There’s no shortage of good wireless earbuds on the market, but the best pair should offer a level of performance, reliability, and comfort that elevates it above the pack. The Beats Fit Pro is that pair, delivering excellent sound quality and a lot of convenient features in a compact, secure design that is comfortable enough to wear all day. We were impressed by the effective noise cancellation, clear microphones, water resistance, and easy-to-use buttons. And unlike many of those we tested that proved to be buggy and exasperating the longer they were used, the Fit Pro earbuds have delivered solid performance over months of testing.
Our pick
Beats Fit Pro
The Beats Fit Pro earbuds sound great, fit securely, and have a variety of convenient features that make them a great all-purpose choice.
If you want one pair of wireless earbuds that transitions seamlessly between your commute, workplace, and gym, the Beats Fit Pro is for you. The Fit Pro sounds great, with a somewhat boosted bass and excellent vocal clarity, and the built-in microphones do a good job of reducing wind and background noise. The active noise cancellation (ANC) succeeds in bringing down the loudness of airplane/train engines, vacuum cleaners, and air conditioners. These earbuds have a high-enough water-resistance rating (IPX4) to provide protection for most activities, and our test panel found the flexible, stabilizing wings on the earbuds to be comfortable and liked the extra security they provided—but people who are sensitive to pressure in the ear might dislike the way they feel. You can use either earbud individually if you prefer to keep one ear open, and the six hours of listening time (with ANC on) is typical of completely wireless earbuds. The quick-charge feature will give you an hour of playback after the earbuds spend five minutes in the charging case—but the case itself lacks the option for wireless charging and isn’t as small as we’d like.
If you’re an Apple fan who wants access to Apple’s H1 chip features, you’ll be pleased to know the Fit Pro earbuds offer bonus functionality for Apple users. Just like Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds, these offer easy pairing and connection swapping to iCloud-connected Apple devices, as well as features like head tracking and touch-free “Hey Siri” control. The physical buttons control track skip, phone calls, and volume on Apple devices; some button customization and one-touch pairing is available for use with Android devices (if you download the Beats app).
The main downside with these earbuds is the inability to pair them with two devices simultaneously (such as a phone and laptop)—but based on our own experience and the feedback we’ve received from readers, that feature often proves more frustrating than beneficial.
Budget pick
EarFun Free 2
This affordable pair of true wireless earbuds is loaded with features and performs respectably well.
If you want completely wireless earbuds that cost less than $100, the EarFun Free 2 is the best pair we’ve found. EarFun gives you a lot of premium features for the money, including a better-than-average waterproof rating of IPX7, a Qi-compatible charging case, a solid battery life of seven hours per charge, and an 18-month warranty. The Free 2 earbuds have the full complement of control options, and the quality of the background-noise-reducing microphones rivals that of earbuds priced at $100 or more. This pair isn’t perfect, though: The high frequencies are more pronounced than we’d like, the larger size of the earbuds might make them feel too snug if you have very small ears, and the touch-based controls are fussier than physical buttons.