQ utilizing a line graph that spans bass, mid and treble. You may as well save personalized presets. The app presents six preconfigured settings, and I discovered myself utilizing Bass Increase and Energize most whereas exercising (they’re fairly comparable with sturdy bass, however Energize emphasizes highs a bit extra). These personalization choices will give the Elite 8 Lively an edge over the Beats Match Professional for some. On prime of all that, Jabra’s buds assist spatial sound with Dolby Audio.

The Elite 8 Lively provide adaptive noise cancellation, they usually do job of analyzing your surroundings and blocking out interferences. “HearThrough” is Jabra’s model of transparency mode, and it’s helpful when operating outdoors in a metropolis or an space with a number of site visitors even when it’s not as natural-sounding as the identical mode on the Beats Match Professional. Jabra’s is designed to neutralize wind noise whereas additionally letting you keep conscious of your environment, so you’ll be able to hear your podcasts regardless of how gusty the surroundings. I ran in some notably windy climate whereas testing these out, and I had persistently good listening experiences with each HearThrough and ANC activated.

As for battery life, the Elite 8 Lively will get eight hours on a cost with ANC on, and an extra 24 hours within the charging case. You’ll be able to stand up to 56 hours of complete use for those who’re not utilizing ANC, which is outstanding. The case additionally feels extra substantial than that of the Beats Match Professional, and you’ll wirelessly cost it (a characteristic that’s unnoticed on Beats’ buds).

Finally, the Beats Match Professional and the Jabra Elite 8 Lively are neck and neck in our prime picks listing. However whereas the Jabras provide a bit extra customization and extra sturdiness, not everybody will want these bonuses. Nonetheless, for those who’re an athlete who likes to mess around with sound profiles otherwise you need a few of the most sturdy wi-fi earbuds obtainable right this moment, the Jabra Elite 8 Lively are those to get.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear | Assistant assist: Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant | Water resistance: IP57 | Lively noise cancellation: Sure | Battery life: As much as seven hours

The Jabra Elite 4 Active provide the very best worth for the cash of any pair of earbuds on our listing. For $120, you get an IP57-rated design, stable sound high quality with adjustable EQ, good ANC, the identical HearThrough transparency mode because the Elite 8 Lively, app connectivity and a complete of 28 hours of battery life. These had been a few of the best buds for me to “choose up and go” with, whether or not it was for an impromptu stroll across the block, a sweaty HIIT session in my basement or an hour of labor throughout which I actually wanted to dam out distractions and get issues executed.

Just like the Elite 8 Lively, the Elite 4 Lively is tremendous snug and Jabra has actually gotten the onboard controls proper on this collection. The buttons aren’t really easy to press that you just by accident set off them everytime you alter the match, they usually present satisfying suggestions whenever you truly do press them. Sound high quality and ANC are spectacular, and I principally by no means needed to fear about operating out of battery earlier than I believed to myself, hey, you would possibly need to prime these up.

The principle variations between the Elite 4 Lively and the more-expensive Elite 8 Lively are that the latter have the next IP score, spatial sound assist with Dolby Audio, an extended general battery life (56 hours with the charging case), voice steerage and that satisfying soft-touch end. The IP score and prolonged battery life are the 2 essential options that might compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Lively as an alternative. Additionally, spatial audio is sweet when you’ve got the buds semi-permanently positioned in your ears consistently pumping out tunes, whatever the exercise. In any other case, although, you’re getting a ton of fantastic options with these $120 earbuds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with hook | Assistant assist: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Lively noise cancellation: No | Battery life: As much as eight hours

If in case you have lower than $50 to spend, you’ll be able to’t go flawed with the $30 JLab Go Air Sport. I didn’t have excessive expectations going into testing these, however I used to be shortly impressed by their match and sound high quality. A lot of units billed as workout-friendly headphones have this hook that wraps across the prime of your ear, and on the Go Air Sport it does assist maintain issues securely hooked up to your head. The hooks on these buds specifically are fairly versatile and have a soft-touch end, which makes them extra cozy (I attempted a number of equally designed buds with a lot stiffer hooks that had been a ache in additional methods than one.) Admittedly, a hook design will take some getting used to for those who’re new to it, however it’s a surefire method to get a bit of additional stability throughout intense exercises.

Sound high quality is fairly good on these buds as properly, though not almost as balanced because the Jabra Elite 8 Lively or the Beats Match Professional. I additionally recognize that you would be able to cycle via three completely different EQ modes — Signature, Balanced and Bass Increase — utilizing the onboard controls. There’s no app to fuss with, and that was a pleasant change of tempo for me after largely testing buds with some sort of software program controls.

You’ll be able to anticipate eight hours of playtime on the Go Air Sport, plus one other 24 hours of battery life with its charging case. Whereas the USB-A cable constructed into the underside of the case is useful, actually needs to be a USB-C connector as an alternative. The case can also be on the cumbersome aspect; you’ll be able to nonetheless throw it right into a backpack or purse simply, however it’s not as svelte as instances you’ll see with costlier buds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: Open-ear | Assistant assist: None | Water resistance: IP54 | Lively noise cancellation: No | Battery life: As much as seven hours

I used to be apprehensive about making an attempt open-ear headphones, particularly whereas operating. However the Shokz OpenFit pleasantly stunned me from the primary time I put them on. Earbuds with open designs like this enable for extra situational consciousness, with the aim being to let noise in relatively than block it out. The OpenFits do a terrific job of this with out skimping on sound high quality or consolation.

The buds themselves virtually float over your ear cavern and Shokz’s soft-finish “dolphin arc” hook is versatile sufficient to securely wrap across the prime of your ear with out placing an excessive amount of stress on it. There’s a bud-like portion on the different finish of the hook that acts as counterbalance, leading to a dependable match that by no means faltered throughout all kinds of actions together with operating, power coaching and indoor biking. Granted, none of these workout routines contain shaking your head an excessive amount of; possibly don’t put on the OpenFit to hearken to head-banging dying steel (for those who can’t management your self).

Sound high quality is stable contemplating the design, and the OpenFit will get fairly loud as properly. These buds have Shokz’s Direct Pitch expertise, which makes use of reverse sound waves to optimize the gap and angle to your ear canal. The corporate claims this helps scale back sound leakage. In my testing, I discovered that true to a sure extent. The OpenFit had the very best sound high quality and general quantity out of all the open-ear units I attempted, however for those who crank the quantity as much as the max (or shut), the individual subsequent to you’ll positively hear what you’re listening to.

As I alluded to beforehand, these aren’t for anybody who needs to dam the world out throughout train (or in any other case). However the OpenFit is perhaps the best choice for individuals who dwell in cities or anybody who consistently runs outdoors amongst site visitors, pedestrians and different hazards. There’s no query that you just’ll hear what’s happening round you and that may be essential to protecting your self protected on these streets.