Best iPhone Earbuds 2023 – Top 10 Picks

Apple is now officially done with the audio jack. Even the iPhone SE, Apple’s answer to a budget phone, doesn’t have a headphone jack. This is a bold statement considering most budget phones tend to keep the headphone jack for user convenience.

Finding a good pair of earbuds is important. Isolation is the most important since the sound is directly affected by it. You also need AAC support, so you can get hi-res music for the best listening experience.

So we decided to review the best iPhone earbuds currently available. So, let’s go through them and find the perfect earbuds for you…

Top 10 Best iPhone Earbuds in 2023

1 Symphonized- NRG MFI In-Ear Wood Earbuds – Best Wooden iPhone Earbuds

Symphonized is a little Audio company from Brooklyn, NY, and they’ve got this thing about wood. They believe that the natural acoustic properties of certain woods make them ideal for manufacturing not only speaker cabinets but earbuds, headphones, and wireless speakers as well. 

Why wooden’t you buy them?

The NRG MFIs are made from Bubinga wood, and they look fantastic with the Wood Aesthetic, making them look expensive. The MFIs will set you back between $35 and $45, and for that money, you’re going to struggle to find earbuds that look as nice. They are available with Red, Black, and White cabling and accents.

Inside the box, you’ll find the earbuds, a nice travel hard case with two cool stickers, six pairs of silicone tips in two different colors so you can mix and match, a carabiner that attaches to the case, shirt clip, and a booklet. 

Comfy and secure…

The 1.2m TPE cable is attached to the two earbuds, and the lightning adaptor is Apple Certified. The earbuds are very comfortable, and thanks to the many-sized tips, you will easily find your fit. They also sit securely enough to go for a run or to the gym.

On the left-hand cable, there is a simple play/pause button and a microphone for making and receiving calls. 

Rich and deep…

When it comes to sound, the folks over at Symphonized seem to be on to something with this whole wood thing. If there are two words to define the sound of these earbuds, they would be Deep and Rich.  

The low-end sound is really good despite there only being 8mm drivers. Somehow the earbuds create the illusion of a very large space inside your ears. Everything sounds a little bit bigger. The mids are equally impressive, and vocals sound particularly rich and full. The highs have a slight roll-off, but this merely adds to the warm sound of the earbuds, and it makes for minimal distortion when you crank the volume. 

2 Jabra Elite 7 Pro – Best Value for Money iPhone Earbuds

The name Jabra should be no stranger to anyone who is serious about earbuds. They came on the scene a few years back, and since then, they’ve been going from strength to strength. Compact design, premium sound, and great battery life are often mentioned when people talk about Jabra’s earbuds, and the ELite 7 Pros are no exception. 

Incredible value…

They come in at around $100, and for that price, you are getting a lot. They ship in Black, Mint, Gold Beige, Navy, Titanium Black, and Grey. The case may be a bit larger than some of their previous models, but it’s still plenty small enough to fit into any pocket with ease. 

Build quality is what you’d expect from a brand like Jabra, and the nice audible “Click” when you open and close the lid sounds like money well spent. The earbuds fit very comfortably and securely. Going for a run or doing some cardio shouldn’t be a problem. 

As far as features and functions… 

The Elite 7 Pros offer up quite the buffet, but let’s start with something that actually counts as a big downside. While there is Bluetooth 5.2, there is no multipoint pairing. This is especially disappointing since it was available on the previous models. 

The Case takes about two and a half hours to fully charge and, when fully charged, will deliver up to eight hours of playtime with ANC and more than ten hours without ANC. The case holds an additional 22 hours, which adds up to a very impressive total. The case can be charged Via a USB C cable or a QI-certified Wireless charging mat. The earbuds will give you around an hour of playtime after just five minutes in the case. 

There is an IP57 rating on the Elite 7 Pros, the earbuds can be used in Mono mode, plus there’s auto play and pause functionality. The Jabra Sound+ Companion App allows you to control the ANC and transparency modes along with the very versatile 5-band EQ, for which you can create and save your own presets. 

Clever design…

You can even customize the functionality of the buttons on the earbuds and set up the Jabra widget on your smart device. Finally, there is the Soundscape feature which is unique to Jabra products. These are a collection of high-quality sounds to help you fall asleep, work or study. 

The sound quality on the Elite 7 Pros is very balanced and customizable. The biggest downside s that there is no aptX support. The customizable EQ works like a charm, and from the lows all the way to the highs, the Elite 7s do a great job. At high levels, there is very little distortion and artifacts. The four microphone design makes for excellent voice quality during phone calls. 

3 1More – Triple Driver In-ear Earbuds – Best Sound Quality iPhone Earbuds

If you’re a true purist who knows that a wired connection is still the best way to get your audio from the source to your ear, then you know there are few manufacturers who still pay serious attention to their wired models. Well, 1More is a company that damn sure does, and the Triple Driver Earbuds are some of the best-sounding iPhone earbuds you can get for $100 bucks. 

What’s in the box?

The Triple Driver Earbuds come in some of the nicest packaging; it really puts companies like Sennheiser and Jabra to shame. Inside the box, you’ll get your earbuds, a leather carrying case with a magnetic clip, six pairs of silicone tips, three pairs of foam tips, an airline auxiliary adaptor, and a shirt clip.   

The earbuds are made from sandblasted aluminum, and they look and feel like high-quality items in your hand. One would really think they cost more than $100 if one were to be given a pair to inspect without the packaging and price tag. The aluminum means Triple Driver Earbuds are lightweight and sit very securely in your ears. There is little risk of them getting dislodged if you go for a run, do some cycling or lift some weights.

On the right-hand cable, there is a line-in remote to control the volume, track skipping, play/pause, and call answering. The line-in remote is also where the microphone is located. 

THX Certification…

Sound is where you really get your money’s worth with the Triple Driver Earbuds. These are the first earbuds ever to get certified by THX, and that means something, believe me. 

The low end is smooth and present but doesn’t overwhelm the mids. The highs are super crisp but never harsh, while the mids are in the forefront where they ought to be. These earbuds are impeccably well-balanced to the point where products that cost $50 and upwards more don’t sound as good as they do. 

4 Belkin SoundForm Rise – Best Budget iPhone Earbuds

Belkin’s name has been popping up with much more regularity in recent years. Many users who have to get their audio on a budget are praising Belkin for bringing decent audio down to their wallet’s capabilities. At around $45, the SoundForm Rise earbuds are certainly within the budget category for wireless earbuds. 

What’s in the box?

Inside the box, you get earbuds, a charging case, a short USB type C cable for charging, and three sizes of silicone tips. The case and the earbuds feel very well made, and I was surprised to see high-quality magnetic cradles inside the case. The case is small enough to carry comfortably in a pocket. 

These earbuds are rated IPX5 water and sweat-resistant, which means they should be okay in light rain or when you’re working up a sweat in the gym. Unfortunately, the chances that you’ll wear them to the gym are small because they can be quite uncomfortable unless you have larger ears. 

Take control…

The Sound Form Rise earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.0, which allows for a strong connection at a distance of up to 10 meters. Another surprising feature is touch controls instead of buttons. These have simple one, two, and three-tap gestures as well as tap-and-hold functions for volume, track skipping, and voice assistant activation. 

The case provides about seven hours of playtime on a single charge, while the case holds an additional 24 hours. This makes for one of the most impressive battery lives for iPhone earbuds under $50. 

Balanced…

The sound signature on the Sound Form Rise earbuds is, in a word, neutral. While this is a good thing in one respect since it means they are very well balanced, it also means that they never really “pop” either. The sound is okay but not remarkable in any way. 

The mic quality is quite good considering the price range, and the fact that these earbuds don’t have an elaborate six-microphone setup like other earbuds makes you wonder what developers are doing with all that RnD money. Phone calls were crystal clear on both ends with the Sound Form Rise Earbuds.

5 Apple AirPods Pro

After the lackluster original AirPods were released, there were many complaints. The earbuds struggled to form a good seal, and the design was a little too out there. However, the Pro provides a very slight design update and not just a better seal, but also active noise cancelation.

The ear tips included with the AirPods are made exclusively for the AirPods. And it’s important that you get the perfect fit since your experience solely hinges on the tight seal in your ear canal. The better seal provides superb accentuation of the music. The bass isn’t as prominent as other earbuds in this range, like the Sennheiser Momentum earbuds or PowerBeats Pro.

Vocals come through very clear and bright. And there is no audio masking present because of how well balanced the earbuds are.

The earbuds only support AAC, which is high fidelity audio for IOS users. If you plan to use this on any other device, you will only have far lower quality SBC available.

The active noise cancelling is superb and falls just short of the Sony WF-100XM3. Occasionally a bit of low hum will sneak in, but the rest of the time, you can enjoy your music noise free. Cars, people, planes, and doors are a thing of the past.

With the ANC on, you get about five hours of battery on a full charge. It’s not the best, nor the worst. What is annoying, though, is the USB-C to lightning connector in the box. It makes absolutely no sense. Unless you own an iPhone 11, you won’t have any use for it, except charging the case.

The microphone is great as well. It isolates your voice very well and reproduces clear and understandable conversations.

The earbuds are light, as is the charging case. It charges using a lightning connector, which is unfortunate, but Apple likes keeping things within their ecosystem.

It’s difficult to not recommend these to iPhone users, because most iPhone users tend to stick within the ecosystem. They are decent earbuds, but there are better options at a similar price.

For more information, check out our in-depth review of the Apple Airpods Pro.

6 Apple AirPods

This is where it all began. The Apple Airpods set the trend of true wireless earbuds. There were earbuds before the Airpods, but so much more after. However, j because they started the trend, doesn’t mean they were great. There were a lot of niggles that were ironed out by the later iterations.

The first biggest issue with the original Airpods was the lose fit. The three provided options are all bad, and there is a genuine problem with finding a good seal. Without a good seal, earbuds sound lifeless, and the low end gets completely lost.

The design was a little too much, with the Airpods sticking out your ears like you had a pair of toothbrushes stuck in your ear canals. The case and earbuds are lightweight, though, which is a plus.

There’s also no active noise cancelling on these. Kudo’s to Apple for the newer generation of AirPods. It does show that they sometimes do listen.

The sound on the original Airpods lacks a lot of color. The bass is almost non-existent, and the rest of the mix just lacks some oomph.

The only redeeming thing here is the microphone. It sounds good when taking calls, even when you’re on your morning run or at the gym.

The battery charges up with a lightning connector, which sucks, but considering we are looking for the best quality iPhone earbuds, you most likely have a few lightning connectors laying around. You’ll get five hours on a full charge with 24 hours of playback if you charge the case fully.

With better versions available and considering the prices they are at, you’re better off just acting like these don’t even exist. The AirPod Pro’s were created for a reason.

7 Sony WF-1000XM3

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is the ANC king of earbuds. When people ask us for top recommendations, the Airpod Pro and Sony WF-1000XM3 are by far the best options.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is for the Apple user looking for the best of the best and doesn’t care that it’s not Apple.

Sony provides a great, sleek design that is high quality and lightweight. The earbuds provide great isolation and industry-leading active noise cancelling.

If you are an audiophile and want to listen to hi-res music, the earbuds have AptX for android devices and AAC for your Apple device. AAC is Apple’s high-fidelity audio codec. What makes the Sony’s superb is that they sound great on any device, not just your iPhone.

Sony provides a nicely balanced sound that doesn’t lean heavily on a boosted low-end frequency like the Powerbeats Pro. If you enjoy your music overpowered by bass, we do recommend checking them out. On the WF-1000XM3, you will find everything sounding the way they should.

The bass thumps, but is tight and controlled. The mid-range is clear, and vocals sound great. The high frequencies shine clear.

The noise cancelling provided by Sony is almost as amazing as the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, which is high praise. Sony also provides a great app that gives you access to a feature that changes the ANC according to what you are doing.

The microphone sounds good too. It is clear and isolates your voice really well.

The case charges with USB-C and charges to the max in only two and a half hours. The fast charging can give you 90-minutes of playback on a 10-minute charge. On a full charge, the Sony’s provide six hours of playback with active noise cancelling on.

If you like the sound of the Sony’s but want to find out more, check out our Sony WF 1000XM3 review.

8 Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro are big, bold, and unchained. Everything from the case, ear hooks, and ear tips shout mammoth!

Throw in Apples very own H1 chip found in the AirPods, and you’ve got a better fitting, better sounding, and better-looking pair of earphones than the AirPods.

If you don’t mind losing the Apple branding, the Powerbeats Pro provides a much better fit that feels secure and seals well. The design is clunky but comfortable. The included charging case is also on the larger side and isn’t really pocket friendly.

The ear hooks provide some needed relief for your ear canals and fix the problem some earbud users have when their earbuds didn’t fit tight enough in their ear canal.

Connection to IOS is as easy as opening the case and hitting pair. There are two extra ear tip sizes and a pair of double-flanged ear tips, so you can find the perfect fit.

They come with the same IPX-4 water-resistant rating as the Airpods, which makes them sweat proof.

Isolation is great, this in turn, makes for some really thick sounding bass. The Powerbeats boast some of the best sounding bass of all the earbuds on the market. It’s a very recognizable Beats sound profile, and you’ll instantly recognize it if you’ve ever worn a pair of Beats headphones.

There’s a bit of dip in the mid-frequencies that cause a lot of audio masking when all the instrumentation kicks in. It is well suited for EDM or Trap. If you like loud bass, these earbuds will not only match your expectations, but blow them away.

They only support Apple’s AAC audio codec and standard SBC on Android phones. However, the microphone is good, and in-call audio sounds clear and easy to understand.

The battery life is absolutely amazing for a pair of earbuds. We got just over 10-hours of playback with a full charge. The case charges with a lightning cable, but at least it’s lightning to USB-A.

Want to know even more? Then simply head over to our comprehensive review of the Powerbeats Pro.

9 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

The Momentum True Wireless 2 are Sennheiser’s second-generation TW earbuds. And they’ve added sought after features that people have come to expect at a premium price range. ANC, USB-C fast charging, and premium build materials.

The earbuds themselves fit comfortably in your ears with four additional sizes to get the best fit. The earbuds don’t feel loose and won’t fall out during any sort of physical exercise.

They come with an IPX-4 rating, which means they are sweatproof. However, the controls are a little clunky, but they are customizable.

The earbuds sound fantastic. They offer clear mid and high range frequencies with stunning detail. The bass is nicely rounded and tight sounding. Even at higher volumes, you won’t lose any detail. They come with AptX, AAC, and SBC support. This means they will have hi-res audio, no matter what device you use them on.

The isolation is great, and they seal tightly. The active noise cancelling is good, not on the same level as the Airpods and definitely not the Sony WF-1000XM3.

When using the microphone, some people did notice that we sounded a little muffled. Nonetheless, we could still have normal conversations without any hitches.

The case charges with USB-C, but has no wireless charging. You get seven hours of playback on a full charge and 21 extra hours with the case.

If you want to find out all about Version 3, then check out our Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3 review.

10 Mobvoi TicPods 2 Pro

Mobvoi takes a gamble with AI-enabled head movement gestures, does it pay off?

The company have created a design that mimics the Airpod Pro’s design. In fact, they look like a streamlined version, with a strangely oblong-shaped case.

However, the smaller design means there are some isolation issues. Some users also claim that the fit is too loose. This could be a problem if you’d like to take them for a run, considering they have an IPX-4 sweat resistant rating.

There are direct voice commands and gesture controls on the earbuds themselves. They’ve also taken out the hassle of saying, “Hey, Google.” Voice gestures work without the virtual assistants, which is super cool, and we wish more earbuds had this function. Head gestures are used to pick up calls by different nods of the head. It works well enough to be quite handy in some situations.

They do suffer from some boosted low ends that cause some clarity to be lost in the mid and high range frequencies. It is a more consumer-friendly sound profile, but if you’re into true to mix sounding earbuds, these won’t fit the bill.

Another problem is the poor isolation. It might force users to turn up the volume, which can be bad for your hearing.

The microphone sounds alright. It struggled to block out noises in the house like doors closing, or fans blowing. This means it’s also no match for loud street noises.

So, which of these Best iPhone Earbuds Should you Buy?

When they came out, they cost more than twice what they do now, but since the…

 Jabra Elite 7 Pros 

…can now be picked up for around $100. It’s hard to find a more impressive set of earbuds for your iPhone. 

I know the lack of lossless audio support and multipoint pairing are issues, but when you consider the battery life, the awesome companion app, and the incredible sound quality that these earbuds deliver for the price, there is nothing that can beat them in terms of value for money. Not to mention the plethora of awesome colors they come in.

Whichever ones you choose, happy listening!