We’re about to enter the final stretch of 2026, and with the Black Friday sales and the festive season looming on the horizon, it felt like as good a time as any to take stock of the headphones we’ve tested this year, and what has impressed us most. Because we’ve tested just so many great headphones so far this year, in this article I’ve narrowed things down to just the earbuds. Below, you can see all the pairs that impressed us enough to score four stars or higher in our tough tests.
Sennheiser has produced standouts at both ends of the price spectrum. For those feeling flush, the Momentum True Wireless 5 offer “superb” sound quality with a side order of sustainability, thanks to user-replaceable batteries in both the earbuds themselves and the charge case. Anyone on a tighter budget should take a look at the Sennheiser CX 80U — these wired earbuds deliver stellar sound (our tester noted “clean and agile bass, clear mids, and vivid highs”) alongside solid noise isolation, for a price tag that’ll give you change from $40 / £30.
Another big winner was the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Our reviewed noted: “they sound incredible, the noise cancellation really works, they look classy yet understated, and knock it out the park with the array of features offered in the app”. There are a few little caveats, though: the battery life could be better, and you need a Samsung phone to really get the best from them.
We’ve also tested plenty of impressive open-ear buds this year. We found the Shokz OpenDots 2 ultra-comfortable and long-lasting, but a little prone to being knocked out of the ear. The affordable Baseus Bowie MC2also delivered on the comfort front, and are a very solid choice if you’re on a tighter budget.
Scroll down to take a look at the earbuds we’ve been most impressed with this year so far — hit the View detailsbutton to see each model’s overall score, a rundown of the main pros and cons we noted in testing, and a link to read the full review. Note: you’ll only be able to see product cards for the earbuds available in your region.
Earbud excellence
- Excellent ANC
- Great-looking, comfortable design
- Packed with features
- Lossless only for Huawei phones
- Slightly chunkier than rivals
- No foam eartips
Sennheiser
Momentum True Wireless 5
- Superb sound quality plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio
- Comfortable and premium design – and finally, user-replaceable batteries
- Lots of future-proof features
- Touch control area is a little small
- Ever-so-slightly bulkier than rivals
- ANC still lags a bit behind Apple, Sony and Bose
- Fantastic sound
- Svelte look
- Wonderful noise cancellation
- Insecure fit
- Battery life could be much better
- Hard-to-replace ear-tips
- Impressive noise reduction
- Dolby Atmos with head tracking for true-to-life listening
- Unbelievably comfortable
- On the expensive side
- Treble a little over eager
- Spacious, informative and disciplined sound
- Dynamic and punchy presentation
- Impressive specification
- Not the most accomplished when it comes to rhythmic expression
- Don’t look or feel in any way special
- Touch controls could be more reliable
- Great sound quality with impressive detail
- Classy design at a low price
- Surprisingly good noise isolation
- No volume controls
- Some noticeable static when using mic
- Lacks the mid-range finesse of pricier rivals
- Powerful, bassy sound
- Good battery life
- Stable enough for runners
- Customizable EQ modes
- Prone to dislodging on contact
- Expensive
- Not suitable for helix piercings
- Smart charging case is feature-rich and fun
- ANC surprisingly effective for open-fit earbuds
- Relaxed, comfortable fit
- Strong overall sound quality…
- Open-fit designs have drawbacks, sonically speaking
- Spatial audio could be better
- Not the most premium-looking buds
- Fantastic, detailed audio
- Feature-packed, handy smart charging case
- Comfortable, secure in-ear fit
- Middling ANC
- Call quality not as clear as expected
- Spatial audio in need of improvement
- Excellent audio quality with impactful bass
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Smart case is well-built and fun, even if it’s a bit gimmicky
- Disappointing call quality
- ANC isn’t quite top-tier
- Poor spatial audio setting
- Secure, reliable fit
- Svelte carry case
- Decent battery life
- Audio quality can be beaten
- Can occasionally pinch your ear
- Touch controls barely work
House of Marley
Smile Jamaica USB-C
- Incredibly low price
- Sustainable construction
- Tangle-resistant cable
- Bass not the most refined
- No volume controls
- Could include more eartips
- Affordable price point
- Refreshingly bass-heavy sound
- Comfortable to wear
- Some charging case problems
- Not for audiophiles
- Hard-to-use touch controls
- Very affordable for open buds
- Comfortable and light
- AI translation is a cool feature
- Minor connectivity issues
- Budget build and fit won’t suit everyone
- Sound needs EQ tweaking
- Ultra-comfortable yet secure fit
- Lightweight with a more compact case
- Solid sound quality for open-ears
- Great features with personalized EQ
- Pricier than their predecessors
- Open-ear architecture has its sonic limitations
- Sound a bit unexciting out of the box
- Fun, upfront audio quality
- Slight ANC uptick (and it was no slouch before)
- Curvier case and useful LED lights
- Still no wireless charging support or flagship hearing tests
- Battery life has taken a hit
- We need to talk about Call Recording
