The very best headphones for working in 2024

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant help: 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 comfy, safe design, good sound high quality and transparency mode and basic 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 significantly good for working and different exercises. The buds are pretty small and light-weight, 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 so much, 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 had been, the Beats Match Professional stayed put throughout each single run and exercise. Nevertheless, adjusting their place on the fly can result in one among my few gripes: unintended presses of the onboard controls. There have been plenty of 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 stable and, because of its punchy bass and general stability, is very 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 anticipate many individuals will recognize; 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 could be harmful whenever you’re working 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 occurring round you, no less than slightly bit, and the Match Professional’s transparency mode was the perfect 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 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 concerning 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 units 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 seems 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). Apart from 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 commonplace $200 worth isn’t too cost-prohibitive, and so they can typically be discovered on sale for much less.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear| Assistant help: 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 in the end the latter gained because of their wingtip design and extra natural-sounding transparency mode. However except for these two issues, the Elite 8 Lively are simply nearly as good, if not higher than, the Match Professional.

At the beginning, 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’s going to probably give some individuals 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 last mile.

That additional safety doesn’t make the Elite 8 Lively cumbersome or unattractive as one would possibly assume. These buds are among the most comfy 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, and so they’re not as vulnerable to unintended presses as these on the Beats Match Professional.

As one among Jabra’s dearer units, the Elite 8 Lively have a terrific sound profile out of the field however in the event you favor, you should 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 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 help spatial sound with Dolby Audio.

The Elite 8 Lively provide adaptive noise cancellation, and so they do a great job of analyzing your setting and blocking out interferences. “HearThrough” is Jabra’s model of transparency mode, and it’s helpful when working exterior in a metropolis or an space with numerous 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 setting. 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 Lively 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 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’ll wirelessly cost it (a characteristic that’s neglected on Beats’ buds).

In the end, 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 among the most sturdy wi-fi earbuds out there at present, the Jabra Elite 8 Lively are those to get.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear | Assistant help: 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 perfect worth for the cash of any pair of earbuds on our record. 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 among 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 comfy and Jabra has actually gotten the onboard controls proper on this sequence. The buttons will not be really easy to press that you just by accident set off them everytime you alter the match, and so they present satisfying suggestions whenever you truly do press them. Sound high quality and ANC are spectacular, and I mainly by no means needed to fear about working out of battery earlier than I assumed to myself, hey, you would possibly wish 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 ranking, spatial sound help with Dolby Audio, an extended general 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 principal options that would compel some to splurge on the Elite 8 Lively as a substitute. Additionally, spatial audio is good when 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 wonderful options with these $120 earbuds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: In-ear with hook | Assistant help: 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 may’t go unsuitable 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 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 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 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, however it’s a surefire approach to get slightly additional 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 Lively or the Beats Match Professional. I additionally recognize you can cycle via 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 possibly can 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 helpful, actually needs to be a USB-C connector as a substitute (it’s the 12 months 2024, in any case). The case can also be on the cumbersome aspect; you may nonetheless throw it right into a backpack or purse simply, however it’s not as svelte as instances you’ll see with dearer buds.

Connectivity: Wi-fi | Model: Open-ear | Assistant help: 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 working. 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 somewhat than block it out. The OpenFits do a terrific 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 kinds of actions together with working, energy coaching and indoor biking. Granted, none of these workouts contain shaking your head an excessive amount of; possibly don’t put on the OpenFit to hearken to head-banging demise steel (in the event 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 cut back sound leakage. In my testing, I discovered that true to a sure extent. The OpenFit had the perfect sound high quality and general quantity out of the entire open-ear units 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 needs to dam the world out throughout train (or in any other case). However the OpenFit may be the most suitable choice for individuals who reside in cities or anybody who consistently runs exterior amongst visitors, pedestrians and different hazards. There’s no query that you just’ll hear what’s occurring round you and that may be essential to protecting your self secure on these streets.