No matter what devices you use, there’s always going to be a vast selection when it comes to earbuds and headphones, particularly for well-known brands like Samsung. Whether you want better sound quality, headphones for phone calls or sound isolation for working from a coffee shop, our CNET experts have been hard at work in testing and choosing which are the best earbuds for Samsung users.
CNET has thoroughly evaluated numerous wireless earbuds and headphones to determine the top choices for pairing with your Samsung phone. Below are our favorite options.
What are the best earbuds and headphones for Samsung smartphones right now?
What are the best earbuds for Samsung devices? If you’re looking for earbuds geared to your Galaxy smartphone or tablet, the answer is easy: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pros are arguably the best earbuds you can get for your Galaxy device. They not only sound very good but offer good noise canceling and work well for making calls. They’re also equipped with some special extra features for users of Galaxy devices, including spatial audio and hands-free Bixby.
As for full-size headphones that work well with Samsung mobile devices, we like the Sony WH-1000XM5, a previous CNET Editors’ Choice winner. There’s a slew of other headphones geared toward Samsung users, several of which I’ve included on this list.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offers improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance (thanks to the 360-degree audio), plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. They’re also fully waterproof. These earbuds scored an impressive 8.2/10 in one of our detailed reviews.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offers improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance (thanks to the 360-degree audio), plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. They’re also fully waterproof. These earbuds scored an impressive 8.2/10 in one of our detailed reviews.
Earfun Air Pro 3
Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important similarity: They’re all a very good value, made more so by frequent discounts. The company’s new-for-2023 Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with aptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec. They also support AAC for Apple devices.
Lightweight and comfortable to wear, these aren’t a huge upgrade over the Earfun Air S, but they are better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling and better battery life (up to seven hours with noise canceling on, according to Earfun).
In short, the Earfun Air 3 delivers strong performance for its modest price, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and „multidevice” connectivity. (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch.) They’re IPX5 splash-proof and also work well (although not exceptionally well) as a headset for making calls
Sony WH-1000XM5
When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. Such is the case for Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they’ve improved with each generation. Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, but nothing as dramatic as what it’s done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher price tag, most of those changes are good, and Sony’s made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance, as well as even better noise-canceling and more refined sound.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
If you can’t afford the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, the standard Galaxy Buds 2 are a good option. Released in 2021, they don’t sound as good as the newer Galaxy Buds 2 Pro or have quite as effective noise canceling. They do offer decent sound and noise canceling along with very good voice-calling performance, and they often are discounted to around $100.
The Buds 2, like the earlier Buds Plus, is only IPX2 sweat-resistant. That means they should be fine for lighter workouts, but it’s probably best to avoid wearing them in a rainstorm.
JBL Live Pro 2
Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 has stems while the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance. They also have a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.
The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two is battery life: The stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.
Sony CH-720N
Sony’s improved entry-level noise-canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plastic-y, budget vibe, but they’re lightweight and comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don’t sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s. They sound more premium than they look and feel, and their overall performance is a nice step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Are they worth $150? Maybe — or maybe not. The good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these should see some nice discounts in the not-so-distant future.