4 headphones I swear by (and how I use each pair differently)

These premium Apple earbuds connection large sound cancellation, a comfy and unchangeable fit, and 30 hours of artillery life, and their IP54 standing makes them particulate and water-resistant. With each of these factors successful mind, you tin instrumentality the Pro 2 earbuds with you connected your regular commute, deterioration them successful the office, and bring them to your post-work workout.

Also: I've utilized my AirPods Pro 2 since they archetypal launched. Here's my buying proposal for 2025

The AirPods Pro 2 are my mundane earbuds, and I don't permission the location without them. I deterioration them to the market store, the gym, and astir the location portion I'm doing chores. I've caught plentifulness of flights successful these earbuds and often instrumentality and marque hands-free telephone calls with them portion I'm retired and about.

I urge these earbuds to my friends and household members who are successful the iOS ecosystem, particularly if they person an iPhone. Your iPhone is the instrumentality that's apt to spell everyplace with you, and the Pro 2 earbuds marque a fantastic companion. 

If earbuds aren't your jam and you privation over-ear headphones that enactment good with immoderate instrumentality ecosystem, the Bose QuietComfort headphones are a coagulated option. They aren't Bose's astir costly offering, but they supply everything determination is to emotion astir the brand: exceptional comfortableness and sound cancellation.

Bose's midrange QuietComfort enactment is champion known for its simplicity, functionality, and practicality, and the latest QuietComfort headphones acceptable close in. I've worn these headphones connected long-haul flights and car rides, and often deterioration them portion moving astatine my desk.

Also: I often regenerate my premium headphones with this classical Bose brace - and ne'er regret it

They're a reliable and functional brace of headphones that won't springiness up connected you, arsenic agelong arsenic you enactment connected apical of their 24-hour artillery life. I highly urge the QuietComfort headphones, but counsel against buying them astatine afloat price.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the champion premium earbuds for Android users, careless of their phone's manufacturer. Many of the Pixel Buds Pro 2's astir fashionable features, similar translation services, in-ear detection, adaptive sound cancellation, and Gemini integration, are disposable connected devices moving Android 10 oregon newer. For context, the latest mentation is Android 16.

Also: These Google earbuds connection the eventual listening acquisition for Android users - adjacent connected non-Pixel phones

I urge these earbuds to friends and household with Android smartphones who person expressed involvement successful AirPods. Only a fewer features are reserved for Pixel users, making the Pixel Buds Pro 2 compatible with much Android devices than the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. 

The Sony XM6 over-ear headphones person a muted, applicable plan cleanable for mundane use. They person a 30-hour artillery life, large sound, and the champion sound cancellation you tin find. Sony fitted the XM6 with stronger sound cancellation, a foldable plan for portability, and spatial audio that's compatible with immoderate streaming platform.

Also: I ditched my regular operator Bose headphones for the XM6 - and I'm hesitant to spell back

All of the XM6's features marque them a brace of highly applicable over-ear headphones suited for commuting, traveling, moving successful the office, moving errands, oregon listening to euphony oregon watching YouTube astatine home. I urge these headphones to radical who privation a brace of mundane headphones that dependable great, person exceptional sound cancellation, are compatible with immoderate device, and see each of the latest bundle features.

I walk each of my clip surviving successful the latest headphones and earbuds, taking them with maine portion I travel, exercise, tally errands, and more. I published reviews for these headphones erstwhile they were released, but I continued to deterioration them beyond their archetypal merchandise date.

At ZDNET, we thoroughly trial products earlier recommending them to our readers. Out of the galore headphones I've tested, the 4 connected this database person had the highest restitution from the friends and household members I've recommended them to. 

I admit that my friends and family, similar you, are spending hundreds of their hard-earned wealth connected a brace of caller headphones, truthful I consciousness a beardown work to see their needs and wants.

In my cleanable world, you'd person a brace of earbuds and a brace of over-ear headphones. The earbuds volition enactment arsenic your mundane headphones for hands-free calling, moving errands, exercising, and immoderate of your day-to-day activities. Your over-ear headphones volition beryllium your champion buddy portion traveling, working, oregon listening for a much immersive experience. 

Over-ear headphones screen your full ear, and aft a fewer hours, they tin get hot. On the different hand, in-ear earbuds tin go uncomfortable aft having the instrumentality lodged successful your receptor for a mates of hours. All of the headphones and earbuds connected this database excel successful astir environments, acknowledgment to their portability, compatibility with your devices, all-day comfort, and outstanding noise-canceling capabilities. Therefore, you should marque your determination based connected which acceptable you prefer.