Throughout 2023, we’ve reviewed a collection of the latest true wireless earbuds. Including a wide range of brands, form-factors, and price points, we’ve settled on five of our favorite alternatives to first-party offerings from Apple, Google, and Samsung. Including Sony’s new XM5, Anker’s latest budget-friendly buds, and some other unique offerings, you’ll find all of the best earbuds of 2023 outlined below.
Hands-on with the best earbuds of 2023
After another year of earbuds reviews under our belt, we have taken a look at over 20 different offerings. This year included everything from new flagship daily drivers to audiophile-grade offerings to ultra-affordable and high-end models. There were highlights from the usual suspects like Sony, Marshall, and Anker, as well as some more recent contenders in the space like Denon.
On top of just earbuds we published thorough reviews on, we also looked at quite a few others as last-minute contenders. So whether you’re looking for a more cost-effective solution compared to in-house offerings from Apple, Google, and Samsung, or just want a more platform-agnostic solution, 9to5Toys’ best earbuds of 2023 are outlined below.
Best Daily Drivers – Sony XM5
Throughout the year there really was just one pair of earbuds I kept coming back to time and time again. That mindset was the driving force for why I picked what would ultimately become my favorite pair of earbuds this year, with the Sony XM5 offering a nearly perfect all-around listening experience.
Back in July, I first praised these new releases for their impressive active noise cancellation, 360-degree audio, and the more compact design. It was one of those love at first sight, or I suppose first listen moments that I wasn’t entirely sure would last all the way through the year. But now six months later and I still find myself going back to these as my personal everyday driver. They’re great for prolonged use at home, blocking out noise when traveling around New York City, and really for any other use case.
You can buy them now for $298 or just dive into our full hands-on review for a better look at the experience.
Best Sounding – Denon PerL Pro
As far as the best actual listening experience goes, the Denon PerL Pro have been the cream of the crop. Truly the best pair of earbuds when it comes to how they sound, who knew that all it would take is a brand who’s newer to the true wireless earbuds space to shake up the competition. Denon packed some of the most novel tech we’ve seen this year into its new earbuds, which already managed to stand out from other options I’ve reviewed based on the form-factor alone.
There was ultimately a reason for that, as the PerL Pro leverage Masimo Adaptive Acoustic tech in order to personalize the sound to your liking. I’m not typically the biggest fan of earbuds that have to be tailored to your listening to actually sound good, but Denon really managed to deliver a whole new caliber of experience from its new debuts.
You can buy them now for $349 or just dive into our full hands-on review for a better look at the experience.
Best bang for your buck – Anker
Anker took a bold approach to its earbuds this year, and one that had a massive pay off. The new Soundcore Liberty 4 NC just hit the scene back in June, exciting with the usual fun colors we see from the company’s releases as well as a shocking $100 price tag. You’d expect any pair of buds that clock in at such an affordable price point to be on the more budget-friendly side of things, but calling the Liberty 4 NC a budget pick feels a bit disingenuous.
These are affordable earbuds, sure, but they manage to offer many of the features I would want from a pair of modern releases. I originally praised just how balanced these sounded out of the box, and stand by that over a half a year since I first listened to them. The ANC is quite reliable, too! They’re really the best standard pair of earbuds out there – so if Denon and Sony’s releases are just a little too pricy, reach for the latest flagships from Anker.
You can buy them now for $100 or just dive into our full hands-on review for a better look at the experience.
Most unique – JBL Tour Pro 2
There really is only one pair of earbuds that can be the most unique this year, and it’s JBL’s Tour Pro 2 for putting a screen on the charging case. The second I saw these revealed, I knew I had to get my hands on them too see if the display was purely just a gimmick or was actually a feature that added some utility to the listening experience. And call me crazy, but I adored the functionality!
Say it’s a proof of concept for the return of the iPod or just that having quick access to playback controls is convenient, but I loved having a charging case I could interact with instead of my smartphone. The Tour Pro 2 also managed to sound pretty solid too! These aren’t going to be able to match the sound quality or ANC tech found on some of our other top contenders in this list, but if you’re looking for the most unique releases this year, JBL is most deserving of the crown in this category.
You can buy them now for $250 or just dive into our full hands-on review for a better look at the experience.
Best workout – Jabra Elite 8 Active
Simply put, the new Jabra Elite 8 Active were some of the best earbuds when it comes to actually being able to stay in my ears. It’s not that the others on this list didn’t offer snug and comfortable fits, but there’s something about Jabra and the design of its latest releases that really won me over. Also the fact that they rock some incredibly impressive sound tech.
The fact that they have special ear tips that are designed to stay in your ear better is only the start, with the rugged form-factor also ensuring that there isn’t a place you can’t bring these along for serenading your exercises. The Elite 8 Active arrive with full compliance with the US Military Standard for Ruggedized Electronics standard, meaning that they have an IP68 waterproof rating with 1-meter drop-resistance. The charging case then rocks an IP54 splash-proof design.
You can buy them now for $200 or just dive into our full hands-on review for a better look at the experience.
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