The most effective headphones for operating in 2025

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Type: 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 due to their snug, safe design, good sound high quality and transparency mode and normal ease of use, amongst different issues. As Billy detailed in his review, the Match Professional’s wingtip design units them aside from 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 while you’re transferring round quite a bit, 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. Nevertheless, adjusting their place on the fly can result in considered one of my few gripes: unintended presses of the onboard controls. There have been numerous occasions 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 favor 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 completely have interaction.

Sound high quality is strong and, due to its punchy bass and total steadiness, is very 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 admire; these earbuds are a real unbox-and-go choice.

ANC can also be nice on the Beats Match Professional, however transparency mode is what actually shines. Like I stated, full ANC will be harmful while you’re operating exterior, whether or not you’re in the midst of a metropolis or on a path. It pays to have the ability to hear what’s happening round you, at the least a bit bit, and the Match Professional’s transparency mode was one of the best out of the earbuds I attempted. Just like Apple’s AirPods Professional, it sounded extra pure than on our runner-up choose, and it’s simple 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 due to 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 concerning 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 gadgets to nearly 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 supplies 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). Except for that and the contact controls, the Beats Match Professional affords a whole bundle for runners and different athletes alike, one which can be utilized all day, not simply throughout coaching periods. Plus, their customary $200 value isn’t too cost-prohibitive, they usually can usually be discovered on sale for much less.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Type: 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 nearly bested the Beats Match Professional, however finally the latter gained due to their wingtip design and extra natural-sounding transparency mode. However other than these two issues, the Elite 8 Lively are simply nearly as good, if not higher than, the Match Professional.

Before everything, the Elite 8 Lively has one of many highest sturdiness scores 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 should doubtless give some folks peace of thoughts to know that these buds can take a beating. For runners, you gained’t have to fret in the event you 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 number 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 vulnerable to unintended presses as these on the Beats Match Professional.

As considered one of Jabra’s dearer gadgets, the Elite 8 Lively have an ideal sound profile out of the field however in the event you favor, you need to use the corporate’s app to tweak the EQ utilizing a line graph that spans bass, mid and treble. You may also save personalized presets. The app affords 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 an excellent job of analyzing your setting and blocking out interferences. “HearThrough” is Jabra’s model of transparency mode, and it’s helpful when operating exterior in a metropolis or an space with a lot of 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 irrespective of how gusty the setting. 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 a further 24 hours within the charging case. You may rise up to 56 hours of complete use in the event you’re not utilizing ANC, which is outstanding. The case additionally feels extra substantial than that of the Beats Match Professional, and you may wirelessly cost it (a characteristic that’s overlooked on Beats’ buds).

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

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Type: 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 one of the best worth for the cash of any pair of earbuds on our record. For $120, you get an IP57-rated design, strong 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 number 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 performed.

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 usually are not really easy to press that you just unintentionally set off them everytime you alter the match, they usually present satisfying suggestions while you truly do press them. Sound high quality and ANC are spectacular, and I mainly 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 primary variations between the Elite 4 Lively and the more-expensive Elite 8 Lively are that the latter have the next IP ranking, spatial sound assist with Dolby Audio, an extended total battery life (56 hours with the charging case), voice steering and that satisfying soft-touch end. The IP ranking and prolonged battery life are the 2 primary options that might compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Lively as a substitute. Additionally, spatial audio is sweet when you’ve got the buds semi-permanently positioned in your ears continuously pumping out tunes, whatever the exercise. In any other case, although, you’re getting a ton of wonderful options with these $120 earbuds.

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

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. Plenty of gadgets 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 hold issues securely hooked up to your head. The hooks on these buds particularly are fairly versatile and have a soft-touch end, which makes them extra cozy (I attempted just a few 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 in the event you’re new to it, but it surely’s a surefire option to get a bit additional stability throughout intense exercises.

Sound high quality is fairly good on these buds as properly, though not practically as balanced because the Jabra Elite 8 Lively or the Beats Match Professional. I additionally admire that you could cycle by means of three totally 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 form of software program controls.

You may 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 ought to be a USB-C connector as a substitute. The case can also be on the cumbersome aspect; you’ll be able to nonetheless throw it right into a backpack or purse simply, but it surely’s not as svelte as instances you’ll see with dearer buds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Type: 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 permit for extra situational consciousness, with the aim being to let noise in relatively than block it out. The OpenFits do an ideal job of this with out skimping on sound high quality or consolation.

The buds themselves nearly 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 types 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 metallic (in the event you can’t management your self).

Sound high quality is strong 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 one of the best sound high quality and total quantity out of all the open-ear gadgets I attempted, however in the event you 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 desires to dam the world out throughout train (or in any other case). However the OpenFit could be the most suitable choice for individuals who reside in cities or anybody who continuously runs exterior amongst 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 retaining your self secure on these streets.