Best workout earbuds & headphones 2021

Best
workout earbuds & headphones
Android Central
2021

Best overall: Jaybird Vista 2

For durability and audio customization, the Jaybird Vista 2 stand out as one of the best you can find. The original Vista earbuds were a big step in this direction, but this second attempt gets a lot of the otherwise missing pieces right.

An IP66 rating gives these a higher water and sweat resistance level for starters, making them well suited to any run or workout. Jaybird considers them to be waterproof, crushproof, drop-proof, and sweatproof, so it’s reasonable to expect these earbuds to sustain a certain level of punishment. You may want to draw the line at swimming, though, since they’re not really made for constant submersion. Want to run in the rain? No problem, but best to keep them out of the pool or tub. Keep them clean after every exposure, and you likely keep them going for longer.

You’ll want to keep them going because there’s plenty to like. Jaybird added active noise cancelation (ANC) and improved passive isolation to enhance audio playback further. Assuming the fit is ideal for your ears, the resulting performance should be agreeable. By default, the Vista 2 lean toward a heavier sound, with enough bass to satisfy anyone looking for a little rumble in their tunes. The best part is that you can expand on that a whole lot more through the Jaybird app.

Aside from learning about its controls and features, the app also has an equalizer with a very active community of fellow users who create and contribute their own EQ presets. You can sample and apply these to the Vista 2 earbuds at any time, effectively changing how they sound on a whim. So, if you like deeper bass to get pumped up in the gym, but prefer a more dynamic or neutral sound signature any other time, you can just select the preset to give you that. You’re free to create your own as well, making these earbuds among the most customizable available.

Battery life isn’t exceptional, but good enough for working out or going out on a run. You can expect up to six hours with ANC on (eight hours when off), and the earbuds get closer to those numbers because the default volume is pretty loud to begin with. Did I mention that the case also has its own IP54 rating? Well, it does, giving it a certain level of durability unto itself, including a lanyard built into it. And you can track it through the app as well. Not to mention the extra 16 hours in battery life the case has, giving the earbuds an additional two full charges. You can also quick charge them via USB-C or lay them down on a wireless charging pad.

By the pace of successive earbuds today, the Jabra Elite Active 75t might seem like they’ve been surpassed already. While it is true that the Elite 85t are out, they’re not quite as ruggedized as these are. Plus, you arguably get better comfort for longer runs and workouts. The IP57 rating isn’t especially high, but it is high enough to get you that extra bit of sweat and water resistance you’ll need to push harder when trying to meet a goal.

What makes these earbuds even better is the combination of fit, comfort, and audio quality. They continue to be one of the best designs you’ll find for any pair of earbuds. Lightweight and nicely contoured to not feel intrusive or obtrusive. You could probably wear these for hours and not always notice. The sound starts with a smooth, bass-heavy audio profile, but you can always play around with that in Jabra’s Sound+ app. Use the onboard EQ and customize a profile that works best for your own tastes or mood.

Jabra was the first to add ANC to a pair of earbuds through a firmware update, which makes the Elite Active 75t among the first ever to receive such an upgrade that way. Because the fit is so snug, passive noise isolation is quite good in helping the cause, but this isn’t the kind of ANC built into the hardware, so the effect won’t be as effective or pronounced as it otherwise would be.

Battery life is pretty decent at up to seven hours per charge — a number that’s competitive, but hardly amazing by today’s current standards. Still, consistency is something you’ll appreciate if you’re looking to stay active with them regularly. The included case gives you another two and a half charges for an overall total of about 25-28 hours. Despite the lack of wireless charging, USB-C does help charge it all back up faster, so at least there’s that.

One thing we can’t overlook is the physical controls. Rather than use touch-based gesture controls, these earbuds have buttons to handle all the basics, vastly reducing the number of false positives. There is a downside in that only the right earbud can work in mono mode.

True, it’s not as vogue now to have any cables present when talking about wireless earbuds, but the Powerbeats are good value when you value key things, like fit, comfort, and battery life. The ear hook design is great for stability, especially when you’re being active and don’t want the earbuds to fall out at the wrong time. With stability, you often get better comfort, and the two do go together well here.

The IPX4 rating is modest by water and sweat resistant standards, but their design makes them easier to manage and keep clean. Wipe them down after a workout, and you should have these playing for some time to come. Apple’s H1 chip is inside, and you derive no benefit from it as an Android user, but that’s okay. If you’re just looking for earbuds that stay firmly in place while you work out or go for a run, these will do just fine.

You do get Beats-style audio quality, so if you’re into heavier bass, you’ll feel at home moving to tunes coming through. There are no actual special audio treatments beyond that, though you can download the Beats app and see if there’s anything there worth utilizing. The most important part is the fit itself, where the amount of bass is based on which ear tip you use to seal it into your ears.

Battery life can last up to 15 hours per charge, depending on volume level. It’s just unfortunate that they charge via Lightning and not USB-C. The one saving grace is that a quick five-minute charge can get you up to 60 minutes of playback.

There are two things that JLab Audio got right about the Epic Air Sport ANC off the bat. First, while hardly proprietary, the ear hooks suggest that stability is as important to the overall design as comfort is. Second, the number of ear tips in the box clearly tries to cater to various ears and preferences.

Ear hooks aren’t for everyone, but it’s hard to argue with their ability to maintain a good seal since the weight and pressure are largely allocated to the hooks rather than the buds. These are flexible enough to find a happy medium in many respects, even if the fit doesn’t feel perfect the first time. JLab includes two large-sized silicone tips, one of which is molded for taller inner ears. There are even medium sizes doing the same thing. There’s even a CloudFoam pair included to truly deform into your inner ear’s proportions for the tightest seal yet.

The IP66 rating gives them a pretty good level of durability from the start, though you will want to be careful not to expose them to too much water. You shouldn’t have any issues with runs or workouts, provided you keep them clean after you sweat all over them. Whether dry or sweaty, the touch controls are finicky on these, which is a shame since physical buttons might have been the better option.

When it comes to listening to music with them, the default sound signature is a good starting point that you can tweak through the JLab Epic Air ANC app. While presets are limited, you can create your own for whatever sound you’re looking for. Either way, you can expect the battery to go for a long while. Without ANC, the earbuds can play for up to 15 hours per charge, or 11 hours with it on. Those are truly impressive numbers at this stage. The case adds another 55 hours or 44 hours, depending on where ANC is set.

Samsung never ventured into ruggedized territory with its earbuds before the Galaxy Buds Pro but found the right time to do it. These earbuds are packed with features to make them stand out in the crowd, and that combination is better because of the extra durability that goes with it all. The IPX7 rating is by far the highest of any Samsung earbuds to date, letting you get in a solid run or workout without much fuss.

Though the design takes a lot from previous models, like the Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live, these are easily the best ones for running or working out. Small and nimble, they do have some extra girth to pack in ANC and all the other tech inside, plus larger drivers to produce a bigger and clearer sound profile from the get-go. ANC has two settings (high and low) to drown out background noise, plus four Ambient mode settings, both of which can work together in unique ways.

If you need to talk to someone for any reason, Voice Detect lowers the volume of whatever you’re listening to and turns up the Ambient mode once you start talking to hear the conversation. After 5-15 seconds, the audio comes back. If you want to adjust how the music sounds, your best bet is to use the six equalizer presets in the Galaxy Wearable app, even though there is no custom EQ to create your own.

Unfortunately, you won’t get a ton of battery life to go with all that. Expect up to five hours per charge max when ANC is on, or eight hours if you keep it off. The included case gets you three extra charges, which you can charge via USB-C or wireless charging pads. So if you need some tunes for a run or workout and are low on battery, a quick five-minute charge can get you up to an hour of playback.

Over-ear headphones may not be everyone’s cup of tea for a workout, but if they’re your preference, then you may like the Soundcore Life Q35 for their value and…