Earbuds buyer guide: what to check before you pay

Start with your phone. Several earbuds work best only with one maker's handsets, and that narrows the field faster than any spec.

Everything here comes from published tests and spec sheets, not from my ears. Checked Nov 1, 2026.

Phone match

SoundGuys says the Galaxy Buds4 Pro keep their best features, like the ultra-wideband call mics and Samsung's own codec, for Samsung phones. For iPhone owners it points to AirPods Pro 3 or Pro 2 instead. Read our Buds4 Pro review for the full list. The same logic applies in reverse: AirPods Pro 3 list only AAC, SBC, and I wouldn't buy them for an Android phone.

Fit

No lab number replaces this. Tips, fins and hooks all work for some ears and not others. The Buds4 Pro have no fin and rely on the silicone tip, per SoundGuys, who scored comfort 8.5. The review page also carries an owner review saying they fall out. The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 use hooks and weigh 8.7 g per bud. The Soundcore Liberty 5 weighs 4.6 g.

My rule: buy from somewhere with a return window and give it a week of real commutes.

Noise cancelling

Lab results vary a lot. SoundGuys measured an average 84% of noise blocked on the Buds4 Pro at maximum ANC, and noted a dip between roughly 500 Hz and 1.1 kHz. Voices and street noise live there. Check any outlet's graph for that range. Why it works the way it does is in our noise cancelling explainer.

Codecs

SoundGuys' codec explainer says SBC is mandatory on every A2DP device, and that SBC and AAC will meet the needs of most people. It calls AAC the sensible pick in Apple's ecosystem. On iPhone it has a transfer rate cap of about 250 kbps.

LDAC goes up to 990 kbps in theory, but SoundGuys warns that many phones default to 330 kbps, where both aptX and SBC beat it. Results depend on the phone. So an LDAC badge on the box is not a promise.

Listed codecs in our data:

Sony WF-1000XM6: AAC, LC3, LDAC, SBC
Soundcore Liberty 5: SBC, AAC, LDAC
Nothing Ear (3): SBC, AAC, LDAC
Pixel Buds Pro 2: SBC, AAC, LC3

Water and dust

SoundGuys' IP guide: an X means no dust rating was given, and the 4 in IPX4 means splashes from any direction. It says no earbuds are truly waterproof, and that water resistance fades with age and drops. The Nothing Ear (3) is IP54; the Samsung Buds4 Pro is IP57. For a gym, IPX4 is enough for sweat, per the same guide. Dry them before they go back in the case. If you mostly work out, see the workout earbuds roundup.

Battery

Compare battery figures with ANC on. The Sony WF-1000XM6 is listed at 8 h and the Nothing Ear (3) at 5 h 12 min, both with ANC on and both listed figures rather than tests. SoundGuys' own test of the Buds4 Pro gave 6 hours 1 minute, against 4 hours 31 minutes for the Buds3 Pro.

Short hours aren't a flaw if you're back at a desk every afternoon. They are on a long flight, and there I'd look at over-ear headphones.

Price

The Sony WF-1000XM6 lists at price unconfirmed, an MSRP per SoundGuys. Nothing's page lists the Nothing Ear (3) at $149. Compare them all on the headphones page. For iPhone picks, the iPhone earbuds roundup is where I'd go next.