Headphones or earbuds?
Tell us where you'll wear them. We'll tell you which kind suits you, and show pairs we rate of that kind.
Find your kind in 2 questions
Where you wear them decides the kind. Your phone decides the best pair.
The two kinds, in a sentence each
Over-ear headphones block the most noise, sound fuller and last days on a charge, so they win on planes, trains and long days at a desk. They're bulky in a pocket and warm in summer.
Earbuds fit in a pocket, stay put when you move and are easy to wear for an hour on the bus. They run for fewer hours per charge, so they live in their case between uses.
Your phone matters more for earbuds. AirPods and Galaxy Buds save their best features for their own brand's phones; Sony, Bose and Beats work the same on both.
How we reached this verdict
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: RTINGS, RTINGS, What Hi-Fi, RTINGS, RTINGS, What Hi-Fi, manufacturer specifications.