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Apple makes some of the best wireless earbuds and headphones on the market -- and that includes models from Beats, which Apple acquired several years ago. Most recently, it introduced the AirPods Pro 3, which improve upon the AirPods Pro 2 in several ways (read our full review to find out how much they've improved). They're the best Apple AirPods you can buy if you don't mind having silicone eartips jammed in your ears. I've tested and fully reviewed all of Apple's headphones and earbuds that are on this list. We also keep a close eye on their prices so we can bring you the best deals on every AirPods model.
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- Best AirPods for 2025
- Best Apple AirPods for 2025
- Best wireless earbuds overall
- Best open earbuds with active noise canceling
- Best high-end wireless headphones for Apple users
- Best Beats over-ear headphones
- Best Beats buds for both Apple and Android users
- Best budget earbuds from Apple
- Best Beats on-ear headphones
- Factors to consider when choosing AirPods
- AirPods price comparison
- How we test wireless Apple AirPods
- Other AirPods we tested
- Apple AirPods FAQ
Read more: AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2 -- should you upgrade?
What We Updated: September 2025
We added the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and removed the AirPods Pro 2. We also removed the Beats Fit Pro as Beats has teased a new version of that model coming soon.
Best Apple AirPods for 2025
Pros
- Design upgrades to the buds and ear tips improve their fit
- Noise cancellation has been upgraded and is now top-notch
- They sound better with improved bass response and more clarity
- Built-in heart-rate monitoring with new sensors
- Excellent voice-calling performance (upgraded microphones)
- Battery life rated for up to 8 hours (up from 6 for AirPods Pro 2)
Cons
- They still use the H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 2
- Heart-rate monitoring is buried in fitness apps
- While they work with Android, many of their features are exclusive to Apple devices
- Some new colors would be nice
Why I like them
While I didn't get a new H3 chip and I was hoping that the charging case would be able to convert into a Bluetooth transceiver to use the buds on a plane with an inflight entertainment system, I did get most of what I was looking for in the AirPods Pro 3. The changes may seem incremental to some folks, but all the key elements such as fit, sound quality and noise cancellation have been noticeably leveled up along with single-charge battery. They're about as close as earbuds get to being complete: excellent noise cancellation, strong voice-calling performance and sound quality that rivals the very best. Few buds excel in all three areas -- and the Pro 3s manage it while packing in plenty of extra features, including their new heart-rate monitoring feature. Read my full review.
Reasons to buy
As I said, these buds are significantly improved in the four most important areas: fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life. The result is that you don't feel like you're making any compromises when buying the AirPods Pro 3 if you're an Apple user.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
While they work with Android devices, you lose many of the AriPods 3's extra features if you're not using them with Apple devices and its iPhones and iPad in particular. They also may just be a little too expensive for many folks.
Pros
- Same H2 chip found in AirPods Pro 2
- More compact design
- Active noise canceling that works
- Improved sound
- Excellent voice-calling performance
- Personalized spatial audio
- Case has wireless charging and speaker for Find My
Cons
- Battery life could be a little better
- Noise-canceling isn't as good as AirPods Pro 2's
If you're looking for basic AirPods, the standard AirPods 4 ($129) certainly have their appeal and should cost closer to $100 during flash sales. They may not be quite as cheap or as small as the AirPods 2, but they sound a lot better and have more features.
Ultimately, however, the AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation are simply more special. They're the first open buds I've tried to have active noise canceling that actually works. That makes them the first noise-canceling earbuds for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears. That's pretty cool and worth the extra $50 if you can afford it.
Pros
- Surprisingly comfortable for their weight
- Impressive sound and build-quality
- Adaptive noise canceling is top-notch and so is transparency mode
- Good headset performance for calls
Cons
- Expensive
- Equipped with Apple's H1 chip, not the newer H2
- No cable included for wired use
Yes, they're expensive, but the AirPods Max delivers richer, more detailed sound than lower-priced competitors from Bose and Sony. They also feature arguably the best noise canceling on the market along with premium build quality and Apple's virtual surround spatial audio feature for video watching. While they're heavy, they manage to be surprisingly comfortable, although I did have to adjust the mesh canopy headband to sit a little more forward on my head to get a comfortable secure fit when I was out walking with them. They should fit most heads well, but there will be exceptions.
Pros
- Improved sound quality, noise canceling and ear pad design
- Very good voice-calling performance
- Spatial audio with head tracking for Apple users
- USB-C audio
Cons
- No Apple H2 chip
- No ear-detection sensors
- No major design changes except for case
Love 'em or hate 'em, Beats Studio headphones are among the most popular headphones of all time, launching as wired headphones back in 2008. This is the fourth generation of them, and they carry the same list price as their predecessor and look very similar on the outside but have some big changes on the inside that make them significantly better headphones. I'm tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max. However, that's not quite accurate due to a choice in chipsets and one notable missing feature. But read our full review to find out what makes these very good headphones, albeit with some caveats.
Pros
- Lightweight and discrete design fits most ears comfortably and securely
- Upgraded performance from original Studio Buds, including better noise canceling and voice-calling performance
- Android friendly (iOS users get hands-free Siri)
- Improved battery life
Cons
- No wireless charging capabilities
- Missing several extra features that you get with the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, including spatial audio
- No ear-detection sensors
Why I like them
Compared to the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market, the newer Studio Buds Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver top-notch voice-calling performance. Read my Beats Buds Plus review.
The transparent version got a lot of attention at launch (who doesn't like transparent electronics?), but the big changes are on the inside. Beats says 95% of the components are new and improved, and the buds' "acoustic architecture" has been revised. The speaker drivers remain the same, but the Studio Buds Plus are powered by a new, more powerful custom chipset and have three new microphones in each bud, which are three times larger and more sensitive than the ones found in the Beats Studio Buds.
Reasons to buy
The compact Beats Studio Buds Plus offer good sound quality and strong all-around performance for an affordable price, especially when they're discounted, which they often are. It's also worth noting that like with other Beats headphones and earbuds, these are more Android-friendly than Apple's AirPods (there's a Beats app for Android) and the only feature that Apple users get that Android users don't is hands-free Siri.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
The Studio Buds Plus were released in May of 2023, so they're over two years old and may be due for an upgrade. Also, while the AirPods Pro 2 may cost more, they have a more robust feature set -- for Apple users anyway.
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Very compact case
- Good sound and voice-calling performance
- Strong battery life
Cons
- Few features
- No battery or LED charging indicator in charging case
Why I like them
Available in four color options, the Solo Buds are missing some key features found in more premium buds, including a battery in their very compact charging case, ear-detection sensors and active noise canceling. But they get the fundamentals right. They're lightweight and not only offer decent sound quality and strong battery life but very good voice-calling performance that rivals what you get with the company's more expensive Studio Buds Plus. Read my full review.
Reasons to buy
They're the most affordable Beats earbuds and their charging case is quite compact and doesn't take up much room in a pocket. They also have great battery life.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
Having no battery in the case may be a deal-breaker for some people (using a USB-C cable, your phone can supply power to charge the buds in the case, but not everybody likes that concept).
Pros
- Improved sound and voice-calling performance
- Strong battery life
- USB-C audio
- Spatial audio with head tracking for Apple users
- Android compatible
Cons
- No active noise canceling
- No ear-detection sensors
In a nutshell, the Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones have pretty much the same look on the outside as the 3s, but some notable improvements on the inside bump their performance by about 25% to 30% when it comes to sound quality, battery life and voice-calling.
Would I pay $200 for them? No, I wouldn't. But if you look at what's happened with the Studio Pro's pricing -- they're sporadically discounted to $200 or $150 off their list price and even dropped to $180 for Prime Day -- the Solo 4s won't always be $200. I'm certain we'll see them fairly soon for what the Solo 3s now cost, which is around $130. They make a lot more sense at that price, particularly if you're looking for a more compact on-ear headphone and don't need active noise canceling.
Design
The AirPods come in three styles: open earbuds (AirPods 3 and AiPods 4), noise-isolating earbuds with noise canceling (AirPods Pro 2) and over-ear headphones (AirPods Max). Some people like the standard AirPods because they have an open design and don't require you to jam silicone ear tips into your ears. Note that the discontinued AirPods 2, which are based on the original AirPods design, have longer stems and slightly smaller buds than the AirPods 3. The new AirPods 4 are slightly more compact than the AirPods 3 but slightly larger than the AirPods 2. Meanwhile, the Beats Fit Pro has built-in wingtips that may help you get a more secure fit. Newer models also feature USB-C charging ports to better align with the rest of Apple's new charging ecosystem, replacing the long-used Lightning port.
Budget
Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new AirPods. The quality of value-priced AirPods continues to improve as more models release, so you can often find good affordable AirPods on sale for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $300 or more -- sometimes much more in the case of the AirPod Max.
Fit
It's key that the AirPods you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that's snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear throughout the day with minimal breaks. Consider the differences between in-ear and over-ear AirPods before buying.
Durability
You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for AirPods models that we note have sturdy build quality.
AirPods or Beats earbuds and headphones?
Because Apple owns Beats, the various AirPods models and Beats models can share similar components and features. Beats products tend to be geared to both Apple and Android users, while the AirPods tend to be focused more toward Apple users (they have more exclusive features for Apple users), although they can be paired with Android devices.
Return policy
Because the fit of your earbuds is so important, it's critical to buy your buds at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case the buds aren't a good match for your ears.
Comparisons for the prices of each AirPods model on this list
| $129 | $119 | $119 |
| $249 | $189 | $169 |
| $200 | $159 | $159 |
| $549 | $449 | $395 |
| $170 | $100 | $100 |
| $350 | $136 | $136 |
| $80 | $80 | $80 |
Along with all of our wireless headphones and earbuds, we test Apple AirPods based on six key criteria: design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.
Design
We assess not only how comfortably the AirPods fit (their ergonomics) but also their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. With wireless headphones and earbuds, we'll note if they're water-resistant, but only a few full-size headphones have water- and dust-resistance ratings, which is especially important for workout headphones you may take to the gym or on a run.
Sound quality
We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing headphones to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
Noise-canceling performance
If the AirPods we're testing feature active noise canceling, we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out onto city streets to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they do at muffling not only street noise but also people's voices. Those that are able to reduce the most amount of ambient noise are noted and rated highly on this list.
Extra features
Some great-sounding AirPods aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness through a double tap to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. The newest models even incorporate hearing health metrics with hearing tests and a new hearing aid mode. We also take a look at the companion app for the AirPods if there is one and how user-friendly it is and wireless charging capabilities.
Voice-calling
When we test voice-calling performance, we make phone calls on noisy city streets and evaluate how well the AirPods reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices. Call quality is a key metric in today's work-from-home world, so we're sure to assess this feature in several fields.
Value
We determine value after considering the strength of the AirPods against all these criteria and what they're able to deliver compared with other models in their price class. Some models require additional purchases, like a wireless charging case, to get the most out of their features, so we take those needs into account, too.
AirPods 3: With the arrival of the AirPods 4, Apple is phasing out both the AirPods 3 and AirPods 2. As a result, you may see some nice discounts on the third-generation AirPods as they exit the market. Slightly larger than the AirPods 4, they have better battery life than their successor and their case has wireless charging (only the step-up AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation have wireless charging). But with improved sound quality and Apple's more advanced H2 chip, the AirPods 4 -- even the entry-level model -- is superior to the third-generation AirPods.
Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio earbuds often sell for $150 and offer decent sound and performance. The new Studio Buds Plus is a significant upgrade, with better sound, noise canceling and voice-calling performance, so we recommend users buy those instead.
AirPods 2: The AirPods 2 are an incremental upgrade to an already excellent, fully wireless headphone, but sound quality, design and fit are basically the same. Such incremental upgrades tend to be a little boring. And on the surface anyway, the new AirPods aren't exciting. However, thanks to those updated components on the inside, including a new H1 chip that supports Bluetooth 5.0, improved audio synchronization and always-on Siri, they're definitely better in small ways that a lot of people will appreciate.
Beats Flex: Yes, these are "wired wireless" earbuds -- with a cable connecting the left and right earbud, but they're also the most affordable wireless Apple headphones you can buy (Beats is a subsidiary of Apple). Equipped with Apple's older W1 chip, not the H1 found in the AirPods 3rd Generation, AirPods Pro and Beats Fit Pro, they don't have such extra features as spatial audio. However, they sound good and work well for making voice calls.
What are the newest AirPods?
The newest AirPods are the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C), which hit stores in September 2023 and have some small upgrades from the 2022 version of the AirPods Pro 2 that included Lightning charging. The third-generation AirPods with enhanced functionality, improved sound and an updated design arrived in stores in October 2021. Meanwhile, on the Beats side, the Beats Studio Pro headphones were released in July 2023 while the Studio Buds Plus were released in May 2023. The Beats Fit Pro -- which shares most of the same features as the original AirPods Pro -- arrived in November 2021. While they're not AirPods by name, we and others have referred to them as "the sports AirPods you always wanted."
Are the AirPods Pro 2 better than the Beats Fit Pro?
With their integrated wingtips, the Beats Fit Pro may offer you a more secure fit than AirPods Pro 2 and they do cost $50 less (and sometimes even less when they go on sale). Otherwise, the AirPods Pro 2 are better -- they have slightly better sound quality and noise canceling along with better voice-calling performance.
Also, note that the Beats Fit Pro is missing wireless charging and the MagSafe compatibility found in the AirPods Pro 2.
Should I buy AirPods in the Apple Store?
If you can help it, no: The various AirPods models typically sell for less online at other retailers like Amazon and Walmart. Amazon, meanwhile, typically matches the lowest price at other retailers. Generally, we'd only buy AirPods at the Apple Store if we want engraving, which isn't available elsewhere. If you opt to go into an Apple Store for Apple deals, you should ask about price matching. While Apple doesn't seem to have any official policy, it's been reported that it will offer up to 10% price matching. As an example, that would be $25 off the AirPods Pro, which list for $249. That's not much, but it's worth asking to see if you can get 10% off.
Does spatial audio sound different on different AirPods?
The short answer is, not really when you're talking about spatial audio with head tracking for movie and TV watching. While the AirPods Max offers the best sound overall, using the spatial audio virtual sound feature is largely the same experience on all the AirPods that support it.
