You want a slim, light bud: These are about as bulky as mainstream earbuds get in this day and age, and their case is pretty large. AirPods Pro 2 ( #6 on this list) or Sony LinkBuds S are much slimmer and lighter.

In addition to keeping your earbuds charged, the U-AIR4’s charging case serves another function. Plug a phone into it, and it will work as a portable power bank! This is great if you get into a jam and need to top off your phone battery. You want huge battery life: The longevity here isn't as impressive as some options – it's fine, but it's just not above average. Up close, the resemblance is less obvious. There’s no silver ring at the bottom and the stem is wide enough to feature the EarFun logo. The shiny, lightweight plastic makes it apparent that these are a cheaper pair of earbuds, but the build quality is hardly surprising given their price. Wireless Earbuds: The Air4’s earbuds are deceptively simple in design yet sophisticated in function. They’re crafted to fit comfortably in your ears, providing an auditory escape that’s both immersive and intimate. The quality of sound? Crystal clear, with balanced bass and treble that cater to diverse musical tastes. These aren’t just earbuds; they’re your personal concert hall. The kit includes three sets of tips and three sets of retaining fins. They’re sized large, medium, and small, and you can mix and match different fins and tips. Out of the box, the medium fins and tips will be installed. But they’re easy enough to swap out to get a comfortable fit.You want really good ANC: These do clamp down on outside sound, but not at the same level as other premium earbuds, such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 at #1 on the list. However, Beats earbuds offer a great fit and excellent sound. Particularly the Beats Fit Pro, which we highly recommend if you're looking for a pair of earbuds for working out. They're also a little more affordable than Bose options and have a more stylish design. Which wireless earbuds are just as good as Apple AirPods? Mathematically bit-for-bit exact, SOUNDPEATS Air4 semi-in-ear headphones support Qualcomm aptX Lossless, a codec that can deliver bit-perfect CD-quality audio up to 16-bit/44.1 kHz and retain the fidelity of the sound in a stable connection. With a top quality of 24-bit/96kHz, aptX Adaptive also could dynamically adjust the bitrate depending on your content, optimizing it based on audio quality and latency requirements, such as when gaming or watching a video. Soundpeats Promotional Codec Support How can you possibly look at them all? And if you can’t, how do you know you’re getting the best choice for your needs?

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) can increase battery drain, but it can come in handy if you want a more private listening experience, and some of the top pairs we've reviewed boast excellent noise-cancelling. Similarly, some sound processing modes can take a little bit extra out of your battery, but these can usually be turned off. We think the Sony's sound quality is superbly balanced too, with deep, detailed bass, expressive mids and engaging highs. They're a very musical listen for the money and a clear step up from the cheaper WF-C500.The Ultra actually replace the company's 2022 What Hi-Fi? Award winner – the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, so shop around and you might be able to find a big chunk of cash slashed off the older pair. It's an option worth considering. It's also worth noting the number of hours you get can vary depending on what other features you have enabled. Don't forget that wireless earbuds come with charging cases so they're kept topped up between outings. My thoughts here will be some rather large generalizations, but instruments come across with decent body and a nice tonal character and timbre. Slightly thinned out in the upper mids but very clean and clear. Perhaps if you get a better seal then you will have a bit more body to instrumentation. Percussion has a nicely crisp and defined ‘chisk’ with cymbals, snares also sound nice. Piano sounds full and melodic enough, violin for the most part is good too. I find pretty much any instrument that I’ve heard to have nice resolution, and separation as well with a very tidy approach to my music. All in all, I think the Air4 sounds very nice, mostly organic and energetic with a nice shimmer when needed. Certainly, one of the better semi-open midranges that I’ve heard as far as instrumentation and vocals are concerned. Nice Midrange

A front-facing LED indicator graces the exterior of the case, providing essential battery information and status updates.

In This Article

Although we have dedicated testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, the bulk of our wireless earbuds testing happens outside those facilities, whether that's on the street or in our busy office.

The Ultra provide a comfortable fit and lots of features. Bluetooth 5.3 is a big bonus, while they are also Bose's first in-ears to offer its very own spatial audio tech, Immersive Audio.

Extra Features

Pairing the earbuds to my iPhone 14 Pro was easy. I simply opened the charging case and then waited for the Soundpeats to appear in my Bluetooth menu. There is a pairing button on the front of the charging case that can force the process if needed. I found the user manual to be less than helpful. It provides basic information, but isn’t very in depth. You really value audio quality and can spend a little more: The Cambridge Audio buds at #9 on this list sound far better for those with a musical ear, but don't cost too much more. You can also see the remaining battery level via the SoundPEATS app (more on this later). SoundPEATS Air4 Lite Earbuds.