The very best headphones for operating in 2025

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant help: Google Assistant, Siri | Water resistance: IPX4 | Energetic 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 aside from different Beats earbuds and makes them significantly 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 if you’re shifting round quite a bit, be it throughout a morning jog or whereas taking a HIIT class. The buds are additionally rated IPX4 — not the very best degree of safety out of all the things I examined, however sufficient for even my sweatiest classes.

Because it have been, the Beats Match Professional stayed put throughout each single run and exercise. Nevertheless, adjusting their place on the fly can result in one in every of my few gripes: unintentional presses of the onboard controls. There have been quite a lot of occasions after 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 want 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 more durable to totally interact.

Sound high quality is stable and, because of its punchy bass and total steadiness, is particularly appropriate for exercising. Spatial audio help is nice to have, and whereas Adaptive EQ means you may’t tweak the EQ your self like you may 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 count on many individuals will respect; 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 might be harmful if 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 very least slightly bit, and the Match Professional’s transparency mode was the perfect 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 significantly nicely 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, nicely, 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 shocked by one factor after I unboxed the Match Professional: how low cost their charging case feels. Whereas it supplies an additional 21 hours on high of the buds’ promised six hours of life, the construct high quality of the case itself appears like an actual step down in comparison with the buds themselves. Some charging circumstances on a lot cheaper alternate options felt extra substantial than the Beats Match Professional’s, however I acknowledge that it received’t deter most individuals (together with me). Except for that and the contact controls, the Beats Match Professional presents a whole bundle for runners and different athletes alike, one which can be utilized all day, not simply throughout coaching classes. Plus, their customary $200 worth isn’t too cost-prohibitive, they usually can usually be discovered on sale for much less.

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

The Jabra Elite 8 Active nearly bested the Beats Match Professional, however in the end the latter received because of their wingtip design and extra natural-sounding transparency mode. However other than these two issues, the Elite 8 Energetic are simply nearly as good, if not higher than, the Match Professional.

Before everything, the Elite 8 Energetic has one of many highest sturdiness scores of any earbuds we examined. Rated IP68, it’s protected towards every kind of mud and particles and it’ll survive being submerged in water at excessive stress. Jabra additionally subjected the Elite 8 Energetic to military-grade testing, defending them from extreme humidity, excessive temperature, rain and altitude. That is extra safety than most individuals want, however it’s going to seemingly give some individuals peace of thoughts to know that these buds can take a beating. For runners, you received’t have to fret when you get caught in a sudden downpour throughout your last mile.

That further safety doesn’t make the Elite 8 Energetic cumbersome or unattractive as one may 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 degree of luxurious that the majority others I examined didn’t have, too. There are onboard controls as nicely, they usually’re not as susceptible to unintentional presses as these on the Beats Match Professional.

As one in every of Jabra’s costlier gadgets, the Elite 8 Energetic have a fantastic sound profile out of the field however when you want, you should use the corporate’s app to tweak the EQ utilizing a line graph that spans bass, mid and treble. It’s also possible to save personalized presets. The app presents six preconfigured settings, and I discovered myself utilizing Bass Increase and Energize most whereas exercising (they’re fairly related with sturdy bass, however Energize emphasizes highs a bit extra). These personalization choices will give the Elite 8 Energetic an edge over the Beats Match Professional for some. On high of all that, Jabra’s buds help spatial sound with Dolby Audio.

The Elite 8 Energetic supply adaptive noise cancellation, they usually do an excellent job of analyzing your surroundings 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 may hear your podcasts irrespective of how gusty the surroundings. I ran in some significantly 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 Energetic will get eight hours on a cost with ANC on, and an extra 24 hours within the charging case. You possibly can stand up to 56 hours of whole use when you’re not utilizing ANC, which is exceptional. The case additionally feels extra substantial than that of the Beats Match Professional, and you’ll wirelessly cost it (a characteristic that’s disregarded on Beats’ buds).

In the end, the Beats Match Professional and the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic are neck and neck in our high picks listing. However whereas the Jabras supply a bit extra customization and extra sturdiness, not everybody will want these bonuses. Nevertheless, when you’re an athlete who likes to mess around with sound profiles otherwise you need a few of the most sturdy wi-fi earbuds accessible as we speak, the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic are those to get.

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

The Jabra Elite 4 Active supply the perfect 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 Energetic, app connectivity and a complete of 28 hours of battery life. These have 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 achieved.

Just like the Elite 8 Energetic, the Elite 4 Energetic is tremendous snug and Jabra has actually gotten the onboard controls proper on this collection. The buttons will not be really easy to press that you simply unintentionally set off them everytime you alter the match, they usually present satisfying suggestions if you really 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 assumed to myself, hey, you may wish to high these up.

The primary variations between the Elite 4 Energetic and the more-expensive Elite 8 Energetic are that the latter have a better IP score, spatial sound help with Dolby Audio, an extended total battery life (56 hours with the charging case), voice steering and that satisfying soft-touch end. The IP score and prolonged battery life are the 2 foremost options that would compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Energetic as an alternative. Additionally, spatial audio is good in case you have 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 help: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Energetic noise cancellation: No | Battery life: As much as eight hours

When you have lower than $50 to spend, you may’t go incorrect 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. Numerous gadgets billed as workout-friendly headphones have this hook that wraps across the high 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 particularly 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 have been a ache in additional methods than one.) Admittedly, a hook design will take some getting used to when you’re new to it, but it surely’s a surefire strategy to get slightly further stability throughout intense exercises.

Sound high quality is fairly good on these buds as nicely, though not practically as balanced because the Jabra Elite 8 Energetic or the Beats Match Professional. I additionally respect that you may cycle by way 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 sort of software program controls.

You possibly can count on 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 helpful, actually needs to be a USB-C connector as an alternative. The case can also be on the cumbersome facet; you may nonetheless throw it right into a backpack or purse simply, but it surely’s not as svelte as circumstances you’ll see with costlier buds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: Open-ear | Assistant help: None | Water resistance: IP54 | Energetic 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 shocked 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 fantastic 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 high 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 workouts contain shaking your head an excessive amount of; perhaps don’t put on the OpenFit to hearken to head-banging demise steel (when you can’t management your self).

Sound high quality is stable contemplating the design, and the OpenFit will get fairly loud as nicely. These buds have Shokz’s Direct Pitch know-how, which makes use of reverse sound waves to optimize the space 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 perfect sound high quality and total quantity out of the entire open-ear gadgets I attempted, however when you crank the amount 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 best choice for many who reside in cities or anybody who consistently runs exterior amongst visitors, pedestrians and different hazards. There’s no query that you simply’ll hear what’s happening round you and that may be essential to protecting your self secure on these streets.