Our Favorite Earbuds For 2020
*FYI: There are affiliate links present as we get a cut from your purchase. However our picks weren’t influenced by them.*
Earbuds these days come a dime a dozen as just about every tech/gaming company makes one or several. 2020 brought us many of them w/ most of them being good or really great. We’ve reviewed a good amount of them unfortunately not all. We put together our picks for our favorite buds.
Our picks aren’t what we consider the best or the worst but each as something that appeals to us as we think you’ll like them as well. We got a 5 plus an honorable mention as well. Let’s get started shall we?
At the top of our list is the latest from Jabra w/ the Elite 85t earbuds. These are the best ANC earbuds in our opinion – regardless of your platform. You get an IPX4 rating for swear/rain, amazing sound courtesy of their 12mm drivers w/ 6 mics, 11 levels of amazing ANC w/ a HearThrough mode, great mics for calls, charging case w/ USB-C + Qi charging support, and 5 and a half hours of juice w/ ANC on + 7 and a half w/ ANC off. The one standout feature that these offer over the others on this list is Multi-point Bluetooth to connect to 2 devices at the same time. They retail for $230 but you might catch a deal for the holidays.
There’s a reason why many iPhones users have these in their ears. The AirPods Pro are ideal for Apple’s smartphone. You got IPX4 rating for sweat/rain, good audio quality, amazing ANC/Transparency mode/Spatial Audio features, small case w/ Lightning port + Qi charging support, amazing mics for taking calls, and a 4 and a half hour battery life w/ ANC on + 5 hours w/ ANC off. Although a newer model is due out next year, you can catch from $200 & under instead of the $250 at retail.
Sony dropped a few earbuds this year but I think the SP800Ns are the best value & all-around features on a pair of earbuds. You got a slightly-higher IP55 rating for better handling sweat/rain, great audio courtesy of Sony’s Extra Bass sound profile, rubber arcs to fit better in your ear, good digital-based noise canceling, good mic for calls, and a 9-hour battery w/ NC on + 13 hours w/ NC off. Giving you a bit of everything in one package that retails for $200 but has been as low as $148.
Now the rest of the Internet loves the sound from these but I’m just OK w/ them. We didn’t choose the Galaxy Buds Live but we prefer the Buds+ from earlier this year. Samsung gives you a lower IPX2 rating, good audio, ambient sound, and decent mics for calls. The reason they’re on this list is: battery life. This gives you 11 hours on a single charge before having to charge them in the case. Definitely a number that’s hard to beat. They retail for $150 but about $50 off currently.
Google’s 2nd-gen Pixel Buds had several issues that plagued it at launch. Since its launch, several updates have fixed most of these problems. The only issue really left is the lower max volume. You got IPX4 rating to handle sweat/rain, small rubber arcs to a better fit, full sound w/ bass output, small USB-C case w/ Qi-charging support, good mics for phone calls, 5-hour battery, and hands-free access to Google Assistant. These retail for $179 but you might can save some $$ during the holidays.
Despite being over a year old, the Powerbeats Pro from Beats still remain a well-balanced pick. This offers a IPX4 rating to sweat/workout in, adjustable earhooks to stay in your ears comfortably, good + big sound w/ good bass, 9-hour battery life, Fast Fuel fast-charging that gives you an hour of juice in a 5-minute charge, and great mics for taking phone calls. These are ideal for Apple but can be enjoyed on an Android device as well. It retails for $250 but being a bit older it can be found on sale.
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