The 9 best wireless earbuds gifts for music lovers this Christmas: Apple, JBL, more

Simply the best Sony 2023 earbuds

Sony has packed everything I loved about its more expensive earbuds into this smaller and cheaper package. At this price, the audio quality simply can't be beat – and you can read all about it in our dedicated Sony WF-C700N review. Okay, you won't get lossless LDAC or the company's best DSEE upscaler, but for the money it would be wrong to expect that.

A no-brainer for iPhone owners

Apple's icy white buttons offer excellent ANC plus a whole host of benefits only available on the iPhone. The build quality and sound are solid, as you'd expect from Apple – and now you even get a USB-C port in the pocket-sized charging nest. They're the only AirPods that support volume changes using the stems and we think they're a winner all around, as you can see in our AirPods Pro 2 review.

The best for affordable ANC that works

When I first tried these JBL earbuds for adaptive noise cancellation alone, I liked them so much that I wrote a special article on their merits. If you need our verdict on how good they are overall, our JBL Live Pro 2 review is the place to go, but it might also give you some peace of mind to know that I recently personally gifted these earbuds to a friend who prioritizes noise nixing. I vouch for them.

For the ultimate ANC and low costs, go to Bose

As I mentioned in my full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review, these latest Bose earbuds now feature Snapdragon Sound with aptX Adaptive support, plus Bose's all-new Immersive Audio for an expansive, moving soundstage. And Bose wrote the book on noise nixing, so it's excellent. You don't get wireless charging or multipoint connectivity… but come on, do you care?

Nice band here

These Samsung earbuds with the Pro suffix are the best wireless earbuds the company has produced by a country mile, as you can read in my Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review. They abandon Samsung's penchant for quirky looks in favor of great 24-bit sound, head-tracked spatial audio, solid ANC and a design that fits comfortably. They're good, guys. No really, they are Good…

The cheap ANC buttons to beat – that haven't been beaten yet

Do you want good noise cancellation for little money? This is the set of earbuds for you, as long as you agree with voices. They may not look special, but they're excellent value across the board, offering comfort, great sound, decent ANC, multipoint pairing and impressive battery life. As you'll learn from our Earfun Air Pro 3 review, they quickly became a firm favorite of Ny Breaking.

The ridiculously cheap option that is emphatically not junk

What you need to know is that if your budget only stretches so far, you're still giving a reliable, desirable, musical gift. To tell you that, we've written an ode to these buds, alongside our special JLab Go Air Pop review. But buy cheap, buy twice, right? That's not the case here: these little earbuds may not offer audiophile sound quality, but they still belie their low price tag.

The hippest, squarest tops that don't cost the earth

This cute little package looks – and sounds – a lot more expensive. Although these earbuds were released in December 2021, the cubist look is timeless. Want to buy them a set of cheap buds so their friends will say, “Ooh, what are those?” You've just found them, friend – but check out our Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW review for all the details.